PathyDude17

The OME 2928 coil spring often nets lift in the range of 1.5" of lift when first installed, as its a spring that's designed to provide 0.5" of lift when paired with a heavier aftermarket steel bumper and winch. Putting a 2928 on a stock pathfinder is what causes the coil to lift 1.5" instead of 0.5". The OME 2923 is the same idea, but under a lighter load than the 2928. Other than buying stock replacement coils off of rockauto or wherever else, the OME 2923 coil will be the lowest lifting option for you. I'm not very familiar with exactly how much lift people get out of this coil when put on a stock vehicle, but I would guess about 0.75-1". Here's a good resource on the OME coils and a decent place to buy them from: https://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/Nissan-pathfinder-coil-springs-R50.html If your springs are currently shot, you may be sitting well below stock height. If you went with the OME 2923 and also got a set of their medium duty rear coils (OME 2922) that might be a good solution for keeping the vehicle level and riding good. OME makes great springs. Otherwise, take a gamble on some stock-replacement coils. I do not know a reputable or well-liked brand for stock replacement springs, perhaps others do.

I'll echo the concerns on Amayama. I ordered differential thrust washers in March of 2020 (I know, I know, bad time). I got a shipping confirmation in December 2021 and they are slated to show up March 2022. At the same time, it's an impossible part to find anywhere else on the internet, so I don't exactly know how to feel about that. Hopefully I can pass them on to someone else doing a lokka install.

Bring a trailer

Besides having to change your username to Unibodiez, probably not. Most of the 01 VQ issues (mainly power valve screws and IACV gasket) happen at 100k-200k mile range. You’ll want to check the oil regularly in case it burns some or if it springs a leak- oil cooler, valve covers, rear main seal are some of the top culprits. Keep premium fuel in it. These are coil on plug engines as well, but the coil packs tend to stay in good shape for over 150k +. It’s a good idea to keep fresh fluid in the tranny, they don’t take well to abuse. these vehicles don’t typically have overheating issues. Just take it easy. If it’s been somewhat regularly run and maintained, it should be a smooth journey home. I’m sure other people will have something to add to the aforementioned.

They’re not popular at all. Most people want higher lift and load capacity

Something like OME 2922 might do, it’s basically just a load spring that will provide a little lift over true stock height. Link: https://www.desertrat.com/i-23326228-old-man-emu-by-arb-2922-coil-spring.html

Yes. They have no idea what they’re talking about. Most 4x4 shops just do Jeep and Toyota stuff, and will be clueless on what works with R50’s.

I’ve had 15x8 -19mm 3.75 backspace wheels for over 2 years. No problems. In fact, without that extreme of a backspacing, my wheels would rub the calipers, as later model year R50’s have bigger front brakes. Also, you need to do some research on backspacing math- offset and backspacing are different measurements, and their relationship varies with wheel width. Any number of YouTube videos can explain how to calculate it. also, tiresize.com has a backspacing calculator, which is handy for checking math. Use the “offset converter” in this link: https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/ There’s a short math explanation here along with how it applies to R50’s :

Oh boy. I'll chime in on a runaway thread, against my better judgement When I first installed my spacer lift w/o manual hubs, my (presumably) OEM CV axles split almost immediately at the inner boots, I believe it was the inners first then eventually the outers got gnarly too. From what I gather, most boots split on a fresh lift, especially if the axles are old. On my 03 SE w/ the manual shift t case, I have had my current set of axles for about 1.5 years. I just pulled some junkyard axles in hopes they were OEM. At least one of them isn't (my driver side axle, relevant info later). These boots likely have tens, if not hundreds of thousands of miles on them. They were pulled off a stock R50 w/o manual hubs. The boots have experienced severe ranges of temperatures while on my vehicle, everything from -20 *F to 100 *F. I put them on several months after installing AC springs. I think the axles went on in July of 2019, and the AC springs in April of 2019. The entire time I have had those 07/19 axles on, I have had manual hubs. I still inevitably have put some typical road miles on them with hubs locked at speeds of up to 70mph, but mostly its only dirt miles with 4WD usage. These axles have seen approximately 20,000 miles of on pavement driving w/ hubs unlocked. They have endured two winters that saw minor 4WD usage (~10-20 miles of 4WD per winter season?), and many camping trips and trail outings that lead to locked hubs, 4WD, and full (measly) travel of the front suspension. These miles likely are in excess of 300 miles. My most recent trip was over 100 dirt/4WD miles. I have enough videos on youtube to indicate what kind of stresses my axles experience. I've had a lokka since May of 2020, and probably half of my wheeling/wintering/4WDing has been done with this lokka installed. Whether this has a discernable or predictable affect on wear is up to speculation. After all that, looking today, my driver side (the not OEM axle) outer boot is greasy (light film of grease, but not flinging grease everywhere), with every other boot on the vehicle being bone dry. Some basic math: The ~300 toughest miles my axles have experienced, spread across 18 months, has had not so nearly as bad a result as your moderate/light usage (though probably higher than 300 miles) across a shorter time span. This is comparable, as we are on identical front suspension (arguably you have the advantage with the weight of your front bumper). So there's at least two different axles that can put up with the AC lift + the upper limits of what my R50 can safely handle off road. I would speculate the same would be true of your situation. Thanks for listening to that lengthy anecdote. Take this for what it is. Maybe you'll just have to go up to the Rockfords, but I'm not fully convinced that your experience is totally normal.

The OME struts are documented as slightly having longer travel than some/most/all stock struts. The stock strut specs changes from brand to brand and even from model year to model year, meaning that not all of the OEM struts have the same exact travel. If you’re really concerned, some googling of part numbers and catalogues can easily confirm or deny this for your specific application. Different valving/loading characteristics of struts aside, more travel would generally lead to less top out. Whether this is a noticeable decrease in top out remains to be seen, as no one has done a side by side comparison. What I can say-they’ll fit, and it will likely be the nicest riding AC front coil setup you can get.

do you have any links or retailer info on the sleeves? For pre-facelift owners who can’t swap bolt size on the lower mount (unlike post facelift owners who can on the upper mount), it would be nice to have a verified part number, as the bushing/bolt fitment is really the number one issue with fitting bilsteins to these vehicles, and I don’t usually have a good answer when prefacelift owners ask me about this. Thanks, and glad to see you got the issue settled.

9447 vs 9449 is a personal preference, check out their specs here: http://www.red90.ca/rovers/springinfo.html The 9449 is just 50lbs/inch stiffer for carrying more weight. MOST people use stock replacement struts (ie, anything you can find on rockauto), with the OME being the only true aftermarket struts available. If you really want to take a deep dive into struts, you could research some of the other Australian companies that make struts with their lift kits, and see if you could coerce them to ship over here. I’ve yet to see that done. Top out varies from ride to ride. On My AC/KYB front setup, I don’t have any complaints (it is certainly stiffer than the OME coils though) and many of my friends who have done the same also like this setup, but I know other people who are not as satisfied. If you’re not 100% set on them, consider a dobinson or OME 2928 front setup, those are great coils, and if they’re too short for you you can pretty safely add a 1” spacer after they’ve settled. Correct on the 33-185552. You need to swap one of the bushings, or (at your own risk of damage to the bushing) use washers and clamp it down so tight it doesn’t move. The obvious, better choice, is to locate a new bushing. I’m not sure where one does that. On facelift R50’s, you can swap the bolt on the upper mount, I’m unsure of the same option is available to you on the lower mount. compressinng the AC coils without a professional spring compressor is usuallly sketchy, I’ve yet to see anyone try the AC coils with that specific tool, though I’d be optimistic about it working. That tool has been used very successfully to compress OME coils. Hope that helps!

If you find yourself needing to remove the driveshaft, here’s the method I picked up from @TowndawgR50 and use on junkyard jobs as well as installing my lokka: Lock up the drivetrain (Park, T-case in 4LO). Use the “box” end of a wrench on the side of the flange that you can get it on, then I usually loop a wrench into the pronged end of the first wrench. This, of course, effectively doubles the torque you can put on the bolt head. if you can spin the head of the bolt, the nut on the backside will actually catch against the u joint and hold the nut in place. As long as you can produce enough torque to break it loose, you’ll be able it loose and out worry free. Put the transfer case in neutral (on level ground or with the parking break on.... lol) and spin the shaft to expose the next nut conveniently. it sure beat me up trying to take off my first one off (couldn’t get the transfer in neutral, it was a junkyard job- you have to stick a wrench through the u joint and get it to bottom out on something), but now it’s an pretty straightforward job. Glad you got the front end figured out!

If they truly did buy a 2004, at least it won’t have the ECU issue. Drive by wire, babyyyyy. Not sure if that’s truly a step up, but that system does avoid the IACV/ECU disaster.

@RainGoat thanks for the screen capture on that. The video poster is looking more the problem now. If Ironman did eventually offer to let him return the coils, then I suppose that settles that, and we’ll never get to the bottom of what the heck that was about Here’s the other example of IM4x4 springs that I’ve seen, which appear to be working properly. 33’s with a 1” strut spacer and IM4x4 front springs. It looks visually far better than what that QX4 was getting:

I mean, this forum built up our Land Rover specs on ground to fender height measurements..... its not uncommon. He had to add the 1.5” spacer with those tires to make it driveable. The fender gap on that vehicle is almost nothing even after the spacer. The 1.5” spacer should add ~2” of lift, which means about 3.5” of lift total. There are plenty of AC and 1” spacer setups on Facebook (imagine that) to examine, and his axle angles aren’t anything near as severe as what those setups look like. Those things should look maxed, and there would be plenty of room for the tires. Even looking at how close the coils are together inside the strut, it just looks wrong. To sum it all up, I can’t say I’d put Ironman at the top of my list for R50 springs

Not sure The video uploaded provided them with before and after measurements from fender to ground, factored in tire size, and they wouldn’t budge. Ironman claimed they needed before and after fender to hub (not ground) measurements. it is very clear that the coils are netting him no lift. Theres another R50 on Instagram the has a 1” (not 1.5”) spacer, Ironman coils, and 33’s (not 32’s) and clearly has more fender gap.

No, but everyone whose installed them thats talked to me about it ( ~ 3 people?) like them. They’re a reputable brand, bigger in the Toyota world.

Finally got a chance to watch this recent video on the Ironman coils, props to the channel for getting out their experience on these coils. Video It's pretty apparent that the coils aren't providing him any lift. Defective or not is a little hard to say, since we don't have many community members using them. Sounds like he can't get a replacement from Ironman4x4, which is a bummer. It seems like OME and Dobinson's would be better, less risky options for coils that give decent lift height and ride performance.

Coils only, get OEM units if you’re gonna replace them, or chance some EBay ones

I'm 6'1" and have done it. You have to fold the seat cushions up, and then the back seats will fold down flat. With a pillow right up against the back of the front seats, i fit kinda... sleeping diagonally across the trunl, I can stretch all the way out. At my height its not prefect, but its easily doable. at 5'8" it should be even easier

Your 98 has the all-mode transfer case? That doesn’t exactly sound right, should be a floor shift in all R50’s until about 2001. even if you have it, when the hubs are locked it’s the same as stock. But in the summer / good weather / long trips you can just unlock the hubs and save some mpg. You can leave them locked all winter if you want. the missing link is not a fix for bad suspension handling, start swapping out bushings/struts/shocks/springs if it’s handling poorly. The missing link will fit on any lifted or stock vehicle

Before modifying ANYTHING, go drive it around, and try the off roading that you think you’d enjoy! If you feel like it doesn’t meet your needs, then it’s time to start modifying! manaul hubs are an easy add on that will improve MPG in most cases