hi from new zealand. i'm in the process of obtaining my first 4x4 and am looking at obtaining a xj or maybe even a zj. would like to know what problem areas to look out for and what would be the largest tyres i could run without a lift (at this stage) as well as where are the best points to mount recovery hooks on the front and rear.
thank you in advance
steve
:jeep::jeep:

hi from new zealand. i'm in the process of obtaining my first 4x4 and am looking at obtaining a xj or maybe even a zj. would like to know what problem areas to look out for and what would be the largest tyres i could run without a lift (at this stage) as well as where are the best points to mount recovery hooks on the front and rear.
thank you in advance
steve
:jeep::jeep:

Considering I know nothing about what vehicles sell for in New Zealand, or what you intend to do with this vehicle (DD, trail rig only?), I'll give this a whack. In the USA, XJ are cheap, easy to find, easy to find new & used lifts and after market parts for. Hence the reason they are so popular. You can do all of the above with a ZJ, you will just pay a little more for the basic vehicle then pay a little more when you do modifications. Very do able, but if given the choice I would build the XJ. Tire size, saw all or not? Fender flare laws? I assume metric size?

If the vehicle you are looking at is completley stock and never wheeled, you shouldn't have any real issues. However, I would still take a good look at the Uni body and make sure gap between fenders and doors is even. If you will wheel this rig, get Fuel injection and at least the 4.0L.

i'm pretty sure you can comfortably run 31's on it stock, not sure about width, thinkin with some rub you can run 12.50's but if you want no rub you can run 10.50's on there ...

Considering I know nothing about what vehicles sell for in New Zealand, or what you intend to do with this vehicle (DD, trail rig only?), I'll give this a whack. In the USA, XJ are cheap, easy to find, easy to find new & used lifts and after market parts for. Hence the reason they are so popular. You can do all of the above with a ZJ, you will just pay a little more for the basic vehicle then pay a little more when you do modifications. Very do able, but if given the choice I would build the XJ. Tire size, saw all or not? Fender flare laws? I assume metric size?

If the vehicle you are looking at is completley stock and never wheeled, you shouldn't have any real issues. However, I would still take a good look at the Uni body and make sure gap between fenders and doors is even. If you will wheel this rig, get Fuel injection and at least the 4.0L.

xj's are selling anywhere between $1000 - $5000 nz (roughly $600 to $3000us depends on exchange rate) will pretty much be my trail rig with some road duties thrown in. off roading where i am is pretty much a real mixture of styles so would be bush bashing one moment to mud bogging the next all on the one trail. as for tyre size well both metric and inches are used. Cutting could be an option, as for flares yeah we have those rules here tyres can't sit outside of the bodywork so flares are used. plus we have certification laws for vehicle modifications. would be looking at an injected4.0L model as my starting point.
one other question how much can you lift an xj without having to realign the drive train and would that allow 33's to be run?


cheers
steve

There are several ways (at least in the USA to deal with the flare issue). What will you need to do in New Zealand could be different. To fit 33 inch tires under an XJ is going to require quite a bit of lift, or a smaller lift and lots of cutting. Either way, your going to need a SYE and rear driveshaft. Before you go spending a ton of money to build a rig like what we would build, buy yourself an XJ then hook up with a local 4x4 Club. Watch & learn how other Club members built their rigs as our way maybe totally worthless to you. Wheel that XJ in a near stock condition to get a feel for what modifications you will need. In the USA, most XJ's have the D35 or the 8.25 rear axle. The D35 maybe totally unsuitable for your needs (really just a turd of an axle). The 8.25 is better, but may not be good enough. However, there are lots of XJ's around here with the 8.25 (8.25 looks real close to a D35, so you will need to learn the difference). All this discussion opens up a major can of worms with SYE, axle swaps, long arm versus short arm lifts, new wheels, new tires, etc., etc.,. Add to all this confussion, your local laws may not allow some of the lift kits, Johnny joints, etc. that we would use.