First Jeep, first mod, first post. A newb would be an understatement. I've owned my stock 2003 Wrangler Sport for several years and am just now coming around to considering some mods. On my list are; 2" lift (maybe 3), new tires and rim, performance improvements, paint job and some exterior tweaks. My question is where to start? My gut tells me to focus on the engine performance and lift part first and save cosmetics for last. Is there any advantage to doing the lift after the engine or vice Versa?
Also any recommendations on what kind of initial engine mods I can make would be helpful. Local jeep store mentioned headers and intake manifold. Jeep is kinda a dawg so some more pep would be ideal especially once I add slightly larger tires.
what do you have? engine, trans, rear diff, gears?
you arent going to gain much performance by modding the engine unless you do major internal work or go to forced induction. our tractor motors are non restrictive, meaning the intake and exhaust are capable of flowing more air than the engine is able to consume at WOT.
im betting you have 3.07 gears, which would be a major weakness even if you went to forced induction. bigger tires make the problem worse.
what do you have? engine, trans, rear diff, gears? you arent going to gain much performance by modding the engine unless you do major internal work or go to forced induction. our tractor motors are non restrictive, meaning the intake and exhaust are capable of flowing more air than the engine is able to consume at WOT. im betting you have 3.07 gears, which would be a major weakness even if you went to forced induction. bigger tires make the problem worse.
I am not sure what all I have other than I am pretty sure it's a 4.0L. What is the best way to figure all that out? That was my thought that if it's kinda dawgy now it will be much worse with larger tires. I have 31x10.50 and would go no bigger than 33's. The jeep store said allowing better air flow will help but was vague on details.
you can count spark plugs to find out which engine
auto or stick
if your rear diff has a rubber fill plug, its a d35, metal plug is a d44
there is a tag on the diffs that has the gear ratio.
you can also do a vin lookup with chyrsler to get the original build sheet.
anyone that tells you that you can gain performance on a TJ with any simple bolt on intake or exhaust either doesnt know about the TJ engine or is just trying to make money selling things that sound like a good idea. either way, its a sure fire way to tell you to not take any advise from them
Local jeep store mentioned headers and intake manifold. Jeep is kinda a dawg so some more pep would be ideal especially once I add slightly larger tires.
Local Jeep store is trying to empty your wallet. Regear it for larger tires. Tag on rear diff will say the gear ratio. Put your VIN# in here to tell you about your Jeep.
you can count spark plugs to find out which engine auto or stick if your rear diff has a rubber fill plug, its a d35, metal plug is a d44 there is a tag on the diffs that has the gear ratio. you can also do a vin lookup with chyrsler to get the original build sheet. anyone that tells you that you can gain performance on a TJ with any simple bolt on intake or exhaust either doesnt know about the TJ engine or is just trying to make money selling things that sound like a good idea. either way, its a sure fire way to tell you to not take any advise from them
Thanks. Great advice. It's a manual transmission 6 cylinder for sure. I'll get the rest of the info and post. So you are saying rebuild the rear end first?
regearing isnt cheap, so you are best to get all setup for your final tire size, which you stated are 33's. someone else will have to chime in on best gears for 33's and the NV3550. also, both axles need to be regeared at the same time, or you cant use 4x4 without destroying your transfer case.
but 33's wont fit without a lift, so the order can get interesting. can do a 2" lift with 1.25" body lift on the cheap, go with a zone 4.25" combo to get a good lift at a decent price, or drop a couple grand and get a complete lift with quality joints in the control arms and properly designed track bars. budget, desired use, and mechanical ability are large factors in that decision
I'd start by getting a Factory Service Manual (FSM) either hardcopy, or somewhere online.
Then I'd clean the engine bay, figure out what I had, and begin or continue a routine maintenance schedule.
Read through the maintenance items for your year & mileage, and if you're not sure about them, perform those items.
You might even find a common wear item fouled up, and by simply replacing it with a new stock part, wake your motor up.
Headers, lift, not without knowing what motor you even have...
As you figure out what you have, update your profile, for our reference and yours.
When i was in the mustang world the best way to go and this kinda translates to jeeps is to first figure out what you want out of it, rock crawler, mud dog, or trail rig. then i would go from bottom up work on the drive train gears lockers axles shafts etc etc then work on lift and tires finally work on exterior and interior IMHO.
plus like several have said not much to improve in regards to performance. besides gears
For the OP... "Performance" mods are a waste of money. There's nothing the 6cylinder won't do that you'd need to do.
With that settled.... the best first mods are invisible to the onlooker.... armor.
Get armor for the steering box, engine/trans. In that order. Not that the steering box armor is all that important, but it's inexpensive, and an easy install.
Then a lunchbox locker up front.
Then a winch.
You won't regret these choices, regardless of what lift or exteriors mods you'll do.
Unless you're not going off-road.... then ignore my suggestions. Except the winch. If you won't use it off-road, it is the number one thing to add to a jeep to make it "look" off-roady.
Unless you're not going off-road.... then ignore my suggestions. Except the winch. If you won't use it off-road, it is the number one thing to add to a jeep to make it "look" off-roady.
That's what it looks like to me, too. If so, 31s will work well. As a bonus, you won't have to lift it, though most guys do. You say it's a dawg. I have the same drivetrain you do, and with 31s it will flat get up and go, so you might have another problem.
I'd start by getting a Factory Service Manual (FSM) either hardcopy, or somewhere online. Then I'd clean the engine bay, figure out what I had, and begin or continue a routine maintenance schedule. Read through the maintenance items for your year & mileage, and if you're not sure about them, perform those items. You might even find a common wear item fouled up, and by simply replacing it with a new stock part, wake your motor up. Headers, lift, not without knowing what motor you even have... As you figure out what you have, update your profile, for our reference and yours.
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