Want to put a 3" lift on my Xterra, but I have some questions.

[Beau]

What's the diff between a body and suspension lift. What's better?

 

[StageLeft]

How come you're doing it?

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
How come you're doing it?

I have aftermarket 17" Perfect 360 wheels and 34" BFGoodrich AT tires. The wheel wells are just a little too small for the tires, so when I turn too tightly, the wheels rub on the inside.

 

[TomC25]

I don't really know I am not a car guy, but let me guess.

A body kit will make the whole car sit higher above the suspension. (don't know how though)

A suspension lift will make the strut and spring longer.

...but you already figured out this much I assume.


I wonder which one takes more work and which is more expensive.

 

[TomC25]

Originally posted by: Beau6183

Originally posted by: Skoorb
How come you're doing it?

I have aftermarket 17" Perfect 360 wheels and 34" BFGoodrich AT tires. The wheel wells are just a little too small for the tires, so when I turn too tightly, the wheels rub on the inside.

For this I would guess a body lift would be better, but I could be wrong.

 

[Beau]

Alright -
A body lift is just a lift on the body from the chassis, you just put spacers between them, and you gain no clearance. Primarily used to allow for larger tires.

A Suspension allows for more clearance and the use of larger tires.

I think I'm gonna do a suspension lift. Has anyone ever done one on their own? how hard are they?

This is the kit I think I'm gonna get. Anyone have an opinion on it?

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

I'm no expert, but I would imagine that you would need more than 3" of lift. You should definitely get an opinion from a Nissan 4x4 forum. I'm sure there are a lot of Nissan/Off-Road nuts out there that have the answers to your questions. The only forums I know of are the OutdoorWire forums. OutdoorWire Nissan

 

[d33pt]

rancho is known for making good offroad parts.. that kit should be all you need

 

[Destined4nothin]

Body lift just lifts the body up on spacers, suspension lift is much better. I don't know how the prices compare, but a suspension lift is easier (or at least quicker) to install and will give you more usable wheel travel. You should also look into getting some fiberglass fenders which should give you more clearance.

 

[iamwiz82]

I suggest Old Man Emu. Very expensive, but they make teh best offroad and onroad suspension all in one.

ARB usa . Look for Old Man Emu on their page.



baaahh you dont need fiberglass fenders, just cut those suckers off! Off roading demands it.

 

[Zebo]

Oooo. Does an Xtera even have a frame? if not you can't do a body lift.

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: Carbonyl
Oooo. Does an Xtera even have a frame? if not you can't do a body lift.

Good point

It for sure has IFS, so the price of your 3" lift automatically doubles over that of a solid axle. It wouldnt surprise me if you were looking at $1500-$1900 installed for a 3" suspension lift

EDIT

From the Nissan website:
And nothing you don't. All the way down to its heavy-duty truck frame, Xterra is 100% function

Maybe it does have a full frame

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Sluggo

Originally posted by: Carbonyl
Oooo. Does an Xtera even have a frame? if not you can't do a body lift.

Good point

It for sure has IFS, so the price of your 3" lift automatically doubles over that of a solid axle. It wouldnt surprise me if you were looking at $1500-$1900 installed for a 3" suspension lift

that seems way high. It shouldnt be that hard to install anyways. Drop the axle, put in the stuff, reinstall. Cherokees and some TJs have an issue with the drive shaft shaking out of the transfer case on medium lifts. That can be fixed with a slip yoke eliminator, though. Make sure you plan everything, first.

 

[Nefrodite]

why do you want to increase the chance of u flipping over? higher center of gravity = bad thing

 

[DieselUV]

Go with a suspension lift. I have the Old Man Emu (OME) 2" lift on my 96 4Runner and I've been very pleased with it. I also had to add a 1" spacer in the front to compensate for the heavy ARB Sahara bumper I put on. If you go with spacers only, you can retain stock suspension geometric angles which some people like. I don't like body lifts msyelf because you don't gain anything out of it plus it exposes the frame and I think that's ugly. If you go susp lift and want more height, then go for the body lift. I like susp lifts because you gain more wheel travel. I would show you a pic of my truck but my site was hosted by CyberWings. =)

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Diesel UV
Go with a suspension lift. I have the Old Man Emu (OME) 2" lift on my 96 4Runner and I've been very pleased with it. I also had to add a 1" spacer in the front to compensate for the heavy ARB Sahara bumper I put on. If you go with spacers only, you can retain stock suspension geometric angles which some people like. I don't like body lifts msyelf because you don't gain anything out of it plus it exposes the frame and I think that's ugly. If you go susp lift and want more height, then go for the body lift. I like susp lifts because you gain more wheel travel. I would show you a pic of my truck but my site was hosted by CyberWings. =)

Diesel, put it on pics.bbzzdd.com. I'd like to see it. My Arb is coming soon

 

[Bluefront]

Xterras have a frame just like the Nissan pickup trucks. Pathfinders do not have a separate frame, they have a uni-body. While having a real frame does have it's advantages, on the Xterra having this frame makes the whole thing more difficult to work on because of less clearances.

Here's what happens when you raise the suspension....you probably void any power-train warranty, you increase the danger of a roll-over, and you will have never-ending alignment problems, not to mention tire wear problems. Looks neat to you? Not to me.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Bluefront
Xterras have a frame just like the Nissan pickup trucks. Pathfinders do not have a separate frame, they have a uni-body. While having a real frame does have it's advantages, on the Xterra having this frame makes the whole thing more difficult to work on because of less clearances.

Here's what happens when you raise the suspension....you probably void any power-train warranty, you increase the danger of a roll-over, and you will have never-ending alignment problems, not to mention tire wear problems. Looks neat to you? Not to me.

doesnt void my powertrain warranty, only suspension warranty. If you dont drive your SUV like a CAR, you wont roll over, ever.

Do you buy an SUV just to drive to the supermarket? I know i didnt.

 

[OutHouse]

dont forget about adjusting the axle for the new angle its is connecting to the transfercase.

 

[Ultima]

Do you buy an SUV just to drive to the supermarket? I know i didnt.

And thank god for that.