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Leveling Kit


yosco

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How much high way riding do you do? Putting a leveling or lift kit in any vehicle will make the ride harsher, if you don't do alot of on road driving with it or aren't worried about comfort then it shouldn't bother you. Main thing I've always noticed is the front end will feel alot stiffer over bumps no matter what vehicle, handling is reduced as well. Other than that, get it aligned when your done.

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Shocks alone will not provide any lift. What are you using in the front for lift, new springs? If so, they will be taller, and probably of a higher spring rate than stock so they can maintain their height over time. This will produce a stiffer ride. Same with the add a leaf in the rear. Anytime you increase spring rate the ride gets harsher. Not unbearable if the kit is well engineered, but noticeable. Alignment is a must as mentioned above, and may be difficult since the lift will change some angles and there may not be enough adjustment left to compensate. There's a bunch of NISMO and other recommended stuff out there on the Nissan message boards. Best is to go with a kit used and recommended by others, and stay far away from the crap spacer kits on ebay, etc. Again, look to the Nissan boards for recommendations on tire size. No need to re invent the wheel so to speak. Someone has already done the hard lifting for you.

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2" is actually a lot. You're going to add Bilstein 5100s? I'm guessing this from what you wrote. The 5100s can be used to lift the front because the c-clip that the spring bucket rests on can be moved to 3 different positions. The amount of lift varies with the application.

Keep in mind that other things change when you do this:

1) the angle of the upper ball joint to the steering knuckle, on some vehicles becomes an issue that can cause premature upper ball joint failure. There are aftermarket upper control arms available for some vehicles to correct for this, but it is an added cost.

2) the angle of the CV joints in the front half shafts can also become an issue, maybe not at 2" but usually higher lifts yes, they will not last as long.

3) the stiffer rear leaf springs will definitely stiffen the ride, as will the Bilstein shocks if that's what you're using.

I used the Bilstein 5100s to level my '07 Grand Cherokee which came with a front rake (front lower than rear) and now its completely level. They stiffened the ride slightly but overall it is much improved. On the lowest setting the 5100s lifted the front 3/4" or 19mm. The next step up for this vehicle would be an OME 2" lift but that would require new upper control arms to correct the upper ball joint angle. I have not had a need for that much lift and so far have been happy with the leveled stance and an additional 1/2" clearance given by 1" taller tires.

 

I'd peruse other Nissan sites and find out what others have done, and their results. Here is mine vs stock, mine on the left. The tires and 5100s gave me about 1.25"-1.5" up front and it sits perfectly level.  

IMG_1978.JPG

Sore Thumb beach 4-17.jpg 2.jpg

Edited by LouC

2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7 Quadradrive II

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 Selectrac

1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon 4.3 OMC Cobra

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Check the angle of the CV axles in the pic above. This is what concerns me, they are running at extreme angles when the suspension unloads because the drive axles are not anywhere near the stock angles where they come out of the front diff housing....While you can do this, do not be surprised if the life of the CV axles is far less than what you'd see on a stock height vehicle. The same is true of any lifted IFS vehicle. In fact, there are super HD CV axles available for modern IFS Jeeps and I bet you can get them for Toyotas as well given the size of the aftermarket for Toyota trucks....

 

http://jbaoffroad.com/rcv-ifs-cv-axle-set.html

2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7 Quadradrive II

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 Selectrac

1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon 4.3 OMC Cobra

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22 hours ago, LouC said:

2" is actually a lot. You're going to add Bilstein 5100s? I'm guessing this from what you wrote. The 5100s can be used to lift the front because the c-clip that the spring bucket rests on can be moved to 3 different positions. The amount of lift varies with the application.

Keep in mind that other things change when you do this:

1) the angle of the upper ball joint to the steering knuckle, on some vehicles becomes an issue that can cause premature upper ball joint failure. There are aftermarket upper control arms available for some vehicles to correct for this, but it is an added cost.

2) the angle of the CV joints in the front half shafts can also become an issue, maybe not at 2" but usually higher lifts yes, they will not last as long.

3) the stiffer rear leaf springs will definitely stiffen the ride, as will the Bilstein shocks if that's what you're using.

I used the Bilstein 5100s to level my '07 Grand Cherokee which came with a front rake (front lower than rear) and now its completely level. They stiffened the ride slightly but overall it is much improved. On the lowest setting the 5100s lifted the front 3/4" or 19mm. The next step up for this vehicle would be an OME 2" lift but that would require new upper control arms to correct the upper ball joint angle. I have not had a need for that much lift and so far have been happy with the leveled stance and an additional 1/2" clearance given by 1" taller tires.

 

I'd peruse other Nissan sites and find out what others have done, and their results. Here is mine vs stock, mine on the left. The tires and 5100s gave me about 1.25"-1.5" up front and it sits perfectly level.  

IMG_1978.JPG

Sore Thumb beach 4-17.jpg 2.jpg

This is all great info. Thanks everyone!

Yes, i am going w the Bilstein 5100's.  It is the rake (what ive been calling pitch)

that i am trying to correct. Plus add a little height.  Ive spent quite a bit of time on

Xterra chats and have started to find that sometimes too much info has made me dizzy.

Lots of conflicting advise . Lotta guys on those sights just wanna argue.

Lou, your jeep looks great. Thats what im shooting for.

Been doing homework on this for a few months and am pretty comfortable that staying

to a minimal lift shouldnt create wear problems by changing original design angles. 

FWIW, Leveling kit,new rims and tires installed, i am at $2400.00. I am going

 w Toyo tires. Gonna scrape together a little more cash and do it.

Thanks for all the advice. SOL is great for this kinda stuff. Thanks Tim.

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I know with Tacoma's you have to do a differential drop and Upper Control Arms when you get up over 2" - 2 1/2". I kept mine at 2" in order to not have to do much extra. I installed new  adjustable coilovers and an add a leaf in the rear. This combo actually improved my ride because the components are better than stock. 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/6/2018 at 10:22 AM, yosco said:

Looking at putting a leveling kit in. Leaf lift in rear and Bilstein shocks

in front. Will this change my ride dramatically ? Only going to gain about 2".

Will allow me a bit larger tire. Is it worth it?

 

I've got a 2010 xterra with a add-a-leaf in the rear and bilstein 5100s all around.  I have the adjustable ones up front set on 2". if you are on original suspension that is prolly worn to all hell then the upgrade will prolly ride better.  Rear won't sag or bottom out over big bumps, won't dip as hard braking and accelerating. 

 

I threw on 285's at the same time. Overall it gives it a much better look and the ride was better IMO over the stock shot stuff. For 285's you'll have to use a heat gun to reform the splash guards a bit, it's easy and takes maybe 10 min per side.

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Nice rig. Keep the lift mild ~2" and you'll benefit from better ride, and be able to fit a bit larger tire. The slight added footprint can make a difference both on and off road. No need for anything extreme for a beach buggy.

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