Lifted Jeep Commander [Body, Suspension, and Recommended Kits]

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The Jeep Commander has been one of the most popular Jeep models. It’s also one of the most popular Jeep models to lift. Even better than the standard Jeep Commander is a lifted Jeep Commander.

A Jeep Commander that is correctly lifted will improve its performance and give it a tougher, more imposing look. The right lift modification raises the Jeep’s ride height giving it additional ground clearance. This added height empowers the Jeep to go places where it could not reach before.

Read on to learn more about lifting a Jeep Commander, what it is, the pros and cons of lifting, our recommended lift kits, and other information to help you determine if lifting is right for your Jeep.

Lifted Jeep Commander

Lifted Jeep Commander

A Jeep Commander that is given the right lift raises its ride height. The obvious benefit is that you have added additional ground clearance to the vehicle. As a result, its off-road capabilities have also improved. The Jeep can now travel to places where it could not go before.

Another benefit to giving this Jeep a lift is the improvement in its appearance. When this Jeep is properly lifted, it will look even more impressive. This is what adding a couple of inches to the ground height of the Jeep accomplishes.

With this added height, the off-road performance of the Jeep will improve because you can now use stronger suspensions and bigger tires. So, if you always use your Jeep Commander off-roading, getting your Jeep lifted is the way to go.

You can lift your Jeep Commander DIY style if you have the skills, tools, and experience. Or you can ask a car service center specializing in lifting vehicles to do the work for you. For more professional, safe, and quality work, the best option is to let the car service center do it. This is also the wisest for the long term.

There are two ways to lift your Jeep Commander. It is by way of a suspension lift or a body lift. Your intent determines the choice in lifting your Jeep. If it is only for improved appearance, body lifting will suffice. But if it is for improved off-road performance, you should choose a suspension lift.

Jeep Lift Explained

Basically, the process of lifting is performed to raise the height of your Jeep. In the process, it acquires more traction in off-road conditions. There are Jeep owners who choose to lift their vehicles to make them look better. It makes their Jeeps look very imposing.

In lifting a Jeep Commander, the work includes adding or installing a certain lift kit to the Jeep. After installing the lift kit, the Jeep Commander is raised a few inches above the tires. That means you can now use bigger tires. But you can also use your current tires. They will provide you with an improved off-road grip. 

Some Jeep owners choose to lift their vehicles so that they can participate in 4×4 contests. These competitions are truly extreme activities that only trucks and SUVs that have special off-road modifications can enter.

For those who join these contests, aggressive and professional off-roading is the primary reason they lift their vehicles. This is usually accompanied by increasing their tire sizes. The costs of lifting can be reasonable and can be very expensive as well. It depends on what your purpose is.

How to Lift a Kia Soul

If you intend to lift your Jeep Commander, there are many lift kits available in the market:

1. Rough Country 2″ Lift Kit

One of the most popular kits is made by Rough Country. Their suspension lift kits offer superb off-road performance at an amazing value.

The lift kit that you should buy must be within your budget. It is recommended that you use a combination of leveling and lift kits to get the best results. These kits are available online or from local stores specializing in lift kits.

One of the lift kits that you should consider is the Rough Country 2″ Lift Kit:

Click here to see it on Amazon.

This Rough Country lift kit can fit 2006-2010 modes of Jeep Commander XK and Grand Cherokee WK. This lift kit will provide your Jeep Commander the perfect combination of style, protection, and performance.

It is backed by a lifetime replacement warranty from Rough Country. The kit materials are precision laser cut used in the CAD process. Your Jeep will have unmatched ground clearance giving you the ability to drive through on and off-road obstacles.

2. Supreme Suspensions Full Lift Kit

There’s another suspension lift that you should also consider. This is the Supreme Suspensions Full Lift Kit. Click here to see it on Amazon.

The package includes two pieces of high-strength steel front strut spacers, two pieces of spring spacers of the same material, installation hardware, and installation instructions. Installing this full-suspension kit is easy with its ‘bolt-on’ style. It will only take 2 to 4 hours to install it. You can also use the Supreme SuspensionsFull Lift Kit for Jeep Commander XK 2006 to 2010 models.

3. Jeep Commander XK 2.5″ Front + 2″ Rear Lift Kit

Another lift kit that can improve your Jeep Commander’s looks and off-road performance is the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander XK 2.5″ Front + 2″ Rear Lift Kit. Click here to see it on Amazon.

One package includes two carbon steel front strut spacers, two pieces of carbon steel rear spring spacers, installation hardware, and installation instructions. This is ideal for DIYers who have basic hand tools. There is no cutting or welding required in the installation. Lastly, this kit will fit Jeep Commanders whether they are two-wheel drives or four-wheel drives.

