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Check my lift plans? 1997 Pathfinder


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I've been reading everything I can about lifts and other people's builds, and have come up with a plan of my own. I'd love to get feedback and see if I'm missing something, or going about things the wrong way on this.

I realize this will introduce some rake in the back. I do plan on either adding weight to the rear via built in storage/rear bumper/tire carrier, and the occasional trailer tow, so I want to be ahead of the game and not end up with sagging when that happens. Additionally, a front bumper and winch are going to help with loading the front a bit as well. Ideally, I'd like to end up in the neighborhood of 2-2.5 inches once everything's in place and weight down. I'm not going for rock crawling status, just a solid, capable, offroader with enough height to get where I want to go. I also want to stay out of the SFD territory if possible.

Here's what I'm currently thinking about:
 

Front
OME 2928 HD springs with 1" spacer
KYB-GR2 struts (stock replacement, or a longer version? Part numbers would be super helpful if anyone has them for non-stock replacement sizes)
 
Rear
Bilstein 33-185552 5100 series shocks

I do also plan on putting in manual locking hubs up front (quite soon, well before I start on a lift) since most of my driving is pavement to save wear on the front CV axles. It's not my daily driver, but I do take it to the store a fair amount since it's easier to get in and out of parking places than my F150 Supercrew when traffic is busy. I'm currently going over the other suspension components with a fine toothed comb to make sure they're in great condition before I start any of this. Surprisingly, it looks like a lot has been replaced not too long ago...only one rear lower control arm that might need replacing, so I'll do both sides on that soon.
 
Does this list make sense? Am I missing anything? Do you have an alternative for any parts I listed that might be cheaper or better?

 
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Get your kybs from rockauto. Won’t find a better price. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1997,pathfinder,3.3l+v6,1212051,suspension,strut,7584. No such thing as longer struts that I’m aware of that wouldn’t require serious modification. You won’t need longer ones for 2.5 inches of lift though. And don’t replace the control arms. Aftermarket ones are junk. Just replace the bushings with poly https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nolathane-Trailing-Arm-Lower-Bushing-FOR-NISSAN-PATHFINDER-R50-46045/283156264183?fits=Model%3APathfinder&epid=2294724819&hash=item41ed6db4f7:g:kkAAAOSwk~VcvjZO

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19 minutes ago, Sjackson2 said:

Just replace the bushings with poly


Yeah, I should've specified that I planned to do that, not fully replace it. I think I'll probably do everything in poly that's available when I do need to refurbish.

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Sounds like a solid plan.

 

Polyurethane bushings are a great upgrade for the R50 platform and provide a lot of bang for your buck. I have changed all rubber bushings on my truck with SuperPro front poly bushings and Chasis Unlimited rear control arm poly bushings with fantastic results. Id reccomend the upgrade to anyone with the budget and time. 

 

Thay said- Id argue that the Nolathane products Ive used recently arent the best quality available, but OK if your on a tight budget. The bushings available from AC(SuperPro) and Energy suspension are great quality and worth the additional cost. Energy suspension runs slightly higher on hardness scale(70-80 on the durometer scale) than the Superpro units(50-60, slightly harder than OEM rubber of 40-50). 

 

For street driving this may be desirable but translates more vibration and road noise and will increase harshness off road. I feel the SuperPro units have a great balance of polyurethane performance without inducing the standard issues that come with polyurethane since they are only slightly harder than the OEM rubber units. I use my vehicle for towing and off road recreation and the entire suspension package (see my signature) has made for a great dual purpose vehicle. 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, TowndawgR50 said:

Sounds like a solid plan.

 

Polyurethane bushings are a great upgrade for the R50 platform and provide a lot of bang for your buck. I have changed all rubber bushings on my truck with SuperPro front poly bushings and Chasis Unlimited rear control arm poly bushings with fantastic results. Id reccomend the upgrade to anyone with the budget and time. 

