Anyone found sport/drop springs yet for the Rogue?

[EddNog]

I've been waiting nearly a year now for H&R to release theirs, since I noticed their catalogue already has a part number, but when I called them about three weeks ago (pretending to be a reseller), they told me that although there is a part number in their catalogue for the Rogue sport springs, that product has only been queued for R&D! That means not only are they not in production yet, they haven't even hit the testing and design phase!

Has anyone seen sport springs from any other company on the market yet for the Rogue, or even hinted at it? The only solution I've seen are spring clamps, but that really sounds like a bad idea to me!

-Ed

[ATK]

Spring clamps! That has got to the worst idea ever.

Is the Rogue's suspension based off of another Nissan like the Murano? If so, I'd check to see if there are any springs for that model and begin comparing dimensions, unless you can wait for H&R's R&D to pump a set out.

[EddNog]

Unfortunately, springs for the Murano would never work since they are tuned for a much heavier car (Murano weighs in around 4300lb.). While the Rogue is built off the Sentra's Global C platform, the rear suspension on that car is torsion beam whereas Rogue is blessed with a fully independent rear suspension, so anything that may be on the market for that car won't work with the Rogue, either (not to mention that car's a good bit lighter than the Rogue, too).

I'm not totally confident that importing a set of springs for the Qashqai (European sister to the Rogue, that comes in shorter or longer wheelbase versions than the Rogue) or Dualis (JDM sister to the Rogue, which is same build as the short wheelbase Qashqai) would be such a good idea, either, because they, too do not weigh the same as Rogue, and likely have somewhat different suspension geometry to make up for the differences in wheelbase and weight. Plus, I think the likelihood of there being any aftermarket spring options for those cars is equally low (although Qashqai did come out a few months before Rogue did).

-Ed

[philipa_240sx]

Is the Rogue's suspension based off of another Nissan like the Murano?

Nope,

Front suspension is Nissan Sentra... they share the same platform. Springs are not interchangeable as the ride height and susp. travel are totally different.

The rear independent suspension is totally unique... I have never seen this on another Nissan. It's a 3 link with a large trailing arm which incorporates the rear hub, and a seperate upper and lower link. The coil spring is located between the large trailing arm and subframe. The shock is seperately mounted to trailing arm close to the tire. No struts here. This setup differs greatly from other Nissan rear suspensions including the 350Z, Altima, and the Murano (which is based off the Altima platform).

I really only see one option here: A one-off custom setup.

For the fronts I would look at something like the Ground Control coil-over conversion kit that would re-use the OEM strut. Possibly from the B15 Sentra ('00-06)... it would be alot of trail and error. They use standard Eibach ERS springs and with coil-over adjustability, you can vary both spring rate and ride height.

For the rears, you will need to look at the setup used for 350Z's and Altima's as they do not use rear struts... it's seperate springs and shocks just like the Rogue. You 'might' get lucky and find an appropriate spring from the 350Z, Altima or maybe the Murano in the correct dimension and spring rate. Otherwise you will need to look at an adjustable coil spring. Basically a spring and adjustable spring perch... like a coilover without the shock. Tein and others make these for Altima's and the 350Z.

Another thought:

Why don't you contact Eibach directly to see if they can come up with a spring setup?

Good luck.

[EddNog]

Philipa, thanks so much for your well-informed reply (clearly, you've put more time and energy into this topic than I have)...

What do you think of trying sport springs meant for the Dualis or Qashqai on the Rogue?

-Ed

[philipa_240sx]

What do you think of trying sport springs meant for the Dualis or Qashqai on the Rogue?

-Ed

That's a possibility. The Qashqai/Dualis is about 50kg or about 100lbs lighter than the Rogue. (UK spec. Qashqai 2.0 4wd with CVT vs. Rogue SL AWD). If you compare the diesel models, they are actually heavier than the Rogue by as much as 100kg or 200lbs!

Worst case, you will get a slightly lower ride height (perhaps 0.5" difference?) than a Qashqai with the same 'sport springs' due to the weight difference. Handling wise has to be better than stock assuming a higher spring rate.

There is only one way to find out!

[ATK]

It seems like more manufacturers are going that route with the rear suspension setup. I know that the Mazdaspeed 3 has that same set-up. I'll have to double check but I think even the '09 forester has gone that route. From what I've seen in the past, Nissan and Subaru tend to pull from the same parts bin.

