Why the IFS in the first place?

KJ in CO · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:06 pm **Posts:** 346

Well, I may not be as mechanically inclined as few on this site.. But my question is, why did jeep choose to use an IFS instead of the SFA in the beggining? I mean, it seems to me that a SFA would be the way to go, from what i have seen and read. Can someone please explain to me why they chose this suspension? Also, why would they not put the trutrac diffs on all the liberty models?

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 12:45 pm

because very few people actually buy a Jeep to wheel in, they just buy it because they either think it looks good or because they want to say they drive a Jeep, so to put in a truetrac would be more costly and not needed, and the ones they did install arent worth anything. Since most people that buy thei products they dont need to be SFA and the IFS is a better ride for all of the DD people that never take it on a dirt road.

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 1:00 pm

Ride quality I'd guess. I dont think a SFA would have prevented anyone from buying a KJ though and considering that point i think they had a responsibility as Jeep to build a more offroad capable (read SFA) vehicle.

In fact, I think a rubicon package should be available as an option on EVERY Jeep model!

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 1:21 pm

Remember why the Liberty was created and where it came from. It was not meant to be the hardcore off-roader. They already had that model in the Wrangler. They wanted to make a vehicle catered towards women and replace the aging Cherokee, which had become the off-road minivan soccer mom vehicle. IFS has a better ride than SFA.

KJ in CO · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:06 pm **Posts:** 346

Understood, I see thousands of libertys here in CO. I have seen a handful of libertys with lil' to any modifications. I figured that,in buying a liberty, I would be getiing a decent off road vehicle. Especially being that it's a JEEP!! Not saying that I haven't had some fun thus far. But now that I have been reading up, it seems that there are soo many limitations to them. I love the look of the liberty, especially after the lift and a few add ons. But, it takes so much money and work to get anything close to what you can get in a well equiped wrangler from the dealer, not to mention a RUBICON!! Not sayin that i am gonna give up on my libby by any means. Just that I would think that if jeep is goona spend the money and materials for for IFS, why wouldn't they please the offroad crowd and go the SFA route?? UUGGHH!!! Maybe I am just slingin mud cause I wish I had an SFA now and that I didn't do my research before buying my liberty. Also, to those of you that have taken extreme measures in building up your liberties, what was it that made the liberty appealing to you and kept you pouring money in the libby and not just buying a more suitable offroader?

Kugellager · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 4:18 pm

KJ in CO wrote:

Also, to those of you that have taken extreme measures in building up your liberties, what was it that made the liberty appealing to you and kept you pouring money in the libby and not just buying a more suitable offroader?

A Rubicon would have cost me more $$$ than I have already spent getting my KJ to the capability of a Rubicon...and I wouldn't have had all the fun doing it...

I wanted something capable enough to get me to the mountains but classy enough to take a date to a nice restaurant (Which is moot now since I am married and have totally rednecked-out the KJ)

I wanted something where I did not have to worry about the canvas top ripping, leaking, cracking.

I wanted something a little more car-like and more weather-proof.

I thought it looks cool.

I wanted a V-6 not an inline-6

I wanted something less utilitatian that a Wrangler/Rubicon.

I wanted something with more/better cargo capacity.

John
];')

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 4:40 pm

The basic reason for IFS is the sprung to un-sprung weight ratio.

the lighter the weight on the tire side of the spring -
the faster the wheel/tire can respond to the road and the less momentum that's transferred to the body side.

you can get the same response by increasing body weight - but that kills your gas mileage

so you separate a part of the weight - the gears and mount them to the body

and have the wheel/tire the only weight that has to respond to the road.

it's a better idea - assuming your road is a road - this driving over rocks - really messes up the calculation.

First Jeep · **Joined:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:23 am **Posts:** 6

If you look at what competition the KJ was up against, the KJ is by far a better off road vehicle in stock form. Putting a SFA in the libby would have easily decreased the amount of sales. Most of the women who bought them never would've dealt with the ride quality. Even WITH a SFA it is not nearly as good riding as their competition on the street. Nor is it as good on mileage. It like almost all vehicles made is a comprimise.

This vehicle is a DD for me. Actually it was not even something I was looking for... I just happened to pass by it on the lot 4 or 5 times, decided to drive it and then bought it. Very good visibility on this vehicle, decent ride height, ability to go up to job sites etc without having to walk (I am a project manager for a plumbing co I see a lot of rough graded open lots and tons of mud) Can toss 5 people in it (and do VERY often) Quiet enough to make the the 600 mile one way highway trip with no problem I just did in it. Looks nice.. I payed less then 10 grand for a 60k mile 5 year old vehicle... AND got a super deal on my trade in.

