Installed my lift kit
 

After putting it off for a couple of months, I got around to installing my Hazard Sky TrailHawk lift kit. Kit was great, instructions were clear and concise. Install went (mostly) according to the book. I used the "Do it in the kids garage with basic tools" technique and deviated from the instructions only on the rear and then only after wasting quite a bit of time with my spring compressors. I gave up on that and just dropped the lower control arm (one bolt plus the sway-bar link) after which it took about 10 minutes per side. For the front I did remove the diddly-brackets on the struts with the bend and twist technique.

I took it for an alignment post-lift and got everything put back in order. The only thing that wouldn't come back into spec was drivers side front camber. It's about .1 out. I just had them set the passenger side to the same and called it good. It's important to note that I didn't get a "before lift kit" reading, but the post-lift before and after were dramatically different. Mostly toe, but some camber in the rear as well. My post-work seat of the pants testing tells me it drives better, tracks better and is a tad stiffer than before. I strongly suspect that the camber was way off (and toe too, probably) before I installed the kit as it always was a bit skittish on the highway. It's much more solid now. I pull a teardrop travel trailer and the lift kit keeps me more level with the trailer on than it did before. A bit more rear preload keeps things less saggy.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the results. I've got about 500 miles since all this happened and really like the "new" drive. Now if I can just learn to lift my foot an inch before swinging it up in, I'll preserve the paint on the rocker panel too....

WilliamA

I'm finally getting around to posting a photo or two. Here's the Jeep, post-lift and a copy of the before/after alignment. Keep in mind, the alignment before/after is the result of: Before alignment but after I installed the lift kit. I didn't get any specs from before I installed the lift kit.

I've got around a thousand miles on the lift kit and love it. It's quieter (tire noise) mostly because it obviously needed alignment before I installed the lift kit. It's also much stiffer, but not obnoxiously so. I pull a trailer (teardrop) constantly and appreciate the new lack of sag when the trailer is hooked up. It drives better on the road. Plain and simple.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...cc1b674e42.jpg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4e314ac323.jpg

Looks good.

I like it. How is it going around turns on the street? Does it feel more "tippy"? Do you feel you have to drive any different?

If anything it feels more solid and planted. It's a bit stiffer and doesn't roll as much. Particularly when towing. I suspect most of the difference in driving that I'm feeling is the result of the alignment which I always felt it needed anyway.

I crawled under one like this a couple weeks ago, and as much as I prefer to stay close to stock, these absolutely need a lift!

Thanks for sharing in such detail. I am considering a number of modifications; including a slight lift. This is my first 4x4 with all this electronic stuff. So, I worry about how the electronics will react to any changes.
In the photo it looks like your tires might be a "plus" size. Are they? Any problems?
Remain Calm & Carry On.

Tippy?
 

Your Jeep looks great but any lifting on any vehicle does cause increased roll over. Stiffer does not mean it handles better it only means higher & stiffer. Anytime you shift the center of gravity higher, things get funky. SUVS by design, have the worst handling and roll over characteristics when stock. Lift them and they get worse. Off road, lifts will increase clearance but on steep grades rollover is increased. On the highway at speed rollover is greatly increased. Understanding the dynamics of a lifted vehicle is important as you can adjust your driving habits but don't be fooled into thinking that your jeep actually handles better, it may feel better or different, however, it does not handle better.

Tippy
 

I beg to differ. The Cherokee suspension felt stiffer and more planted after the lift. The lift did raise the roll center or longitudinal center of gravity. Nevertheless, it drove better as the suspension was stiffer, reducing steering and suspension roll-induced instability. In addition to the longitudinal center, there are about a thousand other factors that cause longitudinal instability. If roll center vs track width were the only measure of vehicle stability, tractor-trailers, buses and UPS trucks would be flopping over at every road cant and wet leaf. Lifted vehicles, when properly done taking automotive geometry into account and driven properly are quite solid and safe. Saying the roll center went up so it's less safe is not necessarily so because there are more factors in the equation. And finally, there is driver input to be considered. The highest cog vehicles on the road are trucks and they seldom roll over because their drivers know how to drive them...

WilliamA

I have to admit.... I wasn't initially a fan of the new Cherokee... but with those wheels, tires, and lift... I have say, that looks pretty damn good man. Nice... has a much more "aggressive" look to it than the average stock suburbia pavement pounding SUV. The roof rack sets it off too.

Agreed! It does Look more promising.

Gents,

I have a 2016 KL with MFC lift installed and riding 265/70 Ridge Grapplers. When the shop tried to install Dobinson struts they ran onto a problem. Please let me know if any of you have heard of/experienced any of the similar issues when replacing the struts.

The problems we had were not related to the kit. They were with the vehicle itself. The MFC struts require you to reuse the strut top mount and bearing from the factory strut, as do most other strut kits. When we removed your factory struts and mounted them to our strut compressor machine we could not remove the factory nut that holds the strut mount to the strut. We could have cut the strut shaft in half and slipped off the strut mount to re-use on the Dobinson strut but it was risky. We recommend you purchase the complete strut mount assembly with strut bearing from the dealership. You will need two complete mounts. Then we can assemble the Dobinson strut and spring completely and install it to the vehicle. The other problem we had was with your drivers side constant velocity shaft. It is seized to the wheel bearing and could not come out by hammering on it or using a hydraulic puller. The constant velocity shaft should be removed from the steering knuckle in order to remove the strut from the vehicle. We were able to pry off the steering knuckle with the CV shaft still attached to the bearing but is not the correct way to perform the job. It would have been almost impossible to reassemble it that with the heavier MFC strut. I recommend you order a new hub bearing assembly and possibly a new CV shaft the next time you want to attempt the install. The passenger side came off fine and is ok.