I'm in a stock QX4. All road / highway miles, occasional snowy roads. I'm at 85K on my 01 QX4 and it's clearly time to swap the struts and shocks.
I LOVE the cushy highway ride yeah I'm a wimp :-), so help me avoid hating my ride when I'm done upgrading the suspension!
What to Replace?I plan to keep the truck another 5 years and want to replace all parts in the suspension that are likely to be in need of a refresh. Can you please review my parts list below and suggest any additions or corrections?
Front Struts - KYB GR2 Rear Shocks - KYB Gr2
Strut Mounts - Spicer / Raybestos Full Kit (Mount, Bears & Bellow)
Front Sway Bar Links - ConfusedI've seen this reference in the forum, but described slightly differently each time. Is there a Sway Bar Link (or something else more accurately describe) I should be swapping out as well?
Springs - I'm ConfusedIs it likely or unlikely I need new springs?
Bushings - I'm Confused
Upper, Lower, Trailing... Which Ones? I've seen others mention both Upper & Lower Bushings as well as Trailing Arm Bushings. Can someone clarify and Recommend what to Swap?
Trailing Bolts - Others that suggested Trailing Arm Bushing replacement also suggest that the Trailing Bolts will likely need replacing as well.
Doing Swap on Struts and Stocks, What else Should I Replace
Re: Doing Swap on Struts and Stocks, What else Should I Replace (bradesp)
good choice.bradesp wrote:Front Struts - KYB GR2 Rear Shocks - KYB Gr2
Quote »Strut Mounts - Spicer / Raybestos Full Kit (Mount, Bears & Bellow)[/quote]i don't know about the spicer brand, but i know many people had issues with KYB branded strut mounts. everyone including me recommends OEM. courtesyparts.com is a great online source for OEM nissan parts. your QX4 has relatively low miles so i'm not so sure you need new strut mounts/bearings/bellows. my pathfinder had 160k miles on it (with lots of off road miles) when i finally replaced the struts. the strut mounts/bearings were in excellent shape. i kept them as spares because there was no sense in throwing them away. if i didn't buy my new parts online, i would've returned them and used the old ones. it's up to you.
Quote »Front Sway Bar Links - ConfusedI've seen this reference in the forum, but described slightly differently each time. Is there a Sway Bar Link (or something else more accurately describe) I should be swapping out as well?[/quote]that is the correct terminology. unless your car is clunking over potholes and you've verified that it is the sway bar end link, then i wouldn't bother replacing these.
Quote »Springs - I'm ConfusedIs it likely or unlikely I need new springs?[/quote]again, your QX4 is relatively low miles and you should not need new springs. even if you do lots of towing and your springs are sagging a bit, new springs is still not a necessity.
Quote »Bushings - I'm Confused
Upper, Lower, Trailing... Which Ones? I've seen others mention both Upper & Lower Bushings as well as Trailing Arm Bushings. Can someone clarify and Recommend what to Swap?[/quote]on the front, there is only a lower control arm (no upper). on the rear there are upper and lower trailing arms (can also be called control arms). i doubt your bushings need to be replaced, but it never hurts. these are a PITA to replace though. you need to burn out the old ones and press in the new ones; it's usually easier to have a shop do it. my pathfinder with 170k miles and plenty of off roading is still on original bushings all around. my fronts are just fine. my rear uppers are worn and should be replaced. my rear lowers are still fine.
again, it depends on how thorough you want your overhaul to be.
Quote »Trailing Bolts - Others that suggested Trailing Arm Bushing replacement also suggest that the Trailing Bolts will likely need replacing as well.[/quote]you can buy these bolts from the dealership to be safe, but don't open them until you know you need them. i live in salt-free south Texas so there's little to no rust underneath my pathfinder. as such, my bolts were easy to loosen and remove. your QX4 may be a different story, so it's good insurance to have, in case you end up having to torch/cut off your old bolts.
if you want to avoid hating your ride when you're done, may i suggest that you just not replace your suspension? your struts may be a little softer than brand new, but if they still dampen the ride, there's really no reason to drop big money on new parts.
if your struts and shocks were blown, your QX4 would be bucking and bouncing over the bumps on the highway. if it's not doing that, and you have no clunks/thuds/groans/rattles, then there's really no reason to replace anything.
if your struts and shocks were blown, your QX4 would be bucking and bouncing over the bumps on the highway. if it's not doing that, and you have no clunks/thuds/groans/rattles, then there's really no reason to replace anything.
Re: (alexf20c)
Here are my suspension Symptoms:
Strange Noises from the front / rear when going over speed bumps at slow speed.
Hard bottoming in rear with four adults in car every time I hit a decent sized dip in the road at highway at speed. VERY harsh bottoming out. Almost feels like Metal on Metal.
Otherwise I do NOT notice any rolling, excessive pitch or harshness in ride.
The bottoming out though has GOT TO GO!
So, Am I being overly aggressive with the suggested swaps?
Strange Noises from the front / rear when going over speed bumps at slow speed.
Hard bottoming in rear with four adults in car every time I hit a decent sized dip in the road at highway at speed. VERY harsh bottoming out. Almost feels like Metal on Metal.
Otherwise I do NOT notice any rolling, excessive pitch or harshness in ride.
The bottoming out though has GOT TO GO!
So, Am I being overly aggressive with the suggested swaps?
in my opinion, you are indeed being overly aggressive.
when going over speed bumps at slow speeds, is it only making a noise, or can you also feel a vibration/clunk/grind/etc. no matter how faint?
if it's only a noise, i wouldn't worry about it. the cold makes any and everything suspension noisy, due to the rubber-on-metal contact. in the summer my pathfinder is nice and quiet, then when it starts getting cold, it seems like everything is making some sort of annoying noise.
the bottoming out issue may be a missing rear bump stop. you can get replacements for $50/pr at 4x4parts.com. they are fitted within the rear coil, so you would need to remove the rear coil. it's a pretty simple process.
like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. on your QX4, i'd take a look at the rear bump stops, and be done with it.
when going over speed bumps at slow speeds, is it only making a noise, or can you also feel a vibration/clunk/grind/etc. no matter how faint?
if it's only a noise, i wouldn't worry about it. the cold makes any and everything suspension noisy, due to the rubber-on-metal contact. in the summer my pathfinder is nice and quiet, then when it starts getting cold, it seems like everything is making some sort of annoying noise.
the bottoming out issue may be a missing rear bump stop. you can get replacements for $50/pr at 4x4parts.com. they are fitted within the rear coil, so you would need to remove the rear coil. it's a pretty simple process.
like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. on your QX4, i'd take a look at the rear bump stops, and be done with it.