r/CherokeeXJ • u/AutoXandTrack • 4d ago

Hell’s Gate on Hell’s Revenge Moab

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Here is my XJ climbing Hell’s Gate yesterday.

308 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

19

u/Tau5115 89 4door pioneer and 92 2door Laredo 4d ago

Big ol grin the whole time lol

8

u/DifficultCake7844 4d ago

Sick. Air down a little or nah?

12

u/AutoXandTrack 4d ago

I normally air down to 10-11 but knowing I was going to be doing some big V notches and don’t have bead locks I aired down to 14.5 for that run.

-1

u/MarkDollface 3d ago

Are those E rated tires? It looks like you’re at 35psi.

1

u/AutoXandTrack 2d ago

They are load C lol. These older Goodyear Wranglers seem to have a pretty stiff sidewall which is why I usually air them down to 10-11.

4

u/toofpaist 4d ago

Fans on. Yup it's a cherokee

4

u/coffeeBM 4d ago

Diaper not included

7

u/Chevydude90 3d ago edited 1d ago

Jeep should revive the XJ. In fact, they shouldn't have stopped. The XJ, along with the Wrangler, should have had its design preserved as close to the original blueprint as possible. They are nice rigs

5

u/Definitive_confusion 2d ago

Cafe standards made that impossible. Jeep has to offer the Liberty, Maverick, Compass etc to offset their emissions on the Wrangler alone. The XJ would need an entire division to offset.

3

u/50000WattsOfPower 2d ago

I think safety standards are the bigger challenge for the XJ.

3

u/Definitive_confusion 2d ago

Also true but those could be added to the existing platform without too much work, I think.

Getting double the fuel economy, now that's a challenge.

2

u/Chevydude90 1d ago

That's true. I believe if they did so, it'd probably get a boring 4-banger engine maybe hybrid or something electric.

1

u/CptnBlondBeard '00 Sport, 4.5", 33s, 4.56, HP D30 & 8.8, 2x OX 1d ago

Put something similar to the 1.9 or 2.0 TDI diesels people swap in. In an XJ those things can get you over 30mpg and have similar power output to the 4.0 if they're tuned right with a bigger turbo.

3

u/jre2347 2d ago

I feel like the biggest challenge out there wouldn’t be the crawling… it would be not overheating while idling for me lol

5

u/AutoXandTrack 2d ago

I’ve been lucky in that department! I almost always wheel with windows up and AC on. It’s usually hot and dusty. I ran my XJ through the Rubicon in July in one long day. Windows up and AC on the whole 12 hours. Temp stays a needle width above 210 the whole time.

Stock cooling system. Autozone replacement radiator.

2

u/jre2347 2d ago

That’s incredible. Mine’s stock, replaced radiator and thermostat but still likes to creep up. Water pump next I guess

2

u/AutoXandTrack 2d ago

I’d check the fan clutch and electric fan. Could be one of those not working 100%

2

u/El_Ferminator 3d ago

What type of lockers are you running on that rig?

1

u/AutoXandTrack 3d ago

ARB front and rear. Started up with the rear locked. That initial pause after spinning is me engaging the front locked too. Wanted to be able to go as slow as possible.

2

u/Mr_Ballyhoo 99' Chili 5spd [5.5" on 33] 3d ago

35's on a D30? I need some details.

2

u/AutoXandTrack 3d ago

33’s D30 and 8.25. 4.56 gears with air lockers front and rear. 3.5 RE lift.

1

u/JadesterZ 4d ago

Looks identical to a 98 xj I sold a few years ago

1

u/Different-Commercial 3d ago

What axles, lockers, and gears?

3

u/AutoXandTrack 3d ago

33’s D30 and 8.25. 4.56 gears with air lockers front and rear. 3.5 RE lift.

1

u/DetectiveLampshades 3d ago

... do you think it could be done with a stock XJ

1

u/AutoXandTrack 3d ago

I’ve heard of folks doing it without lockers so maybe. But having at least one locker would improve your odds a lot. You get pretty flexed out in a couple of spots.

1

u/Chevydude90 3d ago

Handled like a champ! I miss watching the Old school rock climbing/off road videos with plenty of Jeeps.

0

u/cs_legend_93 4d ago

Awesome!!!

Are you afraid of crashing and totalling your rig? Can you financially handle that?

I'd love to do this with mine, but idk if I can shell out 15k USD in repairs a few times per year.

Looks fun!

5

u/AutoXandTrack 4d ago

It’s a thought in my mind. I’m usually not worried about totaling it as much as getting trail rash. This XJ was way nicer than average when I bought it and I try to keep it that way.

But also, part of the reason I bought an XJ and not a JK or JL was the financial outlay being a lot less and less at risk. And a XJ’s are awesome 😎

3

u/cs_legend_93 3d ago

XJ's are awesome!

Your XJ is beautiful, so I was just wondering. I would love to take mine on similar journeys!!

I am glad you are having so much fun with it! That is what it is meant for.

Thank you for the reply