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ok - so here goes. i'm new to this forum thing - so apologies if i dont do it right! any how - i just got a 2006 CRD sport, white, sunroof, factory tow pckg, mopar skids, 6 disc chngr, and side air bags. i actually purchased the car over a month ago from miles jeep chrysler in woodburn oregon. had to have the purchase done by the end of sept. to get the employee pricing. they found the rig i wanted (color and options) in colorado - and had the vehicle shipped to oregon (that cost me $1K). while the rig was being shipped i started hunting down accessories and parts to modify the CRD while it was enroute to the dealer. i had planned on lifting the rig - but wasn't sure what lift kit to install. i started researching on the web (long before finding this forum) - and ended up purcasing the following stuff: RRO Rock Father II lift (for CRD), RRO super sliders, ARB bull bumper, TMAX 9K lb winch, IPF lights, wet okle seat covers front and rear, husky floor mats front and rear, rear "hatch bag" cargo liner, rear cargo logic mat, mopar dog guard/luggage divider. ok, so i went a bit nuts! so here's some feedback on all the stuff i got and the process i went through to get it. sorry, gonna be a long story... but it may be helpful for others looking to do similar mods.
RRO - my first call to them got me straight through to the owner - Glenn. he was very informative and seemingly knowledgeable. i've since come to find out that he does not typically talk with customers on the phone - and i just happened to get lucky that day as he was the one who answered. he will respond to emails fairly quickly though if you want to deal directly with him. in talking with glenn - i was pretty sold on the rock father II lift kit. seemed to make logical sense the way it was designed. i am not a fan of puck spacer lifts, precompressing springs, etc... i was not aware of the frankenlift at that point - so the RRO set up seemed the best option out there. glenn told me to use an extra 3/8" spacer plate (two plates total) on top of the strut assembly to maintain the desired lift after adding the heavy bull bar and winch. i've read a lot of complaints about RRO on this forum regarding shipping, customer service, etc... and i have to say every time i called RRO - i spoke with a live person. after ordering all the parts from RRO and then stumbling on this forum - i got really nervous and before parts were shipped - i attempted to contact allJ's for the frankenlift and other parts and questions. i left several messages and never got a call back - and could never reach a live person at allJ's. i was obviously frustrated as i wanted to utilize the vendor that seems to support this forum so much - but i could never reach them. hence - it was RRO who i would continue to deal with. i did experience some shipping issues with RRO. it took about three weeks to secure all the parts from RRO.
the biggest problem i had with my order was partly RRO's issue - and may also be ARB's? after reading all the postings on the issues with OME springs on a CRD - i obviously got very nervous. i did an extensive amount of research (reading every thread i could) and also called all the experts i could regarding the set up. ARB still insists that the heavy duty OME front springs can handle the diesel with an ARB bumper and winch. RRO said they weren't sure - but they thought it should work - especially with the second spacer (although they weren't sure about how the second spacer would affect ball joint angles). a very helpful salesperson (josh) at RRO did a simulated spring analysis on his computer and his opinion was that the weight of the bull bar and winch would be too much for the OME springs (he disagreed with glenn, the owner of RRO) and suggested i not put the bumper and winch on. with all the conflicting info - i cancelled the bumper and the winch (the lights had to go as well) and decided to take things one step at a time to see what would and would not work.
so here are the results:
the lift with one spacer plate gained exactly 2" in both the front and the rear (stock bumper). the rear still sits up higher than the front as it did stock. the ride thus far seems just fine with the OME springs front and rear. it's hard to make any comparisons - as i never actually drove the rig in stock form. it got all the mods done at the dealership before i picked it up. granted - i only have 400 miles on the rig thus far - but initial impressions are fine. there does appear to be some minor contact from the upper control arm on the springs. my fear at this point is "sag" on the front end. i'll keep you posted on what happens with the front OME springs. not enough miles at this point to say what's happening.
now for tire clearance:
i installed a set of 215/85-16 les schwab wild cat MST mud terrain tires (i had the tires from a prior vehicle - and only had about 400 mi on them) and had them mounted on 16X7 steel rims - with 4.5" back spacing (these are ford crown victoria wheels that i sourced for $15 dollars each). not bad for a simple, black steel wheel. these wheels/tires were intended to be temporary as i sold my stock tires and alloy wheels before the rig ever left the dealer's lot - but i actually like the look of the tall skinny tire and black rim - so i may keep it that way? makes it look very military! with the 2" lift - the 215/85 tire (wihch in theory should measure 30.5" diameter - but seems taller than that - as it sits about 1" taller than a 245/75 BFG AT which should also be 30.5") rubs on the lower front air dam and the pinch weld at full lock (not moving). i removed the lower front air dam - and now there is barely a rub on the front of the inner fender well liner. the pinch weld rubbed mainly when going in reverse. that rubbing sounded aweful as the lugs of the mud terain would catch the plastic liner covering the weld. yikes! someone on this forum had asked about a 215/85-16 fitting on an unlifted liberty - and one person replied and said they fit fine. i know doing a lift changes the angle of the suspension arms - so it may move the tires inwards enough to cause rubbing - but i'd be surprised to see a tire this large in diamter fitting an unlifted rig.
