Xterra suspension advice

sprocket47

New member
I'm building up my '08 Xterra and looking to beef up the suspension. With stock suspension the rear hits the stops without much effort on dirt road dips when I have gear in the car. I would also like to add an ARB style front bumper and I assume the extra weight would need some stiffening as well.

Also, I will need to make sure there's adequate room for 32" or 33" tires, like: 255/85 @ 33", or 245/85 @ 32.5", or 265/75 @ 31.6" - haven't decided yet and I'll ask for suggestions on that on a different thread unless you want to add that in your response. Any help is appreciated.

I've looked at ARB Old Man EMU = $1300 for parts + $300-600 for installation. I can do a lot of work on my vehicle but I don't know that I have all the tools available to deal with suspension - that's a new area for me. But are there better or less expensive options that will still give me some decent results? Would I get adequate performance with an added spring in the rear and some high end shocks/struts?

My first post as a new follower - Thanks for your help.
 

skibum315

Explorer
The OME setup is a very solid choice ... I'm not sure I've talked to anyone who's installed it, that has complaints other than occasional squeaking/noises (from lack of lubrication) from the replacement leaf packs - and most rave about the performance over stock. Any way you go, you'll probably have to replace the leaf packs to cure your rear bottoming out issues ... shocks are likely also a problem on an '08, depending on mileage (I know mine are shot at nearly 100k).

The tires you're interested in will all fit in the wheel wells, on stock suspension, as long as you're running stock width/backspace - or very close to it. All you'd have to do in that instance is something called the "melt mod" and amounts to simply heating and reshaping the inner fender liner at the rear of the front wheel well ... no mods to the rear wheel wells. If you go to wider wheels or less backspace (or wheel spacers ... making the outside edge of the tire sit significantly further outboard than stock) you'll be looking at potentially needing to trim the lower rear of the front fender well, as well. Or going up a bit in lift (maybe 2" or so) ...
 

sprocket47

New member
The 33" 255/85 tires will fit with the minor modification? That's great. The guys at the tire shop said I couldn't even put on the 265/75's from the stock 265/70.

I need to purchase the tires now since I'm getting an expedition trailer built and I need to get tires for it this week and I want them to match and it's cheaper for me to buy all 6 of them at once. My OME setup will likely be a few weeks away.
 

skibum315

Explorer
They likely just don't want to do anything other than "stock" for liability reasons, some places are like that ... I wouldn't keep going back there, especially if you're going up in size ... but that's just my opinion.

I ran through two sets of 255x85r16 Toyo MTs (over the course of ~60k miles) on stock rims and the stock suspension ... they fit great. I'm now on 285x75r16 Cooper ST-Maxx tires, stock rims, and stock suspension ... they also fit fine. The only thing I did was the melt mod to the inner fender liner ... no trimming of sheet metal.

If you're looking for more impetus to upsize your shoes, check out the Tire Options thread over on www.thenewx.org ... it's a forum dedicated to these trucks and has some good info archived through the years. A lot of those guys are here on the ExPo forum, too, so no need to jump ship if you like this place ... just another resource.
 

outback97

Adventurer
The 33" 255/85 tires will fit with the minor modification? That's great. The guys at the tire shop said I couldn't even put on the 265/75's from the stock 265/70.

I need to purchase the tires now since I'm getting an expedition trailer built and I need to get tires for it this week and I want them to match and it's cheaper for me to buy all 6 of them at once. My OME setup will likely be a few weeks away.

Welcome from Utah! +1 on thenewx.org. It's a great forum and complements this one nicely.

If I were shopping for 6 tires, I would look really hard at the Discount Tire Direct ebay store. They currently are running a promotion where you can get $100 off a $400 purchase. And you can use that coupon code three times. And... some tires have an additional rebate you can stack. As it so happens I just purchased a set of four Cooper AT3 tires for $600 delivered, plus I will get a $70 rebate.

The 265/75 is actually a stock size for the Offroad / Pro4X version of the XTerra. So that tire shop might not be the best option, as skibum mentioned. I like the idea of 255/85R16 and was seeking that initially, but ended up with 285/75R16 due to availability and price. The 255's are harder to find and more expensive. I did the melt mod the other day in preparation for the new tires, but it popped back out on one side, so I need to redo it because I do have very slight rubbing when turning. I just had the tires installed today so it's too early to say much, but the only negative I've noticed so far is there is a noticeable loss of acceleration. Partly from the size increase and partly from the weight I assume.

