Posted: Jun 22 2011 at 4:36pm | IP Logged

..

The front of the first generation Frontiers can be raised up to three inches. I recommend NOT raising it over one inch. The front end alignment should be reset by a pro. First measure the height at the fender opening from the ground to above the tire on each side. There is a lock nut and an adjustment nut at the rear of the torsion bars. I ‘cranked’ mine up ten years ago 5/8th inch and raised the rear one inch with blocks from Pep Boys. The rear end is higher and I removed the rear bumper and that gives the truck better ground clearance when driving on rough trails. This lift allowed me to install 31 inch tires.

Good luck.. Don S...

Posted: Jun 22 2011 at 10:21pm | IP Logged

RLAWYO wrote: Out of curiosity why not over an inch?  And thank you for the reply. I may try and go the full inch.

..

A long time ago I read somewhere the ride qualities and handling can be impaired. I forgot why so here’s my guesstimation…

It would seem at full lift adjustment the wheels are already as low as they can go. So that if driven over a deep dip at high speed the tires might loose contact (more than stock) with the road or cause the front of the truck to dip down into the dip suddenly rather than float through a little more smoothly..  The shock pistons would be at the bottom of their cylinders with a three inch crank up. The first generation Frontiers do not have enough depth in their front suspension and the second generation has a lot more.

Have a good one.. Don S..

Posted: Jun 24 2011 at 1:22pm | IP Logged

Thanks also for the replies. I found this info on another web site to
be helpful. This applies to Frontier 2005 and later models.

This is the updated and expanded lift sticky for 2005+ Frontiers. If
you have a question about lifting your truck, please read this.

Thank you to all the members who contributed to this thread with
your suggestions, information, and pictures of your trucks
(including HarshReality001, who wrote the original lift sticky and
gave me his blessing in updating it).

BODY LIFTS
Lift amount: 2" to 3" in kit form from AC. If you go the DIY route
you can do a different height. (1" Body Lift...Done!)
Pros: Increased body clearance and fenderwell clearance for larger
tires.
Cons: Does nothing for suspension flex. Bumper relocation
brackets have to be fabbed if you do not buy a kit (most kits only
come with front brackets).
Cost: $75-$350
Brands: Performance Accessories lift --> which can be acquired
through PRG Products, Automotive Customizers or do-it-yourself.
Courtesy: domoMKIV

SUSPENSION LIFTS
FRONT
Spacers
Lift amount: 1.5” to 3”
Pros: Inexpensive. Fairly easy to install. Factory ride maintained.
Cons: Wheel travel is limited. High chance of coil bucket contact
with spacers over 2”.
Notes: Noise from coil bucket contact can be eliminated with
bump stops (cheap) or aftermarket upper control arms (better
method but more expensive). Aftermarket UCAs highly
recommended for 3" spacers. Some kits come with bump stops.
Cost: $60-$200 (more for kits)
Brands: ADF, Calmini, Daystar, PRG, ReadyLift (kit with bump stops,
camber bolts, shackles for rear), Revtek (kit with blocks for rear),
Rough Country, Truxxx (kit with bump stops and blocks for rear).

Height Adjustable Shocks
Lift amount: 0.5” to 2”
Pros: Better up-travel than with a spacer lift.
Cons: Rancho QuickLift shocks may leak over time.
Notes: Some report that the Bilsteins are very stiff when adjusted
at maximum height, but most feel the ride quality is improved at a
more modest setting. QuickLift shocks are softer, and the stiffness
is adjustable.
Cost: $180-$300
Brands: Bilstein, Rancho.

Lift Coils
Lift amount: 1.5” to 2.5”
Pros: Better articulation than with spacer lift. Low chance of coil
bucket contact.
Cons: Difficult to compress for initial installation. Can be stiff.
Notes: There are light duty coils for trucks with stock bumpers,
and heavy duty coils for trucks with aftermarket bumpers and
winches. Heavy duty coils will feel stiff on a vehicle with a stock
bumper, but may add a small amount of additional lift. A
combination that is becoming popular is 1.5” OME coils with
Bilstein adjustable shocks (with HD OME coils and the Bilsteins set
at 0.5”, this combination supposedly gives you around 3” of lift).
HD coils with adjustable Bils are not recommended with a stock
bumper, as your ride quality may suffer off-road.
Cost: About $150
Brands: Automotive Customizers, Old Man Emu.

Coilovers
Lift amount: Up to 2.5” for 4WD and up to 3.5” for 2WD (with stock
UCAs); up to 3” for 4WD and up to 4” for 2WD (with aftermarket
UCAs).
Pros: Wheel travel increased by approximately 2” (3” with
aftermarket UCAs).
Cons: Expensive. Require periodic servicing.
Notes: Can use LD or HD springs depending on your needs.
Cost: $700-$1,500. Aftermarket UCAs will add an additional
$500-$700.
Brands: Icon, King, Radflo, Sway-A-Way (coilovers). Automotive
Customizers, Calmini, CST, PRG, Total Chaos (UCAs).

