19k miles with OME/ Dakar suspension for 2015 Frontier

[SnowedIn]

Just ticked over 75k miles on this suspension setup. 96k total on the Truck.

- Leafs squeak a bit, no suprise
- I feel like I may have lost 1/2" of height all around but I'm not bottoming out or sagging with the same loads I've always carried. It may just be that my other vehicles now are all taller.
- I have towed a lot more in the last couple of years, usually a small converted cargo trailer w/ pintle hitch that is about 1700 dry. Zero problems towing
- Knocked the sway bar all out of whack on something at some point, shifting it about 2" to one side. Pulled it off intending to put it back on with PRG sway bar links and just... never got around to it. It drives fine without it and has made some pretty extreme emergency maneuvers at highway speed both with and without a trailer with adequate results.

I still say that I wish I'd done this at 1000 miles instead of 21,000 miles. Only thing I would change is doing aftermarket upper control arms for better alignment. The Cepek Extremes are gone, having gotten the expected 40k miles out of them. Cooper STT Pro's on now, again in 235/85R16

The comical aspect remains that with the ARB bumper up front and the bed rack, my actual remaining payload is about 200 lbs per the door sticker; although to be fair the starting payload is taking into account the stock Pro-4X suspension, not the OME setup + brake upgrades.

Also of note... the ARB skid plates (added after I destroyed most of the OEM ones), which were an absolute pain in the ass to get fitted on account of, I think, being designed for the Navarra + already having an ARB bumper as well, have performed well. Well worth the hassle taking them on and off for maintenance. They hang down lower than the OEM's under the oil pan and I have drilled them hard enough to need to press them back into shape with an arbor press, but they have protected the oil pan, trans, and front diff from some gnarly rocks driving in truly, for-real offroad areas on private land. I believe they are powder coat over galvanization so they are basically rust free 4 years in with the help of cheap gray primer for touch-up.

 

[llamalander]

the D40 Frontier/Navarra has the same payload in the US as in Australia, but over there they use Kg!
I think with an engineered Australian suspension and bigger brakes, you are probably safe doubling the payload if you pay attention to the wear items like pads and bushings.

 

[highwest]

Squeaky Dakars is a common OME complaint. On my Tacoma, a little over three years ago, I disassembled the medium duty leaf springs to add the heavy duty leaf. At the same time I replaced all of the anti friction pads. They have been dead silent ever since. May be something to look into if the squeaking really bugs you.

 

[SnowedIn]

Yeah I figure I am good up to at least the higher payload values of the crew cab short bed 4x4 SV models, given that the OME suspension is even more stout than that. Original door sticker is, if I recall, about 860 lbs. The truck weighs more than an F-150 single cab short bed, though.

Squeak is probably forever given the desert dust.

 

[Gravelette]

I've pondered why the payload is so low on Frontiers. My 22 SV is only 1160# and IIRC there are new Pathfinders with higher payload.

 

[highwest]

Squeak is probably forever given the desert dust.

Most of our adventures are to the desert.

 

[SnowedIn]

As an update to my perceived loss of height:

I did notice the truck settled a bit after 3 months or so of getting the suspension installed. This was both expected and hoped for, as the initial increase in the rear seemed closer to 2.5". I ended up with a nice practical rake.

We most likely overloaded the crap out of the rear leafs a few times during emergencies - like 1500+ lbs in the bed, that kind of thing, in addition to frequently carrying heavy but more sane loads for trips.

However, found this the other day while reading up on leaf packs:


My wheel arch heights with ARB bumper up front and 180 lbs on the bed (4 maxtrax, hi-lift, bedrack) are:
Front 36 1/4"
Rear 37 7/8"
I see various people on the internet claiming the Pro-4X sits 1/2" higher but I'm not sure. Either way, considering the weight already on there in the rear my guess of sagging 1/2" from the initial broken-in state sounds about right.

I want to try keeping this around another couple of years but it'll need to still haul gear without squatting too much... can probably squeeze another 20-25k out of the shocks and struts, so rather than dropping the coin to replace everything I think I'm going to try some Sumosprings. Will do some before/after measurements and pictures when I manage to get them on.