Does anyone know how/why I got an unwanted 2" lift on the front end after installing new OEM struts on my 05 NISMO, Offroad, 2wd drive and how to fix it. I changed the rear shocks with no problems
I can only guess that either you REALLY needed new struts, or they were installed wrong.
Could be they weren’t the right units. You’d have to measure them against the old units to be sure. The fully extended length should match.
Do you know that the struts you replaced were original equipment? Some people lower their vehicles and then sell them, leaving the next guy scraping the pavement.
Depending on the exact model, there may be several different struts used. 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, 2WD, 4WD all probably take different struts…The units you have may not be the correct ones, even though you ordered the correct ones…
I’ll bet lunch that the NISMO version came with lowered springs and you replaced them with the OEM versions for the standard truck. NISMO is a performance aftermarket parts company that supplies to Nissan for performance versions of their vehicles and one of the things that’s usually part of the package is lower springs. Basically, you used the wrong units for your version.
Thanks for all the comments but here’s the situation. I bought the truck brand new, it is the NISMO Off-road model, 6-cyl, 2 wh dr, ect. I bought the shocks from the dealer who used the VIN number to order them plus they’re the ones that Courtesy Nissan list on their website plus I double checked them with the old ones so they are the right shocks. There’s only one way that they can fit on the truck and that’s right so I’m just baffled as to what is going on. Here’s a before picture, you can see that the truck is level, I don’t have an after pic.
Take an after pic.
and post bigger pics. That’s way too small to see detail.
Thought about this a bit more. It’s likely they upgraded the spring strength during the process, and what you have now is the replacement units, not the originals. They may even have the same part number, but the manufacturing process was changed. Either due to excessive failures, or something else.
I abuse my truck pretty regularly, and I still have the original struts, front and rear.
You could get new strut inserts, and rebuild the old struts - if the springs and the rest of the assembly is in good condition. That’s about the only way you’ll lose those 2 inches that I can think of. The ride height is determined mostly by the strength of the spring, as it’s normally sitting in a slightly compressed condition.
NISMO parts are available on the truck at its time of purchase but they are not factory installed. They’re an aftermarket accessory, in many cases dealer installed.
A lot of vehicles are available that way now. Vehicles can be purchased with aftermarket performance accessories by aftermarket companies that have had the parts tested and approved by the car manufacturer. I could have even bought my tC with a supercharger installed that would have been fully covