Replacing factory rear bumpstops

[fastpakr]

I'm having trouble locating replacement bump stops. I've just installed a set of the medium rate springs which has fixed the bottoming out in general, but I'd like a functional bump stop in place. I know that one option is installing a set of air bags at $80. The factory bumpstop (p/n 552400W000) is $50-70 each, which seems ridiculous. Does anybody have suggestions on a better/cheaper way to replace them than installing bags or spending over $100 on factory parts? I have searched but didn't find a quick answer.

[Hawairish]

After a chat about airbags and such over at the NPORA forum, I realized a member there has Jeep bumpstops installed and didn't know it.

That said, the OE bump stops are held in by a 8mm x 1.25 bolt. Any bumpstop that you can get that's about 4" tall and 3" in diameter (at least at the top, since it tapers) will be close match to the OE bumpstop. Most will have a metal plate embedded in the rubber/poly.

For my suspension lifts, I extend the bumpstops. If you lift and get bigger tires, extended bumpstops will keep the taller tire from going into the wheel well. My current setup uses a 2"H x 3"Dia body lift spacers ($10/ea) between the chassis and OE bumpstop, and taller bolts. I thought I was being clever by coming up with this approach myself, but I see it's been done before.

I couldn't find a suitable 1-piece Energy Suspension or Prothane solution. You'll probably have to get a little creative; think of other coil-sprung 4x4s (Jeeps, LandCruisers, FJ, 4Runner) and see if they might have something suitable. I bit the bullet on OE bumpstops a while ago, so I didn't have any plans to replace them.

My setup:

[vonscorpio]

I'm on the same quest to find a reasonable replacement for my QX4. The ones on there are absolutely shredded. (Think "Bloomin' Onion" at Outback Steakhouse...)
I did come across these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C6M ... _=pd_ybh_6 although I can't vouch for quality. Tempting as the price is, I was hoping someone else would have some feedback on the product BEFORE I bought them myself.
Thank you Hawairish for the insight on "if it fits it should work".

[Hawairish]

I'm on the same quest to find a reasonable replacement for my QX4. The ones on there are absolutely shredded. (Think "Bloomin' Onion" at Outback Steakhouse...)
I did come across these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C6M ... _=pd_ybh_6 although I can't vouch for quality. Tempting as the price is, I was hoping someone else would have some feedback on the product BEFORE I bought them myself.
Thank you Hawairish for the insight on "if it fits it should work".

Haha, that is the OEM part! That's the correct OE p/n, and that's exactly what it looks like. Well, if you're looking for an affordable replacement, there it is. Good find!

[Hawairish]

I also like that one lone review on Amazon...not sure how it could possibly have needed a "large" washer. There's barely enough room in the hole for a socket to bolt it up.

[fastpakr]

Hawairish, what's your opinion on replacing the bump stop vs adding air bags since the price is similar?

[Hawairish]

Depends on needs, really. I had been considering them, basically so my rear didn't sag too much under load after I had leveled it out following my latest round of lifting and SFDs the other month. But after gearing up for a camping trip and the truck just being a beast, decided to hold off.

I would probably recommend the air bags if you plan to routinely load/haul/tow. It's a great way to dial-in the comfort level beyond what springs and/or bumpstops can offer. But even for daily driving, it sounds like it has some benefits.

The only catch, I feel, is that the OME (and likely AC) springs already greatly improve load-carrying, and may not even need bags. My buddy wanted them because he does plan to get a trailer. The guy with Jeep bumpstops has OMEs and bags, tows a 4500-lb trailer, and absolutely loves the ride. Me...with the few loads I've hauled recently (including about 300 miles of towing fully-packed trailers for a recent move), not sure I can justify it. When loaded, my truck has already been riding comfortably. And surprisingly, after about 25K miles, my OMEs are apparently still just as tall as my buddy's new OMEs.

I also think the air bags might inhibit articulation more than the bumpstop. My recent projects have been geared towards attending GONEMoab next year, so I'll take whatever flex I can get.

