ImStricken wrote:the pro's & CONS are the same in all cars. let me be frank: screwing with the suspension on any car is simply asking for problems. if you have money to throw into the wind, then go ahead and mess with your suspension. im not going to go too deep into it, as my rant would last for 4hours, but i will summarize it as briefly as possible.
your car was designed with parts to be at a certain extension, at a certain load, at a certain angle, and all those points is where a car should stay at, for the duration of its life; so dont mess with it- because you will put the car at its extreme points(which were designed to be temporary- not permanent)
The suspension in any car is so complex & sophisticated, that it does so much more than just absorb bumps. it helps the car corner, it pre-loads and adjusts to braking, it helps the car in evasive maneuvers, it helps the car maintain stability at high speeds, it helps the tires wear evenly, etc etc etc etc
screwing with your suspension will increase the angles stock components have to work under, and that will in return stress ball joints, tires, bushings, bearings, tie-rods, etc. expect parts to wear really-really fast. expect a stiffer ride. expect to change tires much more often because the inside will wear twice, if not 3 times as fast as the rest of the tire. expect to invalidate your warranty. expect to lower the value of your car. basically, expect to re-install all the original equipment in your car in 2 years time.
if someone was to ask me my opinion: id tell them to stay away from raising or lowering the suspension at all costs.
I want to both agree and disagree with you...
When I had my Accord, I installed the HFP (Honda Factory Performance) suspension which consisted of struts and springs lowered the car 1" all the way around. With the HFP suspension, the car handled amazingly well and I regularly travelled on I-95 from the GW to the Delaware Memorial Bridge at an average speed of 85-90 with the car feeling incredibly stable... I would regularly hit 100MPH for extended periods of time as well actually (not recommended to anyone, I'm not bragging about my speed, just that the car could handle it with composure) and I was always able to make it do whatever it needed to without any drama. **I do not drive my Rogue like that... In fact I drive my Rogue like an old man, with people passing me and giving me dirty looks over rough roads**
Also, the ride was (believe it or not) just as smooth as stock, and that was even with polyurethane front bushings, Neuspeed front strut bar, and Acura TL rear sway bar. But I'm sure that is because the struts and spring combo was a Honda product and not aftermarket. And I'm sure that is also partly why everything else about the ride/handling worked so well... I also had an Ingalls rear camber kit to help with tire wear and handling by keeping everything in spec... I will say though, that my Accord was track-worthy with just the 1" drop and other suspension mods I had on it.
Before:
After:
That being said, I've noticed that Nissan's (the Rogue included) in general do not have the most refined suspensions (my Rogue hits bumps pretty hard, and does not keep its composure over rough surfaces as well as my Accord did) to begin with, and IMO messing with a Nissan suspension is a no go... At least for the Rogue... I wouldn't want a rougher ride than I have right now! And as Imstricken said, there are a lot of factors that go into suspension geometry and layout, and just slapping lowering springs onto stock struts will be asking for trouble. First off, the stock struts will wear out incredibly fast, and your suspension will be very harsh over rough surfaces... Aftermarket suspensions are designed to be used universally, so just because it says its for the Rogue does not mean that it was designed for the Rogue, it just means that it will fit on the Rogue. I'm with Imstricken... Keep the Rogue stock