Jeep Commanders Suspension & Tires - 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

If you've been reading 4-Wheel & Off-Road for even a little while, you've probably become familiar with our Ultimate Adventure and the vehicles that we build for the trip each summer. This year,tech editor Fred Williams worked feverishly to finish our four-door JK Wrangler just in time for the trip, but it would only carry our illustrious leader Rick Pw and Fred on our adventure. And though the Wrangler is the highlight of our coverage, it takes quite a crew to make this trip happen. Cameramen (or women), our publisher, and the rest of the staff have to be jumping around on the rocks behind the U.A. group to make sure the filming runs as smoothly as possible. With the help of Jeep, we had decided on building two Commanders, which probably has a few of you scratching your heads right now. Why the heck build Commanders? Well, though they are IFS, they are excellent off-road vehicles right out of the box and share the same platform, drivetrain, and suspension that comes under the 2005 4x4 of the Year winner Grand Cherokee. Plus they are the biggest 4x4s with the most cargo capacity in Jeep's lineup. As long as we could wrangle up some parts to build them with, we knew that we'd have no problem making some very capable support vehicles.

We didn't want both Commanders turning out exactly the same, and we really only needed one (Biggie) to be extreme enough for recovery and extraction purposes. The other Commander (Shortie) would only need to get itself around intermediate trails and carry crew members and equipment. Therefore we had two very different, but similar, builds in mind.

With the help of Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach, California, we'd start with the suspensions, get on the tires, and work from there. This month, we'll be covering the suspension options you have with a Commander (or Grand Cherokee) and see how our tires fit. Next month we'll be adding all the little doodads we can find like rock rails, GPS, racks, and the like.

"Biggie," as we've affectionately named one Commander (Commander No. 1 and Commander No. 2 just sound so boring), was getting a Superlift height augmentation. With the 4-inch Commander/Grand Cherokee suspension lift, we hoped to fit on a set of brand-new 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2s under our ride without too much trimming. We had to be careful with tire size because of the high-pressure climate control lines that run down the upper part of the passenger-side front fenderwell. If our tires hit that, it'd make air conditioning a thing of the past for Biggie, something we wanted to avoid considering the 110+ degree heat in our destination state of Texas.

Biggie went under the knife first, as Jeeps R Us ripped the factory suspension off in order to hang our new Superlift kit under the truck. IFS kits always seem daunting when in pieces laid out on a table, but this one seemed worse than most. Luckily, most people who have the money to buy a new IFS vehicle will likely hire a shop to put the kit on.
Biggie went under the knife first, as Jeeps R Us ripped the factory suspension off in orde
After the differential is dropped, the front driveshaft needs to be removed as well. Notch a big section of the crossmember to make room for the driveshaft to fit once the differential is dropped. Superlift included a weld-in reinforcement in their kit, but even after Larry Garcia welded it in, we still had to grind a portion of it away to get the driveshaft from rubbing after the kit was finished and we went for a testdrive. You'll also have to remove a heat shield for clearance on the exhaust tube that runs right behind this crossmember.
After the differential is dropped, the front driveshaft needs to be removed as well. Notch
A bracket is supplied by Superlift to allow you to move the front support ear a few inches higher on the differential cover in order to bolt to the subframe of the Jeep. The rest of the mounting points of the differential will attach to the Superlift kit.
A bracket is supplied by Superlift to allow you to move the front support ear a few inches

Before adding the drop cradle for the lower A-arms, the lips on the factory subframe around the A-arm pivot points will need to be cut off. This will allow the cradle to be slid up into the subframe to hang the lower A-arms from.
Before adding the drop cradle for the lower A-arms, the lips on the factory subframe aroun
After the cutting was done, Garcia placed the cradle and tightened the bolts. The lower A-arms will attach to the cradle, while an included skidplate will box in the front arm set and protect the differential.
After the cutting was done, Garcia placed the cradle and tightened the bolts. The lower A-
To mount the rear portion of the lower A-arms, the bushing's bracket is simply flipped from sitting on top of the subframe crossmember to beneath it. The A-arm's bushing is very tight, so Garcia used a vise to lock onto the bushing's housing and turned the A-arm 180 degrees.
To mount the rear portion of the lower A-arms, the bushing's bracket is simply flipped fro

Garcia and Collin Padilla worked together using a spring compressor to put the 4-inch extension plate (or block) onto the factory strut. This is how the 4 inches of lift is gained in the front of Commanders and Grand Cherokees. We'd be happier with a brand-new strut with a little stiffer valving (these new Jeeps are a little soft in front), but that would greatly increase the cost of the kit...
Garcia and Collin Padilla worked together using a spring compressor to put the 4-inch exte
...The strut and strut extension were bolted back up into place using bolts that come through the engine compartment.
...The strut and strut extension were bolted back up into place using bolts that come thro
Superlift's Grand Cherokee/ Commander kit is a "knuckle" kit. A knuckle kit provides a longer cast-iron knuckle to go in place of the factory knuckle and allows the factory upper A-arm and steering components to sit in the original mounting location instead of having to drop it down like the lower arm. This creates more space in between the upper and lower A-arms, something that is debated by suspension companies as being a good or bad thing. We've neither heard nor seen any problems with this type of knuckle kit design yet.
Superlift's Grand Cherokee/ Commander kit is a "knuckle" kit. A knuckle kit provides a lon

