Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

KK Liberty A Real Jeep?

32K views 79 replies 33 participants last post by  91AzXJ 
#1 ·
I was so sick of seeing people call the liberty a jeep for soccer moms, something that was only capable of gravel roads and Walmart curbs, a car not an SUV etc.

Then I start reading on this forum and all I see are posts like:

Hey would these black lug nuts look cool?

Should I drop my KK and put low profile tires on it?

If I get 300 inch swamp rompers but keep my stock suspension will they rub?

Can I use a Little Debbie Popsicle stick for a 48 inch spacer to give myself a lift so my mallcrawler will look cool?

Help! I hit a speed bump at the mall and my dirt cheap aftermarket parts all fell off my jeep which then broke in half and i cant find all the pieces cuz it got run over by a soccer mom in her Hyundai minivan.

No wonder the Libertys have a bad rep. Screw the soccer mom rep looks more like a bunch of mall rats who wanna be thugs are what the Liberty is about these days.

Reminds me of the preppy ultra select rich kid private school party I went to in high school where all the people showed up in preppy designer clothes with "pimped out" vehicles payed for by daddy's money, but greeted each other by saying "what's up my n*****." And left trying to make an impression by squeaking their little tires on the asphalt on the way out.

Is there anybody trolling these forums that has a Liberty and actually uses it for a jeep?



P.S.

Dont get me wrong, there are some upgrades id like to make. I'd like to get a good aftermarket suspension that will give me about a 3 inch lift. Why? Because some of the tractor roads I drive to my deer stand on get bad in the winter and I'm worried I might slip into a rut in the dark, bottom out and get stuck.

Which is why I'd like to install an off road lightbar.

I'd also like to get some bigger wheels with wider tires. Why? If I go up 3 inches I'd like to go out as wide as i can without rubbing to have better stability. None of these have anything to do with making my jeep "look cool." (But I bet it will look pretty beast when I finish.)
 
See less See more
#37 ·
IMO the liberty would make a great winter expedition vehicle... Or summer it thats your thing. Just a few mods and a cargo basket, some at's and have at er. Couple days supplies, back country trails (level of challenge up to you) and there you go.... If any of that made sense lol. Winter popped into my head first since the only kk left on the lot is the arctic edition.... The jets sold like hotcakes. Wouldn't go trade in my zj for one, but I'd sure use one to get to some back country snowshoe trails or the middle of nowhere and still have on road drivability to get home after it all... Lack of zj providing lol
 
#39 ·
Yeah, wrangler guys are an odd bunch. For some of them coil springs are too fancy and nonjeep, let alone air conditioning (omg if there's one thing I love about my jeep it's that the AC works) and power windows... Funny thing is, I see fewer of their real jeeps on the road that are older than ten years than I do ZJ's and they stopped making those 14 years ago lol. Let them stick to their leaky hardtops and rough leaf spring suspension (for those still rockin yj's) and enjoy the kk for what it does... Which is probably more than a wrangle owner thinks...

Again, if anything I said makes sense lol. I tend to ramble
 
#41 ·
Makes sense to me. See that picture on the top of this page with the black wrangler? I rode in that wrangler back to my bogged down KK. I'll tell you, that wrangler rides like a buckboard wagon. Hard as hell and bouncy as a superball on those huge tires. My KK may not have the clearance, but it rides WAY better and can carry more cargo. (seriously. Put the rear seats down and you have 6 x 4 storage space. Same as some small pickups) I've carried more cargo than a wrangler owner could DREAM OF, including an entire backyard party rental consisting of 4 large folding tables, 18 chairs, a 30 foot wide pole tent and a 15 foot wide, 25 foot tall inflatable bouncy castle. All at once. Try that with a two door wrangler!

All I need is a good lift kit, some nice big tires, and maybe a better job to pay for all of that. :p
 
#42 ·
Wearyman said:
Makes sense to me. See that picture on the top of this page with the black wrangler? I rode in that wrangler back to my bogged down KK. I'll tell you, that wrangler rides like a buckboard wagon. Hard as hell and bouncy as a superball on those huge tires. My KK may not have the clearance, but it rides WAY better and can carry more cargo. (seriously. Put the rear seats down and you have 6 x 4 storage space. Same as some small pickups) I've carried more cargo than a wrangler owner could DREAM OF, including an entire backyard party rental consisting of 4 large folding tables, 18 chairs, a 30 foot wide pole tent and a 15 foot wide, 25 foot tall inflatable bouncy castle. All at once. Try that with a two door wrangler!

All I need is a good lift kit, some nice big tires, and maybe a better job to pay for all of that. :p
Lol I had one of the salesmen today tooting his horn about his 2door rubicon and even though I don't have lockers or electronic disco's on my zj, he can't exactly camp in the back of his jk Rofl
 
#43 ·
Comparing the liberty to its closest wrangler cousin, the Sahara Unlimited:

Same engine. Same transmission. Wrangler is 10 inches wider but with a greater departure angle. Liberty is shorter but has a better turn radius.

The wrangler has lower gears, stronger axles, taller tires.

The liberty has a better towing capacity, more seats, better 1/4 mile time and a smoother riding suspension.

source:expeditionportal.com

For someone who used a jeep EXCLUSIVELY off road the choice is obviously a wrangler.

For someone like me who uses a jeep for towing a tractor, hauling kids, road trips, commuting from work every day, and whose off roading consists mainly of tractor roads and muddy cow pastures on the way to the deer stand, drives through the slough to the back of the property, trips in the snow and ice to the ski slopes, off-road "shortcuts" in the national parks while on vacation, and fording the bridge off of my street onto the main highway when the water is up (freaky), the choice is obviously a liberty.

