New Cherokee Owner

[jh504]

Hey folks, just found the site and decided to join. I love the outdoors and offroad travel which may seem a little contradictory to fuel conservation. I try to keep my mpg's down as low as possible though while enjoying the outdoors. I have always had this mindset but have not gotten extremely serious with it until now.
I have owned a '96 Cherokee with an automatic, 6" lift, and 33" tires and was regularly getting 17mpg through driving habits alone. I also owned a stock 2001 Cherokee automatic and was pretty consistent with 23/hwy. Those two rigs are gone now and I just purchased a 1997 Cherokee 5 speed, 3" lift, and 31" tires. My goal is to keep this suspension/ tire configuration for offroad use but attempt to squeeze as many mpg's out of it through other means.
I am here to learn!

[Hubert Farnsworth]

I think you mean mpg's high, as in more miles per gallon, and lower gpm or gallons per mile, these two concepts are inversely related.

[jh504]

Originally Posted by Hubert Farnsworth

I think you mean mpg's high, as in more miles per gallon, and lower gpm or gallons per mile, these two concepts are inversely related.

Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Sorry for the confusing speech!

[FastPlastic]

Welcome! Glad to see another Cherokee around here.

[jh504]

Thanks, I have been reading through a lot of your posts. Lots of good information there!

[jh504]

Originally Posted by FastPlastic

Welcome! Glad to see another Cherokee around here.

By the way, I noticed you have done a lot of aerodynamic modifications to your jeep. Have you ever seen one of the "Jeep 2500's" in Asia? The front of them look a lot more aerodynamic than our Cherokee's in the states.

[FastPlastic]

Can't say I've seen those before. It does look like it's a bit more aerodynamic, but I gotta admit I like the old school Cherokee better.

[jh504]

Yeah, I do like the classic look of our Cherokees better. With the possible aerodynamic advantage and the 2.5L turbodiesel they may be a high mileage dream though (in the 4x4 category). I still wouldnt trade my American made Jeep for one, supposedly the Chinese built 2500's are much lower in the quality control arena.

[dupree]

welcome, I have owned a few Jeeps in my day. I had a 90 2 door XJ manual that I could get 24 MPG out of, I regret ever selling it, fun vehicle to drive, I struggle to achieve good mileage in my current commuter car. I need to have a 4wd to make it up my hill and for other various reasons. I am kicking around the idea of finding a manual XJ again and doing aeromods as has been done here, and trying to eck out close to 30 MPG.....

[jh504]

I think a cherokee is a great option for a fuel efficient 4x4. It is a VERY capable platform offroad and the unibody helps keep the weight down. I am on my first tank of gas for this truck and I have high hopes. I am doing a lot of city and backroad driving so it should give me a pretty good average on what to expect.

One good thing about the manual XJ is the stock 3.05 gear ratio. Maybe not the greatest offroad but I hope it proves to be a good ratio for mpg.