Making the ultimate tourer/weekend warrior?

[98XJ_Limited]

Hey guys,

Been lurking around and still undecided what to do with my 98XJ Limited Cherokee. I'm wanting to make the ultimate tourer/ weekend warrior and assume money isn't an issue what would you do?

3.5 inch lift running 31's? Go to 33"s and bigger lift with changing the rear diff? I don't intend to keep it as my daily driver and want to make something unique so give me your ideas and don't hold back I'm not worried about how much work is involved or money at this point.

I have a soft spot for my XJ so want to keep it for as long as i can and make a project i can be proud of and see our country in. I'm new to most of this but slowly learning so feel free to chip in some ideas and what you have found works and doesn't work.

Thanks everyone looking forward to hearing your opinions, cheers.

[two dogs]

i initially set my 96 up for weekend use- 1st 4wd and got the bug to mod as much as the wallet would allow,went to 4.5"RE kit, auto/detroit lockers , super 35 and 4.56 ratios with 32`s etc. Even though now i use it mainly for touring(long range tank is awesome), its great to have the capability when u need it. If i was to do it again id still go the 4.5 kit or 3.5, lock it front and rear(selectable front) go for the 4.11 gears and 32's(4.56 if going bigger tyres), get some good barwork with rear carrier and winch and set up the inside with some good drawers, compressor, fridge/freezer, gps,HF radio(or sat phone) and a good roofrack setup with awning and or rooftop tent and a long range tank for the big trips. Still not too big at 3-4" and plenty capable aswell as still able to go places in comfort. Well thats what id do anyways, actually thats what i am doing- pick up my new 98 sport on fri next week :p
Good luck with your build mate, hope it goes well.

[Steve F]

How much of a weekend warrior? A lot of the build depends on that. The tourer side is pretty easy and 31's will do fine for that. I'm running 35's, locker, D44 rear diff, 5" of lift, winch and barwork etc and it makes a great weekend warrior. I also use it as a tourer, just did close to 10000km on a Cape trip with rooftop tent, rear drawer system, fridge, cargo barrier, dual batteries and all the other stuff that make a tourer.

The XJ makes a great combination vehicle as even with 35's and a reasonable lift the roof height is still fairly low (think stock discovery roof height) and is stable offroad, even with this spec and rooftop tent I was getting 14lt/100 going to the cape and back (fully loaded as well)

Cheers
Steve

[kj69]

Wish i could get 14/100 steve :???:

[Steve F]

Wish i could get 14/100 steve :???:

I dont get that around town, it's about 17.2/100

On the open road it's great though, with the 120lt tank I was getting around 650km before filling up and then it was taking about 95lt :) Speed was under/about 100kmh though.

Cheers
Steve

[Hamsteh]

Mine's more set up for weekend work out in Toolangi etc with 3", 31's and LPG Dual-Fuel (it's also my daily driver) but it recently completed an 8000km Central Australia trip including 700-odd kms of the Simpson Desert with no dramas whatsoever.

Also did some pretty hairy tracks in the Victoria High country a couple months back and it's pretty consistently outperformed my mate's lifted 80 series on 33's every time we go out.

It's a beautiful vehicle that's capable of so much more than people give it credit. I love it, can you tell? :D

[kj69]

I dont get that around town, it's about 17.2/100

On the open road it's great though, with the 120lt tank I was getting around 650km before filling up and then it was taking about 95lt :) Speed was under/about 100kmh though.

Cheers
Steve

my trip to coffs the other weekend 19.3 km /100 no weight in car except spare tyre 110 km maybe 1/3 the dist all pretty open highway driving on 33`s ,newish oxy sensors (5000k) 4.56 ratios with new headders and hi flow exhaust system . id be very happy with even 16 l /100

[98XJ_Limited]

Thanks for the input guys,

Well initially i had my mind set on a RE 3.5inch lift and 31's most likely BF Goodrich AT"s or something along those lines. This would be good for touring and suitable for daily driving as economy wouldn't be effected as much etc..

However since deciding to not have it as a daily driver and dedicate the car to weekend and holiday trips away, i thought perhaps a rig running 33's and possible RE 4.5inch long arm kit would be more beneficial. I also wouldn't be as concerned about fuel as id be doing mostly long trips. I'm also thinking of towing a camper trailer for the longer trips so probably look at air bags in the rear.

The lift and tyre size is my main area I cant decide on. I don't intend to do anything extreme but having said that would there be many touring destinations around Aus where 31's just would be enough?

