Looking to build an offroad only vehicle, best choice to start with XJ or Wrangler? Minimum 35" tires, Ox lockers, and 6 Cyl. will be ideal.

thats a loaded question...

Cheros are cheaper to find and more expensive to lift.

YJs are more expensive to find and cheaper to lift.

Pick your poison.

XJ.....they practically all have the 4.0L I-6, and have solid trannys and t-cases
get a '91-99 for the best engine. AW4 is a solid automatic thats works great when it has a good cooler. NP231 t-case is solid but does need a slip yoke eliminator when used with lifts over 4".....if properly built the HP30 and C8.25 can handle 35's

Cherokees are cheaper to begin with (like 1/4 the price) and there is tons of aftermarket support available for the XJ, there is a lot of fairly priced quality stuff out there.....Wranglers only have cheap lift cuz people buy coil spacers and body lift for them, if you lift them right with all spring lift the XJ's are no more expensive than wranglers.....i would bet an XJ on 35's could easily out wheel a YJ or TJ on the same size tires:p

personally i dont feel that an xj can out wheel a wrangler what so ever, the coils all the way around on the tj gets way more travel than the xj's, automatics are for pussies, the fender wells on the wrangles are massive so less lift for the same size tire, better articulation for the same size lift, the wheel base goes both ways, some people like the longer wheel base of the xj's, i like the little bit shorter on the wranglers, way more after market options for a wrangler ( you get a lot more wrangler specific companies than cherokee companies), the np231 t case on the wranglers are rock solid, and with the wranglers you can get the envy tranny which is money. but what it all boils down to dude is personal preference, pick what you want and you can make it nasty and personalize it to fit you and thats what makes wheeling the shit ( im sure all of us can agree on that), having a vehicle that is specific to you and gets the job done that you design it for be it a jeep, sammi, truck, whatever. because there is no answer to the question of what is the best wheeling vehicle

WTF? :shaking: Capability is more about driving ability and less "coils are better then springs." Ignore the automatic comment, get what you want and not what someone else's ego says you should have (wonder why most comp rigs run auto's ).

Tell us a bit more of what type of wheeling are you going to do, what tools/fab skills do you have and budget. Are you afraid of a sawzall or chance of body damage?

As it's been said, you'll spend the $$$ just decide now or later. If you're going to wheel light/moderate the XJ will hold up just fine. If you wheel the piss out of it, you'll spend time/$$$ strengthening the unibody and still have to watch out for cracks.

What's the best??? There's alot of variables. Search any thread/article you can find then what's best for your needs/wants.

There is a lot of support on the market for the wranglers but the XJ market is growing fast since they are becoming so cheap.

I wheeled a LJ for several yrs (until it got totaled by a :homer: on my way home from work) and there's really no trade off for the stability of 100" or so wheelbase. I'm now building a 99 2dr XJ to get the wheel base for minimal cost. (specs are 4-4.5" lift, 44/60, 6cyl, AX-15, 37's, and some trimming around the edges. I'll be wheeling the piss out of it).

WTF? :shaking: Capability is more about driving ability and less "coils are better then springs." Ignore the automatic comment, get what you want and not what someone else's ego says you should have (wonder why most comp rigs run auto's ).

Tell us a bit more of what type of wheeling are you going to do, what tools/fab skills do you have and budget. Are you afraid of a sawzall or chance of body damage?

As it's been said, you'll spend the $$$ just decide now or later. If you're going to wheel light/moderate the XJ will hold up just fine. If you wheel the piss out of it, you'll spend time/$$$ strengthening the unibody and still have to watch out for cracks.

What's the best??? There's alot of variables. Search any thread/article you can find then what's best for your needs/wants.

There is a lot of support on the market for the wranglers but the XJ market is growing fast since they are becoming so cheap.

I wheeled a LJ for several yrs (until it got totaled by a :homer: on my way home from work) and there's really no trade off for the stability of 100" or so wheelbase. I'm now building a 99 2dr XJ to get the wheel base for minimal cost. (specs are 4-4.5" lift, 44/60, 6cyl, AX-15, 37's, and some trimming around the edges. I'll be wheeling the piss out of it).

X2, get what you want man. pros and cons either way. and just remember you will be happy with what you have but not satisfyed. gooe luck:D. and theres nothing wrong with an auto.:flipoff2:

Why would you even ask this? Wrangler.

I have both. and a '45.

i think cherokees are great cause there cheap but the Unibody sucks. if you plan on stayin 35 " or less tire get a cherokee bigger then 35" tire get a wrangler. just my .02

First off, I've wheeled leafs for years and I have yet to not be able to follow a TJ because he has coils and I don't. Infact more often then not its the other way around because I wasn't afraid to use my junk and I had a good deal experience wheeling the good stuff. So lets put that to rest right now, it doesn't matter if you get leafs or coils, other then the cost involved in upgrading them. I think if people are on this forum they are beyond the point of looking for a stock XJ or Wrangler to keep it stock, so that's another mute point. In the end they can both be equal if built right.


I'm not hating on XJs, Iv'e wheeled with a few guys who run them and they are machines not to be doubted in the least. But I would buy a wrangler before I bought a XJ for a few reasons......

-Full frames
-Rollbars already in place
-Open top
-Modular, upgrades up the ass if you can't make them yourself and the squared off body is easier to armor up and fab for.
-Chicks dig Wranglers/CJs, sorry XJ guys.
-Easier to chop the body
-Easier to work on IMO

However, XJs have...

