Jeep Grand Cherokee - Suspension upgrades

Hard Luck · Newbie

Jeep Grand Cherokee - Suspension upgrades

Jacksa · Veteran Member

You do not need to change anything. I towed a heavier caravan 270kg ball weight, no change to anything. Did use a wdh.

Jacob

bgt · Guru

18.6 meter van is one heck of a long van!!! There is an Australian Jeep owners forum. You may find a lot more help there. Try ausjeepoffroad.com Look for the forum for you Jeep.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Octuple axles!

Hard Luck · Newbie

See, my first post and I stuffed it up........ 18.5 feet

Whenarewethere · Guru

We all still make stuff-ups & have a laugh!

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Hard Luck wrote:
Can anyone advise the best brand of Shockers to fit for towing?

To answer the question... I would suggest Koni.

Coil, torsion bar and most other NON leaf spring suspensions are tough on dampers because they have no interleaf friction to help with damping, so they wear out faster.

Koni are a step above most other brands (and cost more too) so will last longer. They are also adjustable and serviceable.

Cheers,

Peter

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome to the gang Scott and Sandra, enjoy here and out in the playground.

I would have thought the Jeep would handle 18.6ft OK as is confuse

I added one extra leaf to each side rear springs and that has helped heaps with my rig. I had the job done at Pedders.

Just one thing though, if you keep the Jeep, you might need a bigger van. Ooops, that's a boat isn't it, oh well blankstare biggrin

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Hard Luck · Newbie

Cheers, same to you

SouthernComfort · Guru

Hi Scott, Welcome!

You shouldn't need any upgrade. Assuming your shocks are in good condition the stock suspension is very robust on the GC and will easily take that ball weight without mods.

If you're not towing more than 2265kg (assuming your GC is diesel) you shouldn't need a WDH either. Mine is a 2013 GC Diesel, springs not air suspension, I don't use a WDH as I'm well under the 2265kg, my ball weight is exactly the same as yours. Your rear arches will drop about 25-30mm to level out, since they naturally ride a little high at the rear anyway.

Here are some good forums to check with for future ref:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/jeepgrandcherokeeownerclubaustralia/

http://ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=3efec33cb9ac8d011e500ddf37bbaa38&f=284

https://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=17882&hilit=dedicated+jeep+owners+group&sid=c715bb519742ad2f930adce9de0d8f1c&start=9600

Plain Truth · Guru

I am sure the Jeep will have coil springs, koni shocks and king springs,had them on our 80 series cruiser.Did over 400,000's still going strong when we traded it in.

Possum3 · Guru

Hard Luck wrote:
See, my first post and I stuffed it up........ 18.5 feet

Welcome - Just as long as you get your clearance height correct and don't forget any aerials or airconditioner on roof. A good method to be sure of clearance/s is to have it written down and stuck on a visor or dash in a prominent position.

SouthernComfort · Guru

Plain Truth wrote:
I am sure the Jeep will have coil springs, koni shocks and king springs,had them on our 80 series cruiser.Did over 400,000's still going strong when we traded it in.

Coils yes.

Nevd · Senior Member

The Jeep GC has a unique shockie called Nivomat. They are supposed to be pretty good gear. Here's an extract from a suspension upgrade place that specialises in Jeeps and RAMs. They specialise in off-road lift kits for the GC.

"We do not replace the rear shocks on diesel models for a good reason! The CRD & HEMI WK2's come with the Nivomat self-leveling shocks. These are mandatory for the diesel WK2's to retain their 3.5T towing capability.
If yours need to be replaced, we are able to supply genuine Mopar Nivomat rear shocks for the WK2 at a fraction of the dealership pricing. Dealership pricing can be anywhere from $1550 - $1650 per shock. We retail these for much less. Call us for more information."

I have no trouble towing a 2.6t van with 270kg on the ball. Many others tow more weight comfortably with any modifications.

Nev

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Hi Scott and Sandra I have a 2018 GC deisel Limited without the air suspension and tow a 21.5 ft van. Although I have never taken the van off the beaten track its fine on main roads (either tar or dirt) the standard suspension handles 2.8T pretty comfortably - as specified by Jeep I use a WDH. As others have already said I would check out the dedicated owners groups to get more detailed info. I normally use the one on the Caravanners Forum as it is more related to towing.

Cheers

BB

jeepnudger · Senior Member

GC suspension i had GC 2014 LAREDO and found suspenion soft at rear i had airbags fitted in coil springs and was better in levelling car/van as mentioned jeep advise to fit WDH this helps becareful you dont mess up car level if new shocks fitted . Talk to jeep first.