Suspension lift kit
July 26, 2012 8:00 PM Subscribe
Lift kit for 1995 Nissan 4WD Pickup
I have a 1995 Nissan 4WD D21 Pickup, Extra Cab. I've been thinking I would like to get a little more clearance because of dirt roads I've been driving. I asked the mechanic that's done some work on the truck about it and he that lift kits are like shoes, everybody has their own preferences. I don't know enough about it to have a preference. I've learned that I want a suspension lift, not body lift, but that's about it. What advice can you give?
I have a 1995 Nissan 4WD D21 Pickup, Extra Cab. I've been thinking I would like to get a little more clearance because of dirt roads I've been driving. I asked the mechanic that's done some work on the truck about it and he that lift kits are like shoes, everybody has their own preferences. I don't know enough about it to have a preference. I've learned that I want a suspension lift, not body lift, but that's about it. What advice can you give?
What Mosk said. I'm also a toyota guy, but find a couple good Nissan forums and do some research. The Nissan pickups have a loyal and enthusiastic following and lots of aftermarket support.
Yes, you want a suspension lift - new springs and shocks, at a minimum. Body and block lifts are inexpensive, but are mainly for appearance and perform poorly.
Personally, I'm a fan of ARB's Old Man Emu (OME) suspension parts. But again, do some research.
Be warned, it starts with a little lift. Then it's air lockers and on-board compressors and a bull bar and a winch and...
A lot of damage to the credit card, mainly. :-)
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:37 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yes, you want a suspension lift - new springs and shocks, at a minimum. Body and block lifts are inexpensive, but are mainly for appearance and perform poorly.
Personally, I'm a fan of ARB's Old Man Emu (OME) suspension parts. But again, do some research.
Be warned, it starts with a little lift. Then it's air lockers and on-board compressors and a bull bar and a winch and...
A lot of damage to the credit card, mainly. :-)
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:37 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the replies. On your advice, I've looked around and I do indeed see appropriate forums.
What does 'hardbody' mean this context?
posted by falsedmitri at 8:48 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
What does 'hardbody' mean this context?
posted by falsedmitri at 8:48 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Hardbody was the pre-Frontier Nissan pickup, I think, like the Toyota Pickup (aka Hilux) and the Tacoma. Yeah, I'm also a Toyota guy. Forums and OME are both good recommendations.
posted by box at 8:56 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 8:56 PM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Wikipedia has a good article about it.
The truck's name, "Hardbody", refers to its double-wall bed and overall styling. The Hardbody was produced for the U.S. Market from 1986.5 until 1997, and were direct competition to the Toyota compact pickup.posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 5:30 AM on July 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
I agree, you want a brand-specific forum, or if you flirt with the idea of going more hardcore a place like Pirate4x4. And as mentioned above, the OME stuff has a great reputation.
That said, unless you are routinely getting hung up on the frame, all a lift is going to do is look tough and raise your center of gravity. If you are doing extreme offroad stuff, you need to lift; if you are driving Forest Service roads you probably don't need the lift. Lifts add wear and tear to things like steering components and driveshaft u-joints (because of the increased angles), and you can end up chasing problems -- you lift for clearance, then you have vibrations from the driveshaft angles, so you fix that, but then the big tires you put on mean you need to regear your axles... In other words, the total cost is not going to be limited to just the cost of the lift itself.
So if it's not genuinely necessary, save your money. Good tires, selectable lockers, and maybe a winch will get you a lot further than you would think.
posted by Forktine at 6:24 AM on July 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
That said, unless you are routinely getting hung up on the frame, all a lift is going to do is look tough and raise your center of gravity. If you are doing extreme offroad stuff, you need to lift; if you are driving Forest Service roads you probably don't need the lift. Lifts add wear and tear to things like steering components and driveshaft u-joints (because of the increased angles), and you can end up chasing problems -- you lift for clearance, then you have vibrations from the driveshaft angles, so you fix that, but then the big tires you put on mean you need to regear your axles... In other words, the total cost is not going to be limited to just the cost of the lift itself.
So if it's not genuinely necessary, save your money. Good tires, selectable lockers, and maybe a winch will get you a lot further than you would think.
posted by Forktine at 6:24 AM on July 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
"a little more clearance because of dirt roads"
From this jeep guy, sounds like you want a smaller lift kit. Look into rough country lifts. sort of a good-enough, entry level brand.
While learning, keep in mind there are different levels of lift. the higher you go, the more you change the drive train geometry, the more likely that you will need additional parts like custom length drive shafts, slip yolk eliminators, longer brake lines, drop pitman arms, etc. Also if you're lifting to run bigger tires means re-gearing axles, upgrading brakes, etc..
posted by anti social order at 6:27 AM on July 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
From this jeep guy, sounds like you want a smaller lift kit. Look into rough country lifts. sort of a good-enough, entry level brand.
While learning, keep in mind there are different levels of lift. the higher you go, the more you change the drive train geometry, the more likely that you will need additional parts like custom length drive shafts, slip yolk eliminators, longer brake lines, drop pitman arms, etc. Also if you're lifting to run bigger tires means re-gearing axles, upgrading brakes, etc..
posted by anti social order at 6:27 AM on July 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the comments. Really helpful.
posted by falsedmitri at 7:47 PM on July 27, 2012
posted by falsedmitri at 7:47 PM on July 27, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
That said, I know nothing about Nissan's, except that they have a community of owners that's probably as strong and as loyal as the Toyota community. I am sure there are several excellent Nissan truck owner's forums out there, filled with guys like me, only with expertise in Nissans instead of Toyotas. You need to find one of those and post your question in their newbie section. That's the appropriate place to ask this question, and that's where you will get the best advice.
Try Googling "nissan d21 truck owners forum", and then browse the top half dozen or so results. I am sure you will find one of those forums to be a good fit for your question.
And yes, from a performance perspective, you do want a suspension lift instead of a body lift. Or you may want a taller suspension, which is different and more versatile than a suspension lift. You may also want taller tires, depending on how serious you intend to get when you go off road, as well as other driveline modifications. The parts are out there, limited only by your budget and your ability to decide what "enough clearance" means to you.
posted by mosk at 8:22 PM on July 26, 2012 [2 favorites]