Proposed Suspension Lift

17189 Views 32 Replies 14 Participants Last post by kokopop, Apr 23, 2007

mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · Jul 18, 2006

Hey guys. I'm trying to put together a shopping list of items that I'll need to lift my truck a bit. I'm not going to be doing any serious offroading at this time, as this is my daily driver. However, I'd like to lift it enough to give it a more aggressive look and stance.

So, after reading through some of the posts here, and listening to several opinions, I've put together the following list. Please let me know your thoughts on the following items.

Xterra Front Lift Coils

Daystar 2" SL (Do I still need to install the spacers if I install the AC coils?)

Timbren Front and Rear Kits

Questions
Will the front and rear be balanced out with this combination of parts?
Will I be able to fit a 295/75R16 or 305/70R16 with this lift? (obviously on aftermarket rims) I'd go with BFG AT's.
Can I still use the stock Bilsteins that came on the truck, or will I need to change those out?

And, of course, I'm looking to get the Shrockworks front bumper and sliders at some point, as well. So, the truck will really look BA.

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 19, 2006

Thanks for the info, gentlemen.

SO, I won't install the spacers up front. I'll install the AC coils, and Daystar Shackles. Will the truck be uneven - the front higher than the back - with this setup? And what tires could I throw underneath - just the 285/75R16's? And, if I do replace the rear shocks, what is the part # for longer Bilsteins?

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 10, 2006

Bringing back an old post of mine because I'm hoping to start buying the parts for my lift.

Since Daystar doesn't sell their shackles separate from the spacers, should I go with the Calmini shackles? As much as I've heard all the stories about their customer service, I used to have a set of their shackles on my old '02. I've been comparing pictures, and the Daystar's seem beefier. I know they're also greasable.

What do you guys think - Daystar or Calmini? $300 or $60?

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 6, 2006

I think I hijacked the Daystar lift, so I'm going to post here in my original thread.

I'm going to get the AC 2" setup - coils and shackles. This question is for Dan G. Dan, this past weekened, I was with the Nexterra gang installing a 2" bodylift on one of the trucks. We all started talking about my truck and the lift I'm going to put in. One of the guys mentioned your name, and said that he had followed a story of yours on Xterrafirma (I believe) when you installed your AC coils. Did you have a problem with a rented coil compressor? Was it not strong enough to compress the AC coils? Will I really need to go to a shop to have them installed?

Not to copy you, Sexterra, but I'm hopefully going to end up with the setup you have:

AC coils up front, AC shackles in the rear, and 285/75/16 BFG All terrains

And I might just consider that rear Shrock bumper without the tire carrier. We'll see.

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #15 · Nov 7, 2006

Walrus said:
mtdewmike:

Look at this thread I started - I talked about how I did it with loaning out 2 sets of spring compressors.

http://thenewx.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1683

Cool, thanks! I forgot about that thread. I'm a little confused about the coils still (could be because I'm still half asleep), but I'll look it over a few more times. Some of the guys in Nexterra said they could help out installing them.

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #19 · Nov 8, 2006

Walrus said:
Measurements stable at 36.25" front and 37.25" back. That is an even 2.75" lift front and back.

So, your combination of AC coils and AAL's gave you just about 3" of lift. Is that with a winch bumper? I wonder if the coil/shackle combo will do the same. I'll have to wait and see!

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #20 · Nov 14, 2006

Another question, gentlemen. If I'm getting the AC coils up front, then I shouldn't need the Timbrens up front, correct? The AC coils should take care of bodyroll just like the Timbren bumpstops would, right?

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #22 · Dec 6, 2006

Haven't ordered the lift kit yet. I've got some new questions.

I was on A/C's website, and came across these two packages:

Suspension Package with Shackles

Suspension Package with AAL's

Aside from the obvious shackles and AAL's, the packages are the same except for the one with the AAL's - it suggests that the ABS lines be extended, but I did not see any mention of that with the package with the shackles.

I know some of you have mentioned that after lifting the truck, it would be a good idea to get the longer shocks and extend the brake lines, hence the reason why I'm now looking at these two packages. However, which one do you guys think would be better - the shackles or AAL's? I think I've answered my own question, since B SLater just put together that 05+ Xterra Lift Options post; I think "Case 3" fits my needs, which would mean going with the coils, shackles, brake lines and shocks.

However, I'm still curious...

If I go with the AAL's, how much of a pain is it to extend the ABS lines? Should I mess with those? And can the stock shackles handle the extra AAL's?

If I go with the shackles, do you think I still need to extend the ABS lines, even though it's not mentioned?

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #25 · Apr 23, 2007

So, I finally installed my lift. I ended up going with the Xterra Deluxe Suspension Package With Bilstein Shocks and the Calmini AAL's. Before the lift, from the center of the hub to the bottom of the tire well, I measured approx. 20" in the rear, and 19.5" in the front. After the lift, I measured 23.5" in the rear, and 22" in the front. So, the back went up 3.5", and the front went up 2.5". The back will probably settle about .5" after a week or so, bringing it back to the .5" rake.

The back suspension feels much better now. The front feels a little bouncy, but I'll see how things go over the next week or so.

Here are a couple pics.

Before

After

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mtdewmike

Discussion Starter · #32 · Apr 23, 2007

muzikman said:
Looks great!

The front will be stiff (though mine was never "bouncy").

How long did it take you guys? Run into any snags?

Didn't run into any snags. It went very smooth. We did the whole rear suspension within 3 hours, which included a lot of BS'ing. The front probably took about an hour and a half. 2 hours tops. Of course, there was more BS'ing with the front. :iconbiggrin:

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