This article is a review of the Airlinks Lift Kit, which I used to lift the standard air suspension ride height on my 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. These allow you to fit up to 33-inch diameter tires. However, I used them to fit my 32-inch tires with 1.75 inch spacers.
Reason for Purchase
About a year ago I upgraded my Grand Cherokee with larger, more aggressive tires. I went from a tire size of 265/60R18 to a 275/65R18. I also made the decision to install 1.75 inch Spidertrax wheel spacers to increase my track width for a more rugged look and more stability off-road. These modifications caused serious rubbing in my wheel well to the point that my front tires began catching on the wheel well trim every time I turned my wheels.
At this point I needed a fix, as I could not drive my car around without damaging it. My Grand Cherokee has an adjustable air suspension, and I noticed that I was not experiencing any rubbing at Off-Road 1 Mode. However, the air suspension automatically lowers to the standard ride height at any speeds above 40 mph.
I began looking into options for adjusting the standard ride height of my air suspension to fit my larger tires with spacers. Most options involved adjusting the computer to trick the system to sit at a higher ride height. After much research, I came to the conclusion that the Airlinks Lift Kit was my answer.
Installation
Airlinks do not require any technical changes to the vehicle’s computer. Installation was straightforward and easy.
To install, simply remove your stock links that are visible on your air coil. You can use a wrench to just pop off the links being careful to not break any of the attached components. At this point you replace them with the provided Airlinks. It took a little bit of work to snap them onto the suspensions but, overall, it is a very easy instillation. And that is it!
You can find the full installation video by Airlinks here.
The purpose of the links is to measure the current height of the air suspension system, so that the computer knows how much air to fill into the suspension to meet the desired height. The Airlink’s Lift Kit simply adjusts the link length to trick the system to sit at a higher ride height while in Standard Mode.
This is a great option for anyone who wants to fit larger tires on their vehicle when they have air suspension. Although I only tried to fit 265/60R18s which are 32 inches in diameter you could fit even larger tires.
My Experience
Since installing my Airlinks, I have been very satisfied with the final product. Now my rig has larger tires and a wider track length, and I do not have to worry about rubbing. Not to mention my Jeep looks even more badass!
Another benefit of this is that you can now stay in Off-Road 2 height up to 40 mph without the suspension automatically lowering. I found it annoying when I was off-roading through difficult obstacles that required Off-Road 2 mode, but after as my car hit 20 mph my suspension would lower down to Off-Road 1 Mode. I would then have to readjust my ride height before the next obstacle, which became quite a hassle.
I want to note that since you have increased the standard ride height to a level comparable to Off-road 1 Mode, the Off-Road 1 Mode in your Grand Cherokee is now at a comparable level to Off-road 2 mode before the install. This means that if you try to go into Off-Road 2 Mode the ride height will not be able to increase anymore.
Conclusion
I would recommend the Airlinks Lift Kit to anyone who is looking to lift the standard height of their air suspension. This product does what it is meant to do, has easy installation, and is priced under $100. You can find the product below for 2011-2015 models, 2016-2018 models, and 2019-2021 models:
2011-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee (airlinksgc.com)
2016-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (airlinksgc.com)
2019-2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee (airlinksgc.com)
Additionally, if you want to get a leveling kit or a lowering kit, they offer Airlinks that do just that. Not to mention they make links for RAM 1500, Porsche Cayenne, and even Tesla Model S.
2 comments
Thanks for the info. How did this adjustment affect gas mileage? Seems it should go down as you both increased tire size and drive at a higher ride height/less aerodynamic position. Your thoughts?
I want to thank you for the write-up. I recently purchased a 2019 GC Trailhawk with the 5.7 Hemi. The GC came with 20-inch rims and tire size 275/55R20. When the GC was auto lowered in the park mode and I drove away slowly, I noticed the tire rubbing when turning. This was driving me crazy. today I almost purchased new tires until I started to sign up on Facebook Jeep forums and came across someone telling me to purchase airlinks. Do you think this will work for me? I like to lower the vehicle to make it easier for the family to get in and out.
Thank you
Robert Carbonell