Light towing setup

[christhisguy]

Hey all!

 

Ooh, my first post in The Garage, look out now!

 

Newb here, lovin' the site, you folks rock! Found this place recently, and before you say it, YES, I've tried the SEARCH for all kinds of stuff. Thanks for the many bookmarks. :bow:

 

My sig shows what I have at the moment. Thorleys should get here tomorrow (hope-hope), and I have a boatload of stuff planned. May or may not try some/all myself since I have a couple savvy friends who could help, and plenty of tools between us.

 

Gonna be towing semi-regularly soon, but likely never more than 1k pounds. The cheapo folding trailer is under 300lbs, and we'll just be hauling a couple dirtbikes and misc gear, maybe 600lbs more at most. I'm wondering how to best setup the suspension, esp the rear. Currently it's stock f/r, and I'd like some guidance on rear shocks in particular. So far I'm looking at Bilstein's and Tokico's mostly (hey I'm not made o' cash, and have heard some bad things about Rancho's), but I'm even newer to 4-wheel tweaks than I am to the two-wheeled variety. Yes, I have a manual (ok maybe 2) on the way. [The one I ordered is a Chilton's, may get the Haynes or Clymer too, reco's on that appreciated as well.]

 

I'm not looking for much (any?) lift beyond what the 31's gave me, don't have plans to off-road on much more than light trails/fire roads. For now at least...heh.

 

Much of my original inspiration came from that Project Pathfinder series, and they (like others) mentioned beefing up the rear susp for towing. Again, not gonna be hauling cars/trucks, but I want to know what factors/brands/models to consider from you experienced types. Some of the towing will be trails on respectable grades at altitude, some will be flat highway at a "mere" 5-6k feet.

 

Not looking for in-cab adjustment or anything fancy, just something sufficient to keep the rear end from drooping without compromising non-towing ride quality (much). Reduced body-lean and brake-dive when not towing would be a plus, and yes I'm open to upgrading both front and rear suspension if I have to, as well as control arms and such depending on what's recommended.

 

What brands/models should I look at? Can I get away with a rear upgrade only, even if only short-term? If I did that, what effects should I anticipate besides the expected high-butt pitch?

 

THANKS!!

[SC88Pathy]

Shocks don't increase your load capacity, springs do. Shocks will stiffen up your ride but that's it. Now to increase your load carrying capacity you can either get air lift spring assists, or do the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ford F100 spring upgrade (the Ford coils might be overkill though...).

Doing the spring upgrade WILL lift the back of your pathy, certain JGC coils won't give as much lift, especially if you have an external spare tire carrier.

Air assist bags are available from Summit Racing as well as other websites, here's a link to Summit's offering:

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.as...+115+4294907043

 

I'm sure some other people who use their pathy's to tow stuff will chime in shortly too.

[christhisguy]

Thanks SC.

 

Yeah sorry about the shocks vs. springs error, I'm a little -bounce- about my plans/options. Appreciate the correction.

 

I do have the external spare carrier (soon to have a 31 on it), and will look into the JGC springs.

 

The rest of ya's: please lmk if I can provide more/better info to help with further recommendations.... or if I made any other dumb mistakes in the first post!

[speedbuggy67]

i know procomps were on sale the es3000 which are comparible to the rancho 5000 4 shocks and stabilizer for 120$ from 4wheelparts.com ive been debating getting them as my orig adj shocks have to be a bit worn even though they work at 208k. From what ive seen shocks new don't give height but being new and strong will lessen the sag witha load even without a lil. I have JGC v8 springs in the rear and front cranked bars that are starting to resag a lil or settle whatever you wanna call it but it lets the pathfinder sit how the stock 4wd pickup sat. def a plus and very cheap. I bought my springs off ebay real cheap i know new at kragen or similar stores they are 70-80 for the pair. now thats its lifted i want MORE height but a bodylift isn't in store for me . good luck

 

Scott

[mws]

I have the Air Lift springs and REALLY like them. I carry my KTM on a receiver rack on my '87. Thats over 300 pounds dead weight centered about 1.5 ' beyond the bumper... Much more than your trailer tongue should be applying.

