After installing the Skyjacker Long Arm suspension on the Jeep JK project this past May, we had a chance to drive it approximately 5,000 miles. Of course, most of these miles were racked up on the highways of Colorado during daily commuting, as well as some local jaunts to the Rocky Mountains, where some of the toughest four wheeling in the country is found. It’s fair to say that most of the new four-door Jeep JKs on the road will be used for everyday use with a handful of minor to moderate trips to the dirt and rocks, so a street-friendly, modified suspension is a must if the plan is to lift it. It’s also important to any four wheeler to have a suspension that will be durable and flexible in the rough stuff. In the last story, we saw each step of the install, and it’s now time to look at how the big four-door Jeep, with the new Skyjacker suspension, handles on road and in the rocks.

Cruising around on the streets is a pleasurable experience in the newly lifted JK. Most Jeep owners who elevate their rigs to 4 or 5 inches know how harsh the ride can be, even with the newer coil design of the TJs and JKs. If not rough and bouncy, it can be downright dangerous with too soft of a suspension. However, Skyjacker has found middle ground and has taken advantage of the long-wheel-based JK to create a modern SUV-type ride quality around town. The Jeep still handles corners tightly with little body roll, as it did in stock form, and there is absolutely no bump steer, wandering or death wobble after having it aligned by a pro. With the Jeep fully loaded with camping gear and five people, it tends to get a little mushy over bigger bumps and old, rutted roads. The Skyjacker Hydro shocks are a nice, quality shock; however, we found the valving for the heavy Jeep could be looked at a bit more closely. Over large bumps in the road, the rear shocks tend to compress and rebound without total control of bounce and shock. A slightly firmer shock for the rear would be preferred or perhaps Skyjacker’s Nitrogen- charged gas shocks would give the best of both worlds. Skyjacker has also recently introduced their new Big Gas shock which promises to add an even better option in the world of dampers.

Cruising around on the streets is a pleasurable experience in the newly lifted JK. Most Jeep owners who elevate their rigs to 4 or 5 inches know how harsh the ride can be, even with the newer coil design of the TJs and JKs. If not rough and bouncy, it can be downright dangerous with too soft of a suspension. However, Skyjacker has found middle ground and has taken advantage of the long-wheel-based JK to create a modern SUV-type ride quality around town. The Jeep still handles corners tightly with little body roll, as it did in stock form, and there is absolutely no bump steer, wandering or death wobble after having it aligned by a pro. With the Jeep fully loaded with camping gear and five people, it tends to get a little mushy over bigger bumps and old, rutted roads. The Skyjacker Hydro shocks are a nice, quality shock; however, we found the valving for the heavy Jeep could be looked at a bit more closely. Over large bumps in the road, the rear shocks tend to compress and rebound without total control of bounce and shock. A slightly firmer shock for the rear would be preferred or perhaps Skyjacker’s Nitrogen- charged gas shocks would give the best of both worlds. Skyjacker has also recently introduced their new Big Gas shock which promises to add an even better option in the world of dampers.

Getting to the more difficult crawling sections of a trail is not uncomfortable as it had been in the past with an inferiorly built Jeep, and the big rocks is what we are after. 

In the rocks, the Jeep comes to life and is truly at home. The 4 inches of lift is welcome on the low-slung JK and a must on any Colorado trail rated above an eight. Pulling onto large rocks allows the Long Arms to work their magic, letting each tire droop to the ground, rarely hanging in the air and fighting for traction. The promise from Skyjacker that its suspension will provide additional wheel travel is very accurate; it has been rare that a tire has lifted. The flex is very impressive, (figure 1) linear and stable (figure 2). It’s also apparent that one could gain even more down travel with a longer shock; however, drivelines (figure 3) will need to be addressed as the 4-inch Skyjacker suspension allows you to keep the factory drive shafts. On steep inclines, there is no jacking that’s usually associated with four-link coil designs, which is a relief.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

With the design of the front lower arms and brackets, clearance is incredible! The arms are tucked up completely out of harm’s way and never interfere with steering due to the bend in them, even with 35s or 37s. The rear is a slightly different story. The rear arm brackets hang off the bottom of the Jeep’s frame getting them into some less than desirable situations. What saves this area from getting the Jeep hung up is the angle at which the brackets are cut. We scraped the rig over rocks with these brackets, and they allowed the Jeep to just glide over them—receiving only minor scratches. We were never hung up due to these brackets, and they were never damaged.  

The Jeep JK, especially the four-door, is designed with the chassis very close to the ground.  Four inches may seem like the proper amount of lift for many tough trails around the country, but we have found that Skyjacker’s 6- or 7-inch version of the Long Arm system may be more appropriate. The beauty of the Long Arm system is that it’s designed to work in conjunction with 4-, 5-, 6-, or 7-inch coils. Once you have the complete system, you can easily purchase additional springs, giving you more clearance that your JK will need on those 10+ trails. The taller springs will also open up more options in tire size, but you will need to think ahead by beefing up the drive train, even if running a Rubicon like ours.

Currently, the Jeep sits on 35-inch Maxxis Creepy Crawlers, on an 8-inch wheel with 4.5 inches of back spacing, and you can see from the picture there is plenty of room for more tire. No modifications had to be made to run a tire this size and only minor trimming to the rear rocker guards and body crease is necessary for fitment of 37s. (Note: our front bumper has been modified for fitment of each tire size.) After a gear swap, some experimentation with taller springs will be performed for added clearance. Our intention is to even try out a set of 40-inch tall rubber just for kicks!

The way this Jeep sits now, it is able to comfortably drive to any trail—no matter how far away—and then tackle it with confidence. Skyjacker has complimented the new four-door JK with their complete and balanced suspension. And with a few very minor tweaks or changes, you just might be able to turn out the perfect rig—one that you won’t have to trailer and that will conquer the trail and then bring you back home again safely.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Jeep and rock crawling tech, only at Off-Road.com!