on average (situations aside) i would say there is no real difference.

wheel base can be good small (more power in confined area, turn/manuever) and bad (weight is too centered, tipsy, traction), but on the flip side a wider (longer) base can be good (spread the weight, not as squirrely when one or two wheels are up on stuff) and bad (power is spread more, less manueverable in those hard to reach spots, climbing/bombing grades can cause more front and rear rubbing).

In the end it comes down to what you have, how you drive it, and what you put it through. Go out, get one, and tell us what you think there would not be a forum and a community to support it if we didn't like the truck, right?

 

2 DOORS FTMFW!!!!!

But then again, I dont do ANY serious wheeling...lol

 

i would say 2dr in any serious offroad application. look at other makes and models which ones are used. jeeps for example, the wrangler is used offroad ten times more then a cherokee or there longer 4dr models. and if your anything like me and want to look at your truck when its clean and think its nice looking how could you not choose a 2dr.

 

Logan: hey you! super ZR2's dont count

butters: i cant dipute the "2drs look better" line thouhg FML!

 

Nobody wheels XJ's?!?!?!?!?!?
Have you lost your mind? Thats one of the most popular trail rigs. Cheap , easily modified and they go great.
Everybody in the SE US that does any serious wheeling with a CJ,YJ,or TJ has stretched it and put full width axles under it so thats no valid arguement in my book.

2 door models look better , Ill agree there. Thats why I used a 2 door cab on my trail rig and just lined the rear fenderwells up and sawed the fronts out.

Its already been said once, Pick one out , buy it , wheel it and tell us about it. If I were looking for somthing to be on trail only status it would be a K5 honestly , so you could get away from the IFS

 

i've had plenty of 4 doors & 3 doors, and for some reason, i seem to remember my 1st gen 4 doors having a tighter turning radius compared to my 2nd gen.

and, like it's already been said, it all comes down to what you're looking for. for general playing, personally, i don't see a major difference. but if you want a half decent street/trail truck, i'd stick with the 2 door simply because they do have better slightly better roll-over & roll-off angles. i never really built a 4 door for any serious trails, but the '84 i built was pretty fun to beat on.

but that's just my nickle of input.

 

I wasn't going to play into the XJ thing, but yeah. SE US aside, here in the Pacific NW you cant throw a rock in the woods with out it hitting a XJ and bouncing into and old Taco.... Seriously... cherokees and toyotas litterally own the woods and trails around here.

Hell my brother has a 90 or 91 XJ on 33's and gives me crap almost daily for my girly suv

I think the OP was looking to buy a 4 dr and didn't know if it would hold up well on trails... I could be wrong (i look at a lot of posts here )

 

Well I was like - whaaaaa?
CJ/YJ/TJ's are more mall crawlers round my neck of the woods

 

there are far more wrangles used in the woods around here then any other jeep no question.

 

You must live in a very flat part of the country if everybody likes to wheel those turn over prone death traps