05 Lift questions

[randymorris]

I’ve been reading a lot on here and it’s been very helpful in trying to figure out what I’m doing when it comes to fixing the lift on my 05 Liberty. I bought the truck last summer knowing I would need to put some work into it to get it where I wanted, and I’m now looking to fix the suspension. I had no experience with lift kits before buying this truck, and didn’t understand the problems associated with getting a kit like the 3” Rough Country kit. Now that I’m looking to do this right, I want to make sure what I’ve gleaned from this forum and elsewhere is right, that I’m not misunderstanding anyone.

For reference, while this is my daily driver, I am wanting to eventually turn this into a trail rig only, and in the next two years am saving for a new daily driver so I can focus on what I really want from this truck.

I’m looking to do the front struts and rear coils and shocks first, and I will get the JBA control arms later, for financial reasons. I am also replacing some steering components as well, which have worn out and is eating up my UCA fund. While I realize getting the UCA’s is recommended, how bad is it to not order it for now? Could it damage the new struts up front? Or will it be fine for a little while until I can afford to upgrade those as well?

I ordered Bilstein 24-139168 front struts, these struts paired with OME 927 coils will provide about 2” of lift, yeah? And at 2” of lift, should I be able to run 255/70r16 tires? I pulled the tires off my old Ford Explorer that I had bought last year when I put the Rough Country lift in, but I didn’t realize how much the suspension had sagged already, and now is entirely shot. For reference, with the 3” spacers up front, I’m at 19.5”-20” on the front and at 19.5”-19.75” on the rear of the vehicle. I will be ordering a spring compressor from Amazon as well as new mounting plates and coil isolators to build them before removing the old ones. Is there anything else I need for the front besides extended bump stops? I was looking at the Teraflex bump stops on JBA.

For the rear, I was looking at Bilstein 24-185660s with the bushing kit from JBA, paired with OME 948s. Will those provide 2” of lift as well? As much as I’d love to go for something like the Econolift, that’s a little out of my price range at the moment, but this is my daily driver so I do need to fix the current issues before saving for what I want. Is there anything else needed for the rear? I am getting hockey pucks for the rear bump stops.

I’m also getting a new rack and pinion, outer tie rods, lower ball joints, and factory upper control arms and would like to do ideally do all this work at the same time, and I’m still putting together some money needed for these parts, so I have a little time in case I need to look at anything else. I appreciate any and all help.

This is my first Jeep, and the more I read through this forum and get to know my truck, the more I really like this platform and can’t wait to see where it will take me. :happy107:

 

[dchadjohnson]

I did the Bilstein/OME lift on my 07 last summer and have had zero issues on the trail or as my daily.

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[tommudd]

I’ve been reading a lot on here and it’s been very helpful in trying to figure out what I’m doing when it comes to fixing the lift on my 05 Liberty. I bought the truck last summer knowing I would need to put some work into it to get it where I wanted, and I’m now looking to fix the suspension. I had no experience with lift kits before buying this truck, and didn’t understand the problems associated with getting a kit like the 3” Rough Country kit. Now that I’m looking to do this right, I want to make sure what I’ve gleaned from this forum and elsewhere is right, that I’m not misunderstanding anyone.

For reference, while this is my daily driver, I am wanting to eventually turn this into a trail rig only, and in the next two years am saving for a new daily driver so I can focus on what I really want from this truck.

I’m looking to do the front struts and rear coils and shocks first, and I will get the JBA control arms later, for financial reasons. I am also replacing some steering components as well, which have worn out and is eating up my UCA fund. While I realize getting the UCA’s is recommended, how bad is it to not order it for now? Could it damage the new struts up front? Or will it be fine for a little while until I can afford to upgrade those as well? IF YOU STAY UNDER 3.25-3.5 INCHES YOU CAN GET BY FOR A WHILE

I ordered Bilstein 24-139168 front struts,( SHOCKS WE DO NOT HAVE STRUTS ) these struts paired with OME 927 coils will provide about 2” of lift, yeah? 2.5 INCHES OF LIFT And at 2” of lift, should I be able to run 255/70r16 tires? YES BUT WITH STOCK WHEELS MAY RUB I pulled the tires off my old Ford Explorer that I had bought last year when I put the Rough Country lift in, but I didn’t realize how much the suspension had sagged already, and now is entirely shot. For reference, with the 3” spacers up front, I’m at 19.5”-20” on the front and at 19.5”-19.75” on the rear of the vehicle. I will be ordering a spring compressor from Amazon NO TAKE THEM TO A SHOP AND HAVE THEM COMPRESSED , THEY DO NOT WORK ON OME COILS PLUS WILL KNOCK YOUR HEAD OFF as well as new mounting plates and coil isolators to build them before removing the old ones. Is there anything else I need for the front besides extended bump stops? I was looking at the Teraflex bump stops on JBA.YES NEED THOSE PLUS USE 2 HOCKEY PUCKS PER SIDE FOR THE REAR BUMPSTOPS BOLTED DOWN TO THE SPRING PERCH

