what can it do?

[airlock]

hi there. im just interested in knowing or at least getting a fairly good indication of exactly what my jeep grand cherokee WJ/WG will be able to handle when it comes to leaving the bitumen. its completely standard apart from bullbar and lights and a towbar and sidesteps. firstly how do they perform on sand? they seem quite a heavy truck so im a bit worried it might tend towards sinking even with aired down tyres, i think im running yokohama AT/S of some sort and the car will often be loaded with camping gear. the stock ground clearance doesn't look to generous will this be a major problem when negotiating gentle to moderate offroad tracks or do they perform quite will in factory condition?

[Dustbowl]

Welcome mate!
The Grand is the ultimate 4x4, ground clearance is not an issue when you have 5link front and rear,factory lockers front and back, it doesn't get much better!
The weight I don't know, but its signifigantly less than a patrol or cruiser (easy 500kg at least) and whether you have the powertech, or CRD, you will eat the beach alive!
Looks like you have badly under estimated your rig
Make some rock rails, front and rear bumpers, decent tires and you are trail ready!

[wrench]

My last Jeep was an 03 WG limited. At 3 weeks old and after our 1st offroad trip I simply fitted a set
of 50 mm higher springs. This suited me for a few years until I started playing with shocks, mounts and swaybars. The car did everything I asked it to - high country, outback , beach and general scub bashing - and did it well.
I strongly recommend transfer case and fuel tank bash plates, but other than that go out and have some fun.

David

[Bumper]

It will go further than you believe possible! My WG/J has managed "Moderate +" trails without breaking anything. Yes, ground clearance can be an issue in big ruts, but careful driving will see you through almost everything except big rock steps. I'm constantly amazed at how capable my bus is considering it's bog standard. I recently replaced the fairly bald tyres and now I can drive up tracks I needed snatching up before. So, despite the lower clearance, good tyres make quite a difference.

Of course, there's a "to do" list a mile long (and worth about $10000), but as it performs so well already I feel I can take my time.

As I said, back in the day we used to drive really basic 4x4s as there were very few mods available and if you drive sensibly and have recovery gear with you, you can do almost everything. A heavy right foot is not an answer to everything and a bit of thought about lines to take helps. Letting the traction control do it's thing also makes a difference. Try not to spin the wheels and it will walk over a stunning array of obstacles!

[timbotrog]

It will do far more than you can imagine out of the box.

Off road they are brilliant. Whether on rock, in mud, climbing very steep hills, sliding through clay or ploughing through sand it won't let you down. I was amazed at what it could do when I first attended the MJOC driver training course.
At standard height you will not have any problems doing any trip up to a "C" grade, moderate ruts and not too deep mud baths. The single biggest problem will be the transfer plate. That's where you will belly up the most. A decent long handle shovel will take care of that.

They are very deceptive size wise. I have been measuring up mine to start building a custom rear shelving system and discovered the rear cargo area is almost identical in size to a 120 series Prado. The biggest draw back is the location of the spare wheel. Why they put it under the rear floor amazes me. They got it right on the WH then moved it back on the WK.

After a fair bit of research I initally added Yokohama Geolander AT-S in a LT245/70/17 size. These were because they grip like the proverbial to a blanket. They are great tyres, and for the price I honestly believe you won't get any better.
Depending on what terrain I am running on, I will lower the tyres to between 24psi-20psi. Only needed to go to 18psi once whilst driving in deep sand.
My next step was a 2" lift using Bistein 5100 shocks and Dobinsons HD coils. I also replaced the spring isolators all round as it's a great time to do it with a lot of the suspension removed.

It's fun to watch the faces of big lift JKU owners as it just powers its way up and around obsticles now with the lift. The V8 powertech engine has more torque and at a lower engine speed than the new Pentastar V6. It's n ice to just put the right foot down a little more as required.

They are extremely comfortable vehicles. The seats are so wide, soft and with great support, they're almost like an armchair. I've been on two trips in a JKU both with an aftermarket lift from a Melbourne supplier and I found them both to be far too firm. They are nice vehicles, but a little too agricultural for me at the moment.

[drover]

It will go virtually everywhere in stock mode, it is not a heavy vehicle by 4x4 standards, Geolanders will be good for nearly everything but mud, but thats par for most tyres. If you haven't done any 4x4ing check out your local FWD Club and learn a few things with them, it certainly saves you learning the hard way and stuffing your vehicle.
In sand at low speed drop it into Low but faster than about 30k go to high but preselect your gears to save the auto hunting and should run cooler.
As to mods it just depends on how big your wallet is.

[Bumper]

I second the Geolanders - that's what I just put on and I've been impressed. They don't look aggressive but sure do grip.

I agree with Drover - join a club, but preferably a Jeep club as they know how to get the most out of your vehicle and won't be constantly running it down.

If you can, do a basic 4x4 driving course, either privately or with a club, and it will give you heaps of confidence in both your vehicle and yourself

[timbotrog]

Where abouts are you located airlock?