Jump to content

Which Suspension lift package?


OR99.5Speed
 Share

Which Suspension Package should I go with?  

172 members have voted

  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


Recommended Posts

I think I will go with the AC 2" lift (any spacers required on the front end?) Rancho struts and shocks, camber kit, strut boot with bump stop, Nissan strut mount, (strut bearing?), Warn 29091 hubs and finishing off with coil spring rebound bumpers and bushings for all control arms.

 

Can anybody see if I am missing the obvious, or any other sugestions!

 

HH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I will go with the AC 2" lift (any spacers required on the front end?) Rancho struts and shocks, camber kit, strut boot with bump stop, Nissan strut mount, (strut bearing?), Warn 29091 hubs and finishing off with coil spring rebound bumpers and bushings for all control arms.

 

Can anybody see if I am missing the obvious, or any other sugestions!

 

HH

I'd replace the strut bearings while you have things taken apart as they are cheap and I've actually had one fail. Not necessary, but cheap.

 

Changing the bushings in the control arms can be a pain. I just bought new control arms as then the bushings are already in and it saves time. Of course those are just stock bushings, if you want poly then you don't have a choice. If you are keeping on your sway bars you might want to think about changing the front link and the rear bushings.

 

The strut mount may not need replacement, depends on your mileage. You are right though, most people say that you should get the Nissan for that not aftermarket.

 

I wouldn't go with spacers up front as it will cause greater angle on the CVs. If you really need more height then you could do the subframe drop lift and have 4.5+ inches total lift. If you are just trying to get something more level you can run OME plus a spacer up front instead. You get the same front clearance but have less topping out of the struts.

 

Personally, I like my current Bilstein shocks better than my previous Rancho 9000x.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Alright, hopefully someone can solve all of my confusion and stress over this lifting ordeal.

 

I know I NEED to get stiffer, front and rear lift springs. I can't decide between OME or AC. I'd prefer the ACs because of price and extra lift, however if I'm doing a pradolift aswell, then the difference is negligable. Basically, my goal is to fit some 32x10.5 tires under this thing without cutting any fenders and whatnot. I have the chilkoot so I don't even have fender flares. I'm thinking that 3.5-4.5" lift is more than enough for me.

 

My concerns are... The CV angle destruction, and if a prado can bring the cvs back to a factory angle. Also, I've heard you can fit the strut mount spacer (used to level a spring lift) UNDER the top of the strut, directly ontop of the spring, which reduces the CV angle while still giving the same lift....

 

Rancho or GR-2 struts, and why?

 

I have a lot of clunks and rattles in my front and rear suspension. I'm basically planning on replacing the struts, shocks, and any bushings I can.

 

Finally, removing the front sway bar.... how are the road manners with it out? And how safe is this lift to continue touse as a daily driver with 32" and 3.5"-4.5" increase?

 

I live in the heart of Albertas muddy oilpatch and do more logging road driving than concrete, however I do the occasional 1500km commute down the highway, so it needs to be able to do both. Also, I'm hoping to start doing some more-serious offroading in BC/AB this summer, not to mention the winter here, and the @!*% I regularily get myself into.

 

Please throw some advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, hopefully someone can solve all of my confusion and stress over this lifting ordeal.

 

I know I NEED to get stiffer, front and rear lift springs. I can't decide between OME or AC. I'd prefer the ACs because of price and extra lift, however if I'm doing a pradolift aswell, then the difference is negligable. Basically, my goal is to fit some 32x10.5 tires under this thing without cutting any fenders and whatnot. I have the chilkoot so I don't even have fender flares. I'm thinking that 3.5-4.5" lift is more than enough for me.

 

My concerns are... The CV angle destruction, and if a prado can bring the cvs back to a factory angle. Also, I've heard you can fit the strut mount spacer (used to level a spring lift) UNDER the top of the strut, directly ontop of the spring, which reduces the CV angle while still giving the same lift....

 

Rancho or GR-2 struts, and why?

 

I have a lot of clunks and rattles in my front and rear suspension. I'm basically planning on replacing the struts, shocks, and any bushings I can.

 

Finally, removing the front sway bar.... how are the road manners with it out? And how safe is this lift to continue touse as a daily driver with 32" and 3.5"-4.5" increase?

 

I live in the heart of Albertas muddy oilpatch and do more logging road driving than concrete, however I do the occasional 1500km commute down the highway, so it needs to be able to do both. Also, I'm hoping to start doing some more-serious offroading in BC/AB this summer, not to mention the winter here, and the @!*% I regularily get myself into.

 

Please throw some advice.

 

Don't stress!

 

Here's how I look at it:

-OME lift will clear 31s, CV angles aren't too bad

-OME with strut spacer will clear 32s, but CV angles are not so good so you should use manual hubs

-AC lift will clear 32s, but CV angles are not so good so you should use manual hubs, and you may top out your struts which is mildly annoying

-sub-frame drop (Prado) lift will clear 33s+, CV angles can be nearly stock depending on your strut spacer/coil combination

 

There is a trade-off between CV angle and subframe clearance. The greater your CV angle, the greater the clearance you will have between your subframe and the ground. The bigger your tires, the greater the clearance between your subframe and the ground too!

