Jeep Cherokee XJ Build – Project Clarence

For bass, I originally installed an Alpine SWA-12S4 BassLine series 12″ 4-ohm subwoofer in a BassWorx wooden enclosure. The level of bass this setup generated was adequate, until it was stolen…

This was later replaced by an Alpine SWA-10S4 BaseLine series 10″ 4-ohm subwoofer in a stealth enclosure by SubThump specifically designed for the cubby area in the 84-01 Jeep XJ. The level of bass this setup generated was on par with a soggy fart muffled by an old box spring mattress.

After doing some research I realized that this enclosure needed a shallow mount sub that was better matched to the power output of the amplifier. Because: science. That’s when I discovered the Kicker CompRT 10″ 2-Ohm. After some tuning this sub slaps hard enough for my musical tastes. It is not the kind of ‘feel it in your chest’ bass that will rattle the car frame and shake the neighbor’s kitchen windows, but it will put a smile on your face and add soul to a song.

Because this Jeep goes out on frequent adventures and gets lots of stuff piled in the back I wanted to protect the sub from things falling into it and potentially damaging the cone. The black metal bar-shaped grill shown in the picture above works perfectly.

Powering the front and rear speakers is an Alpine KTP-445U amplifier. It’s small, compact and is easily hidden from prying eyes. Mine is mounted behind the dash so that it’s secure and out of the way.

After a disappointing run with an Alpine MRV-M250 Mono V-Power amplifier paired first with a 12″ sub and then a 10″ sub I upgraded to a more powerful Kicker XC400.1 400 watt mono amp. It’s roughly the same size as the Alpine MRV-M250 but delivers MO POWAH.

• Bushwacker Fender Flares
  • Issue: The factory-sized wheel wells on the Cherokee are not conducive to larger sized tires. Many people will either estimate their lift to clear the tire size that they want to fit or cut & fold some or all of the fender for more clearance or both. In my case, I wanted to fit 33″ tires with a 4.5″ lift and minor trimming. The other variable was that the width of my tires would be 12.5″ on a 15″ rim with 4.5″ backspacing which meant they would stick out from the Cherokee’s body a few inches, creating a roller-skate look.
  • Solution: In some regions this tire spacing may actually be illegal for street driving, for me it was a personal choice to have a wide body look. However, having wide fender flares can also protect your vehicles paint from debris that is kicked up by the tires. For my build I felt that is both a functional and aesthetic improvement to add Bushwacker’s high quality cut-out fender flares.

• Iron Rock Off Road – Rock Sliders
  • Issue: The soft underbelly and sides of the unibody Cherokee are particularly vulnerable to damage from stumps and large rocks.
  • Solution: Adding a sturdy pair of rock sliders is a pre-emptive to avoid any significant bending or structural damage from any of the larger piece of debris that the Cherokee will be crawling over. A well engineered set of rock sliders will also increase the rigidity of the center of the vehicle.

• Front bumper: JCR Offroad Crusader in bare metal with 2″ built in receiver + JCR unibody tie-in kit with steering spacer
• • Issue: The stock front bumper is a combination of plastics and thin sheet metal. It’s designed to be light-weight and, with the lower plastic molding, deliver a slight aerodynamic advantage to the front of the vehicle. To the annoyance of the off-road community the stock XJ platform did not come with front recovery points which is a weakness that most modifiers fix with a sturdy front bumper.
  • Solution: JCR’s Crusader bumper is one of the cleanest designs on the market for the XJ Cherokee and is designed to be practical and functional. With a 3/16″ thick steel structure and two 3/4″ shackle tabs the Cherokee’s frame will bend before this bumper does, which is why JCR highly recommends getting the unibody tie-in kit with steering spacer to re-enforce the connecting points that this bumper bolts to. As an added bonus there are also cut outs for 3×3 LED cube lights and hi-lift jack points.
  • Paint: To prep and paint the bumper ERA Paints offers a kit that can be color matched to your vehicle. The kit includes primer, base paint (PS5 Silverstone Metallic for my project), clear coat, gloves, tape, wipes, sandpaper, wax/grease remover, and a handheld spray nozzle.

