Dodge Caliber Forum banner

Thinking about lifting...

11K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  .20 Caliber 
#1 ·
My caliber has been on srt4 springs for about a year now and I think I've grown tired of how low it sits. You'd think that out here in socal the roads would be like glass and a lowered car would be ideal. Well it's not. There are so many canals for water, intersections where the cross road is lower by enough that when you hit it at 40-50 you bottom out, and every parking lot has no less than 5 speed bumps.

I've been looking around and I really like the jeep patriot. I like the ground clearance, mpg's, the look, etc. Only thing is I don't want to trade in a car that is almost paid off for a car that would start me up into another auto loan. So the next best thing came to me, the patriot/compass/caliber are all basically the same. With research I found that the rro lift for the patriot will/should fit the caliber, only I can't find anyone who's actually done it.

I'm thinking of being the guinea pig. I'll put my stock springs back in and install the rro kit and with 29"-30" tires I should net about 4 1/2" of ground clearance over how it sits now.
 
#2 ·
#5 ·
I finally did it. I bought the mastercraft version of the lift kit. I would have gone the rro route but $400 for a couple spacers and two control arms seemed a bit steep. The mastercraft is the same kit but only $250 shipped.

I don't have my tires yet but here's how she sits after finishing the lift.



I noticed the rear is sitting a bit high and the wheels pulled closer to the front of the wheel wells in the rear, I didn't notice this happening on the patriots and compass's so I'm guessing it'll settle a bit as the bushings in the adjustable control arms wear in.

As for anyone else that decides to go through with it just know that the install is harder than it seems. I've lifted many 4x4's with coil and leaf suspension and this was by far the hardest and most time consuming by comparison. I know why this is a 2 1/8" lift and not a 2 1/2" because if it were the latter it simply wouldn't fit.
 
#9 ·
I noticed the rear is sitting a bit high and the wheels pulled closer to the front of the wheel wells in the rear, I didn't notice this happening on the patriots and compass's so I'm guessing it'll settle a bit as the bushings in the adjustable control arms wear in.
Guessing it would look 'right' with persons on board.
Keeping those rims?
 
#10 ·
I just got it aligned and now it sits exactly how I pictured it in my head. The wheels are perfectly centered and there isn't a rake front to back anymore. I'll snap some more pictures when I get home from work. I won't be keeping these wheels, I'm going to remount my stock 17's with the new 235/65r17 at's I bought.
 
#16 ·
I am in the exact opposite position as you .20 Caliber and I am wondering if you can help me out... I have a 2012 Jeep Compass and I am looking to lower it. I have seen springs that will lower it about an inch and that isn't enough for my taste. I have also read that the suspension is the same as the Caliber and wondered if I could put SRT4 springs in with my struts or if I will have to change my struts as well. Hoping that since you have looked into a lot of different options for your car that maybe you will have the answer. Oh and your raised Caliber looks really mean!
 
#17 ·
From what I found the struts and springs are the same for caliber/compass/patriot. I'm not totally sold on the springs being the same as it seems like the caliber sits lower stock for stock than the others. However it could just appear to be lower because of how tall the wheel wells are on the other two vehicles.

The srt4 struts are different but the same dimensions. They have different valving/internals than the standard caliber. But a lot of srt4 guys just install standard caliber struts when theirs go bad since there doesn't seem to be a readily available aftermarket part for them.

Hope this helps.
 
#18 ·
This does help a lot actually. My hope was that the regular Caliber would be lower and then the springs from the SRT4 would be even lower and stiffer. Then theoretically stock SRT4 springs could be used as lowering springs to lower the Compass about 1-1.5" from my stock springs. And if I wanted to go even lower I could use something like the Eibach Pro Kit for the SRT4 to get roughly 2-3 inches out if it... I hope what I wrote makes sense, I am trying to brainstorm what I want to do. I appreciate the help being that I am not a Caliber driver on a Caliber forum, it seems like you have researched springs quite a bit so thanks for your knowledge. I am a member on a Compass forum but it seems like the forum is kind of dead and not a lot of people with the info about lowering them, I know I could use SRT4 BC coilover to lower it but $1300 seems pretty steep for what I am wanting to get out of it... I still want to be able to drive it in the winter without having to raise it back up.
 
#19 ·
.20 Caliber, how is the ride overall? I've seen a few other types of vehicles fitted with the "off-road" look, not so much for rock crawling or mudding, but for just a little more clearance for dirt or gravel tracks that would scrape the underside of a normal car (like a VW Golf or a new Mini). How does it affect to on-road handling?

Cheers,
Aaron
 
#20 ·
I haven't been around here in a long time. I still have the caliber but it's sitting on stock suspension again with srt4 coils. I could not find a way to fix the vibration caused by the lift when taking off from a stop. I'd had it aligned a couple times, installed new engine mounts, and even installed an intermediate shaft and cv shaft from a compass to try and get a healthier driveline. In the end the lift just wasn't worth the vibration and damage it could do to the car.
 
#22 ·
...I still have the caliber but it's sitting on stock suspension again with srt4 coils...
.20, I',m preparing my caliber for a 24 Hours of Lemons road race this coming weekend and I'm curious about your suspension. Did you add the SRT4 coil springs along with the SRT4 struts and / or swaybars? How much lower do the SRT4 springs make the car? Was the ride much stiffer. Since this is a dedicated race car, I want it low and firm.
 
#21 ·
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive tire Transport

2008 R/T, AWD, CVT.

I feel odd vibrations, usually when accelerating in a turn. I'm thinking it's either the rear tires rubbing on the strut when fully extended, or it may be the rear gearbox (maybe low oil or something).

I do also have a bad squeak in cold weather - original bushings need replacing.

I have the front & rear swaybars removed. It makes for better climbing over things, and I can better identify which wheel may be having an issue.

Overall, I like the small lift. I've learned to climb sand dunes better, and the added lift makes it less likely to drag on things on the way up.

I still don't trust the scooter-style transmission, though.
 
#25 ·
Good luck John - for the race, Seems like an opportunity for a thread write-up. Did you have to search for a $500 Caliber?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top