Here's a good thread from the NPORA site that I was recently chiming in on about the Air Lift setup, plus some install information and opinions. I need to add another pic or two from the install.
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/ ... g-air-bags

[fastpakr]

Since I'm not planning to load heavily or tow, I went ahead and ordered the factory bumpstop replacements from the Amazon link. Hopefully they really are identical to the factory part. I've already installed the AC medium springs in the rear and just ordered the fronts. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the AC springs -are- the OME springs given the part number they use.

[Hawairish]

Since I'm not planning to load heavily or tow, I went ahead and ordered the factory bumpstop replacements from the Amazon link. Hopefully they really are identical to the factory part. I've already installed the AC medium springs in the rear and just ordered the fronts. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the AC springs -are- the OME springs given the part number they use.

Just keep in mind that bumpstops are consumable items. Any rubber item, really. I've seen a few sets fatigued in different ways (though the bloomin' onion sounds the most interesting!). These definitely won't outlast any poly version, but even poly is subject to wear (or breakage).

The annoying thing about AC is that they hide their parts manufacturers. They've always had their own line-up of lift components (I was active on their forum back in the early 2000s), and I know with certainty they have their own springs (or rather, springs they brand with their name). They also sell the OME products as well, but none of the springs are labeled as such for some dumb reason. The information is in the part numbers, as you've discovered, but sometimes it's not as apparent. The HD front springs, for instance: SPAME928. The OME p/n is 2928. They sell the light and MD springs, too, with the same pattern (2921 and 2923 are the OME p/n's, respectively). AC p/n SPAC96PFFTCL is their own front springs.

They probably conceal the part numbers because they don't want you shopping around...makes perfect sense from a business perspective, but I think it hurts the Nissan community. Concealing part numbers, let alone manufacturers, is sketchy in my book.

They do sell some good stuff, but it sucks that you don't know what you're buying without research. The purple/blue bushings they sell are made by SuperPro, a very reputable brand in AUS. I would've bought them in a heartbeat had this been clear up front, but had to do a bunch of research first to confirm who produced them. The price is a solid deal, though I don't know why they can't just say the brand. They didn't even come packaged up, just wrapped in cellophane. Guess that's just the nature of parts for an R50.

[fastpakr]

Hopefully with the new springs I won't be hitting them much at all. Replacing them is mostly for peace of mind. Urethane would have been nice, but being able to click and order OEM's and not reinvent the wheel was appealing once vonscorpio posted them for a reasonable price.

The part number thing is a pain. When I realized they were just shipping OME springs I ended up looking around at other vendors. A few offer free shipping, which was $30-40 for springs. I still ordered the split trailing arm bushings from them since I'm not aware of anybody else selling the kit.

[Hawairish]

Agreed, it's nice to find something that will (er, should) fit without effort.

Yeah, I only bought the front bushings from AC. The rear bushings I bought of eBay, some generic split-poly set. They're working great and were much cheaper. Getting the old bushings out with a PITA as you've probably read, but installing them was easy. Don't forget to buy new trailing arm bolts. AC sells them, of course, but they're much cheaper straight from the dealer. There are a few posts about them; I posted some p/ns on NPORA with some other notables somewhere, particularly about the upper LH link mount by the fuel tank...the OE bolt needs a tip cut/sheared off (it's sheared off from the factory) in order for the sway bar link hanger to mount back up. Sucks to find out after you've torqued it down. In reality, you can get 8 of the shorter bolts and new nuts, and just be done with it.

[fastpakr]

I had to replace one of the trailing arms a few months ago and got to experience the joy of bolts that absolutely would not break loose. One of the bolts actually fused to the bushing sleeve and I had to grind it out. I'm hoping that a week or so of spraying all the bolts nightly will prevent that, but we'll see.

I didn't realize the bolts were cheaper from the dealer, and ordered the complete kit for $185 that includes all 8 bushings and bolts.

[Hawairish]

Yeah, I had to cut a bolt out too. Not fun.

In fact, what AC sells you are the OEM bolts. I paid maybe $20 from Courtesyparts.com (use "nis10" for a discount!) before shipping. I ordered some other parts at the same time to make shipping worth it.

FYI: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/ ... /?p=751089