navara suspension
Submitted: Sunday, Feb 15, 2004 at 21:43
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TOB
Just brought a 3-0 STR diesel and am very happy with it apart from the
suspension.
On bad corrugations it is bleep house and almost does 360's. The leafs look almost flat which i don't like and the shockers look pretty cheap. Can anyone tell what they have done to theirs and how it worked?
Reply By: navaraman - Sunday, Feb 15, 2004 at 22:01
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004 at 22:01
4x4 Australia's march edition has a feature on upgrading
suspension on a Navara ST-R V6. They replace dampers, torsion bars and leaf springs ($1682) with EFS componenets and were impressed with the results. Grab a copy.
AnswerID:
46821
Reply By: Macca1 - Sunday, Feb 15, 2004 at 23:18
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004 at 23:18
G'day TOB,
I have the same problem. What Year is yours as the New Model (from about June 2003) has modified
suspension whereby the Lower spring has the ends bent down so they don't contact unless the the back has a load in it. I imagine the cheapest option would be to buy the new springs from Nissan.
I have looked at OME
suspension at around $2000. I drive about 1000kms a week (1/2 bitumen, 1/2 gravel) and whilst the ride is stiff, I don't think it's any worse than other dual cabs. I'd like to drive an STr with modified
suspension ie OME before coughing up around grand so I could feel the difference.
I read the article you read and it definitely sound's good. If you go that way please let us all know the results.
Macca.
AnswerID:
46833
Follow Up By: mik*2 - Monday, Feb 16, 2004 at 00:12
Monday, Feb 16, 2004 at 00:12
I'd be interested to know too, but I'm with you macca, the
suspension on my STR V6 is on par with many other 4WD's I reckon.
cheers
mike
FollowupID:
308835
Follow Up By: TOB - Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 at 22:16
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 at 22:16
thanks macca,
it is a 11/93 japan build and if the prior series was worse i dont know what to think. my last car was b2600 tray which has really bad
suspension so i guess i was expecting more for my dollars, but you are right it is no worse than the others on offer. i liked sliders response which doesn't mean spending 2 grand. i have spent enough this year!
i will post an update when i do the mods
tob
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309259
Reply By: Member - Toonfish - Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 at 01:02
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 at 01:02
without a doubt nissan made the front shockers way to soft especially considering its a work truck and the dual cabs are heavier , not enough travel in front shocks or original torsion bars and upper and lower arms , especialy with a factory bullbar fitted then add a possible winch and lights conbo to that and a full cab of passengers under full brake at a moderate speed .
The shocks are useless after a long day as they are tired and leak after hard downwards motion.
nuff said on front.
the rear springs are average without load but with some load say 250 -300 kg are better but still loose on gravel roads hence many opt for 4wd high to help compensate for that but the factory rear shocks with a light load were ok but under heavy load no good at all.
hey im no engineer but what is the first thing most people replace on 4wds?and some sedans too most of my commodore ones died b4 70,000 on country roads.
plenty of choices here but take into account accessories to be fitted as if you got a long range tank fitted and filled that alone is a fair weight mostly on drivers side too .
not sure on the EFS as i seen it as a paid ad?
ask around you dont want to compromise road handling or front cv breakage and bad wheel alignments if front isa wound up too high.
let us know what you did and if you have heard long term reports share the response.
cheers1999 NISSAN NAVARA DUALCAB
DIESEL 3.2 & SPRINGY CARLTON TOY
2 awestruck kids (dads driving!)
AnswerID:
46993
Reply By: Slider - Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 at 22:23
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 at 22:23
Mate, if you want an economical, effective solution here is the go.
I have a 2002 3.0 STR. Have fitted OME shocks up front and I have the Fulcrum Formula on the rear. Would have preferred same all round but circumstances at the time meant I ended up with this combo. I don't think it really matters that much which after market shocks you use. Most of the mainstream brands will have similar performance which will be light years ahead of the original equipment.
To beef up the rear end without throwing away the original springs ( a bit of a hard ask when the vehicle is only a couple of months old) I opted for Load Plus helper springs. Around $130.00 a pair. You can adjust them up as your spings sag with use and if you do upgrade later to aftermarket springs you can still use them to add extra beef when you need it.
[ View Image]
When fitted they raised the rear by 25mm. I adjusted the front torsion bars accordingly (with no adverse effects) so the vehicle remained level.
The result is great, firm but not harsh, brilliant over corrugated dirt, no wallowing on the open highway, corners great and you can load it up without ruining your ride characteristics.
I now have 110,000 k up and am still happy with the way the vehicle feels and have no intention of buying replacement springs for quite some time. The shockies were done at around 60,000 k and the Load Levelers went on at 35,000 k.
Have fun..
AnswerID:
47136
Follow Up By: TOB - Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 at 19:24
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 at 19:24
Thanks Slider,
That seems to be an economical and successfull fix. There were other options but 2 grand seems a bit stiff for a new car.
I will try it and post the results
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309228