Well, it has been a little a couple years since I was in the off road world. Back in 2006 we had bought a 2000 Cherokee and built it up as a great expedition vehicle, built for moderate wheeling and to tow our Kamparoo camping trailer. It did a GREAT job and we loved it for the 6+ years we had it. From there we moved up to a Dodge Ram with a Four Wheel Camper as we wanted to move up to a little more comfort in the camper department. Built that rig up and had great times with it. A couple years ago some life changes happened and we sold off the Ram/FWC setup. Over this time I still longed for getting out into the back country as some of my best memories are places we traveled and the people we traveled with.
Last week we decided to get another Cherokee but our needs are a little different than the past. Before our rigs were dedicated weekend toys. After buying it, I started going back and looking at my previous build and wanted to do exactly the same things. Then I started to look at the budget adding up and had to think honestly what is our REAL needs for this rig. It will be used for a couple days a week of driver duties and the half dozen or so day trips out to the deserts or mountains. Is doing a full on build really what this rig needs? I am just having wonderlust of what I had before versus what I need now?
After a very honest look at our needs, I decided that I am going to keep this very mild. Stock to 1" lift total (like the Up Country option, 1" higher). Going to 235/75-15 tires on stock type wheels, so it won't require any re-gearing or lift for larger tires. What I want to address is some things to help prevent damage or allow the most flex of the suspension. This has me looking to do rock sliders and transfer case skid plate. It has a rear tow hitch currently and will likely add a front one, to allow for recovery points without the added weight and cost of large off road bumpers. I am looking at aftermarket front control arms to allow for good flex without stressing things. Definitely sway bar disconnects, which make a huge difference in flex and ride comfort off road. The reality is, it will look fairly stock from the outside but will likely get us anywhere we are really looking to travel at this point. Nice thing is, most everything will be usable should I decided at a future point to do the full build.
So here is what it looked like when I picked it up. It's a 4.0L, AW4 auto, 242 transfer case with 126K miles. Not liking those wheels, I picked up some 5 spoke Jeep wheels and have a set of Dualer Revo 2's on order (had these on my last one and loved them). I'll post pics of the new wheels/tires once I get them installed.
I will update this as I make progress. Should be interesting to see all of the places we go with a relatively "stock" Cherokee. Stay tuned....
Last week we decided to get another Cherokee but our needs are a little different than the past. Before our rigs were dedicated weekend toys. After buying it, I started going back and looking at my previous build and wanted to do exactly the same things. Then I started to look at the budget adding up and had to think honestly what is our REAL needs for this rig. It will be used for a couple days a week of driver duties and the half dozen or so day trips out to the deserts or mountains. Is doing a full on build really what this rig needs? I am just having wonderlust of what I had before versus what I need now?
After a very honest look at our needs, I decided that I am going to keep this very mild. Stock to 1" lift total (like the Up Country option, 1" higher). Going to 235/75-15 tires on stock type wheels, so it won't require any re-gearing or lift for larger tires. What I want to address is some things to help prevent damage or allow the most flex of the suspension. This has me looking to do rock sliders and transfer case skid plate. It has a rear tow hitch currently and will likely add a front one, to allow for recovery points without the added weight and cost of large off road bumpers. I am looking at aftermarket front control arms to allow for good flex without stressing things. Definitely sway bar disconnects, which make a huge difference in flex and ride comfort off road. The reality is, it will look fairly stock from the outside but will likely get us anywhere we are really looking to travel at this point. Nice thing is, most everything will be usable should I decided at a future point to do the full build.
So here is what it looked like when I picked it up. It's a 4.0L, AW4 auto, 242 transfer case with 126K miles. Not liking those wheels, I picked up some 5 spoke Jeep wheels and have a set of Dualer Revo 2's on order (had these on my last one and loved them). I'll post pics of the new wheels/tires once I get them installed.
I will update this as I make progress. Should be interesting to see all of the places we go with a relatively "stock" Cherokee. Stay tuned....
