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R50 Lift kit Options, and how they affect the front suspension


PathyDude17
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@mjotrainbrain encouraged me to post this video. There seems to be no simple guides to lift kits, and the difference between spacers and springs, especially in how they affect the front suspension. While I'm no suspension expert, and this video is missing alot, especially in terms of rear lift options (and I forgot to mention the possibility of AC spring top-out, though I haven't had any issues with it myself), here's a small introduction into the lift methods available, as well as the brands that sell them, and an attempt at explaining why spacer lifts affect the suspension geometry different. If there's any info in here thats technically incorrect, feel free to point it out. Im sure there's stuff missing, so feel free to comment. Thanks!

 

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PathyDude17, excellent job on making this great video to explain the different methods to lift the INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION of the R50 without installing a drop-bracket lift or “subframe drop (SFD) lift”. Thank you!! I wish that someone had posted this info 10 years ago to spare the hassles and numerous debates over CV axle angles, why they do or do not break, what spacers do, and what the purpose of each OME spring is.

 

I would like to add that I had a custom spring manufacturer install 2” lift springs in my Pathfinder in 1999, long before AC even sold stuff for R50’s. I have never used spacers (which weren’t even available back then anyway). My Pathy has almost 209k miles on it now. I would guess it has somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000 actual off-road miles on it, most of that on very severe rocky terrain in which tires frequently become airborne.

 

In 20 years of off-roading, I have never grenaded a CV joint. The broken CV joint phenomenon started occurring after the introduction of spacer lifts.

 

Granted, there are side-effects of using 2” lift coil springs, primarily “topping out” the strut, which occurs because the “at rest” position of the strut is closer to its maximum extension, allowing medium-size road irregularities, driveway humps, speed bumps, etc to cause the strut to max out more easily. The associated loud “thunk” can be disconcerting to the uninformed R50 occupant.

 

Note again that in 20 years and over 200k miles, I have never experienced a suspension related failure due to topping out.

 

I hope the video helps all viewers make better informed decisions on how to lift the R50 FRONT suspension.

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9 minutes ago, XPLORx4 said:

 

Thanks for the feedback! It’s good to hear that you’ve had such awesome results with your spring lift over such a long period of use! Hopefully this video isn’t too late to help a lot of people out.

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  • 9 months later...

Here are my future plans for my newly acquired R50.

 

Phase 1:

Front - KYB Excel-G with 2" AC 

Rear - Belstein 5100 with NRC9449

 

Phase 2:

4" Subframe drop

 

** My question is, during the time I transition from phase 1 to phase 2, am I going to need a different rear suspension set up to accommodate for the increase in height?

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