bghv65
New member
I just bought my first Jeep and although I'm pretty knowledgeable on cars, trucks and bikes as well as having good mechanical skills, I know very little about Jeeps. I cannot contact the previous owner as I bought this from a dealership and the previous owner has moved away.
My Jeep is a '99 Wrangler, 4.0L, 5 speed, suspension lift (no body lift) with 33 X 12.50 Goodrich A/T KO tires. Engine has the K&N filter and had a set of Borla headers which I replaced with a stock manifold because the header was cracked (in a weld, not damaged) and leaked exhaust. It has the quick disconnects on the front stabilizer and no lockers. 106,000 miles and in great shape, never in the mud (before now!).
My questions are:
1. How do I determine how much lift it has? (I'm guessing about 4") I assume I could measure a stock Jeep to get an idea.
2. I disconnect the front stabilizer when off-roading, what about the rear? Would it help with the articulation when on trails?
3. The Jeep seems to ride, handle better with the front stabilizer disconnected, even at highway speeds. Is it dangerous to drive it like this?
4. Mileage is in the 15-16 MPG range which I read is normal. It runs well at highway speeds but loses speed quickly on a hill. Common sense tells me a gear change would help but is it really worth the effort/money and would my mileage suffer? This is a sometimes daily driver and offroad most weekends.
5. Approx. what angle would a Jeep roll over? I know this can be variable, dependent on conditions, tire width, wheel spacers, etc. but I mean just in general. I ask because I almost rolled mine when I lost traction on a hill and was having to back down. The front wheels began to slide sideways and no matter if I tried to go forward or backwards it just kept sliding the front end around. I eventually turned it around on the hill (damn lucky) and drove it down. Would I have been better off putting it in reverse and using the gearing rather than the brakes to back down the hill? It was a tight trail in woods and I was easing very slowly down, reverse may have been too fast even with no throttle.
6. Without opening a can or worms on a tire thread (almost as bad as an oil thread on the Harley forum I am a member of) what tire would be a better fit for mild to medium offroading, yet still give decent highway service from a longevity standpoint? The ones I have are "fair" trail/mud tires but I have gotten in a bit of a bind (see #5) climbing a couple of hills when they lost traction due to slick, not muddy conditions. Yes, I know lockers would help.
Okay, sorry for the long post but I know most of you guys have opinions and love to pick on a newbie so here's your chance, haha! Seriously, I love this Jeep and drive it everywhere, love how it handles, the looks it gets, etc. I only regret I waited so long to get one!
My Jeep is a '99 Wrangler, 4.0L, 5 speed, suspension lift (no body lift) with 33 X 12.50 Goodrich A/T KO tires. Engine has the K&N filter and had a set of Borla headers which I replaced with a stock manifold because the header was cracked (in a weld, not damaged) and leaked exhaust. It has the quick disconnects on the front stabilizer and no lockers. 106,000 miles and in great shape, never in the mud (before now!).
My questions are:
1. How do I determine how much lift it has? (I'm guessing about 4") I assume I could measure a stock Jeep to get an idea.
2. I disconnect the front stabilizer when off-roading, what about the rear? Would it help with the articulation when on trails?
3. The Jeep seems to ride, handle better with the front stabilizer disconnected, even at highway speeds. Is it dangerous to drive it like this?
4. Mileage is in the 15-16 MPG range which I read is normal. It runs well at highway speeds but loses speed quickly on a hill. Common sense tells me a gear change would help but is it really worth the effort/money and would my mileage suffer? This is a sometimes daily driver and offroad most weekends.
5. Approx. what angle would a Jeep roll over? I know this can be variable, dependent on conditions, tire width, wheel spacers, etc. but I mean just in general. I ask because I almost rolled mine when I lost traction on a hill and was having to back down. The front wheels began to slide sideways and no matter if I tried to go forward or backwards it just kept sliding the front end around. I eventually turned it around on the hill (damn lucky) and drove it down. Would I have been better off putting it in reverse and using the gearing rather than the brakes to back down the hill? It was a tight trail in woods and I was easing very slowly down, reverse may have been too fast even with no throttle.
6. Without opening a can or worms on a tire thread (almost as bad as an oil thread on the Harley forum I am a member of) what tire would be a better fit for mild to medium offroading, yet still give decent highway service from a longevity standpoint? The ones I have are "fair" trail/mud tires but I have gotten in a bit of a bind (see #5) climbing a couple of hills when they lost traction due to slick, not muddy conditions. Yes, I know lockers would help.
Okay, sorry for the long post but I know most of you guys have opinions and love to pick on a newbie so here's your chance, haha! Seriously, I love this Jeep and drive it everywhere, love how it handles, the looks it gets, etc. I only regret I waited so long to get one!
