lifted KJ's VS parking garages...

snow blower · **Joined:** Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:24 am **Posts:** 69

I really want to slap a 2.5" lift on my renny, but need to access parking garages all the time (work/home). Has anyone had problems getting into parking garages with a lifted libby?? Thanks...

blackjeep · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 2:53 am

possible many parking garages are different heights so only you would know for sure about the ones you want to try. all of them here have signs that say height restrictions and/or have wooden signs hanging on chains so if you hit em, you back out. best bet might be pen and paper and measuring tape.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 8:34 am

Never had problems.

Measure your KJ's current height and add 3-4" for lift and bounce affect.

I will say that it looks like the garages will hit all the time but there is plenty of clearance.

pixeldzn · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 8:54 am

I would imagine most parking garages are 8ft tall at the least. I have a 7ft garage door and with my cross rails I still have at least an inch to the top.

Adding a roof basket and lights is where you might get into trouble.

JacksJeep · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 9:07 am

Well, in Pittsburgh we have a lot of "short" parking garages with clearances of 6' or 6' 6". My KJ with a Skyjacker lift and 245/75s is 6' 2". So there are some garages I don't fit and some I just barely fit. This is with the roof rack off. With the rack on, I park on the street! :roll:

Albert · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 9:08 am

You should be fine. The 05 stock KJ is listed as 71.8" with roof rails so that's just shy of 6 feet. You would have to have a real high lift to have an issue.

Next time you go into one stop under the sign and stick your head out the window and eye-ball it to get an idea. When you go under those things they always look lower than they are when you're looking through the windshield.

desertkj · **Joined:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:24 pm **Posts:** 677

For most, you should be fine. I was in one a few days ago though that my stock liberty barely cleared. So, just measure the height and check. Better safe than sorry (convertible KJ might not be so good)

SavageSS27 · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 11:38 am

I was in a parking garage in Metropark Station, NJ with my surco roof rack on one time and had no issues (this was AFTER the Frankenlift and tires), but as a few have said before, it all depends on the garage itself, but for the most part, you should be fine even with a Frankenlift.

JeepJunky33 · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 12:02 pm

I live in NY out on long island and I can't park in the parking garages. I have 03 renny with 2.5" lift. Parking gargaes are a no no. If you use them alot then I would say negative on the lift.

Gramps · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 12:14 pm

Around here, all the parking garages are too small. With the OME lift, the 245/75-16s, and the roof rack (usually with the Hi-Lift jack), my Libby tops 7'4", not counting the Firestik antenna.

shadow · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 12:28 pm

This is not good news at all!

I am also considering getting a lift kit for my 06 Renny...

I took possession yesterday and actually drove under a sign at a mall in the area that I could reach out and touch the bottom of the sign! without standing...
I live in a condo building and park 3 stories under ground so *not* using a parking garage is out of the question for me...
Although on the good side - this morning I was taking a look in the garage and there seemed to be a good amount of space between the roof/light bar/etc and the pipes...
Guess this is one of those instances where your mileage may vary...

*sigh*

Anyone know for sure how much difference a 2.5" lift and some 245/75's will make? Anyone actually do before and after measurements to the top?

jeeplife · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 1:13 pm

My wife went into the parking garage at Arden Fair mall in Sacramento, CA and scraped up the Yakima rack pretty good.... The crazy part about her story was that it would scrape at each concrete beam, yet she never bothered to stop?!? DOH! I'm just glad I didn't have the canoe on there :shock:

Seriously though as with ANY lifted vehicle you need to be aware of your clearance. Getting in my garage at home was never an issue with the Liberty, now my two TJ's I've owned that was a different story.

Bottom line it depends where you go. Parking garages in San Fran are crazy low, yet the ones at PDX airport were very high.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 1:41 pm

I did before after measurements of ground clearance - and remember the 2.5 inches normally quoted is in the middle of the lower A arm - actually body lift is closer to 5 inches the tires add another inch - (ARB bumper will lower the front back down an inch). So your 2.5 inch lift and 245x75x16's will probably make your Jeep 6 inches taller.

snow blower · **Joined:** Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:24 am **Posts:** 69

you guys are right, it does all depend on the garage height... That being said, the main reason i wanted the lift was to be able to fit some bigger tires. What tire size are you limited to at stock height? Could you fit a set of MTR's?

Se7enLC · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 6:34 pm

snow blower wrote:

you guys are right, it does all depend on the garage height... That being said, the main reason i wanted the lift was to be able to fit some bigger tires. What tire size are you limited to at stock height? Could you fit a set of MTR's?

I don't see any reason you wouldn't be able to fit MTRs...you'd just need to get them in a smaller size (do they make 245/70R16 or 235/70R16 MTRs? Maybe in a different brand if goodyear doesn't make them. You can go wider, but not much taller without a lift. In any case, taller tires = taller jeep, so that's going to cut into your parking lot clearance anyway.

I would suggest taking stock of the parking garages you go under and taking note of the clearance signs. If/when you lift, take a tape measure to the jeep and tape that measurement to the sun visor so you always have it handy.

I do the same thing when I put a bike on the roof. I measure how high it sits and read every clearance sign I see (and there are a LOT of low bridges around boston).

I definitely suggest against a roof basket if you like clearance, they add a few inches as well. Or go with a low-mount basket like the yakima basketcase like I have. It sits below the rails so it doesn't add any height at all.

m0th · **Posted:** Tue May 09, 2006 8:20 pm

A Frankenlift, 31s and a Garvin rack put me around 6' 8" and a bit. I park in my garage at home (with an inch or so to spare), but parking in downtown parkades is almost impossible. There's even a mall here with some outdoor parking that limits you to 6' 4" - before the lift I would just bang through the swinging sign and park there anyway. Not anymore. :roll:

Skipperb · **Posted:** Wed May 10, 2006 3:03 pm

That's an interesting Question
I have been in Parking garages at hospitals in Atlanta and Knoxville
and did not hit but did have to take my antenna down. think I will need
to measure it for my height with the rack on.
I probably keep me from tearing it off .

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed May 10, 2006 4:58 pm

Isnt a stock Dodge 3500 HD taller than a lifted libby? :?:

m0th · **Posted:** Wed May 10, 2006 7:49 pm

Dodge 3500 is 6' 7.1"

desertkj · **Joined:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:24 pm **Posts:** 677

The Dodge might actually be a little shorter than a lifted Liberty if the KJ has big enough tires. My Liberty parks in the garage next to my parent's 3500 4x4 and there really isn't a huge height difference and mine isn't lifted. I do know we have to plan ahead with parking in congested areas with the Dodge (garages in Vegas seemed out of the question).

lifted KJ's VS parking garages...

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