Jeep Wrangler TJ opinions for a DD?

[Holland]

33's are going to rape your fuel mileage. Any reason for 33's other than aesthetics?

[Zacm829]

Thanks for the replys, not really concerned with great gas mileage as I dont travel far. I only get in the high teens with the M with 93 octane. Im looking forward to rugged cheaper parts for sure. I will still have the e30 turbo to fullfill my bmw tinkering desires.

Towing will be light, motorcycle or jetski. Maybe yank a boat out of the water. Not planning on a full car trailer at any point.

I say 33s because of aesthetics and I plan to do a light off roading. Think a smaller tire will suit me better? 31s? I think jeeps without a minor lift and + size tires just look mundane. I had 33s on my Frontier 4x4 V6 and the gas mileage was tolerable.

Thanks again for the help!

[Holland]

Thanks for the replys, not really concerned with great gas mileage as I dont travel far. I only get in the high teens with the M with 93 octane. Im looking forward to rugged cheaper parts for sure. I will still have the e30 turbo to fullfill my bmw tinkering desires.

Towing will be light, motorcycle or jetski. Maybe yank a boat out of the water. Not planning on a full car trailer at any point.

I say 33s because of aesthetics and I plan to do a light off roading. Think a smaller tire will suit me better? 31s? I think jeeps without a minor lift and + size tires just look mundane. I had 33s on my Frontier 4x4 V6 and the gas mileage was tolerable.

Thanks again for the help!

A buddy of mine runs an XJ with 31's, as do I with my Discovery, and he says He prefers a 30 as it's more street-able. He works with search and rescue and has zero problems getting where he needs to go.

He constantly out wheels more capable rigs and even cleared a 50'' gate with some creativity.

I can say that 31's bog down my Rover, and the Jeep has similar output.

[e30serg]

I'd say gor with a 2.5" lift and 31's or 32's. 33's are a bit tall for mostly daily driving. Also consider re-gearing to get your low-end torque back. Towing anything bigger than a motorcycle trailer would probably be a bad idea. Are you considering something like the TJ Rubicon? I miss my old jeep on hot summer days. Going top less and door less was awesome! Oh, hardtop or soft top?

[Zacm829]

After a little more research I can see what your saying about bog on 33s. I think 2.5" lift on 31 or 32 would suit me better.
Now the real question is do I search for a stock specimen and do the lift and tires myself or find a clean slightly modified jeep?

I would love a TJ Rubicon or Sahara or even a Sport. I would really like for it to have fucntional A/C as well for the ladies at times.
Ideally I want a hard top for winter and soft in the summer. I could deal with a soft top in decent condition though. Also looking for the full doors, look much better.

What do you guys think I should pay for a TJ with those options and around 130k miles?

[e30serg]

At a minimum, get the hard doors. That's where most of the noise comes from. I would find a jeep that already has a lift and tires, but is not driven off-road too much.

Remember that soft tops are easy to cut open though, and hard tops cost way more to get later if you buy a jeep with a soft top.

One last thing, do a search for overheated 4.0 heads. There was a casting problem with a certain head that affects jeeps from I think the year 2000. I can't remember the casting number. My cousin and another buddy just went through with this. We replaced every single cooling component, and it turned out to be a small crack on the head. Common problem. Search online.

[e30serg]

Oh yeah, look here.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/

The r3v of the jeep world.....

[hendrixvodu]

The only problem your going to have is the gas mileage besides that they are super reliable. Stay away from the 2000/2001 they had head cracking problems... But my ex gf had an 01 Xj and had no problems with the motor so just keep it in mind when looking

[hendrixvodu]

At a minimum, get the hard doors. That's where most of the noise comes from. I would find a jeep that already has a lift and tires, but is not driven off-road too much.

Remember that soft tops are easy to cut open though, and hard tops cost way more to get later if you buy a jeep with a soft top.

