Where to start with modifying?

STUCKHEAD

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Vancouver, WA
As a lot of you know I just bought my XJ.

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Totally stock, now time to start!

as far as mods go is there a specific order that you guys would recommend I go?

Lift first? tires? bumper? hitch? etc...

I know I want to lift at least 3" and get MT, what suspension would you guys recommend? I know I want MT tires, what brand? I went to BFG but i guess they dont make the MT tires for my jeep? I assume if I lift i have more options?

If there is a noob thread that I am missing please let me know :helpme:

Thanks guys!
 
How much do you want to spend? That's always going to narrow your options.

An ideal set up for a beginner in the PNW is a ~3" lift (Old Man Emu or Rubicon Express are great kits that will last and perform well) and 31" tires (depending on how much street/daily driving it will see, pick between a good All Terrain or Mud Terrain...I'm partial to Goodyear's given their current offerings), recovery points front and rear, and rock rails. From there you can spice things up by adding a locker or other such cool stuff, but that's a solid start.

Oh yeah, and a NAXJA membership. :)

-----Matt-----
 
I think, tow points, lift (3 inch), tires (30s or 31s), Then bumpers, sliders, and bigger lift (5-6 inch) bigger tires (33-35s) Gears and lockers! That's what I did.... Well I skiped the sliders and my rockers paid the price.
 
Don't bother with a 3 or 3.5 inch lift, you will get "inchitis" down the road and end up with a 4.5" anyhow. Just do it the first time, put it on 31s - 33s and call it a day.

Next, rock rails FOR sure. They have really saved the condition of my Jeep, man. Get them, install them, forget about them. Tow points are also a must, and the addition of a front locker has made a world of difference in my rig. :)
 
3 inches of lift and 31's is a great place to start in the PNW, if you get a good kit like Matt stated earlier (RE or OME) you can add coil spacers to the front and longer shackles to the back to get a little more lift later on. Rock sliders should be on the top of the list, with recovery points as well. Then throw in some driving experience and you will be good to go.

-Alex
 
I still vote tow points and a locker...
...but next to your avatar it says you voted for failure. Which is it? :dunno:

Learning to wheel without lockers is something that makes you a better driver when/if you get them. There's a real value in starting small and growing as a driver as the jeep grows in capability.

-----Matt-----
 
...but next to your avatar it says you voted for failure. Which is it? :dunno:

Learning to wheel without lockers is something that makes you a better driver when/if you get them. There's a real value in starting small and growing as a driver as the jeep grows in capability.

-----Matt-----
Dont get me wrong, I fully agree, I'am just overwhelmed at the difference. The first thing i thought after trying out my spool was i should of done an aussie up front instead of the 33s over the 31s..
 
Lockers, large aggressive tires, armor, and confidence completely change a person's driving habits anyway. Everyone here that has these can vouch for that. After your first trip out with 31's and everyone around you is running 33" or bigger, you're going to regret all that money you just wasted. Go with a standard 4.5" and 33's. Once I went to 35's I opened a whole can of worms. Just stick with 33's.
 
Lockers, large aggressive tires, armor, and confidence completely change a person's driving habits anyway. Everyone here that has these can vouch for that. After your first trip out with 31's and everyone around you is running 33" or bigger, you're going to regret all that money you just wasted. Go with a standard 6.5" and 37's. blah blah blah blah blah blah Just stick with 37's.
I completely agree:dunno:
 
Start with armor then lift and wheels and tires. if you don't, as soon as you lift it you will beat it and wish you had the armor.
 
take your rear sway bar off.....its almost useless unless you plan on towing.....and it give you more travel in the rear.....sway bar disconects up front....then locker...then armor....get to know your xj on light trails before you go and think you have a rock crawler lol armor then lift
 
I guess this is exactly why every single one of our rigs looks different. :clap:
We all have opinions, and they are all exactly that.

I think the general concensus that you will find is already starting to show above.

1. 3" lift, and 31" tires.
2. All of the skid plates, tow points, rocker protection, etc you can possibly find.
3. Use it, learn how it works, fine tune it, etc.

4. more lift to fit 33's or 35's, gears, TAD (lockers, limited slips, etc).
5. Use it, learn how it works, fine tune it, etc.

There are several reasons why it usually ends up going this way. They are more do-able steps for the check book to begin with. Number 1 will cost a good chunch of money and you can spend as long as you want nickle and diming number 2 and 3, piece by piece. You really don't want to move to number 4 until you have proven to yourself that it is worth the money, but this is a big step on the check book.

Continue to do as much searching as you can on the technical forums.

A couple of other details to consider.
1. I suspect yours is a 2000? Which means you might want to look for a High pinion D30 to swap out the front with BEFORE you put gears or a locker in it.
2. IF the rear is the 8.25 you are good to go up to 35's without swaping. IF it is the D35 you should swap it out also BEFORE you put gears or a locker in it.
3. You will also probably want a SYE before moving to step 4, you might need it at step 1 depending on the vehicle and vibes that you get from the lift.

Good luck, keep reading, and keep asking questions.
Michael
 
I'm 3 years into my rig, and have spent as much time reading about mods.

The first thing I would do, if I were you is this:

1) Fix what came broken from the factory. Steering brace comes to mind. $40. Replace any sagging springs and/or leafs (new or source good used ones). Refresh stock brakes (drums/discs/calipers/wheel cylinders). Swap out all fluids: brake, steering, diffs (clean them out and inspect them), tranny, etc. Gte rid of the rear sway bar. Install disconnects for the front sway bar.

2) Go out wheeling with it after step 1. Get 5, 10 or more stock friendly runs in (more is better). That might require some tow points up front so that you don't ruin everybody else's day on the run, if you get stuck. So a new front bumper might be required. If you don't have a hitch, you may need to get a new rear bumper or just get a used hitch and install it to at least have some kind of rear tow point.

3) After seeing what you can and cannot do with your rig, and assuming the guys/club you go wheeling with help you along, you can tell the difference between driving skills and the capabilites of your slightly stock rig. If money isn't tight, swap out the stock all terrains and get some mud terrains (or whatever tire is better where you wheel: rocks, sand, snow, mud), and repeat step 2. Note the difference.

4) Figure out what you really want to be capable of doing after getting some trail experience. Bigger tires without lift gain you a bit more (but ratio of cost vs increased capability is not good.) For a stock rig, a front or rear locker is the bomb. Make sure you put one in an axle worthy of it's keep. 8.25 non-lsd is good (your 2000 has a 29 spline, if you have the 8.25). You'll see a huge difference on the trail. Number one best mod. (I hear, the second is hydro assist steering, but that's way later).

5) Keep wheeling, one mod at a time. After a locker, get a lift. That's a biggie that involves deciding which size rims you are going to get (if a brake upgrade is in your future), lift size vs tire size (fender trimming or not), lower gears to accomodate the tire size (fuel economy if DD, or getting into the right power band on the trail for the 4.0 L)

6) Have fun, make one mod at a time (where possible), and enjoy the difference each one brings.

If you do it this way, you'll learn lots about a) driving, b) your rig and c) what it is you really want to do when it comes to off-roading (I'm assuming that this is what you want to do and not just build a mall-crawling jail-bait attractor :D ).


My $0.02.
:cheers:
 
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