Probably a personal preference thing. I think the spring rates are probably fine, but the dampening rates are wrong for the application, both on the road and off. Particularly on the road, the suspension transmits small bumps, such as pavement joints. Partly this is due to the high pressure needed in the tires to avoid the warning light, partly due to the shocks having too high a rate.
My CJ-7 has coilover shocks with remote reservoirs in the front, and a longarm conversion. The spring rates are not high for a vehicle as heavy as this Jeep is, but the ride is great. Based only on transmitted bumps, the Jeep rides better than the Frontier, and the Jeep has 37" Boggers. So I think there is room for improvement on the Frontier I will be looking into a coilover suspension for the Nissan to see if that will improve ride and handling. As it stands, I rarely use more than 50 percent of the available travel, even when off road. I would rather have more access to available travel (without having to drive fast and beat on the truck), which requires cycling the suspension over a greater range in roughly the same amount of time (faster cycling). This generally equates to a softer feeling ride.
Otherwise, I think the handling is fine for a small truck. Steering force is a bit high (underboost on the power assist), again a personal preference thing and perhaps intended to give the impression that the handling is taught rather than floaty.
I have not tried airing down for off road, mostly as I don't yet have onboard air to reinflate the tires on the trail. Highway pressures used off road will obviously affect how the truck feels, but by now I would hope I can tell the difference between hard tires and a stiff suspension.
If you want to run lower pressures in the tires and don't want to see the warning light constantly, try setting the tires at, say 32 pounds, but do it at night when the air temps are the coldest that they will be, and after the tires have achieved ambient temp. Thereafter, higher daytime temps and temps elevated due to driving should keep the pressure in the tires above the trigger point on the sensors. I just hate to have to fool around like this, just to avoid an idiot light that tells me nothing of value.
My CJ-7 has coilover shocks with remote reservoirs in the front, and a longarm conversion. The spring rates are not high for a vehicle as heavy as this Jeep is, but the ride is great. Based only on transmitted bumps, the Jeep rides better than the Frontier, and the Jeep has 37" Boggers. So I think there is room for improvement on the Frontier I will be looking into a coilover suspension for the Nissan to see if that will improve ride and handling. As it stands, I rarely use more than 50 percent of the available travel, even when off road. I would rather have more access to available travel (without having to drive fast and beat on the truck), which requires cycling the suspension over a greater range in roughly the same amount of time (faster cycling). This generally equates to a softer feeling ride.
Otherwise, I think the handling is fine for a small truck. Steering force is a bit high (underboost on the power assist), again a personal preference thing and perhaps intended to give the impression that the handling is taught rather than floaty.
I have not tried airing down for off road, mostly as I don't yet have onboard air to reinflate the tires on the trail. Highway pressures used off road will obviously affect how the truck feels, but by now I would hope I can tell the difference between hard tires and a stiff suspension.
If you want to run lower pressures in the tires and don't want to see the warning light constantly, try setting the tires at, say 32 pounds, but do it at night when the air temps are the coldest that they will be, and after the tires have achieved ambient temp. Thereafter, higher daytime temps and temps elevated due to driving should keep the pressure in the tires above the trigger point on the sensors. I just hate to have to fool around like this, just to avoid an idiot light that tells me nothing of value.