• Napier Precision Products – Hood Vents
  • Issue: Engine bay ventilation and heat soak become concerns when you start adding weight to a vehicle. The Cherokee’s engine and cooling system were designed for on-road travel and light-duty off-road use. I was also battling fuel injector vapor lock after extended or heavy use and with the Cherokee’s hood design all of that heat just gets trapped in the engine bay.
  • Solution: The LeBaron-style vents allow hot air to escape through the top of the hood from over 11 square inches of ventilation per vent.

• Front and Rear Window Rain Deflectors by Rugged Ridge
• • Issue: Ever been on a back road in the middle nowhere in a rain storm in your vehicle? Your buddy pulls up next to you, rolls down his window and you do the same. Now you sideways rain pouring on to your lap. No bueno.
  • Solution: With this kit you can easily adhere a set of tasteful deflectors to your doors to shield most of the elements from getting inside. This setup also allows for added security when you keep the windows cracked to allow for additional ventilation during scorching summer days.
• Plasti-dipped fender molding, plastic trim, badging, and logo pieces
  • Issue: Over time this plastic looses its blaaack-ness and begins to fade, leading to that old Fisher Price toy look.
  • Solution: Do this with trim paint. I used black Plasti-Dip which is frowned upon but it worked surprisingly well for my application. Over the last 3 years there are only the tiniest signs that it’s beginning to wear around the edges.

• High Pinion Dana 30 axle from a 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  • Issue: My non-mechanic understanding is that the low pinion differential design is an inherently weaker ring & pinion setup. Cherokees from the 90s had high pinion (HP) Dana 30 front axles – my 2001 had a low pinion. The rumor is that Jeep knew the Cherokee XJ model was being discontinued and were putting low pinion Dana 30s under Cherokees around 2000/2001 because… reasons.
  • Solution: With my goal of running 35″ tires, but not wanting to swap to a larger axle, building a HP Dana 30 seemed like the direction to go with a few strength enhancements… okay, I maxed out the upgrades to this axle. See below.
• Dana 30 Over Axle Truss + HD Lower Control Arm Mounts
  • Issue: The stock Dana 30 can take some abuse but I wanted bullet proof.
  • Solution: This particular truss design was what really caught my attention. It’s very well thought out and the laundry list of beefy upgrades and special features with this truss is lengthy. I encourage you to take a look at Iron Rock Offroad’s site for more details.
• Dana 30 Inner Axle Sleeve Kit
  • Issue: Probably unnecessary but… if I’m stripping the axle all the way down I figured I might as well sleeve it too.
  • Solution: It will take the hands of Zeus to bend these axle tubes now.
• 4.88 gears – G2 Axle & Gear
  • Issue: 4.10 gears can move 35″ tires but not very well. As it is, I wish I had upgraded to 4.56 gears when I moved to 33″ tires.
  • Solution: 4.88 gears for 35″ tires is what the vast majority of forums recommended based on collective experience. I 100% agree. 4.88 feels as close to stock as you can get with this level of modification.
• Riddler Dana 30 Front Differential Cover
  • Issue: After stripping the axle down, sleeving the tubes, welding in a truss and C gussets – might as well upgrade the differential cover too.
  • Solution: This differential cover is thicker than the stock Dana 30 cover. Like the rest of this axle build, having just that extra level of beef means it will require some serious abuse in order to actually damage this axle.
• RCV Axles 27 Spline
  • Issue: Bigger tires means potential axle shaft breakage. The most popular option is to go with set of chromoly axles that have a stronger metal over factory and retain serviceable U-joints. The problem with U-joints is that they become weaker when the tires are positioned at extreme angles and power is applied, for example when climbing obstacles or sawing the wheel in mud or snow. The binding that can occur will either warp the axle tabs or pull the U-joint out over time. The real question is how much money do you want to throw at this problem? At this point some might choose to just go with a bigger, stronger axle but I wanted to max out the stats of the Dana 30.
  • Solution: I threw all the money at the problem and prayed that 27 splines was enough. Branded as the ‘strongest axles on the planet’, ‘the last axle you will ever need’, and a ‘no questions asked’ lifetime warranty for 35″ tires – woh! The RCV is a true constant velocity, unit bearing axle with materials strong enough to support a 35″ tire and probably even bigger, just not warrantied.