Why Choose a Lift Kit for Your Jeep Commander

Jeep Commander Lift Kits

1. Improve Appearance and Ground Clearance

Lift kits are the most popular form of addition or modification in upgrading Jeeps. This kit will improve the Jeep Commander’s appearance and increase its ground clearance so the Jeep can handle greater off-road challenges.

2. Raise Height of the Vehicle’s Front

A lift kit or leveling kit can raise the height of the front of the vehicle to be equal to the height of its back or rear end. Like most heavy-duty SUVs and trucks, Jeeps have their rear ends slightly higher than their front ends. So, if you want to match the front height of your vehicle to its rear height, you need to use a lift kit.

3. Prevent Vehicle Sagging

Installing a lift kit will also prevent vehicle sagging. This happens when you add a lot of weight to a vehicle. It is unsightly to see an SUV or truck with a noticeably lower rear than the vehicle’s front. You can fix this by installing a leveling kit.

4. Cheaper and Easier to Install

Leveling kits are much cheaper and easier to install than full-on suspension kits. There are fewer components of leveling kits. Typically, they are only ‘bolt-on’ installations. These kits don’t cause any damage to your vehicle.  

Types of Jeep Lifts

There are two general ways that you can lift your Jeep Commander. You can either do it by a body lift or a suspension lift. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages:

Body Lift

Body lift means lifting the whole body of the car. This is done by changing the size of your tires. You need to replace your existing tires with larger diameters within the allowable space or clearance from the car’s body.

This also requires you to upgrade the size of the rims. If you use bigger tires, a body lift will increase the height of your Jeep from 1 to 3 inches.

Pros

  • This is the cheapest alternative for Jeep upgrades
  • The kit is simple and easy to install
  • This kit needs no complicated adjustments

Cons

  • An increase in ground clearance is not very significant
  • There will be a slight increase in the Jeep’s center of gravity
  • It results in modified body roll

Suspension Lift

A suspension lift is what you need to do if you want to increase your car’s ground clearance to the fullest. It will require you to modify your car’s suspension system and not only to change the size of the tires and the rims.  

Suspension lifting will push up the level of your Jeep’s frame and body. So, there will be more room for suspension travel. A suspension lift will raise the height of your Jeep to a maximum of 6 inches from the ground.

Pros

  • A maximum increase in ground clearance is possible
  • Considerable improvement in the Jeep’s overall look
  • Improvement of Jeep performance

Cons

  • There could be stability issues and damage to the Jeep
  • Significant increase in body roll
  • Considerable increase in the Jeep’s center of gravity

Which Type of Lift Is Better?

If you have budget constraints, you should choose a body lift because it is cheaper. But most experts in this area say that the best way is not to choose between a body lift and a suspension lift. They recommend a combination of both body and suspension lifts.

If you combine the two, you will get the best of both. On the negative side, they both cause stability loss. They both change the center of gravity no matter how low or high the vehicle is. So, they both affect the drivability of the Jeep.                           

Cost of Lifting Your Jeep Commander

Jeep commander lifted

There is a difference in cost between body lifting and suspension lifting. These two options require different methods of installation and different materials. So, naturally, they will have different costs:

Body Lifting

As this method is the simplest and the kit is the easiest to install, it is the cheapest option. On average, one kit starts as low as $300 to $400. The actual amount will depend on the brand of the kit and how high you want your jeep to be.

Most of these kits are DIYs. You need to have the basic tools to install a kit. It will take you from 2 to 7 hours to complete the installation.

Suspension Lifting

You have several choices in suspension lifting when it comes to increasing the height of your Jeep:   

  • 1 to 2 inches lift – on average, this kit will cost you from $300 to $1,500.
  • 2 to 2.5 inches lift – the cost to have this lift typically ranges from $1,000 to $5,000.
  • A 3 to 3.5 inches lift will cost you anywhere between $1,500 to more than $5,000.
  • 4 to 4.5 inches lift – this increase in height typically ranges from $2,000 to more than $5,000.

As you can see, the cost of getting a suspension increases based on the height increase that you want. The actual cost will also depend upon the brand of the kit and the complexity of its installation.

It is easy to be swayed by the cost of the kit, whether you will choose a body or suspension kit. But before choosing the DIY route, consider your current skills and abilities. If you have experience in doing automotive repairs, then, by all means, do it yourself.

The best route, though, especially if you want to lift your Jeep Commander (lifted) by 4 to 6 inches, is to let the professionals do it. Sure, it is more expensive. But you will get the nicest and safest job on your Jeep. You want your Jeep to look impressive and improve its 4×4 capabilities, right? Then go the professional route.

Conclusion: Jeep Commander Lifted

A properly lifted Jeep Commander will not only look impressive but will also improve its off-road performance. Many lift kits can raise the Jeep’s ride height. They will give your Jeep additional ground clearance.

Aside from improving its overall appearance, the added height from the ground will enable you to drive your Jeep Commander to off-road tracks that it can’t simply handle before. This will prevent vehicle sagging while also being cheaper and easy to install.

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