1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Liter Limited from North America
Summary:
Perfect blend of power, utility, luxury and off road ability. It can do it all
Faults:
Normal routine items that wear out after 100,000 miles. I installed Power-slot rotors, Hawk Pads, and Edelbrock IAS shocks, 10mm Magnacore spark plug wires, cap and rotor. All mechanical systems have performed well and are still very healthy.
General Comments:
The 5.9 liter engine in stock form cranks out 245 hp and 345 ft. lbs of torque. It propels the 4200 lbs of luxury SUV from 0 to 60 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile time is 15.2 seconds (Motor Trend Jan, 1998)
The exhaust is a melodious growl. The 5.9 purrs like a kitten and throttle response is crisp. The large amount of low rpm torque gets you goin' (in a hurry)
The leather interior is of top shelf quality. I love the design of the Grand Cherokee as well. The 5.9L came in Platinum, Stone White and Deep Slate. All imaginable options came standard, well the towing package and skid plates & tow hooks were options. A total of about 14,000 5.9l ZJ's were made in 1998.
I recommend installing a larger throttle body 52mm or 53mm (stock is 48mm) msd digital 6 ignition, AEM Brute Force Intake, Computer Chip upgrade and 180 degree thermostat. These mods should get you over 300hp and let you run mid to high 14's in the quarter mile.
The braking system is superb on the Grand Cherokee. It has four wheel ABS disc brakes which will stop you from 0 to 60 in 130 feet.
The all wheel full time 4 wheel drive is a great. Quadra-Trac, which normally puts all the torque to the rear axle, but can automatically shift torque fore and aft at any split between zero and 100 percent, so that the torque always goes to the tires that have the best traction.
Stock tire size is 225/70/16 I will recommend going with 245/70/16 Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos of Goodyear Triple Tread Fortera.
Its fuel mileage is 14mpg city and about 19 highway. Speed costs money... how fast can you afford to go? It does cost more to run, but you get what you pay for. Kind of like if you want to make an omelet you have to break some eggs.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th November, 2005
22nd Dec 2005, 10:53
Update from original poster:
I installed 245/70/16 Goodyear Fortera Triple Tread tires. They are top-ranked by Consumer Reports. I have been very impressed with their dry, wet and snow handling and braking.
I am not affiliated with Goodyear either. They cost me $165 per tire. OOOOUCH! (I will get a $100 rebate for set of 4)
Also, the Edelbrock IAS shock absorbers ($68 each from Summit) offer superb handling and ride comfort. Very pleased with them too!
Thanks for reading. Happy and safe motoring!
9th Nov 2005, 15:03
I had meant to write the braking is from 60 mph to 0 mph (duh).
The Jeep Grand Cherokee won 4x4 of the year again in 1998 from Petersons 4Wheel and off road.
http://4wheeloffroad.com/roadtests/131_9802_eval/
It includes specifications for the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L.