Hey Guys & Gals,

I will be donating my Patriot to Marty of Rock Lizard Fabrications in a week or so for prototype Rockrails, Bumpers, Skid Plates, other Armor and a 2" lift. I'd love to be able to tell him how many people may be interested in such goodies. I'm not sure how much these items would cost, that will depend on the materials and complexity of the build.

PM me or post here if you'd be seriously interested in this stuff. If you haven't had your riot off road yet, trust me, you'll want rails and the lift at least!

I'll post pics here of the gear when finished.

im very interested in the lift and skids. mark me down.

Me for the bumpers and lifts, especially if the bumpers are conducive to winch attachment.

Interested. Bumpers, rails, especially. Lift if it can be done without serious compromises to onroad handling and ride.

Interested in the rails. Lift only if it does not screw with the ESP and the other software based systems and the limited suspension. Bumper with hidden winch.

I'd be interested in all of it.

I'd be interested in seeing some of the goodies.

Sweet! Thanks for volunteering to be the guinea pig. I'm interested in seeing what they come up with, especially hearing about how the ride changes with the lift. Think there's only about 3" of travel there to begin with.

You thought about upgrading the size of your wheels/tires along with the lift?

How long are is Rock Lizard keeping your truck for the mods?

I will probably keep my stock tires until I need new ones... I can only add 2" dia. to them anyway, so that won't make too much of a difference. I am unsure how long I'll be without my ride, but in previous discussions we talked about 2-3 days, course a week isn't bad either. Marty lives and builds about an hour south of me. This is his full time job too.

Price wise Marty said these items will be comparable to the Liberty and Cherokee gear he currently makes. Check out his site at http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com for pricing. I believe we're still hoping to have this stuff on the market by August. Pre-orders will help boost his confidence in this project, so feel free to email him with your interests!!!

I emailed them at the address listed on their website a few days ago and haven't heard anything back yet... Hopefully he is busy installing the products on your truck :D

Marty has done some excellent work for the Jeep Liberty...quality stuff. You would just have to remember to be patient because Marty pays close attention to detail...definitely worth the wait!

I'll be all over the bumpers and lift kit (if the lift doesn't negatively effect the on road driveability too much!) Possibly the rails...

Unfortunately Marty has been VERY busy lately; not even enough time to hit the trails, much less flush his coolant system after a recent repair. He was able to squeeze a few hours for a trail run this evening. He's borrowing a friend's Liberty for the run though. Anyway, I will again convey the interest. He is worried about not having the orders though. He says we may be a couple weeks out to get my stuff (prototypes) made because he is that busy. I'll keep the forum informed! And remember, pre-orders WILL help!

I am seriously interested in Rockrails, Skid Plates, and a 2" lift. I am in Colorado as well. Thanks.

Hey, guys. As Dawson mentioned, I'm pretty slammed right now and trying to get caught up. I took on making products for the Liberties when all the other big boy companies passed, and I have been swamped ever since. I can only hope I get the support from the Patriot guys that I got from the KJ owners. I still think the Patriot is pretty new, and most will be hesitant to start adding stuff that requires drilling a few unseen holes for sliders, but that is expected. On the flip side, I hope that the Patriot guys do like the new Liberty guys, and actually see armor products as protection for their investment, expecially those that actually plan to hit the trails. The rest I hope just want to make their Patriots look more rugged and different from every other small SUV on the streets. I guess time will tell.

I can't say exactly when I will get started, but hopefully I will atleast have the prototype sliders made up so you guys know what they look like and can start putting orders in. As for building lift kits, I have a lot of research to do and need to really tear into the suspension to get an idea what is going to work without hurting ride quality or adding extra stress to the drivetrain. 2" may be nice, but 1" over the offroad package may only be possible, hard to say right now. I do know from looking at Dawson's Patriot, the wheels/tires on the stock Patriot sit really close the the lower spring plate of the front strut assembly, so there might be some clearance issues with running bigger tires. Can someone refresh my memory on the stock tire size of the offroad package...Bill? I'm thinking it was 215/70R17? I think a 235/75 would be fine, but anything bigger, like a 245 is really pushing your luck as far as clearance on the front strut assembly and strength of the drivetrain. A 235, or 30" tire may not sound like much but with a 1" lift and the difference in tire size from stock being about 1", you gain about 1.5" extra ground clearance over the offroad package. And some aggressive looking AT, like the BFG AT/KO or the Bridgestone Dueller, although only a small size would fit, the appearance would be very aggressive, and a good quality AT like mentioned will get you into a lot of new territory on the trails. Just keep in mind, 2"+ lift will add more stress on the suspension and drivetrain, and although I'm pretty new to the Patriot scene, I would bet there aren't any axle upgrades, especially lower gears to handle bigger tires, so anything bigger than a 235, or 30", is really going to put more strain on the drivetrain and hurt gas mileage. Those CV shafts can't be very strong either. Looks are cool, but I'm all about function over form, and what good is a vehicle that looks cool but is always in the shop or the driveway because it can't push the tires without snapping an axle shaft everytime you take off at a stop light.

