My '06 Commander is More Than It Looks

by Burns
(Ottawa, Canada)

I have a 2006 Jeep Commander. It came with the factory Off Road package, a full complement of skid pans, the 4.7 Mangnum V8, and a QuadraTec 2 Transfer case.

I have added a mild (2.5 in) lift, Bilstein HD off road shocks, 1.5 in spacers on both sides (to improve lateral stability), a Dana Spicer Posi-Lock to the 3.83 Dodge truck 8.25 rear diff, some Warn and Rigid lights, and a set of Goodyear Duratrac 10 ply boots. It looks pretty much like a stocker and it is far from radical, but is much more capable than it looks.

I have taken out on the trails with the local club here and it has done very well, exceeding even my expectations for something that might otherwise resemble a school-bus. In fact, I seemed to be running neck and neck with the Wrangler JK 4-doors... interestingly, we measured the distance between the axles on the Commander and one of the JK 4-dr's and they are pretty much identical.


Larry's Comment: Nice job on the '06 Commander, Burns!

Take off about 18 inches from the rear overhang and the Commander would come pretty close to the Wrangler JK Unlimited's dimensions.