What Do You Think of a "Street Jeep?"

[The Fixer]

OK, here's the scoop. My '01 Jeep Cherokee sport has 65K on it now and everything is original. It's due for brakes and could probably use new shocks and exhaust. We also have two small kids (my son is almost 4, and daughter is almost 1), and I always have some project to do around the house, so the extra space is nice. I've had it for two years, and it'll also be paid off as soon as we get our tax refund so that's a big plus. The only cosmetic issue is some rot in the lower door seams on both of the passenger side doors, but it's not visible from the outside.

But, I really miss driving a car. I see Tahoes, Escalades, and Expeditions with bigger wheels and low profile tires all the time, so does a "street Jeep" sound like a bad idea? I won't wheel my Jeep, because I have to cart my kids around in it all the time and can't afford to break it. I could install a set of slotted rotors and Hawk pads to improve the brakes since they need to be done anyway. I could put on a set of Bilstein shocks, polyurethane swaybar bushings/endlinks, and get a set of 17" rims/tires to make it handle better. Anything bigger is kinda crazy, because they look too big on a small rig like the XJ; we'll keep the Dubs for the big trucks. I would keep the 15s with 30" Goodyears for winter driving. I could also install a cat-back and a CAI in the hopes of improving the dismal gas mileage this thing gets.

Here's a pic of a Cherokee that I found. This one has 17" Bullitt rims on it, but it's black. Mine is dark blue, and I don't have the cheesy nerf bars or side moldings. Whatcha think of the rims though?

[maroman88]

i like it, if your not guna beat it up off road then u might as well make it look all purdy

[Ian]

that doesnt look as bad as I thought it would

If thats the route you wanna go....go for it! you dont see many hot rodded cherokees.

[BonzoHansen]

Hmmm...a jeep...no running f-body...you wanna be a mod or admin here?

[maroman88]

the fbody inside his gbody runs great lol no mod for you

[Knipps]

do it, like maroman88 said if you're not gonna offroad you might as well make it look good

[curt86iroc]

if you're not gonna lift it, drop it!



(im kidding of course!)

[qwikz28]

steve- i would like to throw my two cents in. i got my saturn (Saturn Vue V6 AWD) about a year ago. it seems a lot like what you are trying to do to your jeep. its low, handles well, and doesn't have the mud tires. while still retaining the v6 power and awd foul weather abilities. i can't tell you how practical it is to have a suv with the car-like ride, efficiency and handling. i don't see the point in a SUV thats high off the ground with huge mudders. its wasteful, expensive and rides like crap. my saturn still sees some abuse. actually, my saturn sees alot of abuse. i still tow with it, and it sees some trails to get to the parking grounds when i go riding. it makes sense. it does everything well, and gets the job done. theres not much more to ask for.

i say, throw some smaller diameter car tires, some nice road-biased suspension pieces, and possibly some lighter and more attractive wheels if the budget allows.

[GP99GT]

just dont go chrome...go black, gunmetal, or silver. chrome is too blingy for a jeep

[j0n]

i dont like the wheel choice pictured...but im a big fan of everything else...go for it d00d!

[The Fixer]

Thanks for the thoughts and opinions guys! I really like the '00-'01 Mustang GT 17" flat-faced 5-spoke wheels, and think they would look cool on the Jeep. I should be able to score a set of those from someone that upgraded for cheap, and then I'll need some 255/60 17s (tirerack sells Generals in that size for around $104/tire). The new shocks, brakes, catback and CAI will cost me less than a grand, so maybe I could do everything for around $1500. That's a small investment to make this truck safer and a lot more fun to drive.

[unstable bob gable]

I like your concept, Steevo. 'Specially since it is powered by an AMC engine!

[The Fixer]

Originally Posted by unstable bob gable

I like your concept, Steevo. 'Specially since it is powered by an AMC engine!

Yes it is, 4.0L of I6 fury! It's rated at 190 hp/225 ft.lbs, so it is pretty gutsy for the little truck, and it's got 3.55 gears already. If I do the intake and catback I should pick up a few more horsies. Now I gotta sell my wife on the idea. "Hey honey, at least it's better than buying another car and having payments again!"

