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Which Suspension lift package?


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Which Suspension Package should I go with?  

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  1. 1. Which Suspension Package should I go with?

    • AC 2" lift, GR-2 front struts and Bilstein Shocks for the rear, Nissan strut mounts
      34
    • AC 2" lift, GR-2 front struts and Rancho RS9000X Shocks for the rear, Nissan strut mounts
      24
    • AC 2" lift, GR-2 front struts and Rancho RS5000 Shocks for the rear, Nissan strut mounts
      12
    • AC 2" lift, Rancho front struts and Rancho RS5000 Shocks for the rear, Nissan strut mounts.
      11
    • AC 2" lift, Rancho front struts and Rancho RS9000x Shocks for the rear, Nissan strut mounts.
      20
    • OME HD ($$$): OME HD Springs, OME Shocks, OME Struts, Nissan strut mounts
      67


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Does anyone know the part # for the Bilistein 5100 rear shock that i should order to go with OME springs?

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/32740-so-here-is-my-plan/?p=617677

 

search around please, the info is out there....

 

-Kyle

Edited by ferrariowner123
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  • 4 months later...

Is this a decent plausible option for a Lifthttp://www.4x4design.com/? Im pretty new and would like a bit of lift. Like I said, Im pretty new and this seems like an affordable option. Anyone have any experience with them?

Im thinking maybe the 2inch front with the 2inch rear setup.

Edited by kane
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There are a bunch of folks on here running spacers from him (myself included), great guy to deal with, great products, very active within the Pathfinder community, what else can I say. Very affordable, high quality parts.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

I run 2" spacers in front. With new Moog springs front. OME rear coils and 1.5 rear spacers. All factory bushings reused. New KYBs front and rear. Rears have 4.5 inch homemade shock extensions. And I have 1/2" higher rake in the rear of my pathfinder. 1" wheel spacers with stock uncut center cap Trispokes over Warns. I clear 265/70r16 Duratracs. And I really think it's the best possible ride and best looking stance I could get out of her without a SFD or spending a lot of money.

Edited by LittleFR
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  • 1 month later...

Old Man Emu springs, struts and shocks. Fleury's 1.5 spacer on top of the struts. 15 x 8 Mickey Thompson wheels (3.62 backspace) 31 x 10.50 x 15 Dick Cepek wheels. No rubbing, nothing cut in wheel wells. Stock flares replaced with husky liner Long John flare/flaps. Stainless #14 x 3/4" sheet metal screws used to fill factory flare holes in fenders. All other steering and suspension on the truck has been replaced with OEM Nissan parts and it drives like new. The lock-out hubs keep it all fresh for when I need it. A rear locker and a winch bumper are next. So far I cannot locate a bumper.

IMG_20161002_164311.jpg

 

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  • 2 years later...

I know this hasn't been active in a while but rather than starting a new thread thought I'd ask here.  I've searched around here and haven't found this specific question addressed and don't have any experience with lifted trucks/SUVs.

 

Time to replace springs/struts/shocks (1998 Chilkoot, stock) and considering the following. I don't do much off-roading but have decided to keep this truck indefinitely and so would like to have some fun with it.

 

Front: AC MD coils, KYB struts, necessary OEM strut hardware, SFCreations 1" spacer; from what I've read shouldn't need camber bolts for this set-up.

Rear: AC MD coils, Bilstein 5100, SF Creations 1" spacer

 

My question: would this set up exhibit much rake over stock, especially if I put a light tube-type bumper on the front and swing-away spare on the back? I don't tow but use the back frequently for hauling building/landscaping material or a bike rack with a couple bikes (total weight ~100 pounds).  More importantly, would you guys/gals change anything? Why?

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There’s more than enough information on this forum to answer all of those questions. It all depends on what you, the driver of the vehicle, are looking for. For example, how high do you want the truck to sit? Without knowing that, no one here can tell you if those coils will pair well with your bumper and tire carrier.

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Fair enough. I realize that even new OEM springs would lift it some over the saggy old ones that are on there now and would expect ~2-2.5" above where it sits now before it settles. GIven the old CVs and old everything else I'm just reluctant to go with the full AC 2" kit or the OME 1.75".  I do plan to replace the rest of the suspension components over the next couple years but for now everything's still reasonable tight aside from the front sway bar links which I changed this weekend.  This is purely a fun project and something to make the truck a little different.

