Permanently Lifted GL?
 

I've seen pics of one that had offroad shocks and springs installed but they ditched the airmatic to get there. You can also disconnect the ride height sensors and use washers to permanently raise the vehicle.

If you're doing serious off-roading, you won't want an air suspension anyway. Too failure-prone. About the only benefit of it is the ability to raise on demand, and to reduce the tendency to tip on a side incline - it will adjust the pressures to self level, at least to a limited degree.

The elevated ride height is computer controlled, so the dash button only sends a signal to the computer. The mode reverts on power cycling and speeds above a modest pace. I believe you'd have to hack the software to get it to stay on.

Not sure if this is helpful, or not, but it's a thought that went through my head as I was reading this. Someone please feel free to correct me if I'm offbase...

There may be an easy solution to get a permanent ride height increase. Trick the sensor, yet leave it in place so you still get the adjustablility/side-to-side leveling function. Trick it mechanically, not electronically. If you change the geometry of the arm of the sensor, or the how it attaches via the black nylon "bar", then you can trick the computer into thinking the vehicle is lower than it should be and it will pump up the bags, effectively making the new "normal" height now the height of the old "raised" height. You could still raise the vehicle even further by pressing the button on the dash.

If you've ever messed with building your own RC cars (And the servos) when you were a kid, you kinda know what I'm getting at.

Caveat...
-- While I'm sure there is some "room for error" in how high the bags can be inflated before damage is done (to the bags or other suspension components/joints), I have no clue how much that is. While running at the "new" normal height is obviously OK, how far above that you can go - and whether or not it's safe to offroad at the new "increased" raised level, I can not say.

Yes, you can trick them to think the vehicle is sitting lower than it is.

Do point out for all SUV models K- MAC front Camber and Caster kits, Rear Camber and Toe kits cater for both “ lowering” (costly / premature inner edge tire wear) and also “raising” (outer edge wear).

Kits replace the 4 front and 4 rear highest wearing (expensive OEM) bushings at the same time.

OEM there is only front “Toe” – directional adjustment. No Camber or Caster to allow to “change tire contact angles”.

On rear there is Camber and Toe adjustment. The K-MAC rear kit allows to double its existing adjustment range.

Re-instating full adjustment allows for other than showroom height conditions – high cambered roads, altered height through load carrying or lowering / raising, fitting wide profile tires and also the ongoing adjustability for curb knock damage.


W164, X164 Front P/N 503816 M $595
Rear P/N 504026 K $480

W166, X166, W251, C292
Front P/N 504016 M $595
Rear P/N 504026 K $480

Delivery Worldwide one kit $30 (F/R) $50)

PayPay, Visa, M/Card



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I wanted the same thing - an off-road/camping GL. Mine was paid for, and still runs great. But with 200K+ miles it had little value, so i kept it. Here's what i did. OE 20" wheels with 275-55-20 Bridgestone tires. Added a spare in the same tire/wheel combo. (You can get pretty aggressive in this size if you want.) I have no rubbing at the standard height, and just lift when off road. It's safer when lowered and on the highway getting there, not to mention more comfortable (hard as a rock when fully raised...) Add accessories to your liking & a decent jack. It's fun to see the Jeep guys' faces when you take a GL places they think twice about! Cheers.
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Very nice. Nice front guard, too. What does it mount to?
Check out my thread on the MOABR (Mother of All Basket Racks) if you really want some transportation space.
There was a pretty active thread on installing a winch; dunno what the guy ended up doing.

Thanks. The front guard is a Black Horse Off-Road product, but it is for an ML - not the GL. I could not find a GL guard with the profile i wanted (and in black, one-piece welded design), so i got the ML version and hoped it would work. The profile is perfect, but the attachment points are different. I ended up buying a chrome guard designed for the GL and just used the mounting hardware from that kit. It mounts to the front subframe and then has brackets that go through the lower grilel and attach to the aluminum bumper support behind the grille.

I've been thinking about the Yakima roof basket, but this looks pretty good at less than half the price. I'll have to stop in Cabelas and have a look. I already have a Thule Evolution roof top box, but that wont work for transporting the spare... i have 2 different Yakima racks, one of which is configured specifically for kayaks. Also have a rear hitch-mount Yakima 5-bike carrier.

This (the one in your link) is the "style" of the chrome one i bought - but as you can see in the photos, the outside ends of the guard stick up very high... I preferred the more flat-across-the-front look. In fact, mine is not visible from the driving position.

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Well, ideally, i completely agree - 18" wheels and a taller tire would work best if doing alot of climbing, but I've never had issues going where I want to... I still have the original 18's that came on the GL and have thought (more than once) about selling the 20's and going back to them with BFG TKO's, but the 20's just look good, and I've never been left wanting while off road. Maybe when it's time for new tires!?!?

Nice! Does yours have the Off Road package?
Mine does and I have 5 x Goodyear Wranglers in the original dimension - I was looking at one up in diameter but it would have rubbed in Sport mode (Lowers the car 2").

Max

I'm at 223,000 miles, and it'sa GL450/gas engine. Never had anything but Mobil 1 in it. However, i swited to 0W-40 at about 100K miles. Before that i used 5W-30. I'm kind of anal about good maintenance, which i have to believe is what keeps her running.

Max, I don't have the off-road package / no sport mode so only 2 heights. The OE 20's have 275-50-20 tires, but there are very limited options in that size, so i took a chance on the 255's, and they have been great. No issues with rubbibg at all.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I was going to ask this question regarding your tire size. It's time to replace the tires on my wife's 2012 GL350 and was thinking of ditching the run-flats and I was looking at 275/55r20 Revo 2s or Revo 3s. I've had the Revo 2s on another vehicle and they were fantastic. You haven't had any issues with the increased height? We won't be off-road much, but will probably be on the beach a bit.

You shouldn't have any issues. Of course, 90% of my driving is on-road... For what it's worth, i had 2 sets of Bridgestone HL Alenza's in that size on mine and they were fantastic. Can't say enough good things abiut them. I think the newest version has an 80,000 mile tread warranty. They are worth a look.