Lift kits?

[jammy jeep]

I've been bad and haven't got a spare. Am going to be putting the 110l LRA fuel tank in the spare hole in any event, so will need to rig up a spare tyre carrier on the roof (and then buy the same size spare). I carry a tyre repair kit and compressor with me, so as long as the tyre isn't destroyed, I should be OK.

[Wooders]

Originally Posted by Mattjeeper

Rocky road have a really bad reputation amongst the grand cherokee owners on Jeeps Unimited. Not quite the same jeeps but reputation speaks VERY loudly.

My direct experience with them reiterates the above.
Think RustyPony, Think CalTops and think RRO.

[jammy jeep]

For those of you interested - a MT ATZ 245/70/17 tyre fits in the standard spare wheel hole underneath. Should have checked this before I bought the roof bars, basket and tyre clamp. Doh. Still, when I eventually get the big tank down there, at least I am ready to go.

[Bomber]

Jammy I rang Dobinsons today and they told me that their kit for the WH (had to tell them that coz they said they didn't do one for the Commander!!) is a 25mm lift. What part numbers were yours? Were you told it was the WH kit or did you find something else that fitted? How did it affect ride quality? How much did you pay and did you buy direct or from "someone"?

I'm not sure if I want to lift mine, seeking advice here. I had intended to do a 2" lift for the WG to help out on our planned Simpson crossing next year but I don't want to compromise the Commander's ride or the towing ability (we hauled our 2 tonne van, 180kg ball weight, last weekend and it sagged only about an inch in the rear without level riders which was very impressive).

[jammy jeep]

Hi Bomber,

I was told that the spring lift was 45mm, but I never found out part numbers. My local suspension place put it in for me. The car doesn't look lifted, but you can tell it is when you get in. I wouldn't be particularly surprised if someone told me it was only 25mm, rather than 45. I just bought the WH kit. Cost me around $700 to $800 installed, from memory. We tow a 1300kg camper and did a 10000km trip after jambo last year with the new springs and bigger tyres and everything works well. We always use load levellers for towing, except when we were on Fraser Island and I can't say I noticed any sagging. Does get a bit bouncy on the sand though - I think some good shocks may be in order

[Bomber]

Thanks Jammy.

I have finally got on to the guy in MJOC who has the lifted WH. He had used the Rocky Road kit but most of it either didn't work or has since failed so it's all out of the car again. He now has King standard springs on the front, King heavy duty springs in the rear and Koni shocks in the rear, front struts remain stock. Rear shocks weren't for the WH and the suspension guy fiddled with different ones until he found one that fitted but had to modify bushes slightly. Overall lift is about 35mm plus he is now running 265/70 tyres which only rub on the front bottom corner of the guard in full lock when going forwards.

Our van has an offroad coupling so level riders are not an option. We used Poly air bags to great effect to solve the sagging problem in the WG, they worked great but were fiddly to use and I'd prefer a suspension only solution if possible.

[Bomber]

OK, finally got the finer details on the Kings / Koni combination referred to above.

Rear shocks are Koni 822348 but they were modified to mount in the WH. Original front struts remain in place, no choice on that as yet.

Front springs are King KJFR29 and rear KJFR30HD. interstingly enough he had originally tried the KJFR30 (ie non heavy duty) in the rear and found it wallowed too much and sagged a bit with the TVan on board so he swapped them to the HD. Kings catalogue lists the final setup as the one for the Commander ie they recommend the heavy springs as part of the kit.

I have no "before" photos of the WH in question and it was wet and dark last night so i couldn't get any "after photos" but he was clearly sitting about 3 inches at the sill higher than mine which suggest close to 2" lift plus that gained by the bigger tyre.

Installed cost for that setup would be about $950. Not exactly a "budget boost" but certainly better than ARB's "about $1500" mentioned elsewhere on the forum.

If I get the go ahead in the next month or two I'll make sure I get photos, if anyone else beats me to it then photos will be appreciated.