As for bumpers, I won't be making any winch bumpers. My bumpers will have a receiver for a multi mount winch setup like all of my XJ and KJ front bumpers, but again, with the stock drivetrain and current weight of the Patriot, adding 150-200lbs of weight to the front will be a very bad idea. All of my other front bumpers weigh in at under 70lbs, so I wouldn't want anything more than that on the front of a Patriot since there isn't anything on the market...yet, to beef up the suspension to handle any extra weight.

As for pricing, as Bill mentioned, it will be very much the same as the KJ and XJ products I have. Standard sliders looking at about $250-275 and super sliders around $385, front bumpers probably around $600+, rear bumpers around $750+. Really just depends on complexity of the design and materials used. Steel isn't cheap, and build times aren't anywhere near two hours. These things take a lot of time to build, and as DarbyWalters said, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Every single one of my KJ bumpers have been test fit on an actual KJ before being shipped out, even though the bumpers are built in a jig and all of the KJ bumpers have fit without issue. I just like to check and double check so no one has any fitment issues or complaints.

I'm looking forward to getting a few things put together and finding out what the true support will be. Many times I have seen people line up for products for their vehicle, but once it came time to put the money where their month was, maybe 10% stepped up. I'm sure the prices are going to scare a lot of people off, but you get what you pay for, steel isn't cheap, and I'm sure no one would want to work in a garage all day welding and grinding and lifting steel for minimum wage. So we'll see how this goes, but I am believing that you guys will be just as supportive as my KJ customers have been.

I think I have said it before, but that SEMA Patriot will have nothing on what I'm about to come up with. The SEMA Patriot was cool, but I was pretty disappointed in what little was actually done on a SEMA Jeep. I expected a lot more.

I'm definitely interested in the lift kit, etc. too.

I do know from looking at Dawson's Patriot, the wheels/tires on the stock Patriot sit really close the the lower spring plate of the front strut assembly, so there might be some clearance issues with running bigger tires.

I wonder if it might be possible to redesign or trim that lower spring plate to allow some clearnce for larger tires? The wheel wells seem large enough.

Patriots are just too low expecially the FDI models, so before I buy my Patriot I'm calculating the price of a lift into the price of the Pat. Even an inch would be enough but I couldn't leave it how it is. Basically I will get a lift no matter what If there will be one available.

any updates?

I think I have said it before, but that SEMA Patriot will have nothing on what I'm about to come up with. I get stoked reading comments like this; makes me dream of crawling a modified Pat through the bush! :rockon: -- BUT...

The attraction of the Patriot is its great fuel efficiency coupled with a decent off-road ability (and attractive purchase price, of course). IMO any Pat kit should be kept modest enough to not impact the raison d’être of the Patriot in the first place: a decently rugged vehicle that has good fuel economy. Otherwise, I'd sooner just buy a Wrangler.

Offroading is something I'd like to try but only if I can still use the vehicle as a fuel-efficient daily driver. If Rock Lizard or some other aftermarket vendor can put together a capable off-road kit while preserving the fuel economy aspect of the Patriot then I'd definitely have a look.

That's just my 2-cents, though. I'd still say keep up the good work. I'm sure any Pat kit that becomes available would be welcome -- only, please don't miss the forest by just looking at the trees! (First and foremost I still want that low mpg). :)

On the trail the Patriots big advantages are it's light weight (relatively speaking), it's compact size, and low center of gravity. Too high a lift will detract from it's low center of gravity. Too massive amounts of bumpers and armor will detract from it's light weight, fuel economy, and lower the angle of slopes it can climb.

The Patriot is not a tank.

It is a lightweight quiet reconnaissance vehicle.

It is something more like a special ops guy might drive, rather than a infantry man would.

It can take you quickly and smoothly where you want to go, unless you want to go up the Rubicon trail and through tank traps.

Enhancements like lightweight bumpers allowing for front receiver attachment of a lightweight portable winch would be perfect.

Perhaps a small amount of lift, say an inch or two, to help in water fording situations, but bigger tires kinda work against you in areas where you are at the limits of torque.

Think light. Think efficient.

any updates?

Not yet. Still swamped with catching up on KJ orders.

How 'bout now?

I keed...I keed...

I can hardly wait for your update Mr Rock Lizard. I know your a busy man though...

Jeep Fan has a good grasp of the issues. The thing with the Pat is to do light mods that increase its ruggedness and capability within the basic characteristics of the vehicle's design. It's not a hardcore rock crawler, and it won't be. Better to use it as a serviceable go-most-places vehicle than try and extend it into a niche where it won't make sense. Hence some additional armor, mild suspension mods, and bumpers are about what makes sense. In particular, huge tires and wheels will cause more problems than they will solve.

I look forward to seeing the mods Rock Lizard comes up with, esp the sliders. I'll buy a set if they're good, and I expect they will be.

I would be interested in the sliders and/or belly skids for the Patriot.

As said earlier, fuel efficiency is important so a lighter option for skids would be very welcome. We want protection with a minimal but reasonable sacrifice to weight.

I would be interested in the sliders and/or belly skids for the Patriot.

As said earlier, fuel efficiency is important so a lighter option for skids would be very welcome. We want protection with a minimal but reasonable sacrifice to weight.

Do you live in Colorado? Did/do you have a white 05 KJ?

Just curious, because there was a LOST member by "SpoonyG" who lived in CO with a white 05 KJ.

Sli-ders! Sli-ders! Sli-ders!

I have just dropped off my Patriot to Rocky Road Outfitters who will be working on slider and a lift for my patriot. They should have it done by Friday. They say that because of the ESP they might only be able to manufacture a 1.5-2.5" lift. They said that the Sliders would be no problem. I will keep all posted if you want?

I have just dropped off my Patriot to Rocky Road Outfitters who will be working on slider and a lift for my patriot. They should have it done by Friday. They say that because of the ESP they might only be able to manufacture a 1.5-2.5" lift. They said that the Sliders would be no problem. I will keep all posted if you want?

Very nice!

Pass them along this link: ;)

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/newthread.php?do=vendor_form

Let us know. And when they will be out, i need a lift before february. Is it going to be a DIY kit or needs to be installed?

Well, got the sliders drawn up, just need to get the Patriot in the shop for a day. They will look just like my KJ and XJ sliders with my exclusive four mounting arm design, they will just have a different rear mount plate, but the front mount plate will still bolt to the unibody, and there will be the pinch weld mount. There will be standard and super slider options available. Pricing will be just like the KJ and XJ sliders. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them finished.

I'm not going to mess with a lift kit. Too much going on to deal with it, so I'm going to concentrate on armor and bumpers. I've started making some heavy duty (not very heavy in weight though) replacement roof rails and racks for the Liberty, and might look into doing those for the Patriot as well. I understand the weight concerns, and plan to keep everything as light as possible without sacrificing strength. The strength of a product is only as good as the weakest link, which, for example, is why my sliders have the four arm design. You can build the main rail out of 1/2" thick tubing all day long, and if your mounting design is two thin arms that collapse into the rockers when the weight of the vehicle is put on the slider, what good is the super stregth slider tube doing. Simple and cheap won't get you very far on the trail. My stuff isn't the cheapest, but you won't find a stronger overall design like it. My slider design allows the impact to the main rail to be distributed to the pinch mount via four arms 2" wide. If you divide out the impact to the sliders, you will have less PSI with 8" than if you took the same impact with 3".
As for my bumpers, they will be 1/8" plate instead of 3/16". The patriot is most likely not going anywhere where 3/16" plate will be needed, and if you get in an accident, you want some give in the bumper, because if it is indestructible, you will have a nice reusable bumper and a junkyard patriot. I don't plan on making a winch bumper, but I might look into making a convertible winch bumper like I am making for the Liberty.

Anyways, I'll leave it at that and keep you guys updated with progress. Keep in mind, the Patriot isn't going to get a big lift and tires like other jeeps, so the quality of your armor is going to be the deciding factor in what your Patriot looks like when it comes off the trail. If it isn't going to see much more than a dirt road, then cheap low quality products that atleast improve the look will do fine.