• Rear electronic locking differential – Ox Locker – Chrysler 8.25 – 29 spline C-clip – all gear sets + electric shifting system
  • Issue: Anyone who has ever taken their open differential vehicle off-road and been in a low traction situation will discover the 4×4 does not truly mean that all four wheels spin at the same time. With an open differential when one tire on an axle losses traction it will spin while the other tire with traction doesn’t move. The solution is to lock the two wheels together. There are many articles and walk-through videos on the internet that describe this. While some Jeep Cherokees came with a factory limited slip differential in the rear axle this one did not. As a daily driver and touring vehicle I needed a selectable locking differential and, at the time, did not want to swap a more common axle in with more extensive aftermarket support.
  • Solution: There aren’t many options on the market for Chrysler 8.25 axles – enter Ox Locker. They make a variety of locking differentials that pair nicely with their manual, electronic, or air engagement systems. You pay a premium for these locking differentials but the added traction is significant and noticeable when things get hairy.
• Front electronic locking differential – Eaton E-Locker – Dana 30 – 27 spline – 3.73 and up
  • Issue: For that extra bit of traction – having a front locking differential (combined with a rear locker) provides for a true four wheel drive experience. The OEM Dana 30 axle placed in the front of the Jeep Cherokee is not necessarily the best candidate for a locker – my low pinion Dana 30 27 spline is no exception – however I wanted to be able to lock the front wheels with the flip of a switch for snow, mud, and some light rock crawling.
  • Solution: Eaton is a major automotive OEM part manufacturer and therefore has a high standard for quality and longevity to uphold. This electronic locking differential for the Dana 30 could have easily been an OEM part, except the Jeep Cherokee was meant to be inexpensive and locking differentials aren’t a trivial cost. Overall I’ve been thoroughly impressed with this locker and have had zero issues. Traction is fantastic.

• Advance Adapters NP231 Slip Yoke Eliminator
  • Issue: As you increase the suspension lift on a vehicle the drive line angles get pushed out of the factory comfort zone, so to speak. Improper drive shaft angles typically result in vibration felt while driving around town. There are lot of articles written by more qualified people than I about this topic that discuss reasons and solutions in much more detail.
  • Solution: The bottom line for an amateur like me was – eliminate the vibrations; increase drive train life. The Rubicon Express 4.5 inch short arm lift came with a transfer case drop which consisted of a few extended length bolts and spacers to drop the cross member by about an inch. My research suggested that this was a short term fix which would present problems later down the road, so I opted to skip directly to the SYE, or slip yoke eliminator, which essentially replaces the fixed yoke on the back of the NP231 transfer case with a heavier duty output shaft and a standard 1310 CV yoke capable of accepting a double cardan drive shaft. All this means is a smoother delivery of rotational force from the transfer case to the differential.
• Front and Rear Tom Wood’s custom drive shafts
  • Issue: With the addition of the SYE the OEM rear drive shaft will no longer bolt up to the new yoke.
  • Solution: A custom length drive shaft will need to be ordered and measurements taken from yoke to yoke with your lift already installed. There are many drive shaft makers out there – I went with Tom Wood’s because of their reputation as a quality manufacturer. When my factory front drive shaft started showing its age I went ahead and replaced it with a stronger Tom Wood’s drive shaft as well.
• G2 Axle & Gear – Ring and Pinion – 4.10 ratio – Dana 30 low pinion and Chrysler 8.25 differentials
  • Issue: Neither the Dana 30 (low pinion especially) or the Chrysler 8.25 get a lot of praise in the off-road world, but these are the cards (axles) that the Jeep Cherokee was dealt in 2001. With bigger tires and a suspension lift a better gear ratio is desirable in order to get all that mass moving and to make the vehicle feel like it has the same power as stock (or better). Installing a new ring and pinion correctly with the right gear ratio is one of the hardest parts of a full build and is typically best left to professionals who know how to properly set pinion depth, measure backlash, and understand gear mesh patterns.
  • Solution: …that being said I tore the differentials apart, purchased a backlash gauge, borrowed a shop press, ordered the appropriate master install kits with new bearings/shims/bolts and did it all in my garage, but it took almost as much time as installing the entire suspension lift. It takes patience and repeated assembly/disassembly. Furthermore, although initially I felt like I was rolling the dice a bit going with G2 hardware I have since been pleasantly surprised with the longevity and lack of issues. Admittedly, the 4.10 gear ratio with 33 inch tires feels noticeably slower than stock. If I were to do this build over again I would have went with 4.56 gears, like many XJ internet scholars recommend. Half the time, on hills, the transmission doesn’t know what it’s doing and is constantly hunting gears. It’s liveable, but not ideal. For what it’s worth, I average 14 MPG with this setup doing mixed highway and trail driving.
    • 36 tooth speedometer gear – Don’t forget to install a new speedometer gear in your transfer case when putting on bigger tires and gears so that your speedometer inside of the vehicle reads correctly.