Would there be a problem with a tourer on 33's and 4.5inch lift?

Thanks again guys im shocking at making decisions!

[Steve F]

I thought it was a no holds barred ultimate tourer and weekend warrior ;) Anyway, I think my fuel economy may be better than kj69 as I run 4.56's as well but a taller tyre. As an aside I also tow a trailer, actually my teardrop camper. Economy drops but the treardrop with the rooftop tent on it as well has a bit of drag but it does sleep 7 (if I wanted to but we normally have 5) and I dont even think it drops to worse than 18.2, never got worse than that on a road trip.

For straight out touring and getting around Aus 31's would be fine, but as a weekend toy bigger is better :) So I say 33's would work nicely although with 4.5" lift and bushwackers you'd fit 35's if you wanted to and you'll have to cut for 33's anyway.

Cheers
Steve

[98XJ_Limited]

Haha, by extreme i mean the stuff you see in comps where you thrash the hell out of it and need roll cages lol.

If i chop the guards and have some bushwaker flats, what size lift would you recommend for running 33's?

[two dogs]

Air bags are awesome! i put mine in as per GO-JEEP`s website and combined with the 4.5" kit they work a treat! Was worried about flexing too much and tearing them but they performed well on two trips north this year and make towing the boat easier too. If you do get them remember to re-inforce the mounting point with some angle.I followed Jungle juice`s example and they have been strong as.

[98XJ_Limited]

Bit of a thread revival.

I have changed direction slighty. I am now doing in the build process with a 96 XJ Cherokee with a 6.0inch full traction lift. I am either going to run 33's or 35's, leaning towards 35's just cause i can haha.

With this in mind anyone gots some good ideas for mods to suit this lift/tyres?

Im on the hunt for a dana 44 for the rear so anyone with tips with that or anything else I want to hear your ideas!

Im looking to upgrade headers, exhaust and probably lockers front and rear so again share your experiences/thoughts.

Cheers again guys.

[Windex]

Interesting to see most people in Australia recommending 4.10 ratios for 32s yet if you do a bit of searching on NAXJA you will find many a post saying that 4.56 is the way to go.

[xjrob]

Ratio choice depends on the majority use for the vehicle.

If a tourer 4.1 with 32s (265/75-16) return close to standard gearing hence good for a Jeep fuel economy on highway.

That is why many in Australia with 33s or 35s are using 4.56, when overseas 4.56 is for 32s or 33s and 4.88 for 33s or 35s and 5.13 for 35s or 37s.

we do a lot of highway kilometers and fuel in Australia is more expensive than it is in the States.

National Av fuel price is $3.678 per gallon = $0.9717 per litre

[Richo]

4.56 and 32's is absurd unless you plan on crawling evrywhere. In which case if you are getting serious, you will break the D35 and snap an axle in the D35 in no time.

XJ, long arm kit, 35's, 5" lift.
Junk the standard diffs, and get a set of Dynatrac 44's

[Toff]

Interesting to see most people in Australia recommending 4.10 ratios for 32s yet if you do a bit of searching on NAXJA you will find many a post saying that 4.56 is the way to go.

Roughly the gearing + tyre ratio:
3.55 + 29" (Stock) = 4.56 + 35.

[Richo]

Roughly the gearing + tyre ratio:
3.55 + 29" (Stock) = 4.56 + 35.

That may be the case, but in reality a car with 35's will be slower....... a much higher wheel mass, and rotional resistance with the bigger rubber, ie they suck more HP to turn, plus a greater contact patch on the ground = more rolling resistance.

[Steve F]

I find with 4.56 and 35's the gearing is a bit deeper than it was stock, it'll chirp the tyres in the dry and that's with a detroit in the rear. In saying that my Jeep is a fair bit heavier thhan stock and no doubt slower but it still goes pretty hard from a standing start for what it is :) I'm glad I didn;t go with deeper gearing on the 35's

Cheers
Steve

[ErnieT]

Humm, So are my 31" Khumo muds with 4:10 ratio's a good match or should I be looking at 32" tyres?

It's weekend toy - mainly big sand dune driving, get around 4km / L in the dunes, never really measured the usage around town.

[xjrob]

I ran 30x9.5 15 with 4.11 for 2 years and seemed fine, fuel consumption was a little high, but its a Jeep.