I've driven quite a few vehicles off road, from suburbans to pickups to ATVs to dune buggies to a stock Toyota Camry (don't ask LOL) and my liberty would take almost every one of them to school. It may not could keep up with a wrangler on a rock crawling trail but there's no rocks to crawl here. Only mud and sandy riverbanks.
 
#45 ·
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/7563-2008-Liberty-vs-Wrangler-Sahara

This was the only info I could find in the first few pages of my google search that actually seemed to compare the two.

Im not starting over. If you have different info, list it. I'm interested.

What I would be very interested to see would be a jeep build sheet of both. I've got the build sheet from my 08 KK and would be happy to post and compare.
 
#46 ·
well to start the JKs have the 3.6 engine not 3.7
plus the Sahara's come stock with 3.21 gearing
KKs have 3.73 stock
lots of differences
you can go to the Jeep site and look at the build sheets of both
very easy to do
 
#49 ·
Actually from '07-'11 the JK had the OHV 3.8 V6,AKA the minivan engine(right out of the caravan),nothing like the SOHC 3.7 V6 that is the Liberty.The Wrangler never had the 3.7 SOHC V6 that the KJ/KK had.Before the JK the TJ had either the 4.0 I6 or the 2.4 I4,and the YJ had either the 4.0 I6 or the 2.5 I4.
 
#50 ·
tjkj2002 said:
Actually from '07-'11 the JK had the OHV 3.8 V6,AKA the minivan engine(right out of the caravan),nothing like the SOHC 3.7 V6 that is the Liberty.The Wrangler never had the 3.7 SOHC V6 that the KJ/KK had.Before the JK the TJ had either the 4.0 I6 or the 2.4 I4,and the YJ had either the 4.0 I6 or the 2.5 I4.
Sorry, my bad. Been a while since I've had any per 2012 jk's on the lot
 
#54 ·
Well, the pics of NASA on the moon are real, aren't they? LOL

Either way, the KK has good bones. I didn't buy mine to do trials with, but there are a lot of logging roads, washouts and blizzards to contend with here. I have a 3000 lb tent trailer to pull also, so this works. To me the KK is a nice blend of Jeep toughness and ability with decent size and comfortable interior. My preference is the KJ, just for the driver's ergonomics, door handles, back seat releases, and basic look...but they're getting old and are fairly noisy. The KK isn't a technology queen and it guzzles gas, but it has a solid drivetrain and suspension, good handling, turns on a dime, has simple low-tech instruments, a nice big interior and cargo area, workable 4x4 with ESP off, locking rear diff and low gearing, has 4 doors for the kids, plus looks pretty macho and still fits in the garage.

If you want to question a Jeep - I'd look at the Barbie Jeeps...Compass and Patriot. I wouldn't drive those down a gravel road, and they'd probably get stuck on a speed bump at Wal-Mart.
 
#55 ·
backinblack said:
Well, the pics of NASA on the moon are real, aren't they? LOL

Either way, the KK has good bones. I didn't buy mine to do trials with, but there are a lot of logging roads, washouts and blizzards to contend with here. I have a 3000 lb tent trailer to pull also, so this works. To me the KK is a nice blend of Jeep toughness and ability with decent size and comfortable interior. My preference is the KJ, just for the driver's ergonomics, door handles, back seat releases, and basic look...but they're getting old and are fairly noisy. The KK isn't a technology queen and it guzzles gas, but it has a solid drivetrain and suspension, good handling, turns on a dime, has simple low-tech instruments, a nice big interior and cargo area, workable 4x4 with ESP off, locking rear diff and low gearing, has 4 doors for the kids, plus looks pretty macho and still fits in the garage.

If you want to question a Jeep - I'd look at the Barbie Jeeps...Compass and Patriot. I wouldn't drive those down a gravel road, and they'd probably get stuck on a speed bump at Wal-Mart.
The title of the post is more of a rhetorical question. I know the lib is a real jeep. It's in my signature for crying out loud.

But some of those pics look (poorly) photoshopped.
 
#58 ·
Between my wife and I, we've had 5 Jeeps - a WJ, a KJ, two KKs and a JK. I currently drive a JK (on the weekends) and my wife currently drives a 2012 KK. I love her KK. It's a "true Jeep" in every sense of the word, and it quite a capable vehicle right out off the showroom floor. If there were more aftermarket accessories for it, I think a lot of people would sing a different tune. It doesn't have to have solid axle to be a true Jeep.

A lot of the people that look down on KJs/KKs/WJs are CJ/YJ/TJ/JK owners and are complete snobs. To them, if it doesn't have two doors and a removable top, it's not a Jeep.

Just my 2 cents.

 
#59 ·
There's a lot to be said for ground clearence and for that, I have an XJ (yes it's a real Jeep) to beat up in the desert and mountains. For road trips and easy trails, our KK is great. It cost too much to take out and beat up anyway.
 
#60 ·
The only people that like to talk smack on the Liberty are ones that have never had one or ridden in one off road. Everyone knows the Wrangler is suited best for off road. Then you line up the rest...Just changing the tires will be enough to outdo most others, add a couple inches lift and well Im not sure what will beat it at that point.
 
#61 ·
The off road ability of a Jeep is partially related to the Jeep, but a lot of it comes to the driver's ability to navigate the terrain. While a Liberty might tackle an obstacle differently than a Wrangler, both will get over a lot more than other vehicles. I do use my Jeep to commute to work more than going offroad, but that's because I work 5 days a week. I also use it at the fire department, as well as terraforming my backyard on weekdays (after work), and mudding, crawling, and trail riding on weekends. The only "part" I have added (so far) since it came off the line is a driver. Today I am getting rid of the OEM tires and it will kick that much more....well mud.
The only reason that I miss my old Cherokee is for the 6" lift I had on it, but once I put that on my Liberty she'll get over the same (and look nice doing it).
 
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