[BonzoHansen]

Originally Posted by TPI Monte SS

Thanks for the thoughts and opinions guys! I really like the '00-'01 Mustang GT 17" flat-faced 5-spoke wheels, and think they would look cool on the Jeep. I should be able to score a set of those from someone that upgraded for cheap, and then I'll need some 255/60 17s (tirerack sells Generals in that size for around $104/tire). The new shocks, brakes, catback and CAI will cost me less than a grand, so maybe I could do everything for around $1500. That's a small investment to make this truck safer and a lot more fun to drive.

NO GENERALS.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by TPI Monte SS

Yes it is, 4.0L of I6 fury! It's rated at 190 hp/225 ft.lbs, so it is pretty gutsy for the little truck, and it's got 3.55 gears already. If I do the intake and catback I should pick up a few more horsies. Now I gotta sell my wife on the idea. "Hey honey, at least it's better than buying another car and having payments again!"

FWIW, my jeep put down 13Xhp and a little over 200 ft.lbs of torque to the wheels. mine is a 5 speed though.

[The Fixer]

Not bad Ian. How recent are your plugs/air filter and such?

And, I've been searching www.rockauto.com too. They have awesome prices! So far, Moog poly endlinks, swaybar bushings, Raybestos slotted rotors and ceramic pads, new plugs, and trans filter/gasket is under $300. WOOT!

Oh, here's a chop of what my Jeep might look like with different Stang rims on it. Only thing I couldn't do was shorten the tire height, since I don't have Photoshop. Stock-height tires are 1" less in diameter.

[Knipps]

Originally Posted by TPI Monte SS

Not bad Ian. How recent are your plugs/air filter and such?

And, I've been searching www.rockauto.com too. They have awesome prices! So far, Moog poly endlinks, swaybar bushings, Raybestos slotted rotors and ceramic pads, new plugs, and trans filter/gasket is under $300. WOOT!

Oh, here's a chop of what my Jeep might look like with different Stang rims on it. Only thing I couldn't do was shorten the tire height, since I don't have Photoshop. Stock-height tires are 1" less in diameter.

looks good, i like it
will they just bolt on like that?

[surfer1316]

I think it's an oxymoron. Jeep was built around being "rubicon tested" rugged offroad vehiles. The Srt-8 and the new IFS grand cherokee, the liberty ARE NOT jeeps, their chryslers. Jeep died when they got bought out

The only "street" jeeps I have any respect for are the 401 AMC powered comanche, the blown 408 98 ZJ grand cherokee, and the 6.1 liter hemi powered WJ grand cherokee(not this, but last generation) cause they were different

[Squirrel]

steve, go for the cobra replicas, i know you saw them

[BigAls87Z28]

I say that go for it!! That Cherokee looks great! I think the Cherokee is a great size. The Blazer is too long and narrow, and there is no other SUV out there that is that size. It would be cool if there was a Cherokee with an IFS.
100% Street Jeep.

[The Fixer]

Yep, the Mustang 5-lug rims will bolt on, since the bolt pattern is the same (5x4.5"). Only problem I may run into is with the center hub, it may need to be shaved out slightly to clear the rotors. The backspacing works out perfectly too (5.5" on an 8" wide rim, which is what my current rims are).

Eric, I really like the Cobra Rs, just not sure I want a 9" wide rim; I think it'll track the ruts in the road too much, and that sucks with two solid axles. If I can find a used set of 17x8s at the Etown Swapmeet next weekend I might come home with them. Thanks again for the opinions guys!

[nj85z28]

good luck steve!

[Tru2Chevy]

Heh....when I read this I went straight to jf.com to get you a link to the street XJ section. then I got there and saw that you already had a post up asking about the same thing.

I'm with Eric on the cobra replicas - they look great on that Jeep. But they are a bit wide. I like your idea though - enjoy it!

- Justin

[Squirrel]

for everyone to understand what were talking about...

[BigAls87Z28]

I wish they made Cobra replica's in 5x4.75 with a 4.5-5 inch back spacing...