Personally and this will be different for everyone,

31 or 32 i would run 4.1

33 or 35 i would run 4.56, like SteveF says 4.56 and 35s is great and he is getting pretty good fuel figures for an XJ considering he has steel bars front and rear, steel side steps/rock rails winch, drawers and fridge slide basically a bloody good tourer, and with his 4 - 4.5" lift 35s detroit drop boxes etc is much better than the average weekend warrior, would not be many trucks that he can't follow and most would not be able to follow him.

All i was saying earlier was in answer to a post that said overseas they run lower gearing (higher numerical diff ratios) but most of the wheeling you see over there is rock crawling so their weekend rigs appreciate lower gearing and if your rig is just for weekend wheeling then go with lower gearing, however, if you need to also go touring then keeping not far from standard gearing is ideal, so choose your tyre size and gear accordingly.

[Wooders]

That may be the case, but in reality a car with 35's will be slower....... a much higher wheel mass, and rotional resistance with the bigger rubber, ie they suck more HP to turn, plus a greater contact patch on the ground = more rolling resistance.

4.56+35"is is ACTUALLY a little deeper than stock proportionally. 4.56+35.9 = 3.54+29.
I run 4.56 with 35"s on my XJ and it's not half bad. I would have gone 4.88 but I had the 4.56 on the shelf & was in a hurry...but all good.....

[Windex]

4.56+35"is is ACTUALLY a little deeper than stock proportionally. 4.56+35.9 = 3.54+29.
I run 4.56 with 35"s on my XJ and it's not half bad. I would have gone 4.88 but I had the 4.56 on the shelf & was in a hurry...but all good.....

Ohhh the temptations you must have with all those toys on the shelf :)

[Antiferret]

reading on the expeditions west website, the ideal combination for a "expedition" (tourer) vehicle is one with as large a tyre (diameter) as possible with the MINIMUM amount of lift as possible (with a heavier duty suspension dependant on the weight of gear you want to take).

remember lift doesn't necessarily mean flex, just look at the low cog build threads out there..

weekend warrior work is for the lift junkies, also if you intend to wade through creeks a lot!

[tomxj]

I thought the stock tyre size was 225r75 15, which gives 28.29"?? if that's the case 33's and 4.10 give a ratio of less than 1% shorter than stock.
and 35's and 4.56's are 3.65% shorter.
If that tyre size is right and i didnt make any mistakes on my calculations.

[Steve F]

reading on the expeditions west website, the ideal combination for a "expedition" (tourer) vehicle is one with as large a tyre (diameter) as possible with the MINIMUM amount of lift as possible (with a heavier duty suspension dependant on the weight of gear you want to take).

remember lift doesn't necessarily mean flex, just look at the low cog build threads out there..

weekend warrior work is for the lift junkies, also if you intend to wade through creeks a lot!

All depends where you tour and what sort of trails you want to do, touring does not necessairly mean dirt roads ;) Less lift and the pic below would see me stuck nose first in the mud :(

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Cape%20York/DSCF0247.jpg

With 5" of lift (you cant get away with much less for 35's) I've never had any off camber issues etc and I tour a bit in my XJ.

Cheers
Steve

[98XJ_Limited]

Cheers for the input guys,

I'm pretty much convinced on running 35's with the 6inches of lift I will have.

Is it necessary or beneficial to do any mods to the gearbox or transfer case when lifting this high and running 35's?

Anyone done or seen anything that works?

[junglejuice]

Cheers for the input guys,

I'm pretty much convinced on running 35's with the 6inches of lift I will have.

Is it necessary or beneficial to do any mods to the gearbox or transfer case when lifting this high and running 35's?

Anyone done or seen anything that works?

SYE & larger trans cooler....

[junglejuice]

I thought the stock tyre size was 225r75 15, which gives 28.29"?? if that's the case 33's and 4.10 give a ratio of less than 1% shorter than stock.
and 35's and 4.56's are 3.65% shorter.
If that tyre size is right and i didnt make any mistakes on my calculations.

It depends on what model you have, the limiteds in the pre-update at least were 225/70/15's, the sports and the classics were 225/75/15's...

[junglejuice]

I have regeared mine to 3.73:1 and run either 225/75/15's, 235/75/15's or 30x9.50-15's depending on usage and what I have found is that my fuel consumption has improved on every tyre size that I use, with the 225/75's I calculated that it is now the same overall ratio as a stock limited that normally use 225/70's when using the stock 3.55:1 ratios and when I go up to the taller 30's it puts it at the same as a stock sport on 225/75's.
The economy that I can get now is on 225/75's which means that it is revving slightly higher than stock.

HTH some....

[junglejuice]

I have regeared mine to 3.73:1 and run either 225/75/15's, 235/75/15's or 30x9.50-15's depending on usage and what I have found is that my fuel consumption has improved on every tyre size that I use, with the 225/75's I calculated that it is now the same overall ratio as a stock limited that normally use 225/70's when using the stock 3.55:1 ratios and when I go up to the taller 30's it puts it at the same as a stock sport on 225/75's.
The economy that I can get now is on 225/75's which means that it is revving slightly higher than stock.

HTH some....

[Wooders]

Cheers for the input guys,

I'm pretty much convinced on running 35's with the 6inches of lift I will have.

Is it necessary or beneficial to do any mods to the gearbox or transfer case when lifting this high and running 35's?

Anyone done or seen anything that works?

Wheels, flares, rear diff, ratios, SYE. Minimum.
Done it (my setup is quite similar to SteveF's) and think it works sensational for nearly every application.

[98XJ_Limited]

I am slowly getting together all the info and parts to do my build.

Im sorted on the lift and tyre size, 6.0inch running 35's.
Gearing will be 4.56
I know ill need a Slip yoke elminator and driveshaft.

Im in the process of sorting out my front and rear diffs. Ill be swapping the rear for a dana44 and leaving the front HP dana30. Ill be putting lockers front and rear at the same time as the gears etc. With that in mind would it be benefical to do anything else to the diffs such as different axles? Trussed?

cheers.

[DaveBXJ]

Hey Team

I know this is a relatively old thread, however, My wife and I are are about to purchase a 2000 XJ to hopefully build up into our dream Weekend Offroad adventure rig.
Long story short My dad was a Jeep lover and was involved with the Vic Jeep owners club before he passed away many years ago. I grew up off-roading and camping in our old XJ and for obvious reasons i would like to build a really good example for us to enjoy now.

This thread is very similar to what i am trying to achieve. My main questions are relating to diff upgrades for the XJ. I would like to run 35s or 33s but build the diffs to be really strong and reliable. There are so many different options I have read about on this forum like D44 conversions Patrol diffs and a few others. We will need to option lockers front and rear and ratios of course.
We are located in Vic and really need some guidance and hopefully a recommendation of who can help with modifications here on an Xj and has experience.

Appreciate any help thanks guys.

[eksjay]

I recently came across this and it is creative:

https://youtu.be/phFlOJHH0C8

It is always a challenge trying to keep the weight down, particularly in a touring setup. I have a gutter mounted Rhino pioneer platform which I use for a second spare tyre (sometimes third), Oztent RV4 and accessories (approx 27kg), chairs, maxtrax, jerry can (depending on trip), ARB Large Storm bag and other equipment. The rack has been a complete game changer because of its capacity to carry larger objects. The gutter clamp screws need to be checked at regular intervals, particularly when off-road. I have never had an issues with this rack setup.

Inside: Spare wheel/tyre, 47L ARB Fridge/Freezer (serving as a freezer until 70% of the trip) sitting on three medium sized "boxes" incl a portable boxed ARB Air compressor, jump starter power tank, and a tool box. There is also a recovery hitch & kit, 2 eskis large and small serving as a pantry, AGM battery box and AC charger, solar blanket (and Anderson cables), 20L water tank, Thunder down under toilet carrying fluids (oils, coolant, metho, detergents) and tools when not in use, Weber Go-Anywhere BBQ, and two spirit stoves that fit inside it (sometimes charcoal is carried (depending on time of year/destination), Heavy duty sleeping bags, 3x helinox cots, two person inflatable boat (sometimes), Ninox 3600 back up tent (for gale force winds). There are additional leafs in the rear springs equivalent to a 2" lift, and the car sits and drives well when loaded up. Other than the added leafs (and aftermarket Bilstein shocks), I have a stock setup, original diffs Dana 30/35, no lockers (I have fortunately not needed them), no winch, still on 225/75/15 original sized tyres which saves some weight. Although sleeping in the car can have advantages in terms of weight saving, after long drives from A to B, I would prefer a ground tent.

All of the above (including pax) makes the car heavy and the stopping distance worse. Measures are taken to ensure that weight is only added when necessary e.g. 20L water tank filled to the max before leaving the blacktop etc. Sensible driving off road also helps, e.g. keep speed down, lower tyre pressures etc. It takes one unseen pot hole to end a long journey.


https://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/imagehosting/15743626d1c9498b46.jpg