-More wheelbase
-more room
-cheapest replacement parts
-Cheaper to buy in the first place

i think cherokees are great cause there cheap but the Unibody sucks. if you plan on stayin 35 " or less tire get a cherokee bigger then 35" tire get a wrangler. just my .02

yeah, that doesn't make any sense at all. Wranglers and XJs both use the same axles with the exception of the Rubicon which is running on 44's. You can replace the axles on anything to run bigger tires. It really comes down to preference. I now own a CJ-7 and working on putting 44's in it. Also a very true statement that chicks dig it!

I ran a 93 ZJ with 35's on it reliably! I had an aussie locker up front and a welded rear. I went through a single u-joint on both sides of the front 30 out of countless wheeling trips! The joints broke after having been through a few (use your own description) muddy spots after heavy rain. Once replaced with new brute force joints and staying out of the mud they held up and lasted.

Someone else also stated that is more about the driver than the rig, mostly true!

Another point, I've wheeled in and with just about everything. My current trail rig is a 79 Toyota Pickup. I love it and it will go almost anywhere I point it, but it's NOT A JEEP! Its still surprises me once in a while! Everything has their pros and cons. I've seen built rigs get stuck and broke because of the driver, and less than built rigs make it because of the driver. I've also seen shit break that just should not have broken! period! Choose your flavor man and stick with it!

Since when to YJs/TJs use HPD30s and 8.25s?

Just curious. Always thought they were low pinions and D35/44s. Not many XJs came with D44s out back.

the XJ will have tons of cargo room, the YJ/TJ doesn't look like a roid-raging K car wagon.

Pick whatcha like.

First off, I've wheeled leafs for years and I have yet to not be able to follow a TJ because he has coils and I don't. Infact more often then not its the other way around because I wasn't afraid to use my junk and I had a good deal experience wheeling the good stuff.

:flipoff2:

:flipoff2:

I swear on my mother's name I was thinking more about the club runs that came down to the Vane's more then anybody in our crew. :laughing: My point being in the end it doesn't matter if you have leafs or coils if you rig is built right and theres a good driver in the driver's seat.

To sum this all up pick one, build it, and then wheel the shit out of it. I like them both and they are very capable rigs if built right. Now go buy build and play!!!!!

Ive had a 88 YJ, 89 and a 90 XJ and now wheel a 97 TJ. although yes the coil on all corners is nice on the TJ but the 93" wheel base isnt the best. the YJ was my least favorite (5.5" lift 34-10.5 LTB). But my all time favorite was my 90 XJ (just 2" lift 31s and posi front and rear). id say build a XJ if for nothing else but the 103" wheel base. and i have to say the AW4 is nicer then the 999 in my TJ.

PA-XJ2

yeah, that doesn't make any sense at all. Wranglers and XJs both use the same axles with the exception of the Rubicon which is running on 44's. You can replace the axles on anything to run bigger tires. It really comes down to preference. I now own a CJ-7 and working on putting 44's in it. Also a very true statement that chicks dig it!

I ran a 93 ZJ with 35's on it reliably! I had an aussie locker up front and a welded rear. I went through a single u-joint on both sides of the front 30 out of countless wheeling trips! The joints broke after having been through a few (use your own description) muddy spots after heavy rain. Once replaced with new brute force joints and staying out of the mud they held up and lasted.

Someone else also stated that is more about the driver than the rig, mostly true!

Another point, I've wheeled in and with just about everything. My current trail rig is a 79 Toyota Pickup. I love it and it will go almost anywhere I point it, but it's NOT A JEEP! Its still surprises me once in a while! Everything has their pros and cons. I've seen built rigs get stuck and broke because of the driver, and less than built rigs make it because of the driver. I've also seen shit break that just should not have broken! period! Choose your flavor man and stick with it!
:shaking: :shaking: I didnt say that because of the axles I realize you can put 1 tons, rocks or what ever else you want under a XJ. The reason I said that is I dont think its worth the effort to BEEF up the Unibody to get it to hold up to big tires.There is nothing wrong with XJ's I just dont think there worth putting good axles under them for big tires.

I had the XJ in my sig, and since sold it. Haven't had a wrangler, but it will be my next wheeling rig.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is resale value. XJ's don't have any, and wranglers hold their value really well. Granted it was a bad economy, but I sold a well-built cherokee, winch and all for $2,500.... Cheap stock wranglers still demand $5,000....

wrangler duh!

Wrangler, having a frame to work with is nice...unless you plan on beefing up the unibody of a cherokee

[QUOTE=dankage420;10383857 automatics are for pussies, [/QUOTE]


You do realize that XJ's were available with the AX-15 and the NP231?

You do realize that XJ's were available with the AX-15 and the NP231?

you do realize you revived a 3 month old thread that sucked in the first place?

I think what he means about tire size is get xj for 35 and under because the unibody makes it hard to cut fenders to clear room for bigger tires which means more lift which means higher cog, it just depends how much fab work you want to do, xjs need more initial fab work as in frame plating, steering box bracing, fender trimming, cage. I am partial to xjs, if you want to be a man get the xj, if you want to be trendy get a wrangler, lol

I think what he means is that no one cares how cool you think you look in either.

..Also, LET THIS THREAD DIE.