3" XJ lift questions
Kiira Triea
Hi Jeepers,
My '88 XJ Limited seems to be a little droopy in the suspension
department - especially in the rear and it is definately time for new
tires before winter gets here. Since I will be replacing shocks and
other suspension parts I'm thinking of a 3" lift to accomodate 31"
tires. I would like to afford some MT Classic II or AE 589 wheels
too.
What I'm wondering is this:
1. If I want to go to 31" tires is a 3" lift the best bet?
2. Will such a lift affect my drivetrain to the point that I might
need to jimmy the transfer case or install a slip-yoke eliminator?
3. Will a good quality 3" lift affect highway driveability at all?
4. Are there any gearing issues going from 225-75-15 tires to 31"? I
haven't checked my gearing yet. My I6 is pretty strong and I have an
AW4 auto.
My mother needs to drive this XJ with no highway glitches at all - it
gets driven from N. Minnessota to Baltimore MD. occasionally and is
used on bad winter dirt roads sometimes.
much thanks!
Kiira
e tanuki
I'll give my .02 cents worth of my limited experience with lifts, so
other jeepers may be able to give better 'first hand' advice...
3 inches is the correct amount of lift to fit 31s. Anything less and
you will probably rub unless you never ever plan on taking it
off-road.
You have a 88 XJ so you won't need a SYE kit due to the fact you have
no slip yoke to eliminate. If I am correct, only 97 and above XJs have
slip yokes.
Since you won't need to spend any money on a SYE kit, you may want to
consider getting the Old Man Emu 3.5" lift. It is more expensive than
the others, but from what I've read it gives you THE best ride. Check
out this link:
http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/jeep/tech/susp/xj_ome_tflx/
http://www.summitoffroad.com/xjome.html
http://www.geocities.com/bigfodee_515/smalllift.html
e tanuki
-----------
2000 XJ Sport
Tomken gas tank skid, Rusty's T-case skid and tow hooks,
Mobil 1 synthetics, Viper alarm
-------------------------
Matt Macchiarolo
tanuki) writes:
>You have a 88 XJ so you won't need a SYE kit due to the fact you have
>no slip yoke to eliminate. If I am correct, only 97 and above XJs have
>slip yokes.
I believe my 93 has a slip yoke. I woudl double check, but it's at the shop for
alignment and brake job should be back tomorrow. Don't remember the rear
driveshaft being a 2-piece. But that doesn't change Kiira's XJ, so I'm just
blowing smoke here. :-)
>
>Since you won't need to spend any money on a SYE kit, you may want to
>consider getting the Old Man Emu 3.5" lift. It is more expensive than
>the others, but from what I've read it gives you THE best ride. Check
>out this link:
>http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/jeep/tech/susp/xj_ome_tflx/
>http://www.summitoffroad.com/xjome.html
>http://www.geocities.com/bigfodee_515/smalllift.html
>
Check out also www.rustysoffroad.com. When you call, you will probably talk
directly to Rusty. He's got lots of cool stuff for XJ's.
Gearing wise, you probably have 3.55's with that auto, and that would be just
on the inside edge of adequate for 31's, and would work OK with the auto. You
may need to get the speedo regeared, I don't know what the difference would be.
I just put 30's on mine and haven't checked it yet.
* * *
Matt Macchiarolo
2000 TJ Sport, Newly Acquired '93XJ, Both works in progress
Wolverine 4-Wheelers: www.wolverine4wd.org
Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association: www.glfwda.org
www.townpeddler.com
www.atmsoundworks.com
Enos Justason
3" lift (can't recommend one as mine is custom) my slip yoke is about an
inch out from normal position when sitting level. I did have to drop the
transfer case 3/4" to eliminate vibes, but you may not need to if you have
the command-trac TC.
31s should be OK with the 3.55 gears, you may notice some loss of power
(I'll know better once I go up to 31s from my 30s).
Enos Justason
http://www.enos.rockcrawler.com
94 XJ Country, 4.0L, auto, Select-Trac, custom 3" block/spacer/add-a-leaf
lift, 30" Roughrider M&S tires, custom front and rear tow hooks, Pacesetter
header, Flowmaster muffler, K&N cone filter.
"Matt Macchiarolo" <mlma...@aol.commoc.loa> wrote in message
news:20010827193903...@nso-fg.aol.com...
Jim (Yucca-man)
to call you out, but my 89 had a slip-yoke, and I'm pretty sure the 88 does
as well.
Kiira-there is a good chance you could end up with vibes after adding a 3"
lift. XJs are very individual about how they react to lifts, so while I may
not have a problem with one, you might with another. I see that you've
already been to www.naxja.org, keep asking around in the Modified Forum for
tips and hints on this lift.