last weekend i test fitted a set of new 245/75-16 BFG AT's mounted on rubicon moab wheels. found a set locally on craig's list. the moab rims looked awesome - but the rubbing was way worse than with the tall skinny tires. despite the near 1" smaller diamter of the BFG's - the extra width totally touched up against the front fender liner and the rear pinch weld. the rubbing was sooooo bad - the vehicle could not have been driven that way. i guess a 2" lift is not nearly enough to fit rubicon wheels and tires! ugggh.
one note on the moab rims is they seem a bit wide (at 8") for the BFG AT's which BFG says the max rim width for that size is a 7" rim. i'm sure it would be fine - but it didn't look ideal. just my opinion. i may end up selling the moab rims as i'm really liking the simple black steelies.
other feedback on parts:
the husky floor mats are awesome. i've had them in all my cars. they fit perfect and protect well. the wet okle seat covers were very expensive. over $500 for the front and rear set. they were a major pain to intall. now that they are in though - i guess they will serve their purpose well. we'll see? i've never had them before. for that price - they better be amazing!! the dog guard in the back was a pain to install as well (drilling and tapping with a nut insert required) - but now that it's in - it will serve its purpose very well and looks very "factory". the rear "hatch bag" cargo liner is ok. it's guaranteed for life - but had a tear in one of the lower seams just coming out of the box. kind of lame. the "cargo logic" rear mat is cool. comes with these nifty velcro cargo holding devices. good for keeping things from sliding around.
other mods done so far:
just flattened the pinch welds today. undercoated the pounded area and then covered with waterproof aluminum roofing tape. plastic welded (melted) the fender patch back in place. major pain! then under coated the fender liners to hide my patch job. almost looks factory! will check to see how much clearance i gained in the morning. undercoating seems to take forever to dry - so i didn't want to kick a bunch of dirt onto the wet sticky spray!!!
did the EHM yesterday. attached a catch bottle with a screw connector from the end of the hose to the bottle to allow easy removal for draining. was shocked to see oily discharge all over the valve cover right below the factory CCV/hose connection. very concerning considering i only drove the rig for a total of 300 miles before doing the EHM. put my finger down the CCV exit hose and was already covered in oil. yuck! i will be very curious to see how much oil is visible in the clear tube over the next few hundred miles!! i am ordering the provent tomorrow. the EHM obviously works - but i personally dont like seeing all that steam being released under the car. i feel like it draws too much attention to the vehicle - especially for something that is technically "not legal". just my opinion. plus - i got the diesel to run biodiesel - and to be more "green". i'm sure i'm not doing the planet any favors by venting that stuff straight into the air. again, just my opinion.
removed all the chrome emblems today. used a heat gun and goo gone. major pain - but it looks really cool now without all that shiny stuff.
added a biodiesel sticker to front windshild and rear hatch glass - reads "biodiesel - this car is a vegetarian".
will likely be ordering the rock lizard front bumper this week and will take my chances with the added weight. i hate the plastic front bumper!!!
when someone actually makes a full length spring for the front of these rigs that will create the necessary lift and will not sag too much - i'll order those as well. sounds like ARB/OME may actually be working on this right now?!?!?!?! will likely to the jeepin al's upper arms at that time as well.
plan on doing the gasser air box mod soon.
currently running B20 - although will run B100 in the warmer months.
ok - so that's the long and short of it. funny thing is i bike commute most of the time - so the rig doesn't even get used that much! hope this info was helpful to someone!! this forum has obvioulsy been invaluable to me!! thank you to all who have posted with such amazing information!! i beyond appreciate it!
adios,
b
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2006 jeep liberty sport CRD white, bend oregon, sunroof, side air bags, factory skids, rusty skid (fills gap between engine and tranny skid), RRO Rockfather II lift, 215/85 - 16 AT tires, husky floor mats, hatch bag rear cargo liner, wet okle seat covers front and rear, factory tow package, white night rear lights, RRO super sliders.
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