OME or RC when new shocks are needed anyways? WWJCD?

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WWJCD? What Would Jeep Commander.Com Do?

Hello again. Apologize in advance for the long post and background.

We bought on 06 Commander 4.7 used a few years ago and have been driving it stock since then. (It has 90K miles on it, half of which are ours). This Commander is used for largely street driving, but we do live in a dirt road area, minor water crossing is sometimes needed, and it does see it's fair share of Forest Service roads on the occasional fully loaded camping trip. In other words, your typical properly used SUV.

This week, front end vibrations prompted me to take a look and I discovered it was time for new tires, like, TODAY. Blistering on 3 and bald. In addition, I have known for 6 months or so that shocks and struts we coming up, quick. Well, quick is here, and it probably sped the tire replacement along as well.

Unfortunately, I am not made of money, so I replaced all four tires, with middle of the road Cooper CST*s (They are nice enough) and I am delaying the shocks/struts for about 2 weeks. *NOTE, I replaced the stock size tires with 245/70R17 which are not quite 1 inch taller diameter than stock.

So the question is, assuming that I need new shocks and struts anyway, AND I want to lift the Jeep just 2 inches to get it sitting where it should in the first place, AND I will have a shop doing the work, not myself:

Should I go with a Medium Duty OME suspension kit (~$800 plus install) and be done with it, or should I just replace the shocks and struts with factory spec ($600 installed) and then add the RC spacer lift (~$200 plus install)?

Again, cost IS an issue, but it seems replacing with OME will not be that much more expensive than new shocks plus the RC, assuming I can find a local shop with a decent rate. My assumption is my local tire shop is not going to want to touch an OME install, so finding someone with a good rate that does not take 12 hours will also be a challenge....

Any current thoughts from the members here are appreciated.

[BrendenV]

People with the ome lift swear by it. I have the rc lift and I'm happy with it but my shocks are also going bad. On my post about shocks going bad they all recommended I switch to OME. Keep in mind "you get what you pay for".


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[07JeepXK]

If you already have to pay for install, new struts and rear shocks, and then a spacer lift on top of it to get it sitting where you want, I say get the OME. Now I noticed that you mentioned the MD duty springs. For the same price you might as well get the HD. The MD springs are rated MD duty on the Grand Cherokee but only Light Duty on the XK. So get the HD Grand Cherokee kit that is actually the MD kit on the Commander. The reason it differs from the Grand CHerokee to the Commander is due to the Commander weighing more. If this confuses you, let me know and I'll list the part numbers needed to get the correct springs.

[[]||||||[]]

07, THANKS for the speedy reply and opinion.

I absolutely understand why the same product OME are listed as LD and MD for the XK and MD and HD for the WK, so need for an explanation per se, but:

1) if you have the part number synopsis handy it would not hurt to have it

2) Given my usage description in the OP, do I really want HD? I will run with a tiny 4x6 trailer on occasion and sometimes a gear basket in the hitch loaded with people and gear in the Jeep. Is HD really even desirable for those few instances it is 'needed' when most of the time it is a passenger vehicle. Is my wife's back gonna complain?

3) I know I read some where the HD nets more lift because of the stiffer springs. Given the relatively small tires I am running, I am not sure I want 2 plus of lift. Probably be better off with 2 minus. Thoughts?


FWIW, right now I am leaning toward a full OME install, but my bank account is crying hard.

[07JeepXK]

Originally Posted by []||||||[]

07, THANKS for the speedy reply and opinion.

I absolutely understand why the same product OME are listed as LD and MD for the XK and MD and HD for the WK, so need for an explanation per se, but:

1) if you have the part number synopsis handy it would not hurt to have it

2) Given my usage description in the OP, do I really want HD? I will run with a tiny 4x6 trailer on occasion and sometimes a gear basket in the hitch loaded with people and gear in the Jeep. Is HD really even desirable for those few instances it is 'needed' when most of the time it is a passenger vehicle. Is my wife's back gonna complain?

3) I know I read some where the HD nets more lift because of the stiffer springs. Given the relatively small tires I am running, I am not sure I want 2 plus of lift. Probably be better off with 2 minus. Thoughts?


FWIW, right now I am leaning toward a full OME install, but my bank account is crying hard.

I'll have to look online and get you the proper part numbers. Or you can find them at www.arbusa.com

As far is the amount of lift, yes you will get a little more with the HD springs over the MD. Are you currently running wheel spacers? If so I dont think it will look all that bad with having a hair more lift. I guess in the end its all up to your preference. I didnt want the MD springs due to the heavy weight of the XK and because every once and a while I tow and didnt want the rear sagging bad.

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If you don't have the numbers handy, I can look them up - not a problem. I have no spacers, and don't really want to add them.

[07JeepXK]

I hear you about the spacers. Most people dont want to get involved with them. However if they are installed/torqued properly they will not cause any problems. And they give the Commander a wider stance which is highly recommended with you start lifting a vehicle.

[rjhj]

Does the ome hd lift also level the commander?



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[07JeepXK]

It leveled my Commander. However I added a 1/2 lift spacer in the rear several weeks ago so when I have a lot of weight in the back or tow it sits level again. I can't stand the look of a vehicles towing that are sagging in the rear due to the weight

[rjhj]

Excellent. Thank you.


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