For the rear, I was looking at Bilstein 24-185660s with the bushing kit from JBA, paired with OME 948s. Will those provide 2” of lift as well? 2.5 INCHES OF LIFT As much as I’d love to go for something like the Econolift, that’s a little out of my price range at the moment, but this is my daily driver so I do need to fix the current issues before saving for what I want. Is there anything else needed for the rear? I am getting hockey pucks for the rear bump stops.

I’m also getting a new rack and pinion, outer tie rods, lower ball joints, and factory upper control arms and would like to do ideally do all this work at the same time, and I’m still putting together some money needed for these parts, so I have a little time in case I need to look at anything else. I appreciate any and all help.

This is my first Jeep, and the more I read through this forum and get to know my truck, the more I really like this platform and can’t wait to see where it will take me. :happy107:

ANY other questions ask away

 

[randymorris]

I did the Bilstein/OME lift on my 07 last summer and have had zero issues on the trail or as my daily.

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I’m really looking forward to seeing how these feel, as I’m currently used to a VERY rough ride.

ANY other questions ask away

Thank you for all that info.

In terms of the spring compressor, I was looking at:

JAXPETY 46" Max Height Red Steel Hand Operated Strut Coil Spring Press Compressor Machine https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L3T5FNY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_aSfECbKK6QZZJ

So I’d be better off taking it in to a shop? Any idea on what it costs to have them assembled in a shop?

Also, since I already have the 255/70 tires, how would I fix the rubbing, is it a matter of going higher, or getting different wheels? I definitely have a lot of rubbing right now, and that’s one of the issues I’m trying to fix doing all this work. This is the first vehicle I’ve ever looked into modifying in any way, so I’ve still definitely got a lot to learn.

Thanks!

 

[tommudd]

Works ok on stock springs ( 310 lb ) but for ones like the 927s ( 400 lb ) not so much, not heavy enough in my book
I have seen mine ( one set of OMEs I was doing for one of mine years ago ) come out of a commercial spring compressor and travel 25 foot and knock a piece out of a concrete block wall.
My buddy died several years ago after being a vegetable for 6 years after a spring came loose and hit him in the head.
I always worked out a deal with the alignment shop to compress my springs and do my alignment right after install and then again in a 1000 miles

 

[randymorris]

Ok, I will see if the alignment shop I go to has the ability to assemble them for me, or if my mechanic is set up for it. I’m getting married this year, definitely not wanting to risk that. I had a friend pass away several years ago while working on his car (car fell off the jack while he was working under it, hardest memorial service I ever had to run as a sound guy) so I’m very safety conscious when it comes to working on my truck. That’s why I was looking at that larger spring compressor instead of the glorified C clamps. I appreciate the word of warning.

 

[randymorris]

Out of curiosity, what is your opinion of the lifetime alignment offered at Firestone? While I refuse to take my truck to them for any major work, The allure of not having to pay for alignments for a while is enticing. Do they generally do a decent alignment job, or should I spend the money and continue taking it to a dedicated alignment shop?

 

[dchadjohnson]

Out of curiosity, what is your opinion of the lifetime alignment offered at Firestone? While I refuse to take my truck to them for any major work, The allure of not having to pay for alignments for a while is enticing. Do they generally do a decent alignment job, or should I spend the money and continue taking it to a dedicated alignment shop?

I bought the lifetime alignment at Firestone after my OME/Bilstein life install and they could not get it to spec after 3 tries...I ended up paying almost as much as the lifetime alignment cost to go to a dedicated local off-road shop

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[dchadjohnson]

So I’d be better off taking it in to a shop? Any idea on what it costs to have them assembled in a shop?

I paid about $125 at a local shop to have my front coil springs compressed and installed...well worth the cost IMO

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[randymorris]

I bought the lifetime alignment at Firestone after my OME/Bilstein life install and they could not get it to spec after 3 tries...I ended up paying almost as much as the lifetime alignment cost to go to a dedicated local off-road shop

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Good to know. I won’t waste my money on Firestone then.


In terms of tire size, I wanted the tires off my Explorer because I really like the Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires that I had just purchased before buying the Jeep. If I may get some rubbing with stock wheels, would a different tire size like 245/75 tires work better without rubbing going with the OME/Bilstein lift? I know the Falkens come in that size, and I want to keep a larger tire than stock on the vehicle, but I also don’t plan on regearing anytime soon. I’m hoping to solve the rubbing before taking this truck off road, and I know I’m gonna need new front tires soon due to severe rubbing and alignment issues right now.

