How Do I Know If My Jeep Has Up Country Suspension? (Must Read)

Suspension lifts aren’t a recent development in the Jeep world. They’ve been around for decades and remain useful in today’s world of automobiles.

If you care about whether your vehicle has suspension lifts or not, you probably have experience driving on roads that are far from smooth or believe you will soon. 

Jeep is one automobile brand that is quite popular for this feature. If you’ve got a Jeep or plan on getting one soon for rides on bumpy roads, you should find out if you’ve got its famous Up Country Suspension, but how can you?

There are three ways you can identify UpCountry Suspension in a Jeep. The most straightforward way is to check if your Jeep has: Skid plates that cover your Jeep’s transfer case and gas tank, tow hooks at the front of your vehicle, and tow hooks or a trailer hitch at the back. If it does, you probably have UpCountry Suspension.

What Is Jeep Up Country Suspension?

The Up Country Suspension Package Jeep provides is a special kind of suspension designed to keep the vehicle’s body frame high above objects and obstacles on the road.

And this feature has proven very useful over the years, especially to off-road users.

Suspensions aren’t a recent development in the automobile world. Way back in the 90s, pick-up trucks and SUVs had this feature.

It was helpful then since many roads are not asphalt, and they had to do a lot of riding on bumpy, uneven roads. 

Today you probably rarely have to deal with such roads, especially if you live in an A-level city. Still, they remain quite helpful.

As the name “Up Country Suspension” suggests, it can be really helpful to hit the countryside or ride on roads with terrains similar to those you find in the countryside.

If you live in countries or states where bumpy roads are a common feature, this package can be of great use. 

Jeep has made modifications to its Suspension packages over the years. The latest packages aim at giving your car’s frame enough clearance from the ground while ensuring that you have stability and control while driving.

Granted, bumping and shaking are inevitable when you ride on such roads with a spring keeping your car’s frame a good distance from the ground.

Still, with Jeep’s new Up Country Suspension and upgrades on other features, Jeep has you set to deal with the most uncomfortable of roads.

How Does Jeep Up Country Suspension Work?

UpCountry Suspension increases your Jeep’s off-road capabilities. It increases the ground clearance, making room for larger tires.

With the frame of your vehicle well off the ground, you get to avoid bumping into rocks and other common obstacles when you drive off-road.

Every suspension lift out there does this, but Jeep’s Upcountry Suspension package aims at giving the driver stability while driving at high speeds.

UpCountry Suspension remains just a modification carried out on some Jeep trucks and SUVs. I stated it’s just a modification to clear out any doubt you may have as to whether Jeep vehicles come with this feature installed or not.

It’s entirely up to you to decide whether you will use the Suspension Package or not and decide when to use them.

Jeep SUVs like the Grand Cherokee Model, which can take the UCS, are still regular SUVs that you can use for day-to-day runs in the city, so yes, there are no special Jeep vehicles designed with this feature as the main focus.

Still, if you’re interested in a Jeep simply because of its prowess with suspension lifts, you may find it discouraging that no Jeep vehicle comes with this feature installed.

You really shouldn’t be; why?

Jeep dealerships are always willing to have this feature installed for you! Yes, so once you’ve hit the dealership and gotten an SUV or truck that can take UCS, you can proceed to ask that USC get installed on your ride!

If the Up Country Suspension package or kit doesn’t come as a car feature, you’d have to buy it there and pay for installation. 

What next when you’ve gotten the springs and lifts fixed around your Fenders? Nothing actually; you’re all set!

Unfortunately, you cannot turn on and off the suspension lift; once it’s fixed, you must ride with it until you have them uninstalled.

It sure would be fun if we could raise our vehicle’s frame and bring it down with the press of a button, but unfortunately, we aren’t there yet.

Still, riding with suspension lifts on smooth roads isn’t that bad; you get to have a better view of the road and an intimidating road presence as a bonus.

How Do I Know If My Jeep Has Up Country Suspension?

I mentioned earlier that there are three ways you can tell if your Jeep has Up Country Suspension, but I only outlined one.

So here, I’ll discuss all three methods you can use to identify UCS on your Jeep.

#1. Distance Between The Center of A Wheel And Its Fender

If you’ve got a tape or don’t mind getting one, this is one quick way of finding out if your Jeep has Up Country Suspension.

Run the tape from the center of the wheel to the edge of its Fender, and if it’s 19+ inches or more, you probably have got yourself a Jeep that can take Up Country Suspension.

#2. Locating Distinct Features

Using a tape is a smart way to find out if you’ve got USC, but due to a wide range of possible flaws, you may not get the proper measurement and confuse USC for standard suspension.

I’ve picked out three features to look out for that will identify USC in your Jeep to enhance accuracy.

They are:

• Skid plates that cover your Jeep’s transfer case and gas tank.
• Tow hooks at the front of your vehicle.
• Tow hooks or a trailer hitch at the back.

Your Jeep probably comes with the Up Country Suspension Package if you’ve got these features.

#3. Using Your VIN

Here is the most reliable method to find out if your Jeep comes with the USC package. All you need to do is locate your VIN, then visit Jeep’s official website to get your build sheet.

They’ll send all you need to know about your vehicle, including information on the Up Country Suspension. You’ll receive this via E-mail.

Pros and Cons of UpCountry Suspension

Almost everything has advantages and disadvantages, and Jeep’s UCS is no different. I’ve already mentioned a couple of the advantages of this feature, but what are its disadvantages?

Below are lists of all the Pros and Cons of  UpCountry Suspension.

#1. Pros

• The biggest advantage of this suspension lift is that it gives your car’s frame good clearance from the ground. This feature can come in handy when riding in the woods or on rocky roads.
• Makes it possible for you to fit in larger tires, which will improve your off-road performance.
•  Gives you a better view of the road.

#2. Cons

• When you’ve got these bigger tires fixed in, you’ll have to deal with your vehicle being louder than it was before.
• Less comfortable driving in. Despite the upgrades made on this suspension kit, you’ll still have a less comfortable experience when you’ve got UpCountry suspension fixed.
• It will deal a huge blow to your vehicle’s fuel economy when you’ve got those bigger tires. More energy is needed to move those lift equipment and bigger tires, increasing fuel consumption.

Summary

There’s a lot to love about suspension packages and kits, and Jeep’s Upcountry Suspension is no different.

The Up Country Suspension gives you a feeling of power and control when you cruise down any road with it; models like the Jeep Grand Cherokee sure do look more intimidating with suspension lifts. If you decide to get one I hope you have lots of fun.