Lift kit and wheel size

[Jeepmedic46]

I currently have the Rough Country 4.5” short arm lift on my 2000 Jeep XJ. Should I change it to the long arm suspension? Would that be better? Jeep currently has 265/70/17 BFG m/t tires. Thinking of going to a 16 wheel. What size tire would be good on the Jeep. Should I change my gear ratio to a 4:10 with the 32s?

 

[wvjeeper]

All of those questions depend on your use.

However, the long arm kit will generally perform better than a short arm kit. I would also look away from Rough Country if possible. I had nothing but issues with my RC lift and have known numerous people to experience similar issues. What engine dos your XJ have? Manual or automatic? Do you plan to primarily use it for Overlanding or will it do dual duty to include rock crawling?

 

[MazeVX]

Well as said long arms perform better in general, some kits will perform different in various situations depending on how the geometry is build. There is some good stuff on YouTube explaining how it works and what different geometries are doing.

One good video

Another

Both channels have good information about the whole thing. Even if you are not doing anything diy, it helps understand it and finally decide what to do.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

All of those questions depend on your use.

However, the long arm kit will generally perform better than a short arm kit. I would also look away from Rough Country if possible. I had nothing but issues with my RC lift and have known numerous people to experience similar issues. What engine dos your XJ have? Manual or automatic? Do you plan to primarily use it for Overlanding or will it do dual duty to include rock crawling?

Thank you, My XJ has the 4.0 engine and its a automatic. Primarily going to use it for Overlanding. What would you recommend if I switch out my Rough Country lift.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

Well as said long arms perform better in general, some kits will perform different in various situations depending on how the geometry is build. There is some good stuff on YouTube explaining how it works and what different geometries are doing.

One good video

Another

Both channels have good information about the whole thing. Even if you are not doing anything diy, it helps understand it and finally decide what to do.

Thank You for those channels. They are very informative.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Depending on the final drive ratio of your overdrive transmission you may even like 4.56 gears. I'm running 31's and 4.10's with a 0.66-1 8th gear, hiway rpm is great and with a 4.62 1st gear it's great off road.

 

[Dilldog]

Depending on the final drive ratio of your overdrive transmission you may even like 4.56 gears. I'm running 31's and 4.10's with a 0.66-1 8th gear, hiway rpm is great and with a 4.62 1st gear it's great off road.

I was going to say similar. A buddy of mine had an XJ that was running 32s and he geared it down to 4.56 and it seemed like a great set up.

 

[Billiebob]

I currently have the Rough Country 4.5” short arm lift on my 2000 Jeep XJ. Should I change it to the long arm suspension? Would that be better? Jeep currently has 265/70/17 BFG m/t tires. Thinking of going to a 16 wheel. What size tire would be good on the Jeep. Should I change my gear ratio to a 4:10 with the 32s?

16" tires tend to all be for heavy pickups. You will have way better choices with either 15s or 17s.

What ratios do you have now? And what do you do?

 

[Jeepmedic46]

16" tires tend to all be for heavy pickups. You will have way better choices with either 15s or 17s.

What ratios do you have now? And what do you do?

Right now the Jeep has 17s. The gear ratio is 3:55. It is my daily driver and looking to take it to NH, Maine and Vermont Overlanding.

 

[Dustinfromohio]

Most TJ/XJ owners prefer C rated tires over E rated due to the light weight of the vehicle. The selection and price of these are generally much better in a 15” rim vs 16/17. You will also get a little better sidewall performance off-road. However, if you later decide to upgrade to a big brake kit or 37”+ tires then the 17s will come in handy.
As for gearing, I second what others have said above. I wouldn’t waste my money going to 4.10s with the auto, go 4.56s and you’ll have a little wiggle room if 32s become 33s or bigger down the road.

 

[Prerunner1982]

As already noted, long arm would be better both on road and off.
I currently run a 4.5" lift with 265/75/16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's. Factory gear ratio was 3.07 but I swapped in axles from an auto XJ with 3.55 gears and it put me very close back to stock.
Still get 18.5 mpg. I didn't even have to change my speedo gear, I am 1 mph off at 50 mph.
For you 4.10s would certainly be better than 3.55s but 4.56s may be even better since you not only have to account for the larger size of the tires but the additional weight as well.

 

[joshjunior]

Right now the Jeep has 17s. The gear ratio is 3:55. It is my daily driver and looking to take it to NH, Maine and Vermont Overlanding.

theres more tire options for 17s right now. keep that in mind. 33s would be my choice for a daily driver unless you plan on doing some pretty gnarly stuff.

 

[tjZ06]

It looks like you already got some great advice, and the short answer is "yes."

