What does my jeep need now......help please

[JeepJunkie]

Originally posted by NAILER341
personally, i dont see a need for that on her jeep. the yj already has a high pinion 30. i have had no issues with it.
i may be wrong, but i think there are many other ways she should spend the money.
nothing against the 30 you have on the table...

ok it already has the hp 30...i wasnt sure i was just responding to what jmbrowning said about how i had one...


EDIT: yes there are other ways far better to spend her money than a 20 year old front axle

[YJEric]

My YJ

I am no mechanical expert but just wish to relate my experience. I too have a 1990 YJ, 4cyl. I did what most would concider a downgrade and am verrrrry happy with the change. I bought it with 31X10.50X15 Yokohama MT Geolanders on Eagle 15X10 wheels. I have run many trails that most "experts" in this area said I could not do. I had more fun and more challenges then my buddies built up rigs. Recently I went back to stock wheels and tires that are only slightly larger than stock. Wow did I see improvements in performance. More power, acceleration, traction and reran all of the local trails with the 1 1/2" less clearance with no probs. We are not talking low rated trails either. Sleeping Princess is rated one of the toughest trails in Az. and is the location of many organized Jeep excursions. Not recommended for unmodified 4x4s. See the videos at www.azexplorations.com to see what I am speaking of. I think lots of mods are fun killers unless you are planning on building a competition rig. I have had many 4xs in my life and some with tall lifts and lockers and monster tires but have discovered they take the challenge out of trailing. Staying close to stock will improve you skills, impress you wheelin buddies and not drain you bank account. Sorry if I don't have the mod fever but I like my Jeeps just the way they are - Butt kickin, trail eating materpeices of American engineering. Just my counter-mainstream opinion.

[goodtimes]

While I agree with some of your points, saying a stock jeep can do anything near the difficulty of the most difficult trails in AZ is not even close to the truth. My jeep is basically stock, and I have done many trails that some thought I couldn't...but if you put a stock jeep on trails like Axle Alley, Hiway to Hell, Anaconda, Matrix, etc., those trails will swallow you up and spit your jeep out. Hell, I have friends who absolutely refuse to run Matrix with trail only rigs with d44's, 38" tires, dual transfer cases, 32" of wheel travel, etc.

But hey, if you ever get down south, give me a shout, we can go 'wheel some stock-ish jeeps (on some of the moderate trails of course).

[YJEric]

Oh I realize that without very large tires and and elaborate suspensions and heavy duty drive trian upgrades, there will be trails that cant be run at all. But then again ya never know untill you try. And THAT is where the fun is. I will take my stocker on anything that a Jeep with a 3" lift and 33's and lockers goes on . A winch, 2 hijackers, a good spotter, and I am ready to rock. Velocity can overcome lack of traction, winches can overcome steep slopes, hijackers can overcome rocks that you get stuck on, and a few correctly placed rocks (later unstacked of course) can reduce the severity of any obstical. I am ready for any trail and willing to accept any challenge. Whats the worst that can happen? My philosophy is simple. Don't upgrade till you break it in the first place.

[talljeepchick]

wow thanx for all the feedback!!! I certainly got alot of different ideas as to what to do. I would like on board air, makes life a bit easier not going to do the AC though.
has anyone ever rhino lined thier interior??? Just curious.
I wish I could join you this weekend for a run but I have prior commitments this weekend. I do hope to catch up to a run soom so I can check out what everyone has in their jeeps so I can see whatI really want to do.
Thanx again and keep the suggestions coming

[sarah]

Lisa, Glad everyone could help. Joining us for a run would really help you visualize what is possible out there. Everyone has a different setup, let us know when you're free. Sarah

[king4wd]

We also run the 2.5 4-banger in our wrangler. Here's out tips:
on AC- taking the top down/off is way cheaper and easier than installing aftermarket A/C.
on drivetrain- Got gears? go 4.56 or 4.88, it made a big difference for us. Also, we recently replaced our factory air intake with the Turbo City intake ( we chose this because its C.A.R.B. approved for the 2.5l) and while there's very little top end difference, there's some extra torque on the low end and a suprising boost in mpg.
on tires- Remington/Dunlop mud tires are mde by Goodyear and are significantly less expensive than MT/R's.
Our best bang for $$ mod was a locker! the brand/type is a personal preference decision, but any locker beats the heck out of an open diff.
Good luck with your YJ!