Does a lift compromise practicality?

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:19 pm

When I bought my Jeep KJ CRD I had two things in mind: 1.) Four wheel the pi*s out of it. And 2.) Hauling/towing/commuting while getting decent mileage.

I have to admit though, #2 is a little more important since this is my daily driver and only vehicle. So before I get my Daystar 2.5" spacer lift put on, I need to find out a couple of things. First, will a spacer lift reduce towing capacity? You know, since the Jeep will be sitting higher and it's stock geometry will be changed, will it's towing ability also change? And second, on IFS if you lift it, the A-arms are pulled inward a little, which will cause the tires to be more likely to rub, right? So if you lift your IFS, you need to compensate with more offset on the wheels to keep all things equal, right?
And one last question, will a spacer lift reduce my ability to flex? Will flexing the suspension damage the spacers or let them slide out or anything bad like that?

Thanks in advance..

ARBSeth · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:37 pm

You asked a lot of questions, so let me give you the low down on a spacer lift...

Yes, it's going to reduce ride quality. Spacers pre-compress your springs. So, if you're going to tow with it, you're going to have spring coils hitting each other if you're too heavy in the rear. It won't kill you, but it feels funky and makes some noise. Also, the 8.25 isn't rated for much more than 4000 pounds of towing...so keep that in mind, I don't care what anyone else says. Are they still using the 8.25 in the diesel?

In the front, also won't kill you. Same deal, changes the shape up front but not in a huge way. Steering won't be as responsive as stock, but you're wife can drive it without having a heart attack.

All in all, get springs if you can. You have the Diesel, so we don't make anything for you right now, so the spacers are all you have as far as options go. If you need to do it NOW, it won't kill you and they're pretty cheap. If you can wait, get some new springs...

TheChucklesStart · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:47 pm

I have a question, you said there were no springs for diesel, however, in this link:
http://arb.com.au/Seattle/UVAG_PDF/jeep_kj.pdf
it mentions Diesel springs. Have they just gone into production or something or am I just very mislead and confused?

cherokj · **Joined:** Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:03 pm **Posts:** 64

Quote:

I have a question, you said there were no springs for diesel, however, in this link:
http://arb.com.au/Seattle/UVAG_PDF/jeep_kj.pdf
it mentions Diesel springs. Have they just gone into production or something or am I just very mislead and confused?

Those are probably for the 2,5 CRD, never sold in the USA ( as far as I know ) and now discontinued.

ARBSeth · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 3:12 pm

Ok, correction...

They'll fit. They just aren't heavy enough to run on the diesel. That's on old page and should have been superceded by now.

Seth

LibertyN8 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:02 pm

This is a pic of my cousins crd, he put a rusty's coil lift on it back in Feb 05. he hasn't had any trouble with it. other than a little rub now and then from his 245/70 mtr's the crd's are not that much heavier, a couple hundred pounds mabey.

WV(0)IIIIIII(0) · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:06 am

There are some people putting on a lift that is for a gas model. The only problem is front sag. A lift with just stock tires will not cause a rub. The spacer lift may make your ride quality to go down or may not affect it at all. A coil lift however made mine feel like our Grand Cherokee. I don't know about the rear springs hitting each other under a load, I don't belive they will because you are not really compressing the spring you are just adding hight to it, but I could be wrong it would not be the first time. As far as towing goes, even though the libby is rated for 5,000 pounds it is not made for it. The brakes are to small and the suspension is not stout enough. 1 ton or 2,000 pounds is all I would put behind it.

TheChucklesStart · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:03 pm

I thought that for heavy loads you were supposed to have self braking loads and they were to not have a tongue weight of over 150 lbs. I thought the only thing the jeep gave was acceleration.

Edwin · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:30 pm

TheChucklesStart wrote:

I thought that for heavy loads you were supposed to have self braking loads and they were to not have a tongue weight of over 150 lbs. I thought the only thing the jeep gave was acceleration.

you need a brake controller, and electric brakes on your trailer. I've pulled about 3,000 lbs. with my KJ. I don't know if I'd want to pull 5,000 lbs with it. :wink:

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:06 am

What do you guys means about the "rear springs hitting each other"? I don't understand how this is possible unless I'm missing something here.

I do have a trailer brake controller installed. I've towed around 4,000 lbs. total weight so far and the CRD towed it better than my '04 Dodge Ram 4x4. So acceleration and stopping is no problem for the CRD at all. My only issue is the short wheelbase. Above 65 mph the Jeep started to feel a little "light" in the steering.

Anyway, I just wondered how a spacer lift kit would affect the towing ability of the KJ. I really need to hear some real world experiences before I install one on my rig. Thanks guys.

Se7enLC · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:42 am

ARBSeth wrote:

Ok, correction...

They'll fit. They just aren't heavy enough to run on the diesel. That's on old page and should have been superceded by now.

Seth

What about an Old Man Emu Lift? It looks like they have different springs available with different rates to account for heavy bumpers/winches and heavy rearends (towing). I bet if you aren't planning on getting an ARB bumper and giant winch, you could get the springs designed for that weight and have it just hold up the engine.

ARBSeth · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:25 am

We're working on it, but we don't have anything Diesel specific yet. Yes, you could probably get away with the heavier rated spring for awhile, but the concern wouldn't be ride, it would be sag that would set in eventually.

As for springs hitting each other, think of it like this: Picture the coil in your mind. Now compress it... they (the coils) come close but don't touch. Put enough preload on it (ie with a coil spacer) and put the same compression on it, the coils will touch each other. It makes a very distinct noise, and makes the handling a little iffy. That is what I would worry about in towing a heavier load with a coil spacer type lift. Make sense?

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:59 am

No, actually this doesn't make sense to me. All the spacer is doing is it increases the distance between the axle and the upper mounting point of the suspension. So the spring isn't compressed at all, if it were there would be no lift. So assuming you haul the same weight, why would a spacer make the coils collapse and hit each other?

If you add more weight, then eventually they will hit each other...but that would happen with or without the spacers. I'm not trying to be difficult...I just don't understand how the rear springs would change any just because you're sticking a block under them.

Well I personally think the stock ride is too stiff on these KJs...so I'm probably not going to like the spacer lift anyway. Guess I'll find out whenever it shows up at my house so I can install it.

ARBSeth · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:48 pm

It's about changing the suspension specs. You're lengthing the spring area without changing the spring rate. It will preload the springs slightly... if you where here, I could show easier than tell you. Just gonna have to trust me.

Good news is we went wheeling with a CRD last week running said Daystar and said it was working ok for him on 265 tires. He could drive like a champ and knew what I was talking about, so I would trust his opinion on it.

the1jferg · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:56 pm

LibertyCRD,

All that $$$ for How much pumpkin clearance???

How far off will the center of gravity be??

Ain't trying to sway you one way or the other

Does a lift compromise practicality?

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