Does anyone know of a source for a good off-the-shelf Patriot suspension upgrade kit? I mean shocks/struts, bushings, maybe even a modest lift all complete and ready to go? Mine is a 2009 Patriot Limited 4WD 5-speed. Thanks, Matthew
cluttonfred
Patriot suspension upgrade kit
Hi Matthew, welcome!
I don't know of anyone that sells a complete set of parts like you've listed under one part number.
I tend to mix and match and try to buy "best of breed" using research of what others experiences have been.
I don't know of anyone that sells a complete set of parts like you've listed under one part number.
I tend to mix and match and try to buy "best of breed" using research of what others experiences have been.
Thanks for your reply. Can you or others with more experience than I have suggest a list of suspension items likely to need replacement/upgrade on a ten-year-old Patriot?
Depending on the vehicles mileage, use and maintenance you may need:
Front control arms - for ball joints and bushings
Tie rod ends - if steering is sloppy and wanders
Struts and springs - poor ride and handling, rear sagging
Rear upper control arms - worn bushings cause camber problems
Rear toe links - dry lower joint will cause creaking
Rear lower control arms - dry outer joint will cause creaking.
Front control arms - for ball joints and bushings
Tie rod ends - if steering is sloppy and wanders
Struts and springs - poor ride and handling, rear sagging
Rear upper control arms - worn bushings cause camber problems
Rear toe links - dry lower joint will cause creaking
Rear lower control arms - dry outer joint will cause creaking.
Most of it, haha. Chrysler is notorious for horrible OEM suspensions, though the Patriot seems to bear the brunt of that ill will due to it's status as the baby Jeep, econobox from a long line of solid steel pack mules....you get the idea. Then again, maybe it just seems to me that the Patriot gets most of the hate due to my near-constant presence here....could be either. Or both.
Either way, Moog still has some pretty good greasable parts for it, despite even their quality declining over the last few years from what I'm told, due to the same cause as everybody else: shipping all their manufacturing process overseas. As your Patriot is a year older than mine, you've probably got quite a bit of spring sag. If you buy Moog springs for a 4x4 Patriot, it'll sit just as high as a brand new, off-the-"shelf" 2011-2017 4x4 Patriot FD1 or FD2, or a 2007-2010 FD2, which were then an inch higher than FD1. I think I've hear Moog springs are a little stiffer than Chrysler's, too. Maybe to keep them from sagging after a few years. Or you can buy STU Murchison coils from Australia, or Rocky Road Outfitters spacer lift from Utah, or the Performex or Rough Country spacer lifts, both probably designed off the Rocky Road product with a few improvements(like maybe a few millimeters shaved off the hockey puck they make to put in with the springs) that other product reviews seemed to want. From what I know of business workings, that seems like the $$$-earning way to go. Also there's a new Daystar lift available that apparently lifts a Patriot only 1.5 inches instead of 2 like Performex/RC, or 2 1/8 like RRO. Thread about that new Daystar kit was just started recently, should still be on the same page in the same section as this thread for now.
Either way, Moog still has some pretty good greasable parts for it, despite even their quality declining over the last few years from what I'm told, due to the same cause as everybody else: shipping all their manufacturing process overseas. As your Patriot is a year older than mine, you've probably got quite a bit of spring sag. If you buy Moog springs for a 4x4 Patriot, it'll sit just as high as a brand new, off-the-"shelf" 2011-2017 4x4 Patriot FD1 or FD2, or a 2007-2010 FD2, which were then an inch higher than FD1. I think I've hear Moog springs are a little stiffer than Chrysler's, too. Maybe to keep them from sagging after a few years. Or you can buy STU Murchison coils from Australia, or Rocky Road Outfitters spacer lift from Utah, or the Performex or Rough Country spacer lifts, both probably designed off the Rocky Road product with a few improvements(like maybe a few millimeters shaved off the hockey puck they make to put in with the springs) that other product reviews seemed to want. From what I know of business workings, that seems like the $$$-earning way to go. Also there's a new Daystar lift available that apparently lifts a Patriot only 1.5 inches instead of 2 like Performex/RC, or 2 1/8 like RRO. Thread about that new Daystar kit was just started recently, should still be on the same page in the same section as this thread for now.
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