Axle, lockers, coilovers here we come

[thedodd87]

So it's time for the ole xj to get some upgrades. Its time to regear for 35's and while doing so I want to put a locker in the front and possibly the rear as well. I have a Dana 30 up front and that's gonna have to go. That being said I am struggling on what kind of front axle to go with and what type of lockers? I was considering purchasing a g2 Dana 44 with an ARB locker and just dropping it in? Anyone have any ideas on the most bang for my buck. I do most of the work on my xj myself ,but am no fab guru or qualified mechanic. ( i.e. Rehearing it myself is out of my league). It's a family hobby and u just want the whole setup to be reliable and solid. The wife is gonna let me spend 4-5k without to much hassle? Also thinking of dropping a set of fox coilovers up front cuz I can get a deal on them. Is that worth doing or should I just run the coil and shock setup? Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[thedodd87]

It's a 99 two door with a rough country 6" long arm kit

[thedodd87]

.2)

[bluedragon436]

What axle do you have out back?? I'm hoping either a D44 or Chrysler 8.25... if it's the other option, I'd def say swap it out with a G2 axle before ditching the D30... especially running 35's

[4.3LXJ]

Personally, i think you need to think about what kind of wheeling you re going to be doing. So, what are your plans?

[thedodd87]

I do a lot of long trail runs, mostly mountains and desert, slow speeds, boulders, sand and snow. Not looking for it to be some insane rock crawler but I do like to push it a little in the rocky trails. I use the thing for hunting and fishing trips too so id like it still to be drivable on the street and highway.

[4.3LXJ]

That is probably average trail use for an XJ. Coil overs are really not necessary for that. Save the money. Coil springs work well whether they are on shocks (coil overs) or mounted to the frame. Here is the thing that most people don't know about them. The coil overs work well off road because of the very soft spring rate combined with lots of shock. But they don't corner worth a hoot. So they are generally not very streetable unless they are set up for it, then they don't work well off road. The best you can do for all around is get reservoir shocks. But beware, you need to get rebuildable shocks and plan on revalving them. Those are considered racing shocks and are stiff on the compression and rebound and you need to soften them up on the compression stroke to be able to live with them. And Fox is notorious for that. So how long is a long trail run and at what speed?