getlost4x4
Expedition Leader
Taken from: http://getlost4x4.com/?p=565
Words and Photos: Ross Hildebrandt
(c)2009
Then:
Now:
It seems like just yesterday we decided to pull the trigger on our Jeep Commander. We had been pining for a Commander for almost a year. Once we took our first test drive we knew we wanted it. Our first test drive actually lasted over an hour; the car dealer let us take it for a drive without the sales man. We promptly tested the Commander to its full stock potential including some rough off-road terrain. We knew what we needed in a new vehicle: room, off-road prowess, powerful motor and good reliability. So far we have come to love the Commander. Now that we have put over 70,000 miles on the Commander we do not think we'll ever let it go.
We purchased our commander as an upgraded Sport model. The upgrades on our Commander from the base model include: leather heated seats, 4.7L V8, Sirius Satellite Radio, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, second row skylights, moon-roof, fog lights, rear-view mirror defrosters, and Quadra-Trac 2 traction control system.
Our model has the extremely reliable 4.7-liter V8. The motor is rated at 235 horsepower and 305 foot-pounds torque at the flywheel. The 4.7-liter V8 is an overhead cam engine with 2 valves per cylinder. Our commander was upgraded with the tow package, which upgrades the alternator to 160 amps, heavy-duty cooling system, tow/haul mode, and class 4 receiver hitch. This motor has been simply perfect. This motor returns an average fuel economy of 17 mile per gallon. Since we spend most of our miles driving highways it's easy on fuel. We change the oil every 6000 miles and use only synthetic oil in the motor. After 70,000 miles the motor doesn't use a drop of oil between oil changes. The only maintenance we have performed on this motor is: oil changes, spark plugs, and air filters. This motor is a great motor.
For the rest of the drive train we have the 545RFE, 5 speed automatic transmission. This is an electronically controlled transmission with 5 forward gears and a lower gear ratio on the downshift of second gear to soften the feel of the shift. The first gear in the 545RFE transmission has a gear ratio of 3.00:1. When combined with the transfer low-range gear ratio and the axle ratio the Commander has a crawl ratio of 30.5:1. This ratio feels perfect for four wheeling.
The transfer case is a full-time NV245 with a low range gear ratio of 2.72:1. The transfer case has been for the most part trouble free. The only difficulties we have had with it were water getting into the electrical connector for the transfer case. We crossed a stream and the water was up to the middle of the door. Once we got to the other side of the stream the Commander would not move. After a bit of fiddling around we removed the plug to the transfer case, dried it out and were promptly on our way.
As for the rest of the drive train we have not had any major problems. The axles have not broken in all our off-road outings. So far our only gripe is the lack of aftermarket gears and lockers for the Commander. One problem we do have is in the front end. We seem to have a noise coming from the front end, it sounds kind of like rotor blades on a helicopter, it only happens when the Commander is coasting. We have had this noise in the front for about 40,000 miles. I have inspected the front axle and suspension and still cannot locate the source of the noise. So, we just put up with it. Drive shafts have not been an issue with this vehicle either. We also have had very good luck with the brakes; we have not had to replace them yet.
As for the interior of our Commander we are very pleased. We chose leather because we have kids, we like it, and its very easy to clean and maintain. The leather seats are wearing very well with no signs of wear. We use leather conditioner on the seats about every 2 months. The seats in the Commander are very comfortable with plenty of adjustment for long trips. Most of the interior panels are made from plastic, and while some people may think it's cheap and ugly, we actually like it and it's very easy to clean up after weeks of abuse. If there were anything we could change it would be the carpet color, it would look much better with black carpet. With the removal of the third row of seats we have increased our interior storage space by 9.25 cubic feet. We built a custom storage are where the third row was placed. We built this storage compartment to be at the same level as the second row seats when they are laid down. This makes for a perfect sleeping platform inside the Commander.
As for the exterior of the Commander, the paint shows a little wear. The trees have been a little hard on the clear coat and added quite a few scrapes into the paint. I recently used some buffing compound and an electric buffer on the paint; with this combination most of the light scratches were removed. The front bumper has been replaced with a steel winch bumper for extraction purposes and front-end protection. On the sides of the Commander we custom built rocker guards to protect the doors from trail obstacles. We custom built a rear tire carrier that ties into the frame, it carriers two jerry cans and one spare tire.