Consider also they make a 2wd version of this thing. It was never intended to be marketed for a serious off road vehicle.

Now if I hadnt seen this site I probably would have just put some decent AT tires on it and called it a day.. now when the market picks back up I will be doing an OME lift... prolly some soft 8 wheels and a few other things in to it. And the kicker here is.. it is a suprisingly GOOD offroad vehicle because of many of the reasons noted. Clearance is outstanding , so is breakover, the size has gotten me in many places my truck could not make the turns on, visibility(couldve been more aero but visibility suffers then) and at the end of the day you toss the kids in back and drive home in relative comfort. Yeah a wrangler with the top down is cool and fun for about the first 2 hours of the drive providing it doesnt rain!

If they made it more bulletproof well, then you wouldve been getting up to why not just buy a hummer..

nightdrv · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 9:01 am

CRD Joe wrote:

...In fact, I think a rubicon package should be available as an option on EVERY Jeep model!

x2

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 11:49 am

Quote:

Consider also they make a 2wd version of this thing. It was never intended to be marketed for a serious off road vehicle.

They make 2wd Wranglers also :roll:

Boiler · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 12:00 pm

You should ask why they're putting indepentant rear suspensions on grand cherokee's soon...

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 12:10 pm

You know what REALLY KILLS ME? How you can go the the Jeep UK site and you can build a CRD WRANGLER! Either two door or four door!

HEY JERK OFFS AT JEEP, SELL ME A CRD WRANGLER! Because I'll never buy a gasser!!!

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 12:17 pm

CRD Joe wrote:

You know what REALLY KILLS ME? How you can go the the Jeep UK site and you can build a CRD WRANGLER! Either two door or four door!

HEY JERK OFFS AT JEEP, SELL ME A CRD WRANGLER! Because I'll never buy a gasser!!!

Thank your local congressman and senator for that.Oh and thank California also.

nightdrv · **Posted:** Thu May 14, 2009 4:17 am

That's kind of funny seeing how The Governator drives a H1 Diesel.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu May 14, 2009 8:04 am

nightdrv wrote:

That's kind of funny seeing how The Governator drives a H1 Diesel.

He's got about 17 H1's.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu May 14, 2009 10:17 am

I say we build a wall around CA and throw food over it occasionally.

evil libby · **Joined:** Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:41 am **Posts:** 296

x2 I loved the look and I now there was a four wheel monster in side just wonting out and jeep just didn't do that and I wonted to be differnt and show the wrangler guys that they are not they only thing out there and to move over and give us some room to

Guest · **Posted:** Thu May 14, 2009 4:18 pm

JL Rockies wrote:

I say we build a wall around CA and throw food over it occasionally.

Screw that, they don't want to eat animals anyway. They can grow their own plants, and when their protein deficiencies start jumping around, they can eat each other.

Long-term solution to a long-term problem:D

InCommando · **Posted:** Thu May 14, 2009 11:48 pm

Why IFS in the KJ? How many whinny " Waah, mize jeepz is too noizees" "It soundsez likes a tractor..." as it is. HUNDREDS of posts from people who think that the KJ isn't sissified enough, and hundreds of others who think it is too sissified. WTH?

As stated above, the KJ is bar none the best off road vehicle in its class when built. The Xterra came along later, but price & size-wise it may be in a bigger and/or more expensive class? The KJ's comp. when introduced was the KJ/RAV4/CRV/Escape class. And funny, none of those others could begin to compare to a KJ off road, can they?

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Fri May 15, 2009 11:33 am

InCommando wrote:

As stated above, the KJ is bar none the best off road vehicle in its class when built. The Xterra came along later, but price & size-wise it may be in a bigger and/or more expensive class? The KJ's comp. when introduced was the KJ/RAV4/CRV/Escape class. And funny, none of those others could begin to compare to a KJ off road, can they?

Actually, not totally true. The Xterra was first introduced as a 2000 model (it was Motor Trend’s “2000 Sport/Utility of the Year”) while the KJ was first introduced in 2002. Though I do seem to remember reading that the Xterra was really outclassed by the KJ power-wise until the put a 4.0L V6 in the model in 2005 (the only way for them previously to match the KJs 210HP was to put a supercharger on the 3.3L they were using).

Why the IFS in the first place?

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