 

Thay said- Id argue that the Nolathane products Ive used recently arent the best quality available, but OK if your on a tight budget. The bushings available from AC(SuperPro) and Energy suspension are great quality and worth the additional cost. Energy suspension runs slightly higher on hardness scale(70-80 on the durometer scale) than the Superpro units(50-60, slightly harder than OEM rubber of 40-50). 

 

For street driving this may be desirable but translates more vibration and road noise and will increase harshness off road. I feel the SuperPro units have a great balance of polyurethane performance without inducing the standard issues that come with polyurethane since they are only slightly harder than the OEM rubber units. I use my vehicle for towing and off road recreation and the entire suspension package (see my signature) has made for a great dual purpose vehicle. 

 

 

That's good to know...I was looking at the Nolathane stuff, but hadn't seen much mentioned about the brand. I'm used to Energy Suspension and Prothane from my import days, and those are even kind of harsh on a daily driver vehicle. I'll checkout the SuperPro stuff...something slightly better than rubber is probably where I want to be for offroading.

I stopped tearing through motor mounts on my 1G turbo Eclipse when I switched those to Prothane (big 16G turbo, ~22PSI, upgraded everything from the top of the head down)....then, I just started breaking more expensive stuff, like clutches, transmissions, and CV axles. That was a fun car, but dangerous to the wallet... :D

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Here's what I'm currently thinking about:

 

Front OME 2928 HD springs with 1" spacer KYB-GR2 struts (stock replacement, or a longer version? Part numbers would be super helpful if anyone has them for non-stock replacement sizes)   Rear Land Rover NR9449 springs (I like the higher spring rate for loading/towing purposes) Bilstein 33-185552 5100 series shocks

 

 

 

This is the exact setup I have in regards to the shocks you mention minus the 1" spacer.

 

I am going to add a 1/2" spacer to level the front end out a little more though. I think the 1/2" will be o.k..

1" may be too, but I would not think of going any more than that

I kept my 2" spacer on after I put on the OME HD springs(since they said 0.5" lift) and it was way out of whack. Loved the height, but definitely not safe due to the cv axle angle, plus the camber was ridiculous. Dont think 2 camber bolts on each side would have done any good.

 

Check out my build thread if you want a visual of what the stance looks like with that exact setup.

 

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the finished product!

 

Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, 03TroutFinder said:

I am going to add a 1/2" spacer to level the front end out a little more though. I think the 1/2" will be o.k..
1" may be too, but I would not think of going any more than that
I kept my 2" spacer on after I put on the OME HD springs(since they said 0.5" lift) and it was way out of whack. Loved the height, but definitely not safe due to the cv axle angle, plus the camber was ridiculous. Do think 2 camber bolts on each side would have done any good.

Check out my build thread if you want a visual of what the stance looks like with that exact setup.
 

 


I'm pretty sure your build thread is where I got the idea from! :D

I might just end up ordering a 1/2" and 1" spacers for the front...start with the 1/2" and see where it sits after a while. I'll be replacing everything (shocks, springs, etc) at once, so I may not even have to go 1". I'm also concerned with flexing the CV axles too much, so starting slow with the 1/2" might be the way to go.

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19 hours ago, chrisfromthelc said:


I'm pretty sure your build thread is where I got the idea from! :D

I might just end up ordering a 1/2" and 1" spacers for the front...start with the 1/2" and see where it sits after a while. I'll be replacing everything (shocks, springs, etc) at once, so I may not even have to go 1". I'm also concerned with flexing the CV axles too much, so starting slow with the 1/2" might be the way to go.

AC coils are an option for the front, there’s a brief discussion of OME vs AC springs in my “R50 projects” thread- some people with heavy front bumpers have had good experiences with OME springs, other people prefer or wish they had chosen AC springs. It’s all about what you want, the AC springs will sag less under weight and ride stiffer. I have them and love them. That’s not to say I also didn’t enjoy driving @02_Pathy‘s rig on well-broken (2 years old?) in OME springs

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I came across a set of NRC9449s on eBay from Lucky 8 for a crazy good deal (less than $80 shipped for the pair), so I got them. Too bad I can't put them in for quite a while, but I didn't think I'd come across that deal again any time in the near future.

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