Question about Bilstein shocks...

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Does anybody know the actual part number for the 5100 series Bilstein shocks that are compatible with the A.C. lift? I noticed that A.C.'s markup is kinda high (almost 33% on some parts!) and I want to try to find them from another reseller.

Also, is anybody running the A.C. lift with both sway bars removed?

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Just one more question, can anyone tell me (from the following image) what parts should be replaced in the strut mount when I replace the struts? I know that at the very least the strut bearing (#9 in the following image) should be replaced but should I also replace the isolator (#6 in the following image)? Are there any other parts that get a lot of wear and tear that I should probably replace?

[racerken]

Hi,

When I had my 96 Pathfinder, I beat the living daylights out of it. Even hit a deer as I was hauling thru the woods. I think I spent 2k at AC right off the bat. I had the TJM steel bull bars, HD springs that gave me about 2", Tokiko shocks then Ranchos, lockers, etc. I ended up blowing up the rear differential so I took advantage of the Nissan supplier discount and bought a new one(2005).

Here is my story. The 96's were mounted the rear shocks at an angle of vertical and they also had strange geometry for trailing link suspension which caused early wear of the link bushings. That is why there is this bump steering jump problem with this platform. First thing I did was swap out the bushings to nylon.

On the shocks, I thought that the shocks were either under designed or I just drove them too hard as I went through a set of shocks per 20k miles. Then again I like the new car handling everyday = sickness.

On the first change, I swapped everything and it cost a bundle. On the second change I swapped nothing to see what would happen. On the third change, I only swapped the upper seat which I think is your part #13. It appeared to be cracking. They say that the shock mount tower bearing assembly(#6) should be changed but I went over 100k on mine.

About AC, I tried checking with suppliers to locate the part number for my year but to no avail. Either AC has an exclusive or they just figured out what fit. I'm going to order a set of the 5100's myself next month.

If you do remove the sway bars, can you post a video of you hitting some bumps at speed?

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I really thought about just pulling the front struts off and just ordering the parts that looked worn or cracked, the only thing I didn't like was having to wait for the parts to be shipped. The suspension is all factory and I doubt any of it has been touched since new and it has 70,683 miles on it. I pulled my rear sway bar off a long time ago and noticed absolutely no difference in body roll. The factory rear sway bar was so thin it looked like it was a bent-up wire coat hanger. I'm on the fence about removing the front sway bar with the lift, some say it's fine without it since the AC springs are stiffer while others say they nearly flip the vehicle around every sharp turn. I was thinking about just pulling the front sway bar off tomorrow to see how it performs on road but I was hoping to get some input from anybody who removed it already.

[alexf20c]

when i installed my AC lift, i replaced 4, 6, 9, 15, 18. i actually didn't need to replace anything. at 160k miles, my strut bearings and strut mounts were in excellent condition. i kept them as spares just in case. if i had known this, i would not have spent $150 on new mounts, bearings, rubbers, etc. at the very least, i might replace #4/6/9. part #18 is just a rubber cushion thing that i reused anyway, even though i had new ones. they're real cheap so you may as well, but i doubt you will need them.

on my strut hat (#14 in your diagram), parts #13 and #16 were tack welded together. i bought #16 but it was not usable, nor was it needed.

i drove my pathfinder with no sway bars pre-lift and it was dangerous. post-lift i am still running no sway bars and i don't plan on ever putting them back on. as stiff as the AC coils are, there is hardly any body roll. it might even have less body roll than stock coils with both sway bars.

[Pwnin Obrien]

Thanks alex, I guess I'll remove the front stabilizer when I put the lift on. I'm kinda torn now, there's word of a production SFD for the R50 coming soon and it sounds interesting. The only problem is that it wont come with the longer brakes lines or rear shocks, which will run another $400 on top of the projected $600-700 price tag. I would also need to get new front springs made to match the spring rate of the new custom rear springs, that's another $250.