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Jeep Liberty: Steering Stability and Suspension

71 messages,  Last post on Mar 25, 2009 at 7:52 AM

You are in the Jeep Liberty and Jeep Liberty Diesel Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Jeep Liberty, Tires, Wheels, Steering, Suspension, Diesel, SUV


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#56 of 71
Re: Getting biltseins [jayrider] by caribou1
Mar 06, 2009 (1:03 am)
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Replying to: jayrider (Mar 05, 2009 1:24 pm)

Hi jayrider,
How many miles do you have on the Jeep now?
Mechanically speaking, mine is still like new after 90,000 miles. It has a few dents but not much play in the transmission. Rear brakes are still perfect and moan when the temperature is cool and damp. I don't need wheel alignment yet, but why is it offered to you?
#57 of 71
Re: Getting biltseins [caribou1] by jayrider
Mar 06, 2009 (1:29 pm)
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Replying to: caribou1 (Mar 06, 2009 1:03 am)

Only have 25k miles on my Ltd. Just looking to upgrade the handling/ride a bit. The strut replacements on the front make alignment a good idea. No problems with my liberty either. Ride is a bit jittery/choppy so i'm giving the bilsteins a try. Some say the improvement is dramatic and some say they don't make much difference. I figure I've got 14 more years to reach 90,000 miles -- just looking for a change.
#58 of 71
Re: Getting biltseins [jayrider] by caribou1
Mar 06, 2009 (11:34 pm)
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Replying to: jayrider (Mar 06, 2009 1:29 pm)

Before you change your shock absorbers, you can have the present ones evaluated. Worn shocks tend to elongate, so the vehicle shows more clearance between the wheel pit and the top of the tire. Tire wear is also a good indicator.
#59 of 71
Re: Getting biltseins [caribou1] by jayrider
Mar 07, 2009 (6:11 am)
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Replying to: caribou1 (Mar 06, 2009 11:34 pm)

Good advice caribou1, but I'm replacing the shocks regardless of whether they are worn or not. I'm upgrading from the original shocks to a premium set to upgrade the ride and handling. As I said, don't know if I'm wasting my money or not but the shocks are on their way from the retailer. I'll let you know if they really make a difference.
#60 of 71
New bilsteins on my 03 liberty by jayrider
Mar 10, 2009 (12:25 pm)
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The improvement in ride is absolutely dramatic. The jiggling, jouncy ride has been replaced by a much smoother controlled feeling. I was afraid they would make the ride stiffer but it is a beautiful balance between firmness and comfort. The car corners and cruises like a different vehicle. To be honest, i didn't expect a lot because my truck only has 25k miles and the shocks should be like new. Either those old pogos were shot or they were poorly designed in the first place.
If anyone is interested the part numbers are BE5-D916-HO and BE5-D917. Bilstein is running a buy three-get the fourth one free this month. $250 free shipping which is cheaper than most OEM replacements. Caribou 1-- if you plan on keeping your jeep for a while --get a set and enjoy!!
PS --I don't own any stoc in bilstein. Actually I don't own any stock at all. Lucky me.
#61 of 71
Re: New bilsteins on my 03 liberty [jayrider] by caribou1
Mar 11, 2009 (1:05 am)
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Replying to: jayrider (Mar 10, 2009 12:25 pm)

Jayrider,
I have to bring the Jeep for technical inspection this summer; if I need to change the shocks, I will follow your advice.
I think you are driving on a different type of pavement and you may not have BFG T/A tires. So far, this is the best vehicle I've had in 40 years. It has a weakness in the way the ball joints were mounted on the front suspension and I know one day I may dive into the pavement if I don't keep an eye on these things
#62 of 71
Re: New bilsteins on my 03 liberty [caribou1] by jayrider
Mar 11, 2009 (6:22 am)
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Replying to: caribou1 (Mar 11, 2009 1:05 am)

Just because your shocks are technically ok doesn't mean you won't benefit from a set of bilsteins on / off road. Trust me, if you can afford the change, you won't be sorry. My wife was also surprised at the ride improvement -- the jeep suspension is now more euro import than american truck. I test drove some new vw's and it has similar characteristics. I'd like to compare it to a bmw X3 or mercedes ml 350 just for fun. I have a set of firestone destination LE's on the jeep -- just changed out the original set because they offered very poor traction. I'm very happy with that choice as well. If you have time, I'd be curious what the cost of the shocks are in Europe where they are manufactured.
#63 of 71
Re: New bilsteins on my 03 liberty [jayrider] by caribou1
Mar 11, 2009 (7:40 am)
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Replying to: jayrider (Mar 11, 2009 6:22 am)

The following link indicates 157 Euros per unit (Vendu a la piece), not one pair.
http://www.jtts4x4.com/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?ref=XXX310&type=879&code_lg=lg- - _fr&num=830
 
This is another absurdity of the EU market. No we can't
#64 of 71
Re: New bilsteins on my 03 liberty [caribou1] by jayrider
Mar 11, 2009 (11:46 am)
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Replying to: caribou1 (Mar 11, 2009 7:40 am)

you can buy them in the u.s. at shox.com. They will ship for $80 us which means you would pay about $330 for four to Paris[don't know where you live] -- Now with the euro-dollar exchange rate it might be a better deal. You could install the rears yourself but the fronts are more of a challenge. What would $330 u.s. be in euros and is that a bargain for you from what you would pay there. If you order and say you got a competing price from another site with 5% off they will match the discount.
#65 of 71
Re: New bilsteins on my 03 liberty [jayrider] by caribou1
Mar 11, 2009 (1:44 pm)
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Replying to: jayrider (Mar 11, 2009 11:46 am)

Jayrider,
I'm coming over in June and I intend to do some serious shopping...

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