• Odyssey Extreme AGM PC1500 battery – 850 CCA
  • Issue: This little Jeep doesn’t require a lot of electricity – the efficient LED lighting keeps the load down and the stereo isn’t off the handle. However… the Smittybilt winch has a 650 CCA minimum in order to function properly.
  • Solution: 850 frosty bucking amperages are unleashed with this AGM battery by Odyssey. Since purchasing new back in late 2018 I have had no issues. I’ve winched a couple times off of it, powered lights and radio for hours on end, as well as tested its ability to keep a Dometic fridge running for several days.
• Battery Terminals by InstallGear
  • Issue: The first sign that I needed new battery terminals was that the old wires were quite literally rotting off. The second sign was that all of the extra electrical goodies that were being installed needed their own connections to the battery.
  • Solution: Enter the multi-gauge, multi-input battery terminals by InstallGear. Their solution provides all the necessary connectivity one would need in an affordable, modest package.

• Suner Power Waterproof 10A Solar Charge Controller
  • Issue: While the Odyssey battery has held up well to-date – I wanted a backup method of charging the electrical system and the ability to keep the battery topped off with a trickle charge.
  • Solution: Small charge controllers are plentiful and cheap. This one was easy to install and has an SAE input connector that I can hook up to my 100W solar panel if needed. I also found an adapter that would allow me to trickle charge the battery using a smaller Goal Zero backpacking solar panel. This unit expands your charging options and is handy for long running or energy intensive overlanding or car camping trips.

• Rigid Industries D-series Pro spot beam 3 inch LED cubes – front
  • Issue: 1) The original fog lights in the factory front bumper provided some additional low ground illumination but pale in comparison to the more modern LED solutions on the market today. 2) The fog light holes in the JCR bumper were pre-cut for 3×3 cube fog lights.
  • Solution: To fill these holes I bolted on a pair of Rigid’s LED cubes with the spot beam pattern. At the flip of a switch I can turn night into day in whatever direction their pointing, transforming night into day and increasing visibility much further down the trail than even Rigid’s Trucklites on high beam.
• Rigid Industries D-series Pro flood beam 3 inch LED cubes – rear
  • Issue: How many times have you been on a tight trail in the middle of the night and had to back up? You’re backing up… backing up… *crunch*. Or maybe you arrive in to camp late and want to back in to a spot. The Jeep Cherokee’s reverse light brightness, like nearly every other light on the vehicle, is modest at best.
  • Solution: Aftermarket bumpers may offer pre-cut holes for aftermarket reverse lights, but this project hasn’t reach a level where it makes sense to replace the factory bumper. So I pulled out the cutting discs and dremel and put a pair of 3×3 holes in the rear bumper to mount these lights. It was important that the lights and wiring be protected and not just bolted externally to the bumper. The result was just as extraordinary to behold in the dark as the front Rigid LEDs – the darkness just melts away.

