• The upgrades and modifications required to properly lift your Cherokee will vary depending on the type and size of lift you intend to use. Small lifts will allow you to operate your vehicle on slightly larger tires and may require only minor modifications. The larger the lift and tire combination is, the more you are going to have to change on your Cherokee to keep it safe, drivable and legal. There are several different potential trouble spots to look at when deciding what will have to be done when lifting your Jeep.
  
  

Fender Clearance

• Depending on the size tires you want to put on your Cherokee, the amount of lift you plan on using and the actual year model of your vehicle, the fenders may be one of the first issues you encounter when you install a lift. The fenders on a Cherokee, especially some of the newer model Cherokees, are not particularly well suited for accommodating large tires. You may have to cut or trim your fenders to fit certain sized tires, and in some cases you may have to completely remove them and install after market fenders.
  
  If you leave the stock fenders on without changing anything, chances are your tires will scrub against the fender well. This reduces your turning radius, causes handling problems and damages both the truck and tires.
  
  

Suspension

• Lifted vehicles put extra pressure on their suspension, and the stock suspension on your Cherokee will struggle to support the added weight and pressure caused by a large lift and heavy tires. You can expect a rough, possible unstable ride from your Cherokee if you do not upgrade your factory suspension to aftermarket heavy duty equipment when you lift your Jeep.
  
  

Drivetrain

• Certain parts of your drivetrain are going to have problems after you lift your vehicle, predominantly your drive shafts and U-joints. If your drive shaft is put at too steep of an angle, you can expect your Cherokee's U-joints to start failing on a regular basis until you modify the drive shaft to ease the angle and pressure. Also, the larger lift and tires will put more strain on your motor. You will need to watch how large your tires are to make sure you do not shorten the life of your engine by making it work too hard to turn the tires.
  
  

Legality

• Depending on where you live, there are certain legal issues that will affect your Cherokee after you lift it. Some states require that the bumpers and lights on lifted vehicles sit no higher than a certain height, which means you may have to install drop bumpers and lights. Also, some tire heights are not allowed. You should always check local laws before lifting your vehicle to find out what laws may be violated by modifications and lead to expensive fines.
  
  

Money

• There really is no safe way to lift a Jeep Cherokee cheaply. You can expect to spend anywhere between several hundred and several thousand dollars. You will spend the money on parts for the lift, as well as larger tires and changes to the suspension, fenders, drive shafts and other miscellaneous upgrades. Cutting corners on your lift job can make your Cherokee potentially dangerous, so you should plan your lift with a reasonable budget for what you want to do.