Stiffen Ride for Towing

[feetwet]

Any recommendations to stiffen my '06 Sport 4x4's suspension for towing a boat... I'd like to do something less expensive/invasive if possible, but improve the ride confidence for towing my 17' fish-n-ski boat.

I've seen some threads about OEM HD springs, or spacers.

On my old van I had some air-lift bladders installed in the rear springs.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I think the suspension air bags would be a good idea. Adjustable shocks would probably work well too. The adjustable shocks would also come in handy in other situations also. Just thinking out loud here.

 

[feetwet]

I think the suspension air bags would be a good idea. Adjustable shocks would probably work well too. The adjustable shocks would also come in handy in other situations also. Just thinking out loud here.

I'm thinking it would still sag with adjustable shocks under the tongue weight.. I think the tongue weight is probably some where around 300# ?

 

[ChiefRudy]

I'm thinking it would still sag with adjustable shocks under the tongue weight.. I think the tongue weight is probably some where around 300# ?

THe max tounge weight for the liberty? I think it's 500lbs

I don't think you gotta worry too much. i just saw a liberty towing a flatbed trailer with mid-size sedan on it 3 days ago. It was easily 18-20ft long trailer with probably a combine weight of 4500lbs. It was pulling it up hill on a concrete highway. THe concrete highways in PA are like washboards with a little wave in the road every 5ft. I didn't notice any major bouncing of the suspension at all. I don't think it had the tow package either b/c it had a uhaul tow hitch on it.

 

[feetwet]

It may be rated for 500#, but it could use less sag with my trailer... it's not horrible, but it might feel better on the highway if it was stiffer.

 

[ChiefRudy]

It may be rated for 500#, but it could use less sag with my trailer... it's not horrible, but it might feel better on the highway if it was stiffer.

Have you tried Torsion bars?

 

[feetwet]

I don't think torsion bars would help with the rear end sag... The tongue height is already kind of low due the the spare tire clearance needed to hitch up the trailer...

I think the Air-lifts might be worth a try...

 

[ChiefRudy]

I don't think torsion bars would help with the rear end sag... The tongue height is already kind of low due the the spare tire clearance needed to hitch up the trailer...

I think the Air-lifts might be worth a try...

They would help. My father uses them to stop rear end sag when towing his 30ft travel trailer. Your air ride idea would be the best idea thou.

 

[JeepJeepster]

You need these:

http://store.summitracing.com/partd...908280+4294905222+4294924385+115&autoview=sku

Cheap, easy to install, and they work awesome. I use them in two of our Jeeps and love them.

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[feetwet]

You need these:

http://store.summitracing.com/partd...908280+4294905222+4294924385+115&autoview=sku

Cheap, easy to install, and they work awesome. I use them in two of our Jeeps and love them.

How long did the install take... did you need a spring "stretcher" to spread the springs enough to get the air bags in.. I know on my old van I paid Camping World to install them and he used something to spread the springs a little extra.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Took me a little over an hour but Ive had it apart many times.

A spring stretcher wouldnt help any at all installing these. All you do is take the spring out, compress the bag as best you can by hand, then shove it through one end of the spring(bottom is bigger).

Just remember these do not replace a weight distribution setup.

 

[feetwet]

Install questions for Air-lift

I've got the kit and reading through the install instructions.

1> Did you have to drill a hole in the spring seat for the air line to pass through.?

2> Did you have to remove the "bump stop" at the top of the spring and leave it off?

Took me a little over an hour but Ive had it apart many times.

A spring stretcher wouldnt help any at all installing these. All you do is take the spring out, compress the bag as best you can by hand, then shove it through one end of the spring(bottom is bigger).

Just remember these do not replace a weight distribution setup.

 

[feetwet]

Question 3

3> I can't tell from your picture... is the air bag situated with the air line coming out the top or bottom of the spring?

4> did you disconnect the sway bar to drop the axle further?

5> The instructions show the spacer below the air-bag and it looks like it might be on top of yours... ? comments?

 

[JeepJeepster]

Copied the PM I sent you, someone later on down the road may want to know this...

Yes, you remove the bumpstop and leave it out. That means that you must leave no less than 5psi in the bags at all times. This allows the bag to act as a bumpstop and it keeps the bag from becoming pinched between the coils as you flex the suspension. If you ever offroad where you will be flexing a lot, you may need to add some air to the bags to keep the tires from rubbing the fender flares but since you have the stock tires(I assume) you may not need too. I usually use around 15psi offroad.

No, I did not drill a hole in the bottom spring perch for the tube to go through. You can if you like but make 100% sure that the hole it nice and smooth or it will wear a hole in the air line. On my 2004 KJ, it already has a hole in the top of the spring perch, here are all the pics I have from my install, they should answer any questions you have.. Hope that helps.. Dont forget about the MAX air pressure(dont go over it), I believe its around 35psi. They will really stiffen the rear end up making towing much nicer. Make sure you put the air nozzle on the right end before you stick it in the spring! Stupid me had to take it back out of the spring and flip it over..

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I put my air nozzle in an exsisting hole right under the license plate:

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Make sure you DO NOT cut the air line too short. If you run the air line like I did, leave extra air line in the frame rail so as the axle moves up and down the air line will not get pulled off. The air bag will not move up and down within the spring once its pumped up so the air line needs to move with the axle.

 

[feetwet]

Great pics... Thank you !!!!

 

[feetwet]

I see the top hole on mine... looks tricky to route the hose up through the hole and back out the frame... looks like you used a coat hanger and pried the panel out of the way with the removed bump stop..

Any key tricks here?

 

[feetwet]

I did the install today and found it easier to drill 3/8" holes in the bottom spring seat to run the air line through. The install was pretty easy. I did it at the same time as changing my gear lube and transfer case ATF4.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Got any pics of the install?

 

[feetwet]

My install looks like yours, except my air bags are "right side up" with the air hose at the bottom. I used the same hole for mounting the fill valve. I can take a couple of pics if there is a certain part you are interested in.

Had to push the springs half-way off the bottom seats to drill the holes in the spring seat... was able to do this without a spring compressor, but required a little muscle. It would be easier for drilling to take the springs all the way off if you had a spring compressor.

It was key to mark the hole with a hammer & center punch to get a good dimple to start the first drill bit. I used an air drill off my compressor to work in the tight quarters and still had to drill the hole at a slight angle.

Took about 8-9 drill bits of increasing size to get the hole opened up to 3/8". I used a cheap $8.00 set of titanium coated drill bits from Menards.. Ended up breaking one small bit and one other bit went dull.

The one thing I have yet to do, and it appears you have not done either is mount the provided heat shields on the exhaust pipe. The hose clamps provided in my kit were too large for the KJ's exhaust pipe. I'll probably put a call in to the MFR to inquire about this.

 

[feetwet]

I installed the heat shield tonight.. here's a pic from below:

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