4WD options on cherokees

While on the subject of cherokees is there somewhere a writeup on 4x4 options for past and current cherokees and grand cherokees? (and compass just for laughs :))))

tnx

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Since I originated the other thread, I've obviously been doing some research... the Wikipedia page actually seems to correspond fairly well with info that I've found on other sites.

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nts

At least for the vehicle I'm looking at (late model XJ) "Command-Trac" is a traditional xfer case (4H/2H/N/4L) (NP231), and "Selec-Trac" adds an AWD mode (NP242)

the vehicle that I'm probably going to buy is "Command-Trac" - I think I'd prefer the other simply looking at the specs (for middling snow, but on-road driving conditions) but I'm sure that any 4WD Cherokee is in reality more than adequate for my needs.

As best I can tell there are no hubs per se on an XJ - the front driveline is never disengaged from the wheels, just not always coupled to the transmission.

There were 2WD versions available as well; a friend of mine had one. I'm not sure what the point was; why you'd buy a boxy, live axle vehicle that didn't have the option of having all the wheels driven, but then again he drove it for years and seemed to think it was a great vehicle.

nate

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N8N

I had the P/U version for a few years. It was 2WD

Once you got into the downsized version of the Cherokee none of them had locking hubs.

Reply to
Steve W.

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I could see that, as a pickup is more of a hauler than an off-roader. That said, I'd love to find a Comanche with the towing package (I believe that some of them even came with a D44 rear end?) 4WD (or better yet AWD) and a stickshift.

That's about what I figured... oh well it's not about gas mileage, and I won't be wheeling it so it wouldn't be so important to be able to disconnect a busted axle

nate

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Nate Nagel

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One I had was a long box "Pioneer" the other was a short box "Eliminator" Both 4.0 with 5 speeds. The Pioneer had the full towing package and was a pretty good truck, Body rot killed it long before the engine gave up.

I think that some kits were out there to install hubs on them but it takes a bunch of parts.

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Steve W.

Around here that would be ground clearance: every time I get off the curb I hear the skid plates for the engine ringing a scary thud.

Oddly the wikipedia is hanging loading a page for a second straight day in a row. Hopefully they'll start pruning nonessentials asap starting with locales other than en.

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At least in areas where I've lived, if you need that much ground clearance, you probably need 4WD as well. Especially in the case of pickup trucks; a 2WD pickup truck is definitely a three season vehicle unless it's loaded all the time. My grandfather actually bought a 2WD pickup once, thinking that perhaps he could "get by" with positraction and good tires; he sold it to my dad three years later (who still has it, but it generally doesn't get driven at all in winter) and bought essentially the same truck in the AWD/4WD version. Just goes to show I guess that's what's true for some is not true for all.

nate

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N8N

From: Nate Nagel Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:50:04 -0400

"I'm not saying there aren't any valid reasons to drive an SUV, but unless you are driving over unplowed roads with a foot or more of snow on them, a regular old car handles much better. Yes, even in snow."

From: Nate Nagel Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 21:03:19 -0400

"They make AWD cars, if you really live out in the sticks. High center of gravity always loses, maneuverability wise." -----

- gpsman

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gpsman

your point, Mr. Beavis?

n
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N8N

The 2WD had the same ground clearance as the 4X4. The front axle was a steel tube that had mounts that matched the 4WD unit. You could convert them easier than most others because of this.

Reply to
Steve W.

Yeah, I know, I thought it was a little crude when I looked under my friend's vehicle. But then again, it probably rode, handled, and maintained alignment better than a twin-I-beam Ford :(

The point that I was trying to make though was that at least in my experience, I associate poor road conditions with hard winters, so needing ground clearance and needing 4WD kind of go together. Actually the times that I've really *needed* 4WD as opposed to simply good tires on a passenger car have primarily been due to heavy snowfalls that haven't been cleared. But obviously "AD" must have had different experiences.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Handling wasn't bad. Ride was OK unless you drove on washboard. Then the front would get a weird stutter/step going on that could be fun.

I never had a problem as long as I kept good rubber on it and some added weight in the bed. Same here with the 4X4. I use it when in mud or when we end up out in the sticks on a brush fire or farm call. Comes in handy when you want to pull out stuck vehicles though.

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Steve W.

Yeah, lets just say that "parking" is generally "unrefined" if at all available where I live. So sidewalks and other semiflat semipaved (and completely unpaved) surfaces are littered with cars (and trucks). Do be glad you are in the states parking-wise with police viciously towing all that crap right off the sidewalks should someone decide he's "smart"

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