 

From the information here it sounds like that all should work well together. I'd expect some rake with no load in back (but no more than stock) as well as a firmer ride.  I should have phrased my question differently - are there any significant concerns with this setup? Some of it's experimentation (like adding weight from bumper/tire rack) so of course there are no guarantees but trying not to overlook something huge given that this is my first time with all this stuff.

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I’ll just try to keep this as simple as possible. For any of the coil spring lifts available, it is impossible to damage your CV axles by running those coils. AC coils of any kind, as well as OME coils of any kind, will not harm your axles, though they may accelerate wear on the cv boots (hence manual hubs). The trouble with CV axles can only occur when spacers are added. Usually a 1” spacer is safe. So, what we’re really talking about is the lift heights that are available. Check the weight ratings in the MD springs, as they’re rated to give .5” of lift under a specific load (likely similar to the weight of a front bumper). The HD coils generally give 1.25” of lift with no weight, but sag down below that when a bumper is added (.5-1”). AC coils will give a minimum of 2”, and will sag minimally under the weight of a bumper. It comes down to what you want your pathfinder to do in terms of weight capacity, lift height, and handling. Generally OME is conceded as the better feeling spring in terms of ride quality, but plenty of people like their AC coils as well. As for the rear, go with LR springs, there’s really nothing better.

see page 7.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/2/2019 at 9:38 PM, PathyDude17 said:

I’ll just try to keep this as simple as possible. For any of the coil spring lifts available, it is impossible to damage your CV axles by running those coils. AC coils of any kind, as well as OME coils of any kind, will not harm your axles, though they may accelerate wear on the cv boots (hence manual hubs). The trouble with CV axles can only occur when spacers are added. Usually a 1” spacer is safe. So, what we’re really talking about is the lift heights that are available. Check the weight ratings in the MD springs, as they’re rated to give .5” of lift under a specific load (likely similar to the weight of a front bumper). The HD coils generally give 1.25” of lift with no weight, but sag down below that when a bumper is added (.5-1”). AC coils will give a minimum of 2”, and will sag minimally under the weight of a bumper. It comes down to what you want your pathfinder to do in terms of weight capacity, lift height, and handling. Generally OME is conceded as the better feeling spring in terms of ride quality, but plenty of people like their AC coils as well. As for the rear, go with LR springs, there’s really nothing better.

see page 7.

Not sure how 2" spacers are any different then 2" ac springs in terms of damaging the halfshafts. Either is going to increase axel angles the exact same and your still gonna have binding on the passenger halfshaft if you turn hard enough. Only thing I found that helps a little is to get the thinnest c clip from nissan for the halfshaft end to allow a little play. I have 2" spacers giving 2.5" about of lift and it binds when you turn hard right, the clips helped. Still need 2 camber bolts per side to get the right camber. Please let me know if you have found different results somewhere it's why i want to do a sfb because im sick of this bs spacer lift. Might try getting 2" lift spacers instead of the 2.5 max.

Edited by bertrenolds
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56 minutes ago, bertrenolds said:

Not sure how 2" spacers are any different then 2" ac springs in terms of damaging the halfshafts. Either is going to increase axel angles the exact same and your still gonna have binding on the passenger halfshaft if you turn hard enough. Only thing I found that helps a little is to get the thinnest c clip from nissan for the halfshaft end to allow a little play. I have 2" spacers giving 2.5" about of lift and it binds when you turn hard right, the clips helped. Still need 2 camber bolts per side to get the right camber. Please let me know if you have found different results somewhere it's why i want to do a sfb because im sick of this bs spacer lift. Might try getting 2" lift spacers instead of the 2.5 max.

Do more research. My AC coils have never and will never bind up my cv axles under any conditions, where as my spacers would have. A strut spacer means you’re lifting on top of your strut, which means your strut assembly is now pushed down, as opposed to a spring lift which lifts inside of the travel limited by the strut (hence experiencing top out with a coil lift but not with a spacer lift). You will never bind a shaft with a coil lift, period. It simply isn’t possible, the halfshaft is always operating within its designed travel. Just ask @XPLORx4. His 18 years on AC coils going throughout Moab and whatnot can attest to that lift. To the people who have busted multiple CV’s on spacers, @TowndawgR50 and @system_f can attest to that. As far as the SFD goes, understand an SFD is usually run with a 2” lift in conjunction with it (4” body lift with 2” suspension lift with SFD). If you just do an SFD with no spring lift your ground clearance doesn’t change at all in the front, except by half of your increase in tire size. A 6” SFD on 33” tires has .5” more ground clearance than a properly set up 2” lift on 32’s that can tuck tires correctly. And honestly, if you’re serious about your rig you’ll find more and more reasons to go with a spring lift. It improves handling and load capacity, which is important for taking turns on a lifted vehicle. It also helps give your suspension more downward force in increasing articulation and keeping traction.

Edited by PathyDude17
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28 minutes ago, PathyDude17 said:

Do more research. My AC coils have never and will never bind up my cv axles under any conditions, where as my spacers would have. A strut spacer means you’re lifting on top of your strut, which means your strut assembly is now pushed down, as opposed to a spring lift which lifts inside of the travel limited by the strut (hence experiencing top out with a coil lift but not with a spacer lift). You will never bind a shaft with a coil lift, period. It simply isn’t possible, the halfshaft is always operating within its designed travel. Just ask @XPLORx4. His 18 years on AC coils going throughout Moab and whatnot can attest to that lift. To the people who have busted multiple CV’s on spacers, @TowndawgR50 and @system_f can attest to that. As far as the SFD goes, understand that the only way to even justify an SFD is by going with a 2” lift in conjunction with it (4” body lift with 2” suspension lift with SFD). If you just do an SFD with no spring lift your ground clearance doesn’t change at all in the front, except by half of your increase in tire size. A 6” SFD on 33” tires has .5” more ground clearance than a properly set up 2” lift on 32’s that can tuck tires correctly. And honestly, if you’re serious about your rig you’ll find more and more reasons to go with a spring lift. It improves handling and load capacity, which is important for taking turns on a lifted vehicle. It also helps give your suspension more downward force in increasing articulation and keeping traction.

Thanks this is what i wanted to hear, i have been wanting to do a 4" sfd to get rid of binding but no one makes a kit. If I can just do a spring lift on the front then done. So the AC springs are the only ones that will give 2+"? Or are their ome springs that do, I have 9447 lr rear springs. I will go back and read again in this pind toppic but i thought it said AC are just rebranded ome? When you switched back from spacers what did you do with the 3 bolts ontop of the the strut mount, I pounded mine out for the sfcreations spacers? Also were standard spring compressors enough to compress the spring or did you take it somewhere with a heavy duty compressor?

Edited by bertrenolds
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11 minutes ago, bertrenolds said:

Thanks this is what i wanted to hear, i have been wanting to do a 4" sfd to get rid of binding but no one makes a kit. If I can just do a spring lift on the front then done. So the AC springs are the only ones that will give 2+"? Or are their ome springs that do, I have 9447 lr rear springs. I will go back and read again in this pind toppic but i thought it said AC are just rebranded ome? When you switched back from spacers what did you do with the 3 bolts ontop of the the strut mount, I pounded mine out for the sfcreations spacers? Also were standard spring compressors enough to compress the spring or did you take it somewhere with a heavy duty compressor?

I swear I just answered all of this somewhere, but here we go again. SFD kits are in the works courtesy of @hawairish and @TowndawgR50, but nothing is for sale yet, it would be custom work for now. Again, an SFD will not fix your binding, a spring lift will. An SFD is a fancy term for a body lift in the front. It doesn’t affect suspension geometry at all.AC springs lift a minimum of 2”, individual results may vary. OME, as I stated above, is not suitable for giving a 2” lift. A spacer is required to attain that, and those spring have been noted to settle to lower lift heights as time progresses. Remember that OME spring are built to handle well, not necessarily lift high, as noted above and in many other threads, including my build thread. On 4x4parts.com, the $167 springs are OME, the $180 are 2” AC lift springs. A shop handled my front suspension install and alignment for $200, I think they cut down my extended length bolts from the spacers.

Edited by PathyDude17
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6 minutes ago, PathyDude17 said:

I swear I just answered all of this somewhere, but here we go again. SFD kits are in the works courtesy of @hawairish and @TowndawgR50, but nothing is for sale yet, it would be custom work for now. Again, and SFD will not fix your binding, a spring lift will. An sFD is a fancy term for a body lift in the front. It doesn’t affect suspension geometry at all.AC springs lift a minimum of 2”, individual results may vary. OME, as I stated above, is not suitable for giving a 2” lift. A spacer is required to attain that, and those spring have been noted to settle to lower lift heights as time progresses. Remember that OME spring are built to handle well, not necessarily lift high. On 4x4parts.com, the $167 springs are OME, the $180 are 2” AC lift springs. A shop handled my front suspension install and alignment for $200, I think they cut down my extended length bolts from the spacers.

A sfd would get my half shaft angles back into spec and I wouldn't need 2 camber bolts per side. I am fine with a 2+ lift and 32s since i just realized i have hg34 gearing anyways. Sorry I always figured a spacer would put the same angle on the cv joint as a spring but I stand corrected. Guess I will be over paying in shipping for them from AC. Thanks for your help, you just helped me make my decision. Guess I don't need that new strut spacer with camber adjustment then.

Edited by bertrenolds
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36 minutes ago, bertrenolds said:

A sfd would get my half shaft angles back into spec and I wouldn't need 2 camber bolts per side. I am fine with a 2+ lift and 32s since i just realized i have hg34 gearing anyways. Sorry I always figured a spacer would put the same angle on the cv joint as a spring but I stand corrected. Guess I will be over paying in shipping for them from AC. Thanks for your help, you just helped me make my decision. Guess I don't need that new strut spacer with camber adjustment then.

An SFD does not affect suspension geometry. It will not affect your halfshaft angled at all. It simply drops your strut assembly and subframe by 4” or whatever height your blocks are. As far as the 2” lift make sure you pick shocks and wheels correctly to get your rear suspension travel as long as possible

Edited by PathyDude17
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2 hours ago, PathyDude17 said:

An SFD does not affect suspension geometry. It will not affect your halfshaft angled at all. It simply drops your strut assembly and subframe by 4” or whatever height your blocks are. As far as the 2” lift make sure you pick shocks and wheels correctly to get your rear suspension travel as long as possible

I still have a hard time believing sfd blocks dont correct geometry and binding issues on the halfshaft. You put 2" strut spacers on to raise the body and you pulled the subframe with it. By putting blocks inbetween the subframe and dropping the front axel your lining everything back up with the lift you put on the strut tower putting everything back into spec and assuming you had the correct angle on the strut tower your camber should be in spec by just putting the solid bolts back in. I get what your saying about springs vs spacers, spacers force the strut down while a spring in a way forces the body up. Im willing to believe you on the springs, I'm about to order some i guess since its worth a shot. I'm gonna do some searching but with 2actual inches of spacer i have about a 2.5" lift, I'm wondering if i went with an actual 1.5" spacer to get to a 2" lift like the ac spring is my problems would go away.

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Here is a link where theexbrit basically says there is no difference between a spring lift and spacers and that no matter what if you go over a 30degree angle you will break half shafts. I think your missing the fact that the ac spring is a 2" lift spring which is the max safe lift, a 1.5" spacer lift would be compareable. And I'm pretty sure your just completely wrong about a sfd not bringing the axel angle back into spec.

 

Edited by bertrenolds
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44 minutes ago, bertrenolds said:

I still have a hard time believing sfd blocks dont correct geometry and binding issues on the halfshaft. You put 2" strut spacers on to raise the body and you pulled the subframe with it. By putting blocks inbetween the subframe and dropping the front axel your lining everything back up with the lift you put on the strut tower putting everything back into spec and assuming you had the correct angle on the strut tower your camber should be in spec by just putting the solid bolts back in. I get what your saying about springs vs spacers, spacers force the strut down while a spring in a way forces the body up. Im willing to believe you on the springs, I'm about to order some i guess since its worth a shot. I'm gonna do some searching but with 2actual inches of spacer i have about a 2.5" lift, I'm wondering if i went with an actual 1.5" spacer to get to a 2" lift like the ac spring is my problems would go away.

Alright, we’ll try this one last time. After that someone else is gonna back me up or you can figure this out for yourself. If you already happen to have spacers on top of your struts and put blocks on your subframe, yes, that will change you suspension geometry back to spec. However, an SFD refers to the whole 9 yards- angled strut spacers, extended steering, and subframe blocks, etc. it’s almost impossible to put in a 2” SFD to compliment those spacers for the 2” lift. But, doing an actual SFD (all the blocks and spacers) at once, which is really the only way to do it, will not change any of your suspension. Your strut will be pushed down 4”, but your entire front subframe will be pushed down 4” so that your CV axle doesn’t blow up immediately, and sits exactly the way it did before the SFD. As for springs vs spacers, you need to understand how a MacPherson strut system works, or at the very least be willing to believe the testimonials of all the people with spacers who experience binding and even blowing up CV’s. It appears you’ve decided not to research very extensively, and not surprisingly no one else has been willing to weigh in on basic lift kit questions, because they’ve already been answered a thousand times. Sorry for trying to be helpful.

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