Now, do you NEED a long-arm for Overlanding? No, no you don't. But at the lift you're at the short arms do start to run into funky geometry especially as the suspension cycles. You'll get a better on-road ride (which, IMHO, is crucial for Overlanding, we put a lot of street miles in) AND you'll get better articulation and performance offroad.

As for brands, lucky for you the XJ gets LOTS of love with the aftermarket. It's pretty hard to go wrong with stuff from Clayton or Iron Rock Offroad, and Rubicon Express always was one of the best, but I think they got bought-up and aren't on the same level as say Clayton anymore. The key is to work with your supplier to spec out the right kit for YOU.

Assuming you do a lot of pavement driving, make sure the arms and such you pick have bushings on one end, not spherical bearings/heim joints/johnny joints at both ends or the NVH transmitted will get annoying. If you don't NEED to go 16"s or 17"s (big brakes) then stay 15". You'll have way more sidewall on a 32-33" on a 15" or MAX 16" and it'll both ride better, and perform better offroad. I have a ~31.7" on my WJ right now on a 16" and it has a reasonable sidewall. I went with Goodyear Duratracs because they have a great reputation and were available in the size I needed for a 16" rim in a C load range (as pointed out above, you don't want something like an E that's made for a much heavier truck). Goodyear LT265/75R16 Tire, Duratrac - 312018027 These work great on my WJ Overland that's certainly heavier than your XJ.

I think 4.10s will be perfect for you with a 32-33" tire with it being a daily driver. Another thing to keep in mind if you do get a bit more serious offroad than most Overlanders are the axles on your XJ. You have a Dana 30 in the front, but it could be a Dana 35 or Chrysler 8.25" in the back. The 35 is glass. The 30 has a bad rep... but for Overland-type use it's a decent option. My WJ has a D30 in the front, and it's much heavier with more HP/TQ than your XJ. If you treat it right, it'll survive. However, if you do go to a 33" I would look into sleeves, gussets and a truss for the D30. In the back, if you have a D35 I wouldn't spend a dime on it, I'd go junkyard "shopping" for a 8.25", or if you're mechanically inclined and have the time look for the Ford Explorer 8.8" that is way stronger, nearly bolt-in, and will give you discs in the back.

-TJ

 

[Jeepmedic46]

It looks like you already got some great advice, and the short answer is "yes."

Now, do you NEED a long-arm for Overlanding? No, no you don't. But at the lift you're at the short arms do start to run into funky geometry especially as the suspension cycles. You'll get a better on-road ride (which, IMHO, is crucial for Overlanding, we put a lot of street miles in) AND you'll get better articulation and performance offroad.

As for brands, lucky for you the XJ gets LOTS of love with the aftermarket. It's pretty hard to go wrong with stuff from Clayton or Iron Rock Offroad, and Rubicon Express always was one of the best, but I think they got bought-up and aren't on the same level as say Clayton anymore. The key is to work with your supplier to spec out the right kit for YOU.

Assuming you do a lot of pavement driving, make sure the arms and such you pick have bushings on one end, not spherical bearings/heim joints/johnny joints at both ends or the NVH transmitted will get annoying. If you don't NEED to go 16"s or 17"s (big brakes) then stay 15". You'll have way more sidewall on a 32-33" on a 15" or MAX 16" and it'll both ride better, and perform better offroad. I have a ~31.7" on my WJ right now on a 16" and it has a reasonable sidewall. I went with Goodyear Duratracs because they have a great reputation and were available in the size I needed for a 16" rim in a C load range (as pointed out above, you don't want something like an E that's made for a much heavier truck). Goodyear LT265/75R16 Tire, Duratrac - 312018027 These work great on my WJ Overland that's certainly heavier than your XJ.

I think 4.10s will be perfect for you with a 32-33" tire with it being a daily driver. Another thing to keep in mind if you do get a bit more serious offroad than most Overlanders are the axles on your XJ. You have a Dana 30 in the front, but it could be a Dana 35 or Chrysler 8.25" in the back. The 35 is glass. The 30 has a bad rep... but for Overland-type use it's a decent option. My WJ has a D30 in the front, and it's much heavier with more HP/TQ than your XJ. If you treat it right, it'll survive. However, if you do go to a 33" I would look into sleeves, gussets and a truss for the D30. In the back, if you have a D35 I wouldn't spend a dime on it, I'd go junkyard "shopping" for a 8.25", or if you're mechanically inclined and have the time look for the Ford Explorer 8.8" that is way stronger, nearly bolt-in, and will give you discs in the back.

-TJ

Thank you, I Contacted Clayton and waiting to hear from them. Want to go to a Long Arm suspension. Going to switch to to a 15” wheel. What do recommend for size which would be 32 or 33? Going to switch to 4:56 and will switch out my D35.