Jeep Comanche - Suspension

Suspension

The Comanche uses the compact XJ Cherokee's front suspension, with coil springs and upper and lower control arms. The Cherokee and Comanche were the first Jeeps to use this new "Quadra-Link" suspension. It was argued that the coil springs allowed for greater ride comfort and axle articulation during off-road excursions. A track bar (Panhard rod) is used to keep the axle centered under the truck. Modified versions of this same basic suspension system were later used on the 1993-2004 Grand Cherokee, 1996 and newer TJ Wrangler and 1994 and newer Dodge Ram.

For the rear suspension, the truck uses leaf springs that are considerably longer than the Cherokees, which give Comanches good load-carrying capacity without creating a hard ride. The standard rear axle was identical to the Cherokee, except that the Cherokee mounts the leaf springs on top of the axle and the Comanche mounts them under the axle as does most other trucks. There was also a heavy duty "Big Ton" package (known as the "Metric Ton" package outside the U.S.) for the long-bed models. The package included heavier-duty leaf springs and wheels, larger tires and an upgraded rear axle to a Dana 44 instead of a Dana 35, which increased the stock payload (cargo) capacity from 1,400 to 2,205 pounds (640 to 1,000 kg), well above that of any other mid-size truck. The Big/Metric Ton Comanche's payload rating was higher than that of many full-size pickups.