The final part to add in the front end is the new Superlift skidplate. It adds substantial structural support and gives superior protection to the front end. Please note that you might have to trim down one of the skid's mounting bolts (it reuses the factory hardware here) that thread into the crossmember right beneath the driveshaft because it can potentially rub on the driveshaft.
The final part to add in the front end is the new Superlift skidplate. It adds substantial
New coils, sway-bar links, and drop brackets are given to lift the five-link rear end. The lower-link drop brackets attach to the Commander's body and keep the links at acceptable geometric angles.
New coils, sway-bar links, and drop brackets are given to lift the five-link rear end. The
The rear's upper links are kept parallel by adding extended relocation brackets to the top of the axle's factory mounting points. Due to variances in manufacturing from the factory, you might have to ream out the hole of the passenger-side upper-link mount to fit the Superlift relocation bracket. On both sides you'll have to drill out the second mounting hole to fit the Superlift brackets.
The rear's upper links are kept parallel by adding extended relocation brackets to the top

Once the holes were drilled, Padilla tightened the rear link brackets and track-bar relocation bracket. The Superlift kit retains the factory control-arm links and track bar (or panhard rod) as they are boxed and very strong, with OEM bushings that allow twist but soak up vibrations.
Once the holes were drilled, Padilla tightened the rear link brackets and track-bar reloca
The last parts to add to the rear end were the coils, the new antisway-bar links, and the brake-line drop brackets. The brake-line drop brackets bolt into existing holes in the body, while the coils fit in just the same as the factory ones. The new antisway-bar links bolt onto the original antisway bar, and utilize an OEM-style rotational ball-joint at the end of their links to minimize binding. When the entire kit was bolted on and ready to go, the once scary-looking pile of brackets joined together to create a very nice kit that improved the strength of the suspension instead of weakening it like some suspension kits that we've experienced.
The last parts to add to the rear end were the coils, the new antisway-bar links, and the

Shortie was our No. 2 Commander, and was getting a more mild treatment than Biggie. It wouldn't be as off-road capable as Biggie, but would still be able to get us onto most trails and be more freeway friendly. It's a rarity, but we actually had some forethought in these two builds and decided that Biggie was going to get beat on, while Shortie would remain a little more stock and be a good, reliable daily driver since we didn't really have any of those. Biggie was certainly more than capable of being daily driven, but with only a 4.7L V-8 under the hood and not the 5.7L Hemi, Biggie struggled to keep up freeway speeds with 33-inch tires.

Since we couldn't quite fit 31-inch BFGs on without an inch or two of lift, we called up Daystar to order one of their budget boost kits for Shortie. The spacer kit would lift it almost 2 inches, allowing us to fit our 31s without any other modifications and only necessitating a realignment in the front end. The kit comes with the front and rear coil spacers, plus concentric strut spacers, new stem cushions, mounting plates, and new front coil-spring isolators.
Since we couldn't quite fit 31-inch BFGs on without an inch or two of lift, we called up D
The front spacer went onto the strut under the coil. Jeeps R Us put the truck on the lift, removed the strut, and used the spring compressor to break down the strut and add the Daystar spacer under the coil...
The front spacer went onto the strut under the coil. Jeeps R Us put the truck on the lift,
...Garcia also added the new mounting plates and upper coil isolators that replace the factory equipment. Underneath the coil and around the strut, concentric spacers are provided to keep the (now) raised coils aligned on the struts.
...Garcia also added the new mounting plates and upper coil isolators that replace the fac

The stock tires looked pretty weak, even for a stock vehicle. We definitely needed some help in the treads department, and help would come from BFGoodrich Tires with a set of 33-inch Mud-Terrains for Biggie and a set of 31-inch All-Terrains for Shortie. After the tires were mounted, both Commanders needed very minor trimming at the rear lower portion of the front fenderwell, while the back of Biggie and Shortie were left alone even though they both rubbed very softly at full stuff.
The stock tires looked pretty weak, even for a stock vehicle. We definitely needed some he
Biggie received a set of LT 285/70R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain TKOs with the brand-new tread design that resembles Krawlers. We took them to a tire shop and mounted them on a set of 17-inch Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels. Mickey Thompson is one of the few companies that has wheels matching the 5x5 bolt pattern that comes on the Commander, Grand Cherokee, and new JK Wrangler.
Biggie received a set of LT 285/70R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain TKOs with the brand-new tread
Shortie looked a whole lot better as well, with a set of 265/70/R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrains mounted on the stock wheels. Next month, we'll be adding some racks, a GPS unit, rock rails, front-end protection, and some lights, so stay tuned.
Shortie looked a whole lot better as well, with a set of 265/70/R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrain

SOURCES
BFGoodrich Tires 877-788-8899 www.bfgoodrichtires.com	Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels www.mickeythompsontires.com
Day Star www.daystarweb.com	Superlift Suspension Systems
Jeeps R Us N/A www.jeepsrus.com