Factory Tow package how to reduce rear height

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william patterson

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I bought a used 2005 Liberty and the rear end is much higher than the front. No lift kit is seen in the rear. To make this back to normal height what should I do? Replace the rear springs? What is the part number? Do I also need to replace the shocks? Part number?
Can I just use a spring compression add-on?
I will not be using the jeep to tow anything.
 

tommudd

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I bought a used 2005 Liberty and the rear end is much higher than the front. No lift kit is seen in the rear. To make this back to normal height what should I do? Replace the rear springs? What is the part number? Do I also need to replace the shocks? Part number?
Can I just use a spring compression add-on?
I will not be using the jeep to tow anything.


FIRST, they came with a nose down rake , so part of that is normal
SECOND, it has springs in the front that are sagged more than likley an inch or more
I have seen some sagged almost two inches from new stock height
so first thing for you to do is measure the left front, middle of the wheel to bottom of the flare and report back to us, Thank you

by the way stock KJ suspensions ( springs and shocks ) are junk at one mile so being 15 years old, totally gone
front spring rate is only 310 lb where they should of had them at 340-350 lb making for better ride and handling
 
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william patterson

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FIRST, they came with a nose-down rake , so part of that is normal
SECOND, it has springs in the front that are sagged more than likely an inch or more
I have seen some sagged almost two inches from new stock height
so the first thing for you to do is measure the left front, middle of the wheel to the bottom of the flare and report back to us, Thank you

by the way stock KJ suspensions ( springs and shocks ) are junk at one mile so being 15 years old, totally gone
front spring rate is only 310 lb where they should have had them at 340-350 lb making for better ride and handling

OK I will measure both the front and the rear. So what you are suggesting is to buy quality shock overs for the front at the very least
 

william patterson

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FIRST, they came with a nose down rake , so part of that is normal
SECOND, it has springs in the front that are sagged more than likley an inch or more
I have seen some sagged almost two inches from new stock height
so first thing for you to do is measure the left front, middle of the wheel to bottom of the flare and report back to us, Thank you

by the way stock KJ suspensions ( springs and shocks ) are junk at one mile so being 15 years old, totally gone
front spring rate is only 310 lb where they should of had them at 340-350 lb making for better ride and handling

Just out of curiosity, what are the correct measurements for the front and the back? Also wondering if I was to lift the chassis up to the correct height in the front if it would then shift some of the weight to the back and make it move downward. When I get a chance to measure all of this I will also include a photo of the car so you can see if you think it is extreme.

Thanks for your help
 

tommudd

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After April 12, 2002 it would be 19 inches in front, before that build date 19.75 inches
back is going to stay the same height no matter what
 

william patterson

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Measured the 2005 jeep 4x4 from the rubber fender trim to the center of the front wheel and it was 17.25". Is that the right way to measure or should it be from the edge of the metal fender? We also looked closer at the rear shocks and they are heavy duty shocks so we unbolted them at the bottom and the rear did not change the height at all. We conclude that maybe they have heavy springs for the tow hitch. The only thing to try is replacing those rear springs. Do know what the correct part number is for regular OEM without a tow package?
 

tommudd

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Measured the 2005 jeep 4x4 from the rubber fender trim to the center of the front wheel and it was 17.25". Is that the right way to measure or should it be from the edge of the metal fender? We also looked closer at the rear shocks and they are heavy duty shocks so we unbolted them at the bottom and the rear did not change the height at all. We conclude that maybe they have heavy springs for the tow hitch. The only thing to try is replacing those rear springs. Do know what the correct part number is for regular OEM without a tow package?

First DO NOT touch the rear, it more than likely is just where it should be
Second shocks do not provide any lift , only springs
Third you measure from middle of the wheel to bottom of the " plastic " flare
Forth , you measurement is more than likely right on, which means you are at least 1.75 inches lower in the front than what it was brand new

I have had ones in my shop that were as low or even a bit more lower than yours in front with only 75,000 miles on them, front springs are extremely weak from the factory, they are only rated at 310 lb and should of been 345-350. So that is why they sag so bad

In the end you need new front coils and new front shocks
 

kejobe

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First DO NOT touch the rear, it more than likely is just where it should be
Second shocks do not provide any lift , only springs
Third you measure from middle of the wheel to bottom of the " plastic " flare
Forth , you measurement is more than likely right on, which means you are at least 1.75 inches lower in the front than what it was brand new

I have had ones in my shop that were as low or even a bit more lower than yours in front with only 75,000 miles on them, front springs are extremely weak from the factory, they are only rated at 310 lb and should of been 345-350. So that is why they sag so bad

In the end you need new front coils and new front shocks


^^^This.
 

