Hello, all! Been a while since I was last on here, and now am embarking on a new project- one of those evil SUV's!
I just acquired a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 LTD for a song. I have to have 4x4 to reliably get to work in the winter and waiting for a snowplow to clear the roads is not an option. The old 98 Jetta was just barely doing it AFTER the snowplow, and going through divorce makes money too tight to just go buy that new 4x4 I wanted, so, here goes. My previous Jeep Cherokee could easily get 21mpg, but the wife(now ex) wanted a Durango so we got that, which she averaged 13, while I averaged 18 and broke 20 with a few times without really trying. So, this new-to-me Jeep I believe can do better, as it weighs quite a bit less, has better tires, and is more aerodynamic than the Durango. I have read others have gotten 23+ from their GC's so I think I can make it get that without too much trouble. This Jeep is fairly low mileage for its age, 126000 miles, but I know it needs a little repair before I can drive it- I had to tow it home on a trailer. I'll be doing a thorough exam of it today to find what needs fixing.
This is a basically stock vehicle other than an air ram intake with K&N-type air filter. After engine repair, first step I think will be aero hubcaps, simple air dam, then belly pan(at least partial). Also, I think this car would respond well to water injection since having a performance engine it has a sticker saying it requires premium fuel. It already has stock a pretty free-flowing exhaust, and electric engine cooling fans too. I'll update as I go along, but over in that other part of the website where people track their projects. (Moderator, perhaps this post should have started out over there? Its been a while for me...)