Spindles
Lift amount: 4”
Pros: Excellent ride quality.
Cons: Expensive. Relatively difficult to install.
Notes: 2WD ONLY! Cannot be used on 4WD trucks!
Cost: About $800
Brands: CST.

Titan Swap
Lift amount: Up to 4” (additional lift can be achieved with spindles)
Pros: This is considered a “mid travel” set-up; wheel travel is
increased by 3-6” (depending on coilovers, UCAs, etc). Front end
will be beefier (many Titan components are stronger than
comparable Frontier parts).
Cons: Expensive. Time-consuming to install (and to acquire parts).
Vehicle will have more difficulty navigating narrow trails.
Notes: Vehicle will have a wider stance in the front. For more
information on installing a Titan swap, refer to this sticky: Titan
Swap: Front end Suspension - Install with pics
Cost: Varies from several hundred to several thousand depending
on how many junkyard parts vs. new parts are used, and the
number of aftermarket performance upgrades included.
Brands: PRG or do-it-yourself.

Drop Bracket Kit
Lift amount: 5” to 6”
Pros: Lots of lift. Ability to run larger tires with minor trimming.
Cons: Expensive. Limits ground clearance. Drive shaft vibrations
may occur. Installation requires cutting into the frame. As is, these
kits are primarily for looks (although they perform well off-road
with the appropriate upgrades).
Notes: Short of using a body lift with your suspension lift, this is
the only way you can lift a 4WD over 3”! These lifts are offered as
an entire kit including drop bracket, spacers, rear lift components,
etc. They can be upgraded with aftermarket coilovers and other
performance parts.
Cost: $1,400-$2,000 with spacers ($2,000-$3,000 with coilovers)
Brands: Calmini, Fabtech.

REAR
Blocks
Lift amount: 1” to 2”
Pros: Inexpensive.
Cons: Axle wrap with the larger blocks. Can weaken the leaf
springs over time. No added flex.
Cost: $65-$90
Brands: Calmini, PRG; also included in some spacer kits.

Shackles
Lift amount: 1/2” to 2”
Pros: Inexpensive. Easy to install. Factory ride maintained. Add a
small amount of flex.
Cons: Leaf springs may flatten over time.
Notes: Some companies make adjustable-height shackles.
Automotive Customizers also offers revolver shackles which offer a
significant amount of flex when used with AALs.
Cost: $70-$120 ($310 for revolver shackles)
Brands: Automotive Customizers, Calmini, PRG; also included in
some spacer kits.

Add-A-Leafs
Lift amount: 2” to 3”
Pros: Increased load carrying capacity. Multi-leaf AALs will add a
fair amount of flex.
Cons: More difficult to install than blocks or shackles. There have
been some complaints of the leaf springs flattening over a long
period of time, but this is typically less of an issue than with
shackles.
Cost: $65-$165
Brands: Automotive Customizers, Prerunnerparts, PRG (Deavers).

New Leaf Pack
Lift amount: 2” to 3”
Pros: Significantly improved ride quality. More stout than the stock
leaf pack. Some brands increase load carrying capacity.
Cons: Expensive.
Notes: Instead of a new Frontier leaf pack, an Xterra leaf pack can
be used to gain about 4 inches of lift for a fraction of the cost.
(DIY - Rebuilt Leaf Springs.)
Cost: $350-$650
Brands: Automotive Customizers, PRG.

OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Shocks
Front: Front shocks generally do not require replacement. With lift
coils, it is recommended that stock shocks be replaced with heavy
duty front shocks.
Rear: Longer rear shocks are not required for lifts up to 2”, but
they are recommended. Shocks should be replaced with longer
rear shocks for any lift over 2”.
Brake Lines/ABS Lines
Front: Brake lines may need to be replaced with longer lines when
the front is lifted over 3”. Brake and ABS lines may need to be
unclipped with smaller lifts.
Rear: Brake lines may need to be replaced with longer lines when
the rear is lifted over 5”. Brake and ABS lines may need to be
unclipped with smaller lifts.
Alignment
An alignment is required anytime the suspension is altered.
Frontiers built after mid-2005 may require aftermarket adjustable
camber bolts in order to align properly, particularly if they are
lifted over 2 inches. (Early 2005 Frontiers came with adjustable
camber bolts.)

Tires
For most lifts, the maximum tire size you can fit without rubbing
and without trimming is 265/75/16 (equivalent of a 32 inch tire).
Many people fit 285/75/16 (about 33 inch) tires with minor
melting or trimming in the front (including removal of the front
mud flaps). 35 inch tires will fit on a drop bracket kit with a
moderate amount of trimming, but it is not recommended to run
35 inch tires on anything except a “street vehicle” without re-
gearing and other modifications.

Note! Any posts on this sticky thread/subject must be VERY informative or it will be deleted !!

See Related Thread:

http://www.nissanfrontier.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=144&PN =1

lakota