By Chad Peters, founder of Black Ops Auto Works. Trackhawk suspension specialist since the platform launched in 2018.
If you own a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, you have already seen the two lowering spring options every forum, YouTube channel, and Instagram build points to, the Eibach Pro-Kit Special Edition and the Swift Springs from Black Ops Auto Works. We have installed both on Trackhawks since the truck launched in 2018. Here is the straight comparison every Trackhawk owner asks for, drop height, ride, alignment, durability, and which one we actually recommend for how you drive it.
The two contenders at a glance
| Spec | Eibach Pro-Kit Special Edition | Swift Springs Mid |
|---|---|---|
| Front drop | Roughly 1.1 inch | Roughly 1.2 inch |
| Rear drop | Roughly 2.1 inch | Roughly 2.0 inch |
| Spring type | Linear | Progressive |
| Ride quality, 1 to 10, 10 stiffest | 9 to 10, very firm | 7, close to OEM Sport mode |
| Bounce and rebound | Slow, controlled, linear | Fast recovery, retains OEM feel |
| Rear adjustable arms needed | Borderline at 2.1 inch | No |
| Snapped coil history we have seen | Two known cases | Zero across 4000 plus sets in seven years |
Both springs land the Trackhawk inside the updated WK2 OEM camber range without front control arms. Both look aggressive with the factory 20 by 10 wheels. The differences show up the minute you actually drive the truck.
Ride quality, the honest version
The Trackhawk weighs 5363 pounds. That is a lot of mass on top of a spring. How a spring handles that mass over expansion joints, potholes, and freeway seams is the whole ballgame.
Eibach Special Edition is a linear spring. Linear means the spring rate does not change as it compresses. On the Trackhawk that translates to a very firm, connected feel with almost no bounce. Owners who came from a sports car love it. Owners who use the Trackhawk as a family hauler describe it as harsh over broken pavement, and the rebound is slow, so a fast pothole hit sends a shudder through the chassis.
Swift Springs Mid is a progressive spring. The rate increases as the spring compresses, which means the first inch of travel is close to OEM ride, and the deeper compression zones stiffen up for cornering and load. On a Trackhawk that reads as factory Sport mode all the time, with less body roll and a rebound speed that recovers fast enough to launch cleanly at the strip. It keeps the OEM bounce and jiggle that makes the truck feel like a Grand Cherokee, not a race car.
If you daily drive it, you want Swift Mid. If you weekend car it and chase apex feel, Eibach Special Edition is defensible.
Stance, the numbers matter less than the rake
Both kits produce a very similar visual result on a Trackhawk. Front drop is within a tenth of an inch, rear drop is within a tenth of an inch, and both retain a factory correct rake. Photos on Instagram will not tell them apart. Where owners see a difference is at ride height over a driveway lip, the Swift progressive rate settles the truck a hair softer at the top of travel, which reads as slightly more planted at rest.
Alignment behavior on both
The updated 2018 and later WK2 factory alignment spec is negative 1.1 to negative 2.2 driver front, negative 1.4 to negative 2.5 passenger front, and negative 0.5 to negative 1.7 rear on both sides. Both Eibach Special Edition and Swift Mid land in that range on a Trackhawk with a competent alignment shop. That is why we do not require rear adjustable upper arms on either spring for a stock body Trackhawk.
If your shop tells you either spring is out of spec on a Trackhawk, the shop is wrong. Get a second alignment before spending money on arms. Full alignment target reference in our WK2 alignment specs after lowering guide.
Where we like the numbers set on a Trackhawk:
- Front camber, roughly negative 2.0 on both sides
- Rear camber, roughly negative 1.2 to negative 1.5
- Caster, 5.0 degrees plus or minus 0.5, 5.5 degrees plus or minus 0.6 on Quadra-Lift
- Total toe, factory zero to positive 0.1
Durability, the point nobody talks about
We have shipped over four thousand sets of Swift Springs across seven years worldwide. We have seen zero snapped coils.