Some Quick Cliff Notes:
The Good
* Plenty of interior room.
* Rock solid reliability.
* Cheap operating costs.
* Comfortable.
The Bad
* Can be a bit thirsty.
* Not much aftermarket support.
* Small 20.5-gallon fuel tank.
* Traction Control does not do well in deep mud or deep snow.
Current mileage: 70000
Average MPG: 16-17
At the current time this is our set-up on our 2006 Commander.
YEAR: 2006
MAKE: Jeep Commander
MODEL: Limited
ENGINE: 4.7lt. V8
TRANSMISSION: 5-Speed automatic
DRIVETRAIN: QT2
SUSPENSION:
Removed all sway bars
FRONT: OME HD Springs, 1/2 Suspension Spacer ~3" lift in front, Custom UCAs with 1" uniball
REAR: Bilstien 255/75 valved 5150 Shocks. 12" travel, Custom Rear Springs
TIRES: 255/75/17 BFG Mud KM
WHEELS: Jeep Rubicon 5 Spoke 17"
BRAKES: Stock for now
ELECTRICAL:
Garmin GPS 60CSX
Cobra 29 SX WXT CB radio
Firestik CB antenna mounts and coax
RECOVERY:
48" Hi-Lift mounted to spare tire carrier
20k lb tow line
T-MAX EW-90000W winch
T-Max Winch Recovery Kit
OTHER:
Custom Rear Storage Compartments
Rear Tire carrier with Jerry Can mounts
Custom Front Bumper and Skid Plate
Hella 6.5" Fog Lights
Industrial Fire Extinguisher
Optima Yellow Top Battery
On Board Air
Custom Tube Slider Rocker Protection
FUTURE MODS:
Snorkel
Front Solid Axle Conversion (3 Link set-up, JK D44 front Axle)
3 Link Rear conversion
ARB Rear Locker
4.10 Rear Axle Gears
Engine Power Programmer
Defender Roof Rack
33x10.5x17 Pizza Cutter tires
Flowmaster 50 Series SUV muffler
LED Tail Lamps
HID Headlamps
We really like this vehicle and it fits our family perfectly. The commander works well off-road and is pretty tough. We will continue to drive this Jeep until the wheels fall off. It's a very well built vehicle.
Words and Photos: Ross Hildebrandt
(c)2009
Then:
Now:
It seems like just yesterday we decided to pull the trigger on our Jeep Commander. We had been pining for a Commander for almost a year. Once we took our first test drive we knew we wanted it. Our first test drive actually lasted over an hour; the car dealer let us take it for a drive without the sales man. We promptly tested the Commander to its full stock potential including some rough off-road terrain. We knew what we needed in a new vehicle: room, off-road prowess, powerful motor and good reliability. So far we have come to love the Commander. Now that we have put over 70,000 miles on the Commander we do not think we'll ever let it go.
We purchased our commander as an upgraded Sport model. The upgrades on our Commander from the base model include: leather heated seats, 4.7L V8, Sirius Satellite Radio, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, second row skylights, moon-roof, fog lights, rear-view mirror defrosters, and Quadra-Trac 2 traction control system.
Our model has the extremely reliable 4.7-liter V8. The motor is rated at 235 horsepower and 305 foot-pounds torque at the flywheel. The 4.7-liter V8 is an overhead cam engine with 2 valves per cylinder. Our commander was upgraded with the tow package, which upgrades the alternator to 160 amps, heavy-duty cooling system, tow/haul mode, and class 4 receiver hitch. This motor has been simply perfect. This motor returns an average fuel economy of 17 mile per gallon. Since we spend most of our miles driving highways it's easy on fuel. We change the oil every 6000 miles and use only synthetic oil in the motor. After 70,000 miles the motor doesn't use a drop of oil between oil changes. The only maintenance we have performed on this motor is: oil changes, spark plugs, and air filters. This motor is a great motor.
For the rest of the drive train we have the 545RFE, 5 speed automatic transmission. This is an electronically controlled transmission with 5 forward gears and a lower gear ratio on the downshift of second gear to soften the feel of the shift. The first gear in the 545RFE transmission has a gear ratio of 3.00:1. When combined with the transfer low-range gear ratio and the axle ratio the Commander has a crawl ratio of 30.5:1. This ratio feels perfect for four wheeling.
