XJ or ZJ ??

JocoXJ

JocoXJ

New Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Location
Mooresville , NC
So I have sold my XJ and now going to purchase another but I have been pondering about a ZJ I know I haven't seen that many of them being wheeled. My main reason for a ZJ is to have a V8 the down side I have heard that everything is much more expensive. Any suggestions pros or cons about either would help???
 
Love my ZJ, and I have the 4.0
 
Its a jeep, its going to be capable, and its going to nickle and dime you to death. Just accept that and you will be very happy with whichever jeep you get.

ZJ - Coils all around (Pro)
ZJ - Expensive to lift (Con)
ZJ - Usually cost more than an XJ
XJ - Cheap as hell (Pro)
XJ - Parts are everywhere, and cheap. (Pro)
XJ - Crappy Coolant system on the pre 91's (Con)

Few more things, but basically, its a jeep, Ive heard good and bad things about the 5.2, but haven't seen any problems out of them. If I had the choice, I would stick with the 4.0.
 
I've had both, stock and built, for my money the ZJ is the way to go. I like the 5.2, gas mileage isn't great but for that I have other cars. Coils provide great ride and flex and I like the comfort of the Grand. They perform well off road and a few mods make them extremely capable!
 
i got to wheel in RoxNMuds ..uh..wifes ZJ with the 4.0. there was no lack of power there either. and i think with the 4.0 you get full time full wheel drive compared to partime...right?
 
5.2/4.0 are both good motors so hard to go wrong either way...The zj is a pain with more computers/electrics..but its a tad more comfy..I prefer the xj due to more simple..If i was going to mess with another zj it would have to be a 5.9 98...Comfort and powa..
 
I don't like the rear axle choice for ZJ's...no 8.25 offered, only a D35 or D44a. I don't think there's much aftermarket support (lockers) for the D44a. Also, with the V8, I don't think they ever used the NP231, only a 242 or 249. Space and comfort wasnt a concern for me...I stuck with the XJ.
 
BigRedB2 said:
i got to wheel in RoxNMuds ..uh..wifes ZJ with the 4.0. there was no lack of power there either. and i think with the 4.0 you get full time full wheel drive compared to partime...right?
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The V8s more commonly came with the 249 fulltime 4wd t-case

RenegadeT said:
I don't like the rear axle choice for ZJ's...no 8.25 offered, only a D35 or D44a. I don't think there's much aftermarket support (lockers) for the D44a. Also, with the V8, I don't think they ever used the NP231, only a 242 or 249. Space and comfort wasnt a concern for me...I stuck with the XJ.
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Yep, the 242 and 249 were the main t-cases in the V8 ZJs
 
I like my ZJ. Comfortable seating, 21 MPG (4.0L), 207,000 miles. As mentioned, the rear Dana 35 will eventually take a crap, BUT, I like my ZJ. Wanna buy it?
 
Hope this helps

After building an XJ and ZJ, for me personally the XJ is the way to go 92-01. More aftermarket, 4.0 but the jeep is easily 400 pounds lighter from the start. The ZJ with a 4.0 is a good engine but with the 5.2 fuel mileage is essentially the same. The zj is a little bigger which is nice if you plan to haul people around

The biggest downside to the zj is it costs twice as much to lift compaired to the XJ. Long arms will run you almost 3k

Axle choices due suck, so if you plan to go with a tire over 31s and wheel it moderately swap in an 8.8, the tcase issue is a simple fix. Find a 231 do some research and swap them out. Also the Zjs have low pinion 30s, best swap that out for a HP if you want to get the axles relatively stock

Either way, both are good platforms to start on. Just be sure to get the 5.2 in the ZJ if you get one, you will be glad you did after driving your friends 4.0 zj
 
V8 only came with the full time 4wd t case which is crap. But it's a beast in v8 form. Axles swap front and rear will be q must with anything over 31s IMHO. Do not get a zj d44a they are aluminum and no better than the d35. Other than that I love seeing a good zj on the trail. Everyone will b jealous u have air conditioning!
 
As the ZJ's get older they are getting cheaper and more prevalent off road. We've had ours for years and only started wheeling it about 2.5 years ago. The aftermarket support for he ZJ has greatly increased since I put the RE lift I have now on it. Iron rock off road and Kevin's off road to name a couple have a lot of aftermarket options for the ZJ that wasn't available at the time and there are others.
Yes the rear axle's suck but 8.8's are a cheap make a good upgrade which is what I did w/detroit. I've wheeled with my lp 30 since I took it off road and have had no issues but I am swapping over to a HP30 due to a high speed, 70+, vibration that I cant seem to track down. Hopefully that will resolve that issue.
I think the visibility from the drivers seat is far and above that of a XJ which makes a ZJ more a pleasure to wheel.
I'd go with the 4.0 over the V8 just because the V8 is overkill and only for bragging rights. There is no lack of power, sometimes too much, if the 4.0 ZJ is built right as Reid can attest to. The stock transfer case in the V8 is a NP249 full time 4wd case which is weaker than the NP242 selectrac. Both are weaker than the 231 but you loose the full time 4wd with the 231 if that's at all important to you.
 
I have only wished for the 5.2, instead of my 4.0, when I was driving it on the road a lot, but the 4.0 has treated me just fine since it is not my DD. I also think the lower horse power and torque of the 4.0 helped my turdy five last as long as it did.
 
Thanks for the info. I am going to use it primarily as a trail rig and to drive to work every now and then to show it off. I have a gas sucking tow pig that I drive everyday so fuel mileage isn't much of a issue. But having a/c is great my xj didn't have it and when we wheeled I burnt up. Does the 4.0 zj come with the np242? .
 
Ok I know I'm treading on water here but what do you guys think about a toyota...I have always had toyotas and still have half of a 99 that I wrecked, what would it take to make one perform like my xj did. Whichever I go with I plan on goint with 36s to start and work my way up from there..
 
You can find the 4.0 with a 242. As for 36s on a ZJ, you are going to have to spend some coin for that to work.
 
My 96 with 4.0 had 242 in it factory... Destroyed it and put another one in!
 
To run 36's your looking at about a 7" lift with lots of trimming or you could go with Iceland offroad fender flares and only do about 4-5 inches if lift to fit the same size and keep a little lower center of gravity. You will defiantly need to swap something stronger in the rear and at the very least upgrade every part of the D30 and maybe even truss it to handle the 36's but probably cheaper to replace it too in the long run.
 
Is everyone afraid to swap the tcase? Its not that hard and is a cheap upgrade...

Not seeing why people are trying to make the point to not get a zj because of the 249 tcase

XJs have a/c too so....
 
JocoXJ said:
Ok I know I'm treading on water here but what do you guys think about a toyota...I have always had toyotas and still have half of a 99 that I wrecked, what would it take to make one perform like my xj did. Whichever I go with I plan on goint with 36s to start and work my way up from there..
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With a Toyota? A miracle :lol:
 
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