 

GR2 struts > Rancho. There has been discussion on this over on AC. Sounds like the OME struts may be even better but I don't know anybody who has tried them personally.

 

I think you are incorrect about the strut spacer placement. Strut spacers should go on top, otherwise you top out the struts even earlier. This will give you more lift and will increase the CV angle. I don't see any way to use a strut spacer to improve the CV angle.

 

For the rear shocks the Bilsteins seem to be better made than Rancho's.

 

Changing the bushings while you are in there is nice.

 

 

You've already stated that your goal is to run 32s, so that would seem to fit with the AC lift with manual hubs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered the OME lift today. HD/Medium with OME struts and shocks. Decided to do some wheeling after work and was having a blast crawling around through the woods until i hit a tiny mud hole. Me thinks a new engine is in order.... I'll start a new thread elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What does everyone think about AC coils up front and OME in the rear? Not saying I would do it, but seeing as with a straight setup of either brand the fronts sit lower than the rears, wouldn't this alleviate that problem? Pros? Cons?

Just thought I'd ask...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Myself, I just took 200lbs of weights from our gym and threw em in the trunk as far back as possible, and I moved everything that was in the trunk and had some weight to it as far towards the rear as possible, leaving the lighter things closer to the back seats, and its almost completely balanced. Once the rear sags some I figure I'll need to take the weights out...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just out of curiosity.....why does everyone want the front and rear level? Pathfinders, whether R50's or WD21's were all nose-down from the factory. Why the seemingly big deal about having them sit level? :shrug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because on some people's Pathy's the "race car" stance looks a little silly, especially when you remove the factory wheel flares, it emphasizes it. Some people's slant more than others, though. Stock slant is ok, but I wouldn't want it much mroe than that...

Just my .02.

Edited by navygz19
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Just out of curiosity.....why does everyone want the front and rear level? Pathfinders, whether R50's or WD21's were all nose-down from the factory. Why the seemingly big deal about having them sit level? shrug.gif"

 

 

I have wondered about this too, I have seen different pics of setups where some seem to be more obvious than others but with say the ac lift and no spacers whats the actual height difference between front and rear?

Edited by Jarsiff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a pic of mine. I have OME HDs with a Prado 3/4" spacer up front. ACs in the rear. Right now I have KYBs front and rear. I'll take another pic in a month or so when everything levels out. A special thanks to XPLORx4 (Dean) for all his help.

 

IMGP2226.jpg

Edited by Acey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I havn't had a chance to install my OME lift yet. What came in the box was shocks, springs, struts and some hardware. What do I need to buy before I pull my old struts and put these in? Bearings, mounts, cups, bolts etc.

 

I just did mine so here's what I would have changed.

 

Lower rubber spring seat

strut mount

strut bearing

strut bumper

 

 

Hopefully nothing is siezed up top or you may need strut brackets. I needed an eccentric bolt (camber kit) on one side at alignment but I have spacers.

Edited by Acey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I go in and ask for strut mounts, brackets, bumpers and bearings, will they know what I mean? Some parts guys can be somewhat unhelpfull. The bolts under the hood are very rusty, but I think it'll all come apart with some WD-40, time, and an impact gun. What are camber bolts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A KYB kit that had the mount, bearing and bumper together. SM5329 KYB Strut Mount kit. I had to carve out one end on the bumper as the end had a slightly smaller diameter. That was on my 96. The Eccentric bolt or what is known as a camber kit has an oval shaft, allowing it to shift the camber angle up to 2 degrees to straighten the tire out to the road. Here is a link to what they look like.

http://www.strippermotorsports.com/inadcakiecbo2.html

 

The strut brackets may be a nissan only part but I'm not sure.

Edited by Acey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I go in and ask for strut mounts, brackets, bumpers and bearings, will they know what I mean? Some parts guys can be somewhat unhelpfull.

 

Just be prepared for sticker shock when asking that at your local parts dept.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just be prepared for sticker shock when asking that at your local parts dept.

 

He can probably get away just with the strut bearing. Being an 02, I don't think that the rubber had time to deteriorate like my 96. See if you can get each of the three bolts moving there at where the strut mounts bolts to the body. Loosen only one at a time and tighten it back down to see if there is an issue. If everything is cool, just get the strut bearing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered a bunch of extra parts when I replaced my coils and struts because I'm the type that hates putting back in parts that are bad. I ended up returning most of the parts since I never needed most of them.

 

I haven't had any experience with KYB bearings and mounts, however I have heard that Nissan OEM bearings are better quality and will last awhile longer. I used Pinnacle Nissan in AZ for parts. They give you a discount on parts for being part of N4W so sign up over there. They have diagrams on their site which help as well.

 

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...amp;catalogid=0

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...