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unclejjg

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Is there such a thing as a way of lifting any vehicle? Are there universal suspension lift kits? Are there ANY lift kits for fully independent suspensions? Are there full suspension replacement kits that would work with a Patriot?

If so....who is the manufacturer?
 
There aren't any universal lift kits. There are too many differences between different vehicles -- different geometries, coil springs vs leaf springs, spring sizes, spring stiffness, shock mount locations, solid vs independent suspension, etc., etc. etc.

Yes, some components can be swapped between different kits, but you won't see a kit made for a TJ that will claim to work on a ZJ because of the different sizes of the vehicles (though you can swap the front springs, but a 4" lift on a TJ may correspond only to a 3" lift on the ZJ -- I'm just pulling these numbers out of nowhere, but it's just to illustrate a point). You definitely won't see an XJ kit that's compatible with the ZJ or TJ since the XJ has rear leaf springs and the ZJ and TJ have coil springs.

I can only imagine the differences in lifts between Jeeps and non-Jeeps, too.

For a wrangler, I've seen lift kits of 8" but the most I've seen for a Liberty was 2.5". I think it took them a few years to actually get this to work on a Liberty b/c of the IFS (to compare, they already have 4" kits out for the new Wrangler) Independent suspensions are much more complex than solid axles and are usually much more limited in the amount they can be lifted.

I havent seen a lift kit for a fully independent suspension.

The bottom line -- don't expect a lift for the Patriot any time soon... That being said, I hope I'm wrong :)
 
I agree with Sir Fuego, in that there are no universal lift kits. Each vehicle's suspension design is different.

However, there are lift kits for the newest Dodge Ram and Dakota trucks that have IFS.

http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/suspension/131_0509_dodge_truck_ifs_lift_kit/

And for the GM brands:

http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/suspension/131_0509_gm_truck_ifs_lift_kit/

I think it's too soon to see anyone develop a kit yet. I'm sure at some point there will be. It's just a matter of money and time.
 
unclejjg said:
Is there such a thing as a way of lifting any vehicle? Are there universal suspension lift kits? Are there ANY lift kits for fully independent suspensions? Are there full suspension replacement kits that would work with a Patriot?

If so....who is the manufacturer?
As the others have already stated, there are no universal lift kits. It's unlikely that any existing lift kit will fit the Patriot without massive modification (of the kit, the vehicle, or both).

As for lifts for fully independent vehicles, the only one I can think of is the Hummer H1. But of course, they're a bit pricy. Patriot kits will be cheaper, but probably not as cheap as, say, TJ kits (which have a larger installed base and longer history).

http://www.teakatoys.com/Brakes_and_Suspension_s/22.htm
 
Ha! $10,500 for a 6" lift! That's just insane. Plus, being that the H1 started as a military vehicle, the suspension is probably pretty beefy and dramatically over engineered (for good reason), so it can handle the added stress of the lift -- unlike other independent suspensions.

Then again anyone who has an H1 probably won't blink an eye to spending over 10k + labor to get the kit installed.
 
SirFuego said:
Ha! $10,500 for a 6" lift! That's just insane. Plus, being that the H1 started as a military vehicle, the suspension is probably pretty beefy and dramatically over engineered (for good reason), so it can handle the added stress of the lift -- unlike other independent suspensions.

Then again anyone who has an H1 probably won't blink an eye to spending over 10k + labor to get the kit installed.
Yup, if you can drop $100K on the vehicle, I guess $10K is a drop in the bucket...
 
Captain Crash said:
There's a chance we will never see a lift kit for the Patriot, and if there is, I doubt it will ever go over an inch or two.
I definitely agree that we'll never see any 'extreme' lifts for the Patriot. But I wouldn't doubt that we'll see two or three kits out there. Low demand will keep them pricey, though.
 
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