Its time to chat. Offroad Jeep Content

So... gonna get to the point. I want to put a little lift on the Jeep. Problem is, its the 2.5, and has no torque whatsoever. So, if i put a 3" lift on it, I think the stock gearing will be to tall to turn the wheels.... or am I wrong?

Er, lift kit height but no new/old tire size info in a gearing/power question?

Am I missing something? Is this a reference/inside joke?

So 3" lift would fit 33" tires. With the 2.5 you would want at least 4.11s,4.56 would be better

In reply to ransom:

Would be 33" tires and from what Rusty Offroad shows as available, it would be a 4:10, 4:56 and 4:88 gear selection. From what my co-worker says, he thinks all the 2.5's came stock with 4:10s, but not 100% sure

2.5L 5sp probably came with either a 3.73 or 4.10 already, so there's really only aftermarket to turn to for shorter gearing as far as i know. pretty much every direct swap cherokee axle is going to be taller gearing.

with a 3" lift you can fit 31s without rubbing or 33s or so with cutting the fenders.

a cheap setup for 3" is a 2" budget boost, v8 grand cherokee ZJ front coil springs, and Quadratec's Heavy Duty rear leaf springs.

I recently parted out an XJ (originally 2.5, 5-speed) 3" Pro-Comp lift, 31" BFG's fit fine. Next step up for me was 4.5" lift to fit 33's or cut fenders like Wilber said.... or on the cheap poly spacers over the coils and blocks on the leafs.

and speak of the frickin' devil.... I just scrapped the axles this morning: 3.73's/ model 30 and 35.

Max recommended tire for those axles are 35's

Avoid the Rough Country 3" kit I had one on mine & was not impressed. I shouldn't have cheaped out.

'not impressed' is pretty vague.

If you already have 4.10s, you'll have the best of a bad situation (2.5L and 33" tires) but lower gears would be better if you're concerned about acceleration. I drove a stock 2.5/5spd wrangler on 31s and was actually impressed that it didnt feel that bad. But my opinion of the 2.5 AMC seems to differ wildly from everyone else's.

In reply to Vigo:

well the 2.5 is OK for offroading, especially once youre in 4-Low as gearing trumps power every time, but on road they suck in direct proportion to the tire size.

Well, people putting big tires on and then complaining about on-road performance is a sickness that sort of trumps the value of most of the things those people say.

But i do remember one guy who turbo'd his 2.5 wrangler (which is super easy, btw, as you might have noticed) and ran 14.9 @8psi non-intercooled and i think he was still on 31s. Although wranglers are a little easier than cherokees..

Vigo wrote: But i do remember one guy who turbo'd his 2.5 wrangler (which is super easy, btw, as you might have noticed) and ran 14.9 @8psi non-intercooled and i think he was still on 31s. Although wranglers are a little easier than cherokees..

Ive actually been toying with this idea. I could easily get a VW MED-9 or some sort of mega-squirt (which i was gonna do anyway when i get a fuel injected mani and convert it from a carb) to go to a non-intercooled turbo setup. Just waiting as i finish up the rest of my other projects before i start another...

I never understood why LS1 swaps into XJs were not more popular

i would imagine most XJs arent nice enough to be worth the effort anymore, especially when the stock 4.0L has plenty of gear reduced torque available, plus stroker rebuilds are a no-fuss torque adder.

that said i'd LOVE an LS in a cherokee, especially the XJ-R!

It's pretty dependent on your use, if this is a mud truck that spends most of it's life in 4-low you'll be fine. If you plan on a lot of time on the interstate in rolling terrain you're not going to be happy.

Novak makes an adapter kit to LS swap an XJ. We tossed that around as a Challenge idea. LS motor, AX15, 242 transfer case, and as much tire as possible. Because the 4.0 is such a tall motor, there's a lot of room for an LS. You can raise the motor in relation to the chassis to keep it above the front axle and still get the body pretty low without the oil pan and axle making love.

ShadowSix wrote: If you plan on a lot of time on the interstate in rolling terrain you're not going to be happy.

I will second this. I borrowed a buddy's lifted Toyota pickup (on maybe 33's with stock drivetrain) for a short road trip into the Ozark foothills. I quickly learned that taking hills was not so much about maintaining the momentum of the vehicle, but maintaining rotational momentum of the tires. Made for a very odd driving experience.