raz Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'm sure this has been covered dozens of times, but I'm just trying to upgrade the suspension of an '02 Pathfinder 5spd to carry more load without bottoming out (taking fat clients to paragliding launch sites off road). The roads we use are pretty rough so the truck takes quite a beating. I understand OME now makes complete kits for the pathfinder but not sure if it's worth the extra $$. Can I get by something cheaper as far as struts and shocks go, or are should I just bit the bullet and get the OME? Thx Raz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenda3 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Struts and shocks have little to no bearing on load handling. Thats what the springs do. Depending on the situation you have a cpl choices. Swap springs with a stiffer rate. Meaning it takes more force to compress it. Also you can buy some that sit taller offering some lift making the distance to bottom out further. Air bags in the rear may offer you the best result. You add air to carry the bigger load and once thats done simply let the air out and its back to stock. If your drucks due for shocks do it at the same time. Any quality part will do but dont go cheap. I prefer kyb myself. Used tgem on all my cars for years. I myself am a huge guy. 6'3 and 345. I carry a ton of gear and three kids offroading. I bottom out some but never at any speed or id add bags to my pathy. Hope this helps. Sent from my LGMS395 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Struts and shocks have little to no bearing on load handling. Thats what the springs do. Depending on the situation you have a cpl choices. Swap springs with a stiffer rate. Meaning it takes more force to compress it. Also you can buy some that sit taller offering some lift making the distance to bottom out further. Air bags in the rear may offer you the best result. You add air to carry the bigger load and once thats done simply let the air out and its back to stock. If your drucks due for shocks do it at the same time. Any quality part will do but dont go cheap. I prefer kyb myself. Used tgem on all my cars for years. I myself am a huge guy. 6'3 and 345. I carry a ton of gear and three kids offroading. I bottom out some but never at any speed or id add bags to my pathy. Hope this helps. Sent from my LGMS395 using Tapatalk Thanks for the reply. Yes, beefier springs is my first go to. I think I'll go with the Heavy Duty OME there. But, truck's due for shocks, so I'll do them at the same time. Any brand you recommend? Struts seem ok, but if I'm doing everything else, might as well I figure. Probably KYB there. As for airbags, I know that on my other truck carrying a camper, air bags add too much roll when going off road. I don't want that, so I didn't even consider them as an option for the Pathy. Thx R Edited October 7, 2015 by raz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenda3 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 OME springs and good KYB shocks should do it out back. Also remember that by changing tire pressure from 36 to say 28 off road helps softening the sidewalls and smoothes out the ride. Us rock crawlers go down to 12 psi or so to help traction, and on the trails its squishy for lack of a better term. Cpl less pounds and i bet the ride is improved quite a bit. Sent from my LGMS395 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenda3 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Also with air bags, tuning the pressure can get you what you need for load and not be a brick. I know what you mean with them full. Terrible off road ride. Sent from my LGMS395 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 Do I need to upgrade anything else other than the springs, shocks, and struts. Anything like torsion bars etc. I might need to upgrade while I'm doing the suspension? Thx Raz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 ...does anyone know if I can fit 265/70/R16 on that vehicle with stock rims and this OME suspension kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megaton Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 You don't have torsion bars on that model,but you might want to change the bushings in the rear links and panhard bar. If you don't have the"death wobble" at highway speeds they're probably OK,but it's a good upgrade. I used poly bushings and I love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 If you're looking to clear that specific tire size you should do the 1.75" OME or the 2" AC lift, these will also drastically improve your carrying capability over stock but allow you to clear that size tire. I have the medium duty springs (nobody makes HD rear springs for the R50) front and rear on my 01 with 255/70/16's and needed to reshape the corners of the inner fender liners, it would slightly rub while turning in reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 If you're looking to clear that specific tire size you should do the 1.75" OME or the 2" AC lift, these will also drastically improve your carrying capability over stock but allow you to clear that size tire. I have the medium duty springs (nobody makes HD rear springs for the R50) front and rear on my 01 with 255/70/16's and needed to reshape the corners of the inner fender liners, it would slightly rub while turning in reverse. That's interesting, because on my '01 with the OME coil springs I had absolutely no rubbing with the 255/70/16 and thought I could even get away with the 265s, which is why I was inquiring. But I'll look into the 1.75" OME lift if that will improve my carrying capacity. Thx, R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushnut Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 one of the main reasons I lifted my truck was for increased load capasity. the IronMan Lift springs that I installed allow me to load 400lb over GVW. 4 adults 1 large dog and camping gear for a weekend has almost no affect on handling. fuel consumption goes up a little though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karmann Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Definitely go with the OME springs all around, it handles a load better, and rides better unloaded IMO. Less lean in the corners, and better control over rough surfaces. I paired mine with extended length Bilstein 5100s out back, and I couldn't be happier. Stock I could hit rough washboards at 35, now with the Bilsteins, I can comfortably do 50-55 all day with complete control. Check out my build thread for more details, and my impressions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Definitely go with the OME springs all around, it handles a load better, and rides better unloaded IMO. Less lean in the corners, and better control over rough surfaces. I paired mine with extended length Bilstein 5100s out back, and I couldn't be happier. Stock I could hit rough washboards at 35, now with the Bilsteins, I can comfortably do 50-55 all day with complete control. Check out my build thread for more details, and my impressions. Hey Thanks That's one awesome build you have there, but a but too rich for my needs. I'm going with OME Springs all around. But not sure if I can get HD for front and rears. Any suggestions on where to purchase these? Also, for shocks, the Bilsteins 5100 sound reasonable and I think are cheaper than the OME. But what did you use for struts and did they top on out bumbs? Finally, I do need bigger tires and was thinking the 265/70/R16 BFG A/T KO2, but it seems like I'll need some lift to get them to fit properly. The lift will also help with the bigger pay load. But since the OME springs already give .5" lift, shouldn't a 1" lift suffice? Thanks for any suggestion on where to get parts too. I'm here in Canada and prefer to buy without hoping across border, but either works. Cheers Raz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 It doesn't seem that Bilstein makes shocks for the Pathfinder. Does anyone have the Bilstein part no. to know which shock might fit an '02 Pathfinder? Thx R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Cdns4 has the part# for the rear bilstien for a 99.5-04 R50 with a 2" lift somewhere in his build thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaPath Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 you can also buy them from 4x4parts, not sure how much they mark them up comparatively though as I was unable to locate the part # when I was assembling my lift kit components. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I remember the price from them was a little higher but still reasonable, but once you add shipping it was a deal breaker, I'll see if I can dig up the part#, they are available cheaper and with free shipping on amazon and a few other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Found it: 24-185509 This is the part number for Bilstien 5100 series rear shocks that work nicely on a 99.5-04 R50 with a 2" lift. IIRC you just need to swap the upper and lower bushings for them to fit the bolts respectively. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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