I don't know a whole lot about the Rogue or Nissan in general (my gf just bought one) but I would think that either the JDM or EDM version springs would suit it just fine given that they have slightly higher spring rates. With aftermarket springs you don't want to go too high on the rates or you'll end up blowing your struts within 10k miles.

[philipa_240sx]

{Quote]Why don't you contact Eibach directly to see if they can come up with a spring setup?[/quote]

I sort of take this back, Eibach Springs Europe has an application for the Qashqai. Approximate lowering for Eibach Pro-Kits is 30mm or 1.2"

http://www.eibach.de/index_2.php?SPA=1&C_lang=en

Goto => Products => List of Products on the menu at the top of the pageSelect: European & Asian - Nissan - Qashqai (J10) 5 seater

[EddNog]

I've begun asking around with a couple of UK online resellers to see if they can get me that kit and if they can take orders from the US. I've got my fingers crossed!

-Ed

[Nick 568]

Spring clamps! That has got to the worst idea ever.

No, taking a blow torch to the springs is the worst idea ever.

[EddNog]

It's done.

I wired out some GBP today to SRB Power in the UK for a set of H&R's sport springs for the Qashqai.

Now I have to decide if I want to put them in ASAP or if I want to wait until spring to do it (plowing is only effective up to a certain volume of snow in my parts, and then once that line is crossed where the plows can't keep up, every inch of clearance counts).

-Ed

[philipa_240sx]

Eddnog, we need to give you a new title:

'Guru of Rogue Modifications'

Is there any part of your Rogue that is still stock?

[EddNog]

...Is there any part of your Rogue that is still stock?

Hahaha...you know, I haven't heard that one in a long time. With my Scion tC, I think it was literally hard to tell if it was majority stock or majority aftermarket or modified parts, because I modified it to such a heavy extent (I easily spent more money in mods for my tC than I paid to buy the damn car!), and I actually heard that asked on several occasions, since like this car the vast majority of modifications were on the exterior of the car. To be honest, I really don't plan on taking the mods nearly as far on this car (pretty much almost done), so I'd say the mass majority of it is still stock. With my tC, by the time I finally traded it in, nothing in the braking system was stock except the master cylinder and ABS controller, nothing in the suspension was stock except the bushings, primary control arms and subframes, no lighting on the car was stock except the exterior housings of the headlamps (even the interiors of the headlamps were custom retrofits and the LEDs in the center console and gauges were swapped), and that's only accounting for half the mods done on (to?) it! With this car, I've virtually nil to change on the interior, and I'm essentially done with the exterior.

-Ed

[EddNog]

Here are the pictures of it lowered that I took today (clicking any picture brings it up in 1600x1200):



-Ed

[Nissannate25]

I think it looks really good Edd! Just strange to see an suv lowered, but the drop sets off your wheels much better than at stock ride height.Keep up the good work on your Rogue!

[blaruffa]

Ed. It looks awesome!!

[kerrton]

Ed, that looks soooo sweet!

I think it's an awesome idea to lower a crossoever vehicle like this, the body style is perfectly suited to it, I'm surprised the idea hasn't taken off long ago!

So how's the ride quality now? I can't imagine that it could get much rougher, as the stock suspension is pretty stiff to begin with.

[EddNog]

Ed, that looks soooo sweet!

I think it's an awesome idea to lower a crossoever vehicle like this, the body style is perfectly suited to it, I'm surprised the idea hasn't taken off long ago!

So how's the ride quality now? I can't imagine that it could get much rougher, as the stock suspension is pretty stiff to begin with.

Thanks, kerrton!

They're progressive rate springs, so small road irregularities and textures ride the same as stock, although there is a slight increase in road noise transfer to the car. On larger dips, bumps, holes and whatnot, the firmness is a good deal higher than stock, which was, already, quite stiff compared to most. I'd say the ride quality now is extremely similar to our old WRX back in the day, except with less squat and dive (the long wheelbase helps in this regard compared to the WRX). There is also a similar amount of body roll now compared to a stock 2002 WRX. A stock Rogue as it is exhibits significantly less roll, dive or squat compared to everything else in its class, so my car can easily be described as feeling like an AWD sport wagon, something like a naturally aspirated 2003 WRX wagon or so, but with much better brake feel, and significantly less dive or squat. This car still rides less stiffly than my tC with the H&R full coilover kit; stiffness is probably quite similar to my 350Z, except with more body roll and dive, although less squat (that last part probably due to the fact this car has way less power ).

