WK2 air suspension yes or no

[TexasTJ]

I'm looking to get a 2011 WK2 and I'm trying to decide if I should go with the Air suspension or not. I'll be putting some rubicon take off wheels and tire on the truck. And if I do not go Air I will put on an OME lift.

So the real question is, is the air suspension worth it?

Thanks

Nate

 

[SSF556]

How much lift can you get with OME? Air is complicated and could pose an issue it breaks on the trail.

 

[TexasTJ]

I believe it is equal to the off-road 2 setting on the air maybe 2"

 

[JDaPP]

Would you have to ride around at off road setting 2 all the time to run those tires? My understanding of the system (do not own, just on my short list of vehicles) is that the system will lower automatically above 50mph which could make it interesting. Also setting 2 is supposed to be a rougher ride.
Have you tried Jeep garage forum? I have found them to be a wealth of wk2 knowledge.

 

[MTSN]

I don't know about the lift, but I would not suggest running the factory Rubicon KM1 tires. They are complete junk IMO - harsh riding, loud, poor on road handling, etc. Virtually every modern tire on the market right now is better. Sorry rant over

 

[TexasTJ]

The tires are supposed to clear with out rubbing on all setting except exit.

 

[kojackJKU]

tough one. is it a daily driver, with lots of on road time? if so, I think the air would be beneficial. Lower on the highway is always good. Just run a tire that can fit using every setting.

 

[lumpskie]

I, personally, have not seen an air suspension that I like. I would avoid it if I could. If you get a properly damped and sprung conventional suspension, you can get a comfortable ride over the road and still get suspension travel offroad. My main gripe with air suspension is that, when it raises into offroad mode, it increases the spring rate. That's the exact opposite of what you want. As for raising and lowering the ride, I've lifted each of my trucks after buying them and haven't noticed and negative effects over the road. The CG is higher, but I can't tell from the driver's seat. Like others have said, the air suspension will have more components to fail and, if you pop an air bag, you'll be without a spring on that corner.

But, you can take my opinion with a grain of salt as far as WK2s go. My Jeep is a Wagoneer on leaf springs so I don't know many of the specifics about the KW2 platform.

 

[sjstar]

yea I would go with one that does not have the air suspension so you can put the small lift on it and not worry about it lowering and having a mind of its own

 

[philndz]

I've got seat time in a WK2 w/ Air suspension. As mentioned, on road it's phenomenal. I towed a car on a flatbed trailer across the midwest and I couldn't be more impressed (air suspension plus diesel engine was a combo to die for.....just effortless)! On trails throughout Utah I tried to like it, and it's true that the impressive height gain is useful for tall obstacles. You will find yourself, however, always trying to pick the lowest ride-setting possible just to maintain some level of comfort. Don't even consider not airing down your tires. The QD2 drive system on those trucks is impressive and does counter the lack of articulation well. I went back to the trails shortly after with a conventional suspension and was so happy to have a smooth ride again.

 

[ry3w]

Fyi the air compressor from dealer runs almost 3k to replace

 

[karlmagnum]

Air suspension will provide better ride though I heard some issues about their air suspension system.

 

[BrianV]

Fyi the air compressor from dealer runs almost 3k to replace

This is what made us go with Limited EcoDiesel. Maybe you could macgyver something else, but I bet you you would not have a lot of space to work with everything is pretty compact on these Jeeps. I think the our WK2 rides awesome without the air suspension and we don't care about off road performance except for snow and basic fire roads, no serious trails needed here.

 

[DallasJKU]

I had a Rubicon on 37's and decided to ditch it when my dog died for something more comfortable on road. I chose a '15 High Altitude GC with Hemi and 4X4. For DD, I love it. I have not needed to use the 4X4 yet, but planning a trip to CO/NM with my new puppy. It has been a great vehicle while my puppy grows up with the ease of getting him in and out plus not having to train a puppy to not jump out of a Jeep has been nice as well. I can attest the OR2 setting is much harsher than the normal setting, but since I would only need it briefly its definitely a nice thing to have along with the AERO mode on highway. Its also been nice to not modding a vehicle and constantly wanting to change things. The one thing I would do next time is probably go for the new Trailhawk which would be a bit better off road than the HA which is like driving an SRT with similar lower fascias and such. I still have the itch to return to a Wrangler, but there is never a moment I hate driving my GC. That couldn't be said about my Rubicon. Windy days are not felt anymore. Rough roads are like glass. In Sport mode it handles like a car. Being in AERO mode does help with the aerodynamics, but with a Hemi I don't notice any gas savings. My only fear is when all this stuff and tech starts to break. I will trade this one in at the 3 year mark and probably get a TrailHawk or a new Rubicon. Giving up the DD advantages of the GC will be hard to do.