• Banks 51306 Torque Tube Header
  • Issue: There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with the OEM header, however as I was swapping out my high mileage motor with lower mileage unit from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee I decided to upgrade to a quality stainless steel header from Banks. For 2000-2001, Jeep moved to a distributor-less ignition design with a rail of coil packs on the 4.0L motor, they also updated the exhaust system to meet California emissions standards. Two additional catalytic converts were added to the end of the header. This means that this model year of Jeep Cherokee requires a slightly different header design in order to maintain this emissions standard. The Banks header product linked above is the one that fits on this model year. For older (1999 and later) Jeep Cherokees you will need the Banks 51327 Torque Tube Header.
  • Solution: The Banks header is a quality part in all respects. With some cheaper alternatives floating around the internet you hear about issues such as cracking, warped materials, fitment issues. Banks knew what they were doing when they designed and built this header for the Jeep Cherokee. Theoretically it will provide a slight power increase and better throttle responsiveness. I noticed a slightly more aggressive exhaust note with my stock muffler. The other advantage to this design is better heat dissipation.

• Trail Head Off Road (THOR) Cowl Intake
  • Issue: The Cherokee’s air box location isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either. It sits behind the driver side head light and you would need to be sticking the nose of the vehicle in a hood level bog in order to start sucking water into your engine. Furthermore, that airbox and filter assembly takes up a lot of precious space on the driver side of the engine bay. It’s a perfect location for a winch solenoid, air compressor, second battery, switch relays – imagine the possibilities!
  • Solution: Australians are big fans of the snorkel. This Jeep isn’t exploring deep river crossings in the outback, but it occasionally encounters mud pits and pockets of deep standing water. The THOR cowl-mounted intake system is a subtle way of relocating the engine’s breather tube further back and higher up to a location just below the windshield. Supposedly the air collected here is colder and denser which probably adds at least 7 horsepower but I haven’t felt it. What is noticeable is the rather violent induction noise that now permeates the inside cabin area while driving. Now I can be rest assured that I’m not hoovering up chocolate water while fake boost launching through mud holes. Yuus!

• Boostwerks Hidden Winch Mount and Steering Support
  • Issue: There are two common schools of thought around mounting a winch to an XJ.
    • The first, and the option I went with initially, is a winch mounted to a portable plate with handles which mounts to a 2 inch receiver hitch. It can be mounted front or rear and can be removed when not in use.
    • The second is a front bumper with a winch mount location. Typically, these bumpers stick out enough past the front face of the grill to allow the winch to be position squarely in the top middle of the bumper and is visible for the world to see and say, “Hazzah! That’s a Jeep with a winch. It can winch things!”
  • Solution:  First, if you’ve ever tried positioning a “portable” winch into a 2 inch receiver hole while in a situation where you’re good and stuck – it’s a real pain. Second, I didn’t want the world to gaze upon my winch and start scheming ways in which it could be removed nor did I want it hanging out in the elements getting showered repeatedly with mud, snow, and the tears of joy from freshly recovered Hyundai drivers. No, I wanted it tucked up behind the front bumper even if it meant cutting out a piece of the sub frame and trimming out bits of the JCR bumper.
    • Smittybilt XRC Gen2 9,500lb winch with synthetic rope – A solid, dependable entry-level winch sized just right for the XJ.
    • Tree strap, 4 inch, 8 foot, 40,000 lb rating – In order to get a good anchor point to clip the winch line to a thick, wide tree strap is crucial.
    • Snatch block – If you need extra leverage the snatch block can be a game changer.