william patterson

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We disconnected the rear shocks and the height stayed the same in the rear. We then placed a floor jack under the frame and raised it up to 19" and it still looks the same. The rear end is really high. We are going to order some moog 81057 springs and see what they do. From my research, these are for standard suspension and not tow package. Someone put in heavy-duty shocks that are not OEM so we are thinking they did the same with the springs. If this does not work then I guess we will live with it. The front end might be lower due to the strut assembly (springs and shocks) but the car rides nice and does not seem to be bouncy at all in front. it is not the ride that is concerning but the wife hates the rear end sticking up (happy wife, happy life). Will have to add a picture.
 

tommudd

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waste of money replacing rear springs and shocks WHEN IN FACT the front needs them
Has to be right down almost on the bumpstops and can not ride that well trust me
I have ridden in and drove ones with fronts as low as yours and it is not a good experience when you know how it is supposed to ride
Also want to see these so called HD springs and shocks and brands

Am I missing something here folks, is it really that hard to understand that if you are sitting well below stock height you have a front spring/ shock issue not rear
 
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william patterson

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I took a hard look at the front end with both wheels off while checking the other front end components. The springs are not compressed and the shocks look new. We are just going to try the springs in the back. If they do not do anything we can return them. Fortunately, it is not that hard to replace if they are the right height.
What is crazy is how high the back end is even if the front is at the correct height. As I said, we are not replacing the rear shocks as they are not causing the increase as you explained. I can not see any other item that could raise up the back but the springs. Forgot to get the distance before but will try to do that...thanks for the advice. If this does not make a difference then I guess we will have to examine replacing the fronts. Just a pain in the ass.
PS: I did find out that the Moog 81057 rear springs are the standard ones for jeeps without a tow package.
 

tommudd

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But the front is still close to 2 inches below stock height and if it has over 65,000 miles and over 3-4 years old, new springs are needed ( and shocks)
That fact does not change no matter if they do not look compressed or not
Having been around these and had over 100 or more different ones in my garage I can tell from a simple picture how much sag it has.
Like I mentioned, the rear was higher that the front BRAND NEW, subtract almost two inches in front and yes would look like my 69 Cougar back in 1972 LOL
 

william patterson

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OK finally got to measure the front again and the rear. From the center of the wheel to the outside edge of the fender flare is 17.75" for the front and 20.50" for the rear. We have decided to first try some Superior 18-1201 Spring-Lox,2-Way Adjustable Spring Spacer we found on Amazon. We can pull down the rear spring 2" and see how that looks and feels. I know it is not the best way but I am just thinking of replacing the springs may not do much if the ones currently installed are original. I have checked and it appears that OEM springs are 11.1" high. So maybe we will take all the tension off the ones in the back and measure to see what they are. Could be that someone actually liked the raised backend and put in higher than normal springs. At this point we are not sure. What a pain.
 

tommudd

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OK finally got to measure the front again and the rear. From the center of the wheel to the outside edge of the fender flare is 17.75" for the front and 20.50" for the rear. We have decided to first try some Superior 18-1201 Spring-Lox,2-Way Adjustable Spring Spacer we found on Amazon. We can pull down the rear spring 2" and see how that looks and feels. I know it is not the best way but I am just thinking of replacing the springs may not do much if the ones currently installed are original. I have checked and it appears that OEM springs are 11.1" high. So maybe we will take all the tension off the ones in the back and measure to see what they are. Could be that someone actually liked the raised backend and put in higher than normal springs. At this point we are not sure. What a pain.


Trying to be a nice guy here but darn it it is getting hard to be.
LEAVE THE REAR ALONE, IT IS WHERE IT SHOULD BE, THE FRONT BEING AT 17.75 INCHES WHEN IT SHOULD BE 19 IS THE ISSUE.
WHAT YOU WANT TO TRY WITH THE REAR SPRINGS IS CRAZY AND IS REALLY GOING TO SCREW THINGS UP, IT WILL NOT, WILL NOT WORK
 

william patterson

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Here is an image of this beast. I here you but replacing the front struts in not something at this time we can afford.
 

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tommudd

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Here is an image of this beast. I here you but replacing the front struts in not something at this time we can afford.
So destroy the rear springs and shocks so you will need to repalce all 4 springs and all 4 shocks, makes perfect sense , to someone, not me
Have a great life, I'm out of here
 

duderz7

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I think you'd be better off getting a set of stock springs from the wrecking yard in the rear and doing a clevis lift up front. It wouldn't be a fix, but it's be closer to level, and not a disaster waiting to happen.
 

william patterson

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That was our other thought to get a set of springs OEM from Amazon so we could return if not a fix. The more I look at this the more I think someone put in taller springs but will not know until I remove one and check it's height. I know the ones that are the OEM from MOOG are 11.1 inches tall. Does anyone know if that is right?
What is a clevis lift?
 

duderz7

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The fork (clevis) that attaches to the bottom of the front shock can be slid down the body of the shock and retorqued 3/8inch lower = 3/4inch lift for free. I would think a set of rear springs from a yard would be cheaper than shipping springs back. Keep in mind that this is just a bandaid. You should still eventually fix it right with all new suspension. So keep it cheap for now.
 

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