Expert: Carl Brandt - 7/16/2006

Question
I have a 93 jeep cherokee sport, I am goin to put a 4 inch
suspension lift on it, the olny problem is that i am not sure what
size of tire will fit on it, well the biggest tire that will fit nicely, i am
wondering if you know how big of tires and how offset my rims will
have to be  to accomodate 32x11.5 , or some 33x12's...if you
could fins that answer that would be awesome
Thanks.

Answer
Nathan,

If you want to do the more extreme trails like the Rubicon, then you would need a minimum of 31" tires, and at least one locker.  33" tires would be preferable.  The main problem with the Cherokee, as far as large tires go is that they don't have large enough fender wells.  If you plan on going with 33" tires you should consider cutting the fender wells, and putting on a new set of after market fender flares.  I would suggest that you consider installing a lift that would work with 33's instead of 31’s, usually a 5” to 6” lift.  One reason is that the 33's are more common on the extreme trails, and you need to remember that for every inch of diameter on the tire, you only gain 1/2" of lift, as that is the radius gain of the new tires.  Most of the drivers that I know that have went with a smaller lift, eventually upgrade to one that will accomodate the 33's anyway, and it's much cheaper in the long run to lift the Jeep once instead of twice.  

A site you may want to check out, is:
http://www.jeeptech.com/tire/  
They give some basic suggestions as to what size lift, and what modifications are needed for a specific size tire.

As far as which lift to purchase, that is a matter of personal preference. Remember, you get what you pay for.  The cheaper lifts, usually are not as well designed, or not as complete as a more expensive lift.  This doesn't mean that you need to go out and buy the most expensive lift that you can find.  You can find a middle of the road lift that will work just fine.  Purchase a few 0ff-Road magazines, such as JP, 4-Wheel Drive & Sport Utility, and 4-Wheeler to name a few.  Go through them, and check out the ad’s for lift kits, tires, etc.  This will give you an idea of costs.  You can call most of the advertisers, and talk to their tech departments to see what will work for you.  A couple of the parts distributors to call might be Quadratec, or 4-Wheel Drive Hardware.  They sell a wide variety of lifts, and have a fairly knowledgeable tech department.  They, also have catalogues that are specifically for the Cherokees.

The main thing, whatever you do, make sure that it's what you want, and that you enjoy it.  I know that this answer is fairly long, but it’s hard to discuss this subject without going into some detail.  I hope that I answered your questions for you.

Carl

4-Wheel Drive Hardware
44488 State Route 14
PO Box 57
Columbiana, OH  44408
1-800-333-5533
http://4wd.com

Quadratec, Inc
1028 Saunders Lane
West Chester, PA  19380
1-800-745-5337
http://www.quadratec