• Upgraded recovery points
  • Issue: When you’re in a stock vehicle you have to rely on a backup vehicle to get you unstuck. Unfortunately, most Cherokees from the factory did not have tow hooks to latch on to. The previous owner had equipped a Curt tow hitch in the rear, but I discovered on one trip that the front had virtually zero points to recover from that didn’t involve potentially bending something of importance.
  • Solution:  What all of this means is that it’s important to maximize available recovery points on your vehicle. It’s also equally important to carry a few quality pieces of gear. Here’s what I had starting out:
    • Tow strap, 10,000 lb rated, 30 foot – It’s not sexy, it’s not glamorous but a heavy duty tow strap and two vehicles can go a long way.
    • Receiver hitch D-ring with shackle – Turns the tow hitch into a solid recovery point.
    • Pair of D-ring shackles – With the addition of the JCR front bumper I had added two front recovery points via shackles.

• Issue: Before owning this Jeep, never in my life had I encountered a situation where not only had my vehicle been forcibly broken in to and goods stolen but the perpetrators attempted to start and drive off with the entire vehicle. There are some terrible individuals out there.
• Solution: Good thing I had a few basic security modifications installed otherwise this Jeep would likely no longer be in my possession. For obvious reasons there are no pictures in this section.
  • Fuel pump kill switch – Interrupts power to the fuel pump relay. When power is cut to the fuel pump the engine will crank over and over but will not get any fuel to actually start. This is a cheap, simple, and highly recommended security mod for any vehicle. If the thief doesn’t know where the switch is they can’t activate the fuel pump unless they are very familiar with the wiring on your specific vehicle.
  • PDC relay circuit magnetic reed switch by Off Road Only – This is plan B, in the event the thief does find the fuel pump switch, they can continue to try and start the Jeep but it won’t fire up until this other hidden switch is also activated. The most clever part is that it requires a magnet to be swiped at a very precise location in order to send power to the PDC relay for a brief period of time. So not only does the thief need to find the first hidden switch and understand what it does, but they also need to know to be carrying a magnet and to swipe it on a specific point at a specific step in the ignition process. Ultimately, if I was on meth and needed to cash in with a vehicle theft for a quick fix I would just give up at this point and go steal the Honda Civic parked nearby.

• Iron Rock Offroad 5.5″ Front Coil Springs
  • Issue: Fitting 35″ tires in the front has a minimum requirement of an additional 2 inches of lift for a total of 6.5″. That is unless you want to cut out more fender but I wanted to preserve the body of the XJ.
  • Solution: The Iron Rock Offroad Dana 30 over-axle truss raises the coil spring mounts by 1″ and back 0.5″ over the stock Dana 30 for better coil spring retention and alignment throughout the suspension cycle. As a result, I only needed 5.5″ springs for the front end.
• Iron Rock Offroad 1″ or 1.5″ Adjustable Boomerang Rear Shackles
  • Issue: Fitting 35″ tires in the rear without cutting requires an additional 2 inches of lift and I didn’t want to replace the leaf pack.
  • Solution: I went with longer, adjustable shackles to add 1.5″ of lift and it works, although that truly only gives me 6″ total lift in the rear. I may look at doing an add-a-leaf to get the remaining 0.5″ and also stiffen up the rear to carry more weight.
• Bilstein 5100 Series Shock Absorbers
  • Issue: Extended length shocks are important when lifting a vehicle to retain a smooth ride.
  • Solution: For the 6.5″ lift:
    • Front: 24-186643
    • Rear: 33-151663
• Rubicon Express 4.5″ Superflex Lift (removed) – with short arms (removed) + Full Rear Leaf Pack (current) + Bilstein Monotube Shocks
  • Issue: Small wheel arches and unibody design require a significant lift in order to clear larger tires, unless you want to do a lot of fender trimming.
  • Solution: Perfect lift height for clearing 33″ tires with minimal trimming.
• Rubicon Express Steering Stabilizer
  • Issue: Larger tires and a lift may have the adverse symptom of increased bump steer.
  • Solution: Integrating a properly sized hydraulic shock that connects the axle and the steering arm can decrease this issue. Ultimately, an upgraded over the knuckle steering setup allowed me to remove this from my setup.
• Rubicon Express Sway Bar Disconnects
  • Issue: The rear sway bar is removed with the Rubicon Express lift kit and the front can be removed as well, but there are reasons why you might want to keep this mechanism in place. At high speed and in terms the vehicle may become less stable when sway bars are removed from the suspension equation.
  • Solution: “Quick” disconnect kits can be used to set the sway bar at the correct angle to retain stability during cornering or highway driving and also come with a dis-connectable bracket for off-road use when full wheel travel and axle movement is needed.
• Iron Rock Off Road – Heavy Duty Over the knuckle Steering 1/2″
  • Issue: There are a few problems with the Jeep XJ’s OEM steering setup. 1) With larger tires there is increased wear on the ball joints and on aged setups a lift and larger tires can multiply the decrease in durability. 2) The materials used are thin and weak when bashed against rocks or stumps. Many XJ owners have reported bent or broken steering arms when pushed hard off road.
  • Solution: Stronger, thicker metals and improved joint design can produce a significant upgrade for your Jeep. The Iron Rock Off Road solution I installed was so good that it allowed me to remove the steering stabilizer from the equation entirely.
• Iron Rock Off Road – Rock-Link Front 3-link Long Arm Kit
  • Issue: There are numerous videos online discussing the pros and cons of short arm vs long arms on straight axle vehicles. One of the most prominent issues I noticed with the 4.5″ lift is that the increased downward angle of the short arms transmits quite a bit more turbulence from the terrain into the vehicle. In other words, bumps just felt harder with short arms.
  • Solution: I can attest that the increased stability of a 3-link long arm on the Jeep XJ much appreciated and there is a definite improvement in comfort-ability both on road and off road. With articulation short arms certainly become a bottle neck with larger lifts, long arms remove that limitation.