If 31" is your target, a 3" lift is most common. I am in process of putting
a 2" on mine, and 30" is generally accepted as the max there. 31" may fit
in some applications, but will usually limit articulation. 3"/31s should be
fine.
Jim "Hope that helps" Yucca-man
96 XJ "Stink Bug"
"e tanuki" <REMOVE...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3b8a78c2...@news.greatbasin.net...
> Kiira,
(snip)> You have a 88 XJ so you won't need a SYE kit due to the fact you
jeff
<yucc...@spamco.juno.com> wrote:
>e- on what do you base the comment of an 88 not needing a SYE? I don't mean
>to call you out, but my 89 had a slip-yoke, and I'm pretty sure the 88 does
>as well.
All the XJ's had slip-yokes as do the wranglers.
>Kiira-there is a good chance you could end up with vibes after adding a 3"
>lift. XJs are very individual about how they react to lifts, so while I may
>not have a problem with one, you might with another. I see that you've
>already been to www.naxja.org, keep asking around in the Modified Forum for
>tips and hints on this lift.
3" lift probably wont have any vibes, unless you have the selectrac t
case.
>If 31" is your target, a 3" lift is most common. I am in process of putting
>a 2" on mine, and 30" is generally accepted as the max there. 31" may fit
>in some applications, but will usually limit articulation. 3"/31s should be
>fine.
31" tires will fit great with a 3" lift.
I have a Skyjacker 3" lift on my 95 and I lowered the t case 1" just
to be safe so I didnt wear u joints probably wasnt nessesary, I just
wanted to keep the driveline as close to stock as possible. I figured
I still gained 2" clearance at the tcase.
Jeff
2000 TJ
1995 XJ
Kiira Triea
Hiya!
+------
| Kiira,
|
| I'll give my .02 cents worth of my limited experience with lifts, so
| other jeepers may be able to give better 'first hand' advice...
|
| 3 inches is the correct amount of lift to fit 31s. Anything less and
| you will probably rub unless you never ever plan on taking it
| off-road.
+------
<laugh> That wouldn't make any sense to me :-)
+------
| You have a 88 XJ so you won't need a SYE kit due to the fact you have
| no slip yoke to eliminate. If I am correct, only 97 and above XJs have
| slip yokes.
+------
Well it looks to me that there is a double cardan joint on my
driveshaft closest to the np242, so I guess that means that I do not
have a slip yoke. I'm a little unsure about the differences still but
I think I recognize a CV joint.
+------
| Since you won't need to spend any money on a SYE kit, you may want to
| consider getting the Old Man Emu 3.5" lift. It is more expensive than
| the others, but from what I've read it gives you THE best ride. Check
| out this link:
| http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/jeep/tech/susp/xj_ome_tflx/
| http://www.summitoffroad.com/xjome.html
| http://www.geocities.com/bigfodee_515/smalllift.html
+------
Well *if* I decide to go for this it looks like it will definately be
an OME kit then as the info on these pages seemed to indicate that it
is just what I'm looking for.
thanks muchly for the timely info,
Kiira
Jerry Bransford
> Well it looks to me that there is a double cardan joint on my
> driveshaft closest to the np242, so I guess that means that I do not
> have a slip yoke. I'm a little unsure about the differences still but
> I think I recognize a CV joint.
Are you looking at the front or rear driveshaft? The front has a
double-Cardin joint but unless it was added by someone, the rear
doesn't.
Jerry
--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL KC6TAY
The Zen Hotdog... make me one with everything!
Geezer Jeep: http://www.jjournal.net/jeep/gallery/JBransfordsTJ/
Kiira Triea
Hi Jim,
"Jim \(Yucca-man\)" wrote:
+------
| Kiira-there is a good chance you could end up with vibes after adding
| a 3" lift. XJs are very individual about how they react to lifts, so
| while I may not have a problem with one, you might with another. I
| see that you've already been to www.naxja.org, keep asking around in
| the Modified Forum for tips and hints on this lift.
|
| If 31" is your target, a 3" lift is most common. I am in process of
| putting a 2" on mine, and 30" is generally accepted as the max there.
| 31" may fit in some applications, but will usually limit articulation.
| 3"/31s should be fine.
+------
I'm just going to have to face the music... I have begun the process
of mutating from a normal cat and family loving girl to becoming an
off-road motorhead. I have found a used engine that I'm planning on
buying that I want to stroke to 4.5L. I lust after roller cams and
rocker arms to match and I want a lift and "bigger tires". I'm driving
around eyeing drainage ditches, having impure thoughts about doing
U-ees across median strips and laughing gleefully as I chirp tires in
4WD. I spend my saturdays in jeans and grease saying things like
"could you pass me that 18" extension John?"
Does anyone have an XJ for cheap that needs a rebuilt engine?
