MY SUSPENSION SAGA CONTINUES!
on 2nd thought... might as well talk about it since i can't sleep right now.
I started with Calmini's spacer and shackle setup. Then I heard some good things about AC's coil and shackles. I agree they use very hefty materials. AC coils are stiff and shackles are stout! But two saturdays ago, I installed the AC coils on my stock shocks... and lo' and behold... my first test run through gravel dirt and lava roads my right front stock coilovers blew! I mean blew up!!! Stock coilovers snapped in the middle and oil was splattered all over my inside fender well. SO.... i was now desperate and during a crisis situation I immediately called AC and had them ship me their AC coilovers and bilstein rear shocks pronto! Got it in 2 days UPS and installed them right away (of course they didn't bother to include install instructions at the time). Good thing my roommate buddy works in an auto shop..... so we had full access to every tool needed to make the install as easy as possible. Extracting the broken coilover shock from the AC coil spring took 1.5 hours alone! Thats cuz we were being extra cautios due to the unstable tension in the compressed AC spring during removal. We thought it'd come flying out! But it ended safely.
So, being that it sounds like i'm the first with a full AC suspension, your probably asking how the complete AC setup feels so far? Well, I am happy with the rear shackles and the front shocks do seem to do their job. I feel quite a bit of soft bounce/compression whenever I go over a hump on the road. But instead of hearing a metal "clang" like I used to get with the stock UCA and coilbucket... I now feel a "thump/thud" from the TC UCA's bumperstop. An improvement??? I'd say partly but I guess we'll never get a "contact-free" UCA and coilbucket combination.
So only time will tell at this point. I am somewhat satisfied. But after discovering PRG and talking it up with Greg last week for 30 minutes... I gotta say I really like his approach to customer service. But of course he will ALWAYS be in support of his own products he sells and uses. Business is still business ya' know! But still a very experienced, knowledgeable, and nice guy.
So, all that's left is to get an alignment hopefully tomorrow. But i'm still debating whether I should adjust the AC coilovers base down to 2.5 to 3 inches from the bottom of the coilover shock. Right now, the Xterra is exactly leveled out. But i'm thinking if i make the adjustment, it'll lower my front thereby giving my X a somewhat rakish stance. (anybody care to chime in about this?)
Finally, I should mention that I'm by no means an expert off-road enthusiast. I just happen to live in a very tropical and lushful land thats full of lava rocks and dirt roads just to get to a beach. So having a capable offroad vehicle is a must here. So take my assessment with a grain of salt. I'll keep you all posted later on.
Aloha and ahui ho!