 

[randymorris]

I paid about $125 at a local shop to have my front coil springs compressed and installed...well worth the cost IMO

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Compressed and installed, total? That’s well worth it for sure. I’ll have to shop around and see if I can find a deal like that.

 

[dchadjohnson]

Compressed and installed, total? That’s well worth it for sure. I’ll have to shop around and see if I can find a deal like that.

I didn't mean to mislead...I meant compressed and installed with the front shock to form the coilovers...I did the labor of installing the front and rear springs and shocks myself [emoji106]

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[randymorris]

I didn't mean to mislead...I meant compressed and installed with the front shock to form the coilovers...I did the labor of installing the front and rear springs and shocks myself [emoji106]

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Oh, got it. $125 still isn’t bad, since the spring compressor I was looking at was $100. The extra $25 is worth not risking serious injury.

 

[tommudd]

Good to know. I won’t waste my money on Firestone then.


In terms of tire size, I wanted the tires off my Explorer because I really like the Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires that I had just purchased before buying the Jeep. If I may get some rubbing with stock wheels, would a different tire size like 245/75 tires work better without rubbing going with the OME/Bilstein lift? I know the Falkens come in that size, and I want to keep a larger tire than stock on the vehicle, but I also don’t plan on regearing anytime soon. I’m hoping to solve the rubbing before taking this truck off road, and I know I’m gonna need new front tires soon due to severe rubbing and alignment issues right now.

Love the Falkens, great tires
IF, now if they rub it will be on the UCAs most likely since they generally run a bit wider I'm running 265-70-16 Falkens on my 03 with a 2.5 inch lift on Moabs
245-75-16s will work but taller than the 255-70-16s you mentioned earlier

As far as Firestone, there are some good ones and some, well not so good.
Talk to their alignment guy first and see if knows how to align , some can only align one that is stock, stock height, stock wheels, stock height etc
I never use the big box places, I search out the smaller Mom and Pop type places that actually has people who have people who have been doing it for years instead of months

 

[randymorris]

Love the Falkens, great tires
IF, now if they rub it will be on the UCAs most likely since they generally run a bit wider I'm running 265-70-16 Falkens on my 03 with a 2.5 inch lift on Moabs
245-75-16s will work but taller than the 255-70-16s you mentioned earlier

Moab’s, like these?

https://www.quadratec.com/products/92702_000_07.htm

As far as Firestone, there are some good ones and some, well not so good.
Talk to their alignment guy first and see if knows how to align , some can only align one that is stock, stock height, stock wheels, stock height etc
I never use the big box places, I search out the smaller Mom and Pop type places that actually has people who have people who have been doing it for years instead of months

My mechanic here in town referred me to the small shop he uses for alignments, and so far they’ve done a great job, but I also don’t get an alignment as often as needed due to the cost of needing it every month or two (I put a lot of miles on my vehicles). In this case though, I might as well stick with them, make sure it gets aligned correctly. That shop has been around for decades and all they do is alignments, nothing else.

 

[tommudd]

Moab’s, like these?

https://www.quadratec.com/products/92702_000_07.htm

Real Moabs, ( from 03 to 06 Wrangler Rubicons ) not the fake knockoff ones



My mechanic here in town referred me to the small shop he uses for alignments, and so far they’ve done a great job, but I also don’t get an alignment as often as needed due to the cost of needing it every month or two (I put a lot of miles on my vehicles). In this case though, I might as well stick with them, make sure it gets aligned correctly. That shop has been around for decades and all they do is alignments, nothing else.

Sounds good that little shop, so it doesn't stay in alignment ?

 

[tommudd]

Oh, got it. $125 still isn’t bad, since the spring compressor I was looking at was $100. The extra $25 is worth not risking serious injury.

I usually pay about 40 for the pair

 

[randymorris]

Sounds good that little shop, so it doesn't stay in alignment ?

They kept my alignment in shape in my explorer, but this Jeep hasn’t kept alignment once the ball joints wore out and the other steering and suspension components failed.

 

[randymorris]

I usually pay about 40 for the pair

I’ll respond with what kind of deal I can find in Phoenix on them.

So I poked around the front of my vehicle to identify the major rubbing happening right now, and found the upper control arm resting against the tire. Is that something that should go away when I replace all these components, or do I need wheel spacers or something to move my wheel further out? I’ll upload a picture later from my iPad

 

[randymorris]

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That’s what I found last night. I assume that’s what I feel while driving now. I’m ordering the parts at the beginning of next week, just gotta wait for a few checks to clear. Had a client pay me early yesterday, so I am moving up my timeframe on fixing these issues.