Overall, I'd say this setup makes much better use of the upgraded tires I've installed on the car. Steering responsiveness is significantly improved, although steering feel seems a bit muted compared to before--that I can live with. The weight of the car's steering is extremely sensitive to air pressure, so I'm still playing around with it. I think I'm just about happiest with the steering weight at 35 PSI.

Ed. It looks awesome!!

I think it looks really good Edd! Just strange to see an suv lowered, but the drop sets off your wheels much better than at stock ride height.Keep up the good work on your Rogue!

Thanks, guys!

-Ed

[Leo2005]

Is there any part of your Rogue that is still stock?

Probably rotors. Unless he already replaced with bigger ones or crossed drilled.

[Leo2005]

Hey Edd. So did you have any troubles with installing the drop kit?

[EddNog]

Probably rotors. Unless he already replaced with bigger ones or crossed drilled.

After the experiences I had with my previous car and aftermarket brake components, I'm steering clear of them this time around.

Hey Edd. So did you have any troubles with installing the drop kit?

My dealership informed me that everything went smoothly when they did they install for me.

-Ed

[kerrton]

I wonder if there is a single other Rogue owner who has dropped their Rogue, or anyone considering it???

[gpsmoucer]

Old thread... but I hav eto say WOW. Simply, WOW! EddNog, that is THE car I have been looking to buy. I love wagons and while the Rogue is close to a wagon in shape, it's height has always bothered me. What you've done, all of it, looks perfect.

Sadly I'm not up for doing anything as involved as suspension mods. But the chrome accents... I'm going to look through your older posts and see exactly how you did them and how much I'd be looking at.

Again, awesome job. If Nissan made a wagon, your Rogue is exactly how it should look.

[tw34k]

Edd,I have to say that is the nicect looking rogue I've seen so far.I've thought about lowering my wifes rogue but she want nothing to do with it..LOL ( Women....sometimes)

After I installed a set of GF210's on my '07 350Z I was looking at my old stock springs wondering if they would fit the rogue...would be nice if they did as it would save me from buying another set. But it probably doesn't work.

Great job on your rogue,always a pleasure to look at!

(P.S......would love to see your Z, "350LowLife" on "My350Z.com"

[EddNog]

Bringing back an old thread from the grave, but just wanted to announce that I have switched back to stock springs; the H&R springs from Europe for the Qashqai made my Rogue quite fun to drive on smooth roads, but with New York metro area's roads getting seemingly worse by the week, the jarringly stiff ride had become not worth the difference.

That being said, if anyone is feeling like experimenting with them, I'm willing to part with the springs for just $50+shipping I'm charging very little for them because I won't get much of a chance to clean them off, plus I know the shipping will not be cheap. Actually, I probably wouldn't charge anything other than shipping if I didn't think I'd have to buy boxes and cushioning for them, but I don't have any box large enough for them. If anyone is close to the NYC region and wants to pick them up from me, let me know and we can arrange a meeting place and time. They have about 30,000 miles on them.

Cheers and happy Rogueing!

-Ed

PS If you're picking it up from me, it's yours for free.

[SenorPayne7]

Bringing back an old thread from the grave, but just wanted to announce that I have switched back to stock springs; the H&R springs from Europe for the Qashqai made my Rogue quite fun to drive on smooth roads, but with New York metro area's roads getting seemingly worse by the week, the jarringly stiff ride had become not worth the difference.

That being said, if anyone is feeling like experimenting with them, I'm willing to part with the springs for just $50+shipping I'm charging very little for them because I won't get much of a chance to clean them off, plus I know the shipping will not be cheap. Actually, I probably wouldn't charge anything other than shipping if I didn't think I'd have to buy boxes and cushioning for them, but I don't have any box large enough for them. If anyone is close to the NYC region and wants to pick them up from me, let me know and we can arrange a meeting place and time. They have about 30,000 miles on them.

Cheers and happy Rogueing!

-Ed

PS If you're picking it up from me, it's yours for free.

OMG yes! i live in CT. i will take up this awesome offer! where in NY do you live?

[EddNog]

Scarsdale, which is not too far from Greenwich or Stamford.

Where are you in CT?

-Ed

[SenorPayne7]

Scarsdale, which is not too far from Greenwich or Stamford.

Where are you in CT?

-Ed

ahaha weird, im near a stamford too.....im in darien....what would you wana do?

[EddNog]

Please email me to discuss further; [email protected]

[SenorPayne7]

Bump! i recently just installed the springs that Ed generously gave to me, ill post pictures later, but i must say that they really are an awesome addition to the car both look and feel