• Tires – 35″ BFGoodrich KM3 Mud-Terrain (35×12.5xR15)
  • Issue: After years of reliable service from BFGoodrich’s K02 all-terrain tire I decided it was time to upgrade to a more aggressive setup. The K02 is a fantastic tire and I can’t recommend it enough if the goal is mostly highway/gravel road driving and a little bit of deep snow and a tiny bit of mud. In my case, I had reached the limits of the KO2’s abilities in deep snow and mud.
  • Solution: The KM3 has a more knobby, chunky tread pattern which generates more grip on loose surfaces. It has stronger sidewalls than the K02 which makes it a sturdier tire when bouncing against rocks, tree roots, and other nasty stuff. The larger diameter will increase ground clearance and decrease hang-ups on the differentials. The final reason is that I couldn’t have the Mercedes sitting on 35s when the Jeep was purpose built for this type of thing. The axles are already setup with electronic locks front and rear so I will really be able to maximize the potential of the KM3s.
• Wheels – Pro Comp Series 69 Flat Black Alloy (15×8″)
  • Issue: The factory Jeep wheels did not have the required backspacing to fit a larger tire.
  • Solution: Pro Comp makes a durable, light-weight wheel and a simple design for easy cleaning. At 16lbs, 3.75″ backspacing, and a 5 x 4.5″ bolt pattern this wheel is a overall improvement to the factory wheels. Steel wheels are a better option when wheel damage occurs. Typically steel can be bent back into place easier than aluminum alloy, but because this Jeep is not rock climbing or stump jumping it’s a highly unlikely situation. I also carry a spare which is easier to swap on in order to get moving again.
• Lug Nuts – Pro Comp BLAAACK Nuts
  • Issue: Why not?
  • Solution: Color goes with the wheels.

• Tires – 33″ BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrain (33×12.5xR15)
  • Issue: The factory tires were adequate for highway cruising and gravel roads but traction and differential clearance become weak points of the smaller, all-season tires.
  • Solution: In order to improve ground clearance and traction while still retaining stock axle strength and maintaining highway drive-ability a 33″ all-terrain was the logical choice. BFGoodrich’s KO2 is a proven tire design that does 90% of what I need it to do on pavement, snow/ice, and mud. For the remaining 10%, there’s always the BFG KM2 or KM3 mud terrain.