This table has some useful information about tire sizes and weights, if you are looking for that. Note that the pricing may not be current but I think everything else is pretty accurate.

Re: suspension, I'm still stock so I can't comment on that much, except to say that there are some good reviews and feedback on the xterra forum.
 
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sprocket47

New member
Excellent advice - Thanks.

outback87 - being in SLC myself, the shop that couldn't look out of the box was a Big O Tire. I was looking at their BigFoot tire.

Do many people run 245's on their Xterra? I really like the narrow look and according to a tire calculator a 245/75r16 is the same diameter as the stock tire. 245/85 seem harder to find. Will going that narrow affect the ride much?
 

outback97

Adventurer
Searching the the aforementioned xterra forum, I cannot find ANY examples of people running 245 width tires. Here's the only thread I can find about 235's. And here's my thread about searching for AT 255's.

As I mentioned I would have liked to get a 255/85, but price and availability pushed me to the 285/75. I did not consider anything narrower than 255 as I think (purely speculation) that stability would suffer. I definitely didn't want to narrow the track.
 

Topgun514

Adventurer
I'll add one for the 235/85/16, Cooper AT3. Drives great on the conditions SLC has had since November- so... not much snow.

MPG has not changed, they are a skinny tire, and while a little heavier than stock, the narrow track is easier on the highway I presume. The E rated stiffness is barely noticeable and the size looks great. I also have OME Light Duty springs/ struts and the AAL from Nisstec, which offers discounts to club frontier forum members. This combo is really great so far and I'd be glad to answer questions directly if you need.

The AT3 was just voted best All Terrain tire by Overland Journal too.
 

Dmski

Adventurer
I love my 285/70/17 AT3's as well! Best price I found by far and they are great on and off road. I'm a fan of the skinnies, but no way was I going to pay for that over the more common size version. I did notice a MPG hit but my gearing is a factor (SE '06 with the 3.13 gears).

For suspension I'll eventually be going the OME route due to their stout build, relatively straight forward install and comfortable on and offroad ride quality. I don't need a ton of lift either and am a fan of keeping my vehicle relatively close to the original design specs for longevity sake. Not to say that it will help it in the long run, but as an engineer I understand why things are the way they are and know that changing things drastically introduces new wear, complications and issues I don't want to pay for down the road with, say, a 3" lift.
 

RockyZuk

Observer
You sound like you are in the same boat as I am I have a 06 OR that is well overdue for new suspension. I am looking at an OME HD, I eventually want an ARB or similar but mainly need the HD rear I tend to carry people up and down from the mountain and have a hitch mounted bike rack and bikes on 4 days a week when the snow melts. Tire wise I have been leaning towards Duratrac 245/75s but 85's will fit with the "melt mod" essentially using a heat gun to warm the plastic lip and force it out of the way in the inner fender, No metal trimming. (http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1346) I will definitely will be keeping track of your build as it sounds very similar

 
I have the OME HD front coilovers and Leaf packs with 2 additional add a leafs. The ride is as it should be, stiff yet extremely flexible. no sag after a year and can handle any load thrown at it. At first the leafs squeak but they eventually quiet down. I am in the process of adding a PRG 1.5" front coil spacer and UCA's. If you have any questions let me know. Good luck and do the labor yourself. It'll be more rewarding plus if anything fails offroad you'll be able to diagnose and fix it.



Rik
 

Meettaco

New member
I just did a full suspension swap and it was not that difficult. Took about 6 hours total. You do need more than the average set of tools. Breaker bars, xtra jack, jack stands, an extra person is a major plus. I ended up putting in new Icon coilovers in the front and Old Man Emu leaf pack with custom Icon shocks in the rear. The ride is so much better than stock! Make sure to purchase new cam bolts for the front lower control arms or you may have trouble getting a proper alignment.
 

Ripper

Adventurer
First and foremost. What are you trying to achieve with your X? Off Roader, Overlander, or a mix of the two? Second, what is your budget?

If you're willing to spend the money. PRG or Nisstec Uppers, Radflo Coilovers (600 to 650lb spring), full Alcan leaf packs, Radflo rear shocks. And of course all the little things like can bolts, brake lines etc etc.

If you want to go nuts and cost isn't really an issue. Titan Swap!
 

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