explorer or xj?

[ctiggs88]

wanting an honest opinion from anyone and everyone! i know the majority of us are going to be bias to explorers but im wanting to know as far as offroad capability what you would rather have? neither heavily modified just 2 inch lift and 31's on both. im considering getting rid of my 97 explorer 5.0 awd to get an early 90's xj. in my opinion unibodies kind of suck and cherokees have more problems with rust here in iowa (especially floor boards) but have tons of aftermarket availability and solid axle is a huge plus. also a 4.0 is super reliable and easy to work on. aaaannnnddd on the other hand my explorer is really nice, has lots of power, and not alot of rust but has ifs, no 4 low, and i personally dont enjoy working on the 5.0 too much becuase of the lack of underhood room. im not looking for any hating just an honest back and forth discussion of what you guys think! thanks all!

 

[StryctNy9e]

Exploder 4 life!!!!

 

[tgreene92]

you have to look at what type of wheeling your doing, if your messing around on rocks with alot of flexing involved a cherokee may be your better bet, on the other hand if your doing more fire trails that are just bumpy and muddy, the power of the 5.0 and the softer ifs would be better. You also have to look at the fact that the cherokee motors are bomb proof, but the explorer 5.0 is also a very reliable engine, definitely the most reliable of explorer bunch. If you are mechanically inclined your explorer can have four low, ive seen people pick up good 4406 t cases for less than 100 bucks. Explorer rears are also much bigger and tougher than that of the xj, the 8.8 is what all the jeep guys want as their rear because it has disk breaks, 31 spline axles, and a pinion gear almost the size of one in a D60. Although the explorer has ifs, it still has a larger front differential, D30 vs D35. If your considering on and off road comfort its no contest, the ifs of the explorer is way less bumpy and harsh even with a torsion twist than the xj. riding on the road and trails in my dads cherokee can become very unpleasant at times. The ex also has much larger and more luxurious interior. Gas mileage i dont think there is a huge difference, my dads xj isnt that great on gas, and my buddys 5.0 mounty gets almost the same to a tank as my 4.0. You really just have to look at the little details and determine which truck suits your on and off road needs best.

 

[SkyJumper]

Honestly, you should get the XJ. Cause you just joined this site with in a month, you are asking true die hard X owners and fans to help you decide if you should stay with the X or not. I say since you do not have a true love for a X, you need to go on your way and get something else.

 

[tonyroc14]

if you're gonna get a jeep, don't get an xj, thats like a waste of money.

 

[ctiggs88]

That's my problem is I have a true love for lots of different vehicles lol I love my explorer but that doesn't mean I don't like other things too. I'm not biased towards 1 make or model. I've owned a vehicle of almost every make and have liked something about each one. I think I'm going to keep the explorer and see what I can do with it, we don't really have much for rocks in Iowa and it does ride nice so we will see how she does!

 

[ctiggs88]

I can understand how people could really like 1 type of vehicle also as I have always loved mustangs and if I get one I'm not letting it go lol. As far as my explorer gos I really all of them up until the new one. I would buy it for my wife or as a family vehicle but it seems to be more of a crossover and has nothing in common with anything before it. Seems alot of things are going that way though which is sad because I love wheelin and I don't think this new stuff even belongs on a gravel road. I'm sure before we know it someone will have solid axles under it though lol can't wait to see that!

 

[tgreene92]

if you're gonna get a jeep, don't get an xj, thats like a waste of money.

Honestly, you should get the XJ. Cause you just joined this site with in a month, you are asking true die hard X owners and fans to help you decide if you should stay with the X or not. I say since you do not have a true love for a X, you need to go on your way and get something else.

how can you say an XJ is a waste of money, thats versus what? a wrangler. XJ's and YJ's/Tj's are virtually the same truck, same motors, rears, tranny's, tcases, etc...the only difference is that the xj is a unibody setup and the YJ has a leaf sprung front. IMO no jeep is a waste of money if it isnt wheeled to hard, the motors and trannys just never die and they retain their value better than any american made vehicle, And this is coming from a guy who pretty much hates jeeps, but thats really only cause i hate the guys that lift them, think there cool, but never wheel it. If you already have an ex tho, and you dont see to many rocks your way, i think a 4406 swap and staying with the ex is the way to go. And just cause the guy comes to our site and asks if he should buy a jeep or ex doesnt mean he should go buy a jeep because he doesnt have enough devotion for an ex, he asked for an honest answer and thats what we should give him. If he decides to stick with the ex, thats great, maybe hell catch the mod itch and become devoted. How many people truly loved their explorers before they came on this site, i know i didnt. So give him a chance, and help him as a fellow 4x4 enthusiast.