I can't wait to see the Rock Lizard stuff. :-)

Anyways, I'll leave it at that and keep you guys updated with progress. Keep in mind, the Patriot isn't going to get a big lift and tires like other jeeps, so the quality of your armor is going to be the deciding factor in what your Patriot looks like when it comes off the trail. If it isn't going to see much more than a dirt road, then cheap low quality products that atleast improve the look will do fine.

Right.

It' isn't heavy duty stuff for crawling over boulders that is needed so much as some protection for vulnerable areas like the radiator against braches or running into deer, and maybe a front reciever mounting for a light weight portable winch, or a small amount of lift to get a little more clearance for fording creeks or moderatly small rocks.

The lift isn't for getting bigger tires on so much as for a bit more clearance, especialy if one is going to "use up" some of their clearance by putting sliders underneath.

I will probably keep my stock tires until I need new ones... I can only add 2" dia. to them anyway, so that won't make too much of a difference.

2" OD will add 1" of the best kind of lift you can get...Tire Lift. 1" will actually make a big difference and lift from taller tires is the best overall lift you can get. It improves tire flex, approach angle, departure angle, breakover angle, ground clearance of ALL PARTS!

Do you live in Colorado? Did/do you have a white 05 KJ?

Just curious, because there was a LOST member by "SpoonyG" who lived in CO with a white 05 KJ.

You're thinking of the same guy. Life has changed, and the CRD KJ was less than reliable or consistently fuel efficient. I'm going to give the Patriot a try. Not much time to wheel like I used to anyway. I'll still try to get out for the truely stocker friendly runs when I can (a.k.a.-when the wife and kids allow me to)

BACK on topic though, weight conservative if it is possible to keep the weight down on those sliders and/or belly armor, I will be interested.

UPDATE:

They were able to put a 2" lift max on my patriot. However, there was a delay in finishing the job. They ordered a piece for the alignment next day, but it never came in. I should be able to pick it up on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll post pics as soon as I get them.

Can't wait to see your pics!

Marco asked us to post a little something here...

The lift is right around 2" and was actually extremely simple to design. It has been the alignment that has been the main pain. We've been able to get this sorted out though. The final powdercoated pieces will be installed tomorrow and some test-driving will begin.

The Rockrails were also a simple design even with the limited clearance and thin frame. Very stout mounting though. They will easily support the vehicle if you do decide to belly-flop onto some trail hazard or other immovable object.

The lift is about 2" in the rear and just over 2" on the front. Helps level the Jeep a bit. The limitation is the CV joints in the axles. Don't expect to see anything taller then about 2.25" for this vehicle. Just won't be able to handle it.

No pics at this moment. We will let Marco post those if he wishes as we don't want to start spamming a message board with multiple posts. Even with the larger tires some wider ofset wheels or wheel spacers would really change the attitude of this whole vehicle. Jeep likes to tuck their wheels way up inside the body for some reason, but this looks like a dog with his tail between his legs to us. A wide stance really helps the Jeep look cool (in our opinion).

If anyone has any questions regarding our experience with the Patriot, please feel free to email us direct. We were the first company to do any lifting or other parts for the Liberty and that market really took off. Maybe when some shops see how cool these things are with a bit of lift and some attitude, the market will take off on the Patriot as well.

Glenn Wakefield
Rocky Road Outfitters
gwbuild@rocky-road.com

Sorry... wrong thread. Newby alert. Posted to the proper place in the suspension forum.

Commenting again to bump this one back up. Where are my rails? I want 'em!

Rock Lizard - do you have anything you can share, drawings on the rails, and have you put any thought into offering a set of skid plates.

There have been several of us that did not buy the trail rated Patriot and have noticed the amount of exposure with the engine and gas tanks. Jeep/Mopar parts have not been very forth coming with the part numbers for the FDII skidplates factory installed on other Patriot trim levels.

The after market may be our only hope, and I know that you do quality work.

Definitely interested in the 2" lift kit. Will be happy to demo it in the Colorado mountains.

:mad:i just called rock lizard and he said that it will not be until maybe summer of 08 before or if he will build anything for our pats

:mad:i just called rock lizard and he said that it will not be until maybe summer of 08 before or if he will build anything for our pats

Well dang, sounds to me like he is conceding the market to Rocky Road.

As they say, the early bird gets the worm.:icon_rolleyes: