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What kind of lift?


kyle2090
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Hey guys, I'm trying to decide what kind of lift to put in my pathfinder. After off-roading with my buddy and his jeep and comparing my stock suspension to his, it definitely could use some upgrades. He could go 80 on roads where I could go half his speed and was getting thrown out of the driver's seat. I recently put on some 31x10.5x15 first race that I got on sale with some pro comp 3.75 B.S. Rims.

 

I'm looking for around 2" of suspension lift, will this wear my cvs hard? Should I get a body lift as well? Looking for some guidance from someone that has done something similar. Looking to buy parts in Canada and possibly install the lift myself.

 

Thanks

 

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He could go 80 on roads where I could go half his speed and was getting thrown out of the driver's seat.

 

I'm not sure if this is figurative or literal, but I highly recommend wearing your seat belt so you don't get thrown out of the driver's seat. You could lose control and crash.

 

Belted in or not, it sounds like your suspension (probably stock) is too soft and wasn't intended to be used for high speed off-roading. In this case, I don't think that stock springs plus spacers will help your suspension problems. You need new coil springs with a higher spring rate that will not only provide lift, but also stiffen the ride.

 

Lastly, if high-speed Baja500-style off-roading is your thing, I don't think that the Pathfinder is the best choice for that kind of driving due to the chassis design (unibody) and front suspension configuration (MacPherson struts). There aren't any aftermarket struts that provide the durability and damping power for extreme conditions like that. You'll be replacing front suspension parts often. A vehicle with a suspension design that can accommodate Fox or King performance shocks is better suited for that purpose.

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^This

And I'll simply add that high speed off road is sketchy at best. Don't go there unless you are a pro, it generally won't end well...

 

 

I'm looking for around 2" of suspension lift, will this wear my cvs hard?

From what I understand, 1.5-2" is max lift before you start torturing the CVs. I haven't lifted an R50, so look through the R50 FAQ section to verify this, please.

 

B

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I went with the 2" automotive customizer's lift kit and am pretty happy with it. That being said, my buddy's TJ with a long arm kit is considerably smoother off road than this truck will ever be....you are comparing apples to oranges in regards to vehicles and off road capability/ride quality.

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Like others have said, if you're into high speed offroading then you will not be happy with the R50. If you're looking for a Pathfinder that can be made more capable for that style, you would be better served building either a WD21 or R51, and between the two the R51 would be a better candidate (imo) as it's already setup for coilovers in front, with decent aftermarket support as well. No matter what vehicle, Nissan or otherwise, be sure to invest in a cage and other appropriate safety gear, as high speeds off road can and have injured and even killed plenty. We have a term for people that like to go fast without appropriate equipment or training, we call them "suicide jockeys". Don't take any of this the wrong way, just trying to help.

 

PS - just realized that you said you're in Canada, so I'm not sure of how fast 80kph is compared to 80mph, but it still sounds too fast even for maintained gravel or dirt roads.

Edited by 01Pathmaker
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I don't have much input other than this...

 

There's a rough road going to you backside of a local town with lots of dips, bumps, and holes all at the same time. Its beat to crap. My '04 (R50) skitters all over the place going through there and often feels like the back end is going to step out. My '88 (WD21) stays planted. It's got a firm suspension and good rebound control. The '04 with stock suspension has neither, allowing the tires to hop and skitter over bumps which in turn reduces the amount of force on the ground to keep the rig steady.

 

In all honestly I expected the exact opposite. I figured the soft suspension would absorb it all and the body wouldn't notice much, while the stiff suspension would throw the body around. Nope.

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I don't have much input other than this...

 

There's a rough road going to you backside of a local town with lots of dips, bumps, and holes all at the same time. Its beat to crap. My '04 (R50) skitters all over the place going through there and often feels like the back end is going to step out. My '88 (WD21) stays planted. It's got a firm suspension and good rebound control. The '04 with stock suspension has neither, allowing the tires to hop and skitter over bumps which in turn reduces the amount of force on the ground to keep the rig steady.

 

In all honestly I expected the exact opposite. I figured the soft suspension would absorb it all and the body wouldn't notice much, while the stiff suspension would throw the body around. Nope.

 

I think it's compression control you meant to say, not rebound control.

 

If high speed bumps are causing you to lose contact with the ground, you don't have enough compression damping or you have TOO MUCH rebound damping.

 

It's not the 'stiff' suspension that helps your WD21, it's the stiffer shocks that are paired with those springs.

 

 

 

Also, to be fair to the OP, he didn't say he was speeding off-road. He described driving dirt roads. 80km/hr on many straight dirt roads that I've seen is very reasonable if the vehicle is handling the surface properly (like his friend's truck).

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You didnt have to extend any brake lines or anything with this eh? Did you install it yourself? Also do you know if i will need new shocks after?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm running acs 2" coil lift and fluerys 1" strut spacers on 33s. My CVS are at an angle but still within spec. I have heard rare cases where this is to much lift and the CVS bind. One way to check is installed the front suspension and keep wheels off the ground. Crank wheel and spin wheels if it is binding it's a no go. Mine has been on about a year and has seen many offroad excursions. I'm not running a rear sway bar anymore and the flex is impressive for what it is

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FWIW my (admittedly limited) experience with my 02 R50 is completely opposite to Kingman. Used to have a 92 Pathfinder with super stiff RS9000 shocks and I also felt that thing needed to go into 4Hi the second I even smelled the dirt it skipped around so much.

 

Picked up a 2002 R50 from a friend about a month ago and I've been nothing but impressed by its stability on typical northwest BC rutted/pothole/washboard dirt roads. A couple of things that might play into that - most of the front end (struts, bearings, sway bar bushings, sway bar end links) was replaced this summer before I bought it, and so far I have always had my family (wife + 2 kids + 2 car seats) in the truck - I don't know how the higher spring frequency of an unloaded vehicle would handle.

I guess what I'm saying is 1) make sure everything is good condition and 2) think about how much weight you will be carrying before going to stiffer springs (think unloaded pickup truck bounce if you don't normally carry a bunch of payload.) The truck "should" be able to handle "normal" BC back road conditions just fine at 70-90 km/h.

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