First time question and answer for the TJ

W

weather_guesser

New member
Good morning gents, so I'm looking for opinions and knowledge about the TJ. My 05 SE with manual 6 speed has been my daily for almost two years and finally getting in the position to upgrade, currently aside from a slight lift, 35" tires and 4.88 gears its stock. The lift, tires and gears were installed by the fellow I bought it from and I've been completely satisfied with the performance so far. With it having the 2.4L I'm skeptical on what drivetrain and engine modifications can be made if any and what affects the upgrades might have or if they would be even be worth it. At the moment cosmetic upgrades are in the works such as bushwacker fenders, LoD rear bumper with tire carrier, LED head and brake lights and possibly a roof rack. I'm hoping for opinions and directions as this will be my daily for quite some time but I would like to maintain average to moderate wheeling capabilities. Looking forward to your knowledge and opinions. Thanks

Corey
 
Hi Corey, your Tj should be fairly capable on 35s, so it sounds like you're on the right track with the bumpers and accessories. Personally, I think a winch is one of the most important upgrades, but it depends if you wheel alone etc.

I would recommend lockers, but you will be putting your stock axles under a bit of stress. It's probably okay on the 35s, but that's totally going to depend on how you wheel it.


The LoD is a good bumper, you should be happy with it.
 
Awesome thanks for the replay. Yeah a winch is definitely in the plans just further done the line. Lockers would be cool but I don't think there necessary for now. Also I've read a lot on hear about the stock axles I think mine are d30 upfront and d35 in the rear. From what I can tell it's not worth the money to upgrade the d35. Thoughts?
 
weather_guesser said:
Awesome thanks for the replay. Yeah a winch is definitely in the plans just further done the line. Lockers would be cool but I don't think there necessary for now. Also I've read a lot on hear about the stock axles I think mine are d30 upfront and d35 in the rear. From what I can tell it's not worth the money to upgrade the d35. Thoughts?
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Yep, that's why I mentioned stock axles.. I wouldn't spend a dollar on that d35. I'm not just saying that.. They really are a turd.. I knew better, but still went with the dumb route.. I had a warn full floater kit, chromoly shafts, ARB air locker, 4:56 gears, and warn hubs on my Dana35 and it still broke (several times). All that, and I just had a couple thousand dollar turd.

The most popular swap for the Tj would be the ford 8.8. They were in ford explorers, they have the same bolt pattern, lots of them came with posi-traction, and they are basically a tough d44.

Your (smaller) d30 front end will probably outlast your rear end. The life of each will be drastically shortened with the addition of lockers.
 
Good to know. The ford 8.8 will be added to the long list. I am concerned with how the weight of the bumpers, roof rack and larger axles might affect the performance with only the 2.4L. I haven't seen or heard a lot of people talk about them and there's even less options for upgrades such as intakes, exhaust, snorkels and such. What kind of inputs might you have on swapping with the 4.0 or even a diesel conversion?
 
From what I have heard and read, for the cost of swapping in a 4.0 you would be better off selling the one you have and buying a used TJ with a 4.0.
 
Joker151 said:
From what I have heard and read, for the cost of swapping in a 4.0 you would be better off selling the one you have and buying a used TJ with a 4.0.
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HA that made me chuckle! Not sure if that was suppose to be funny but for now I got to stick with what I have. The advice will be taken into account though thanks.
 
As for performance upgrades, since you have the 2.4L, you could put a turbo on there from a 2.4L turbo neon
 
I dont know if the 4 cyl is the same in the TJs as it was in the YJs but I had a 4 cyl YJ i put some Mustang fuel injectors in. Went from a 2 hole injector to a 4 hole injector if I remember correctlly. Now this didnt provide neck breaking power, but it seemed to hold hills better and would actually keep up with traffic with the 35s I was running and the factory 4.10s. I got the injectors for free from a buddy that upgraded his in his mustang so I dont know a cost. Something to think about though.
 
mudmobeeler said:
I dont know if the 4 cyl is the same in the TJs as it was in the YJs but I had a 4 cyl YJ i put some Mustang fuel injectors in. Went from a 2 hole injector to a 4 hole injector if I remember correctlly. Now this didnt provide neck breaking power, but it seemed to hold hills better and would actually keep up with traffic with the 35s I was running and the factory 4.10s. I got the injectors for free from a buddy that upgraded his in his mustang so I dont know a cost. Something to think about though.
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I also thought they were the same 4 cylinder but they are not. The 2.4 appeared in 2003. I added a 4.0 throttle body to my 2.5 and it made a difference. I haven't looked into the 2.4 mods but the only thing ever talks about is putting a PT cruiser turbo on it. It must work but I don't know any of the gains.
 
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