Seriously, the logistics of needing to keep an everyday driver on the
road that my mom will be happy driving seem to make it neccessary for
me to look around for a project vehicle. :-)
Kiira - doomed and loving it
PS - thanks to the jeepers with all the help - as usual
e tanuki
words to magically appear on my screen:
>e- on what do you base the comment of an 88 not needing a SYE? I don't mean
>to call you out, but my 89 had a slip-yoke, and I'm pretty sure the 88 does
>as well.
Well, it appears I was wrong about pre-97 XJs not having a slip yoke.
I don't mind being corrected - I'll just add it to my very long list
of new things I've learned from this group!
So... would the correct assumption be that pre-97 XJ you may or may
not have a slip yoke, but with 97 and newer you will definitely have
one?
davidw
allow clearance for 31 x 10.5 x 15 BFG's. That worked out well,
however, I now experience vibrations from 45-50 mph. Fortunately it
stops once you get past 50. It also dropped the rpm's (obviously)
around 200 @ 65mph. The drop makes it kick down out of overdrive when
the cruise is on more frequently than it did before putting on the
31's. Not a problem if you don't have cruise as the cruise is vacume
sensative and this doesn't occur if I am not using it. Richmond gear
recommends changing the stock 3.55's to 3.73's to get the rpms back
where they should be. Giving this some thought, though I can imagine
taking a hit on gas mileage. Not an appealing thought considering the
mileage all we XJ owners get driving a brick shaped vehicle! The ride
is also much stiffer than before, if you can imagine that. This is the
biggest grip of my wife. Although I've experienced the preceeding
since lifting my XJ, disconnect the sway bars and this thing is great
offroad, in mud, snow, and up mountains. Might just switch to some
255/70R15's for the highway, (had them on a 94 XJ with no problems),
and put my BFG's on some dedicated offroad rims.
jeff
wrote:
>So... would the correct assumption be that pre-97 XJ you may or may
>not have a slip yoke, but with 97 and newer you will definitely have
>one?
>
>e tanuki
>-----------
There must be a slip yoke. That alows the driveshaft to move in and
out as the suspension goes up and down.
All XJ's have slip yokes.
The CommandTracs have the slip yoke at the Tcase, the yoke at the
Tcase moves in and out on a splined shaft.
This is the set up that's not preferred becauseyou cant remove the
rear driveshaft on the trail or you'll lose all you fluid. and they
are also prone to leaks, another reason to get a slip yoke eliminator
is that , most of theslip yoke eliminators feature a short shaft at
the Tcase, that lengthens the rear driveshaft for less vibe problems.
I think the selectTrac Tcase's have a fixed yoke at the rear of
theTcase, and a slip yoke on the drivshaft itself.
jeff
On second thought, I guess I wasn't thinkin when I wrote this. The
yoke is the part at the end of the drive shaft that holds the
universal joints so the selecttrac cherokee's that have a slip joint
in the drive shaft , Dont have a slip yoke.
Kiira Triea
+------
| > Kiira Triea wrote
| > Well it looks to me that there is a double cardan joint on my
| > driveshaft closest to the np242, so I guess that means that I do not
| > have a slip yoke. I'm a little unsure about the differences still but
| > I think I recognize a CV joint.
|
| Are you looking at the front or rear driveshaft? The front has a
| double-Cardin joint but unless it was added by someone, the rear
| doesn't.
I was looking at the rear, but it looked like a double cardan
joint. I'll check again as that is likely wrong.
My 87-89 FSM says of the 60/70 series
(Cherokee/Wagoneer/Commanche) vehicles:
"The front driveshaft has a double cardan (CV) universal joint which
attaches to the transfer case output and a single cardan universal
joint with a slip yoke that attaches to the drive pinion gear shaft
yoke.
The rear drive shafts are one-piece shafts with single-cardan
universal yokes weleded at each end. A slip yoke attaches to the
tranfer case output shaft."
Kiira
Jim (Yucca-man)
Good luck with the lift, you've found a few great sources of info already.
Jim ;-)
"Kiira Triea" <tr...@eclipse.qis.net> wrote in message
news:JPQi7.8077$GT2.52...@news-read1.qis.net...
(snip)
Jim (Yucca-man)
I believe it's pretty safe to say all stock XJs have slip-yokes. The design
did change however between 89 and 96. Others will have to fill in the
details on that, I remember noticing the difference while underneath. I can
post pics of the 96 if needed, I do not have the 89 anymore...
Jim "Been corrected more than once myself, no sweat" Yucca-man
96 XJ "Stink Bug"
> So... would the correct assumption be that pre-97 XJ you may or may
Kiira Triea
+------
| Oh man....do you know how many guys would kill for a JeepChick like that?
| Good luck with the lift, you've found a few great sources of info already.
+------
LOL! :-) Finally proof positive that my mom was wrong... guys *will*
like tomboys!
Kiira - vindicated
: Jim ;-)