Across the same period, we have seen two Eibach Trackhawk coils fail, both of them snapped under normal driving pressure. Two failures on any spring line is a small number, but on a supercharged truck that weighs 5363 pounds, a broken coil is not a small event. That is the reason we no longer sell Eibach on the Black Ops site, and it is not a jab at Eibach, it is our own risk tolerance for what we put on customer trucks.
Which one do I recommend
- Daily driven Trackhawk, kids in the back seat, road trips, choose Swift Springs Mid
- Weekend truck, canyon runs, autocross curious, and you accept a firm ride, either spring works, edge to Swift Mid on durability
- Deepest fixed drop you can get without touching arms, Eibach Special Edition
- You already own a set of Eibach, keep them, run them until they are due for replacement, then look at Swift Mid
If you also want the aggressive stance of a bigger drop and are ready to run rear adjustable arms, look at Swift Springs Extreme, that is the 1.5 inch front and 2.8 inch rear kit. That conversation is covered in our rear adjustable upper control arms guide.
Install notes specific to Trackhawk
The Trackhawk uses the same WK2 front strut and rear five link setup as a base Grand Cherokee, so any WK2 install video applies. Two Trackhawk specific tips:
- The Trackhawk factory rear shocks are not load leveling, unlike some Durango R/T trucks, so a rear shock swap is optional at spring install time, not required for the truck to actually drop
- The Special Edition kit ships with front and rear springs clearly labeled, if you put a rear on the front it will bind, always read the part number on the pigtail
- Trackhawk factory bump stops stay in on both kits, do not delete them, ride quality gets worse fast without them
Frequently asked questions
Do I need rear adjustable arms on a Trackhawk with Eibach Special Edition
Usually no. The 2.1 inch rear drop puts rear camber at the outer edge of factory range, most Trackhawks align without arms if the shop knows the platform.
Do I need rear adjustable arms on a Trackhawk with Swift Springs Mid
No. The 2.0 inch rear drop stays inside factory range on a stock body Trackhawk.
Will lowering springs void my Trackhawk warranty
No. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects you. A dealer can only deny a warranty claim on a component the spring directly caused to fail, not the whole vehicle warranty.
Can I run Eibach Special Edition on a regular SRT or a Durango Hellcat
The Special Edition is tuned for Trackhawk curb weight, on a lighter Grand Cherokee SRT it rides slightly firmer than intended, on a Durango Hellcat the geometry is close enough that it works but we prefer Swift Mid for Durango Hellcat, see the Durango SRT and Hellcat lowering guide.
How does the Trackhawk drive at highway speed with these springs
Both kits improve high speed stability over stock. Eibach is slightly flatter in a fast lane change, Swift Mid is slightly more comfortable over expansion joints. Neither one makes the truck darty if the alignment is set correctly.
Will lowering my Trackhawk hurt tire life
Not if the alignment is set to roughly negative 2.0 front and negative 1.2 to negative 1.5 rear. Bad tire wear on a lowered Trackhawk is an alignment problem, not a spring problem.
Do I need new shocks with either spring on a Trackhawk
If the truck has fewer than sixty thousand miles the factory shocks are fine on either spring. Over that mileage, plan to replace fronts with Bilstein B6 the same day the springs go in.
Which spring launches better at the strip
Swift Springs Mid recovers faster, so it plants the rear tires quicker off the line. Eibach linear rate hooks well too but rebounds slower.
Bottom line
If you want the deepest fixed drop with no compromises on aggression and you can live with a firm ride, Eibach Special Edition still gets it done. If you want a lower Trackhawk that still drives like a Grand Cherokee, that keeps the OEM Sport mode feel, and that we back directly with a longer field track record, choose Swift Springs Mid.
Either way, get the alignment right. That is the difference between a lowered Trackhawk that eats tires and one that drives better than it did stock.
For the full platform picture, read our complete WK2 and Durango lowering guide. Ready to talk through your specific truck, call Black Ops Auto Works at 855-221-9728.