The transfer case is a full-time NV245 with a low range gear ratio of 2.72:1. The transfer case has been for the most part trouble free. The only difficulties we have had with it were water getting into the electrical connector for the transfer case. We crossed a stream and the water was up to the middle of the door. Once we got to the other side of the stream the Commander would not move. After a bit of fiddling around we removed the plug to the transfer case, dried it out and were promptly on our way.
As for the rest of the drive train we have not had any major problems. The axles have not broken in all our off-road outings. So far our only gripe is the lack of aftermarket gears and lockers for the Commander. One problem we do have is in the front end. We seem to have a noise coming from the front end, it sounds kind of like rotor blades on a helicopter, it only happens when the Commander is coasting. We have had this noise in the front for about 40,000 miles. I have inspected the front axle and suspension and still cannot locate the source of the noise. So, we just put up with it. Drive shafts have not been an issue with this vehicle either. We also have had very good luck with the brakes; we have not had to replace them yet.
As for the interior of our Commander we are very pleased. We chose leather because we have kids, we like it, and its very easy to clean and maintain. The leather seats are wearing very well with no signs of wear. We use leather conditioner on the seats about every 2 months. The seats in the Commander are very comfortable with plenty of adjustment for long trips. Most of the interior panels are made from plastic, and while some people may think it's cheap and ugly, we actually like it and it's very easy to clean up after weeks of abuse. If there were anything we could change it would be the carpet color, it would look much better with black carpet. With the removal of the third row of seats we have increased our interior storage space by 9.25 cubic feet. We built a custom storage are where the third row was placed. We built this storage compartment to be at the same level as the second row seats when they are laid down. This makes for a perfect sleeping platform inside the Commander.
As for the exterior of the Commander, the paint shows a little wear. The trees have been a little hard on the clear coat and added quite a few scrapes into the paint. I recently used some buffing compound and an electric buffer on the paint; with this combination most of the light scratches were removed. The front bumper has been replaced with a steel winch bumper for extraction purposes and front-end protection. On the sides of the Commander we custom built rocker guards to protect the doors from trail obstacles. We custom built a rear tire carrier that ties into the frame, it carriers two jerry cans and one spare tire.
Some Quick Cliff Notes:
The Good
* Plenty of interior room.
* Rock solid reliability.
* Cheap operating costs.
* Comfortable.
The Bad
* Can be a bit thirsty.
* Not much aftermarket support.
* Small 20.5-gallon fuel tank.
* Traction Control does not do well in deep mud or deep snow.
Current mileage: 70000
Average MPG: 16-17
At the current time this is our set-up on our 2006 Commander.
YEAR: 2006
MAKE: Jeep Commander
MODEL: Limited
ENGINE: 4.7lt. V8
TRANSMISSION: 5-Speed automatic
DRIVETRAIN: QT2
SUSPENSION:
Removed all sway bars
FRONT: OME HD Springs, 1/2 Suspension Spacer ~3" lift in front, Custom UCAs with 1" uniball
REAR: Bilstien 255/75 valved 5150 Shocks. 12" travel, Custom Rear Springs
TIRES: 255/75/17 BFG Mud KM
WHEELS: Jeep Rubicon 5 Spoke 17"
BRAKES: Stock for now
ELECTRICAL:
Garmin GPS 60CSX
Cobra 29 SX WXT CB radio
Firestik CB antenna mounts and coax
RECOVERY:
48" Hi-Lift mounted to spare tire carrier
20k lb tow line
T-MAX EW-90000W winch
T-Max Winch Recovery Kit
OTHER:
Custom Rear Storage Compartments
Rear Tire carrier with Jerry Can mounts
Custom Front Bumper and Skid Plate
Hella 6.5" Fog Lights
Industrial Fire Extinguisher
Optima Yellow Top Battery
On Board Air
Custom Tube Slider Rocker Protection
FUTURE MODS:
Snorkel
Front Solid Axle Conversion (3 Link set-up, JK D44 front Axle)
3 Link Rear conversion
ARB Rear Locker
4.10 Rear Axle Gears
Engine Power Programmer
Defender Roof Rack
33x10.5x17 Pizza Cutter tires
Flowmaster 50 Series SUV muffler
LED Tail Lamps
HID Headlamps
We really like this vehicle and it fits our family perfectly. The commander works well off-road and is pretty tough. We will continue to drive this Jeep until the wheels fall off. It's a very well built vehicle.
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