 

Without the bags, the stock springs compressed about 3". With max air pressure allowed by Air Lift, it came back up to within 1/2" of stock ride height, with much higher effective spring rate to match. Fantastic. And the best part? When not towing, let the air out and no butt-high spine jarring ride!

 

I run air bags on the front and rear suspensions of my tow van, as well.

 

I would give it a try with your existing shocks - if they are better than average units and not worn out, they may be quite adequate to handle your light trailer. The Sears Roadtamers (?) that came on my pathy when I bought it do quite OK with the carrier. Right on the edge, but OK.

Edited June 9, 2006 by mws

[mws]

And use the money you were planning to spend on new shocks and get a transmission temperature gauge!

I see you have a cooler already, but for towing, you may need a second. A temp gauge is under $75 and will tell you exactly what's going on.

Overheating an automatic = EXPENSIVE problems.

[Mr. Pickles]

I've got Gabriel HiJacker air shocks in back, installed by the previous owner long ago. Pump them up and they actually provided an inch or so of lift when I was at stock height. Mainly they support and control a much heavier load than what the stock suspension could handle. I've lifted some heavy loads, with the biggest test being roughtly 800 lbs of people, a 16' boat, and several hundred lbs of camping gear for a several hundred mile trip. There was only maybe an inch or 2 sag in the rear vs. stock.

 

Mine give a good ride too, although I usually drive around with them low in pressure. If you plan on leaving them pumped up for long periods, you may have to check and add air every month or so, at least with mine and many people I've talked to that also have them on various vehicles. But all in all, I've had them for 4 years so far and they provide a quite a bit of flexibility and extra hauling ability when you need them, and they're pretty cheap really- not much more than a decent set of off road shocks.

[christhisguy]

Much appreciated guys! The Air Lifts look like just the ticket, and easy install is always a plus for this noob. Added to notes/wishlists.

 

SC88/anyone: know which JGC springs will give the least/lesser lift? Not sure where to start/what to look for with those.

 

Tranny temp gauge seems like a good idea... MORE GAUGES! I'll check my cooler/records to see exactly what I have, can't remember. Did a complete flush 6-8months back when we installed it, and the fluid is still nice and clean as of yesterday.

 

Those of you with air setups: what psi rating/kind of compressor do you need/use, whether air lifts or shocks? We've been wanting an excuse to buy a comp for a while now anyway.

 

Cheers!

[SC88Pathy]

Much appreciated guys!  The Air Lifts look like just the ticket, and easy install is always a plus for this noob.  Added to notes/wishlists. 

 

SC88/anyone: know which JGC springs will give the least/lesser lift?  Not sure where to start/what to look for with those.

As it just so happens I do know which springs will give you less lift, the ones with smaller diameter coils!

 

Seriously though here's a list of different JGC coils, their part #'s and coil diameters. Just scroll down and read K9sar's posts. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18&st=60

Sounds like for your application you might want .530 to .550 diameter coils to achieve more weight capacity but also reduce lift.

Edited June 12, 2006 by SC88Pathy

[mws]

You would use 5 to maybe 50 psi in the Air-lift bags and a standard floor model bicycle pump is plenty (sorry, no justification for compressor here!) The bags will give you about 10x more added capacity per psi over airshocks as they have about 10X the surface area.

 

If you go with JGC springs in the rear, you will want to add a spacer to the airbag, or contact Air-Lift and ask what bag you should use. They have many different sizes.

[christhisguy]

As it just so happens I do know which springs will give you less lift, the ones with smaller diameter coils! 

O rly? :idea:

 

 

You would use 5 to maybe 50 psi in the Air-lift bags and a standard floor model bicycle pump is plenty (sorry, no justification for compressor here!)

And dangit mws, what kind of help is that? No compressor. Sheesh.

 

Seriously, thanks again guys. Now if my bank account can just keep up with my wishlists...