One last thing, do a search for overheated 4.0 heads. There was a casting problem with a certain head that affects jeeps from I think the year 2000. I can't remember the casting number. My cousin and another buddy just went through with this. We replaced every single cooling component, and it turned out to be a small crack on the head. Common problem. Search online.

Exactly I think I was called a 331 head or some thing but from what I remember some people just used the 97-99 4.0 head to replace them and I believe 2002-03 they fixed the problem and used a different head

[e30vert]

First I have heard of the head cracking issue. I drive a 2000 TJ and no head issues or overheating here. I did have one of the studs on the block that holds the water pump on completely break its casting on the engine block though. I ended up just using a generous amount of BLUE Permatex gasket maker and did not run that one stud area and am left with a very small drip of coolant. A few drops of coolant after parking. No biggie.

I run 33's with a 4.5 " lift and have not regeared. Gas mileage is not so hot , but no concern here as I realize its a Jeep and not some econo-shitbox. I can still cruise 70 up hills so no worries there. It does not have the passing power that it had with the little puny stock tires though. Thats also to be expected. Its not a race car by any means , but amazingly fun on and off road. Its a weekend vehicle for me and I always run with no doors and a safari top or no top at all (like today).

I would never give up my Jeep unless I was upgrading to another Jeep- (JK 4 door).

Installed everything myself and did ALL work myself. Suspension Lift (all components) , rock ready bumpers (front and rear) Swing out tire carrier, Rear Corner guards, 61 LED 4 inch Flush mount taillights, Rocker Guards, Rims and tires, Roll cage modifications, Frame paint, engine mods, CAI, exhaust Cat back , interior rework. Soundbar install and upgrade, etc etc.

Next up is putting newer model Jeep seats from a JK in my TJ. Found a set that are pristine for a steal from a guy building another rig. Gonna weld up brackets to allow them to mount to the existing TJ sliders /fold and tumble. My current seat on the driver side is ripped on the lower portion and the stuffing is coming apart.

[Zacm829]

I will keep an eye out for the head issues and research on overheating. Thanks for the testament e30vert, your rig looks great btw.

What should I pay for a slightly modded TJ with 120k ish miles?

[IronFreak]

I didn't have a TJ, but I had a 99' XJ with the motor/tranny you're wanting..........FREAKIN LOVED IT. I miss that thing so much. it was bullet proof. I got a little carried away with it and the gas mileage ended up blowing.

Right before I sold it. Jeeps rule, whether its a TJ or XJ. Stay away from the 4 cylies....

[e30vert]

I will keep an eye out for the head issues and research on overheating. Thanks for the testament e30vert, your rig looks great btw.

What should I pay for a slightly modded TJ with 120k ish miles?

Your welcome!

Jeeps are more of a "lifestyle". You will know this by the wave from other Jeepers as you pass. They get it and you will too. I know some think its "gay" but I consider it a courtesy and reciprocate.

I picked up my TJ years and years ago off the "bay". Since I was going to mod it extensively I just needed a good runner and did not care about much else (bodywork, paint, rims, etc)

I also did not care if it had a salvage title or not. So I found my 2000 TJ as a salvage title in Indiana of all places. It had 26 K miles on the engine and was an auction vehicle at one point.

Knowing I was going to transform whatever I purchased made it a no brainer to pick this one up for less than 6 K. I stole it!

If you want to wrench and mod it into a semi wheeler then all you really need is a good base to start with.

[e30vert]

I didn't have a TJ, but I had a 99' XJ with the motor/tranny you're wanting..........FREAKIN LOVED IT. I miss that thing so much. it was bullet proof. I got a little carried away with it and the gas mileage ended up blowing.

Right before I sold it. Jeeps rule, whether its a TJ or XJ. Stay away from the 4 cylies....

Good looking XJ. I would add an EXO cage to that bad boy and have some serious fun! Ive seen guys do the 1/2 door mod and they look awesome for the trail that way.

[IronFreak]

^^^ It was 20 below zero in that pictures.......no holes and the heater worked flawlessly. I daily drove this thing for over a year like this. Exo's are overrated and highly unnecessary for my part of the country.