help with info on upgrades much appreciated.

Cherokeeshrop91 · **Joined:** Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:51 pm **Posts:** 40

-Sorry if this is in the wrong section, let me know and i will move it.

- hoping a few of you can help me out here. im slowly starting to up grade my kk. i was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. im looking for an upgraded trans cooler for the kk, something possibly bold in/ swap out, that would give added cooling when lifted, or wheeling/towing for long periods of times, dont know if there is any option for this. next would be gears. what 2 sets of gears are the best options for upgrading gearing? i was thinking 4.56, or 4.10? lastly i was hoping someone could shed some light on parts of the suspention that when lifted/wheeled need to be upgraded or are weak from the factory, im not sure what is necessary to upgrade or not. from a stock perspective, before lifting, i would assume steering, certain joints, bushings...

-overall im hoping to get most of the important things done before handling big ticket items, like lift, tires and rims, lockers.... so any help on this are greatly helpfull. thanks

*i know the tech section has links but, im looking for almost more help with knowledge then just links to parts. hoping if this is done right this will end up being a nice built over a good amount of time with a even better end result.*

again thanks for any and all help.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 29, 2015 3:27 am

Can't really help on the trans cooler. If your KK isn't equipped with the tow package, you can add that. It includes a mechanical fan for "HD cooling". Lauren made a how-to for that.

As for regearing, what are your plans? You mention lifting, how big do you want to go? Also your location plays a small part into that as well.

If you want 31s then you need ~3" of lift and 4.10s will put you pretty close to stock. You'll be slightly higher, but it's the perfect amount to make up for the added weight.

If you want 32s you need 4" of lift. 4.10s will put the rpms back to stock, but won't make up for the weight. If you're close to sea level and in a flat area, they work fine. 4.56s will put you over stock, but will make up for the weight and then some. If you tow a lot and/or live in mountains these will be what you want.

There isn't much to beef up/replace when lifting and building. Springs/shocks obviously. Front upper control arms(only when you're lifted), extended rear brake lines, extended rear sway bar, adjustable track bar. Again, all is after you lift.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:32 am

What he said, plus more needed information
Hard to tell someone what they need for sure unless we know exactly what your plans are, amount of lift you are wanting or dreaming about, size tires etc

But if it was me stick around 3-3.25 inches of lift, run 4.10s and a 245-75-16 tire size on stock wheels or 16 X 7 with 4 inches of backspacing
Install the jeepinbyal upper control arms and do what a lot of folks have done in the past. Believe it or not it works

by the way check out www.jeepinbyal/ to see Ironman/ OME/ full spring lifts plus their adjustable coilovers which provide the very best ride possible on a KK

Cherokeeshrop91 · **Joined:** Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:51 pm **Posts:** 40

-well, like you both mentioned, im not going to try to go more than 4 inches, more likely 3 and some change. the only reason im asking, is because coming from an xj with 4.5 inches, i had everything but gears, and and upgraded cooling system, which is probably why it ended up leaving me stranded... im learning as i go. so my hopes are, if im going to take on this project of slowly building the kk, i wanted to upgrade the majorly important things first. such as gears, suspension parts that are weak under stock conditions, and the cooling for the transmission. that way later on when i can afford a lift and have it installed, i know that i have covered my bases properly and am not causing harm to anything do to the added stress of weight or lack of power.

- i have the tow package and the things included with that, i just didnt know if there was a trans cooler that was better then the one provided that would do any better of a job under harsh conditions. im not quite sure how to explain it. basically in my xj, once lifted with tires and rims, on the daily drive the floor where the transmission is located would become hot. i figured that this was because i had lifted added tires, rims, a basket, brush guard.... without adding gears or a trans cooler, which meant that the trans was having to work two times or more as hard as normal. im trying to prevent that or anything similar.
-
as far as gears go, i dont know anything, except that they help you to regain power lost due to lifting, wheels and tires, ect... im also not sure what the major difference is when looking at the grade of gears, but hey i can look those things up.

-i was just hoping to get some opinions on these things, and basically where to start. with the xj it was lift, then tires, rims, death wobble... ect id like to do it right this time so issues down the road are minimal. i'm also a college student, so i planned on the lift most likely being one of the last things id do. currently located in florida, but id like to be able to make trips to meets and wheel in other places or states. eventually like the mountains, so again i hope this will help you all out and thanks again for any and all input.

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Jul 31, 2015 1:07 am

KJs and KKs share the same basic front suspension so when reading about lifts both apply
Do it right the first time and you'll be happy a long while
Lots of people have lifted in the 3 inch range ( good height really)
245-75-16 tires will work at that height and in Florida gearing won't be much of an issue, start heading to the hills and you'll want to look at going to 4.10s
Keeps the engine in its power curve, runs cooler, etc
Just rear read read then ask lots of questions
we're all here to help...........well most of us :wink:

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 31, 2015 1:13 am

Read through this:
viewtopic.php?f=88&t=79401

3" is plenty for 245/75-16s (31s). You can go to 3.5", but that's more money. At 3.5" you can do a lot of trimming to run 32s. However, you'll need to regear to 4.10s (or 4.56s if you tow a lot). Regearing will help keep tranny temps down.

Sadly a KK is not like a XJ as far as lift to tire size. And trust me, I know the college budget. Luckily (unluckily?) I work in the restaurant industry.

help with info on upgrades much appreciated.

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