 

[SkyJumper]

And just cause the guy comes to our site and asks if he should buy a jeep or ex doesnt mean he should go buy a jeep because he doesnt have enough devotion for an ex, he asked for an honest answer and thats what we should give him. If he decides to stick with the ex, thats great, maybe hell catch the mod itch and become devoted. How many people truly loved their explorers before they came on this site, i know i didnt. So give him a chance, and help him as a fellow 4x4 enthusiast.

Can I have more mayonaise on that toast.

 

[tgreene92]

Can I have more mayonaise on that toast.

im just trying to make a point, somebody just asked for an honest answer and you told him he should just get out of here as if he doesnt belong because he joined within a month and hasnt showed enough interest in his ex. why dont you give him a chance first before you try to run him out of town.

 

[SkyJumper]

im just trying to make a point, somebody just asked for an honest answer and you told him he should just get out of here as if he doesnt belong because he joined within a month and hasnt showed enough interest in his ex. why dont you give him a chance first before you try to run him out of town.

I know what you are saying, just screwing around with ya. Hopefully he will stick around with his X.

 

[Glen4X4]

Setup the Explorer the way you want. You have a great Explorer platform as far as the engine and transmission. You can do quite a few mods to the Ex like SAS it or Lift it a couple different ways, swap in a manual transfer case and make it true 4X4. Look at my Sig, I'm not biased am I? :

 

[ctiggs88]

ya i decided im going to keep it. i did add a leafs and tt the other day but still need tires. im going to do some light trimming and try to squeeze 285's on it. im also keeping an eye out for a 4406 but will have to wait to put it in until i get my other car going so it can sit for a few days. also have a snorkel in mind, roof rack, and im going to weld the front end and put a locker in the rear after i get the t case in. we will see how she holds up at a couple of our make it or break it events!

 

[ctiggs88]

hey glen4x4 i have a question for you....i read the posts you had on your 96 explorer and noticed u said you where going through ball joints and was wondering if u got the moog ball joints in and if it helped? mine needs ball joints also and i want ones that will hold up to wheeling. i get a pretty good price on napa chassis parts since i work at a napa service center so idk but id guess they would be the same quality.

 

[Glen4X4]

Oh, you must have read it wrong, it isn't chewing through them or anything, 2 yrs after I got it, it needed them and I was brokish so I bought cheap ass ebay replacements which lasted a year like I wanted and this past time I replaced them with MOOG, they are the better route to go, or check out the thread on 2nd Gen HD parts.

 

[rhauf]

If you want the second gen explorer to be on par with the cherokee a solid front axle would be a must.

the cherokee is lighter. that should be considered an advantage as well.

as far as mod parts.... The cherokee as stated would do better in that department as well. however, i personally don't care about prefab mod parts. i'd rather build my own stuff thats way better for less dollars.

in stock form, i don't see the explorer having an offroad advantage over the jeep. once you start talking modified, skys the limit on both rides.

an advantage to the explorer is it has a chassis, so if you go SAS, or put in bigger axles, build your own suspension etc, you will at least have something solid to mount everything to.

 

[f1explorer]

I owned and modified a 2000 xj for off road, I loved it. It is light, and with a 4.5 lift and 33's I could float thru deep mud on trails past more expensive and better equiped rigs... look for one with a crysler 8 1/4 rear end, the rear dana 35 will blow up with 33" tires... or too much skinny petal... the dana 30 front is a good axle in stock form, and can handle up to 35" tires... the 4.0 is the only motor to have, bulletproof and full of torque. Unibody isn't too hard to deal with, welding in stiffeners is much easier than a solid axle swap. Aftermarket support is limitless, and much cheaper than a wrangler. It all comes down to what you want and what you can afford. In my opinion, in stock or slightly modified form the xj is the way to go. However, if you are building big, you are going to replace the xj front susp. for a long arm kit and a dana 44 anyway, so go with the X platform, cut the ifs out and build the same long arm setup with a v8 platform, stronger rear end and full frame. Not cheap, but less expencive in the long run... hope that helps a little bit...

 

[controltech]

And just cause the guy comes to our site and asks if he should buy a jeep or ex doesnt mean he should go buy a jeep because he doesnt have enough devotion for an ex, he asked for an honest answer and thats what we should give him. If he decides to stick with the ex, thats great, maybe hell catch the mod itch and become devoted. How many people truly loved their explorers before they came on this site, i know i didnt. So give him a chance, and help him as a fellow 4x4 enthusiast.

I agree, he has to decide, he is asking for opinions. And getting them

My opinion, for what it's worth.

My last was an XJ and it was a great truck. Would have no problem getting another. Ex does ride better on the street. But both are very dependable. The 4.0L is almost bulletbroof and easier to work on (more room). Just starting on the Ex, so not much of an opinion there yet.

You gotta go with what you like. Good luck!