Suspension for 89

[TGL]

I am the owner of an 89 that I picked up last year on BAT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-nissan-pathfinder-2/
 

It has 27 inch tires on it right now and I want to go to a 30 or maybe even 31s. I do no off roading, and this beast just sees asphalt, so the lift I want to get for it is strictly aesthetic. My thought is that I need to probably lift it 2 more inches? I dont really want to have to much with a BL or SL, I would prefer to crank the torsion bars in the front, but what do you think about the rear? Whats the best way to do that? What have people's experiences been with regards to how this affects driveability?

 

Suggestions? Thanks.

Edited August 29 by TGL

[D21LosAngeles]

I have some Mud-Terrain KM3 31x10.50 R15LT tires on my Pathfinder. Yes they are noisy but I love the way they look. Everything is stock, no body lift or suspension lift. It’s not a daily driver, but I do have fun driving it!

 

 

https://imgur.com/a/MGneLx9

[Slartibartfast]

Man, that thing is clean! Does look funny with the little tires, though. 31x10.50R15 were optional on these, so they should fit without drama. That's what I'm running. Your speedometer will be a little out unless you want to try and track down the right cable drive gear to correct it.

 

You may need different UCAs if you go past about 2", both for alignment and for ball joint angles. If it's strictly a roadfinder, you may get away with leaving the steering linkage alone, but it's not a strong design to begin with, and lifting them makes the geometry worse. There are a few ways around this.

 

There's a Jeep spring a lot of people have trimmed and used in the rear (front springs for a V8 Grand Cherokee IIRC). I think there are (or at least were?) a couple of purpose-made options as well. Or you can get spring spacers.

 

The torsion bars take time to settle, so adjust them a little at a time, drive it back and forth, and see how they settle out. They're easy to overshoot. I about Carolina squatted mine trying to level it. Also make sure the truck is well supported while you're at it, IIRC someone on here (or was it the FB page?) stripped the adjuster and damn near dropped his truck on himself. I adjusted mine with the truck on stands and the wheels off the ground because ain't nobody got time for that.

[FirstGenFreak]

On 8/30/2024 at 4:08 AM, TGL said:

I am the owner of an 89 that I picked up last year on BAT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-nissan-pathfinder-2/
 

It has 27 inch tires on it right now and I want to go to a 30 or maybe even 31s. I do no off roading, and this beast just sees asphalt, so the lift I want to get for it is strictly aesthetic. My thought is that I need to probably lift it 2 more inches? I dont really want to have to much with a BL or SL, I would prefer to crank the torsion bars in the front, but what do you think about the rear? Whats the best way to do that? What have people's experiences been with regards to how this affects driveability?

 

Suggestions? Thanks.

Awesome buy, that looks great!

+1 for 31s, don't go any bigger and keep your wheel offset as close to 0 as possible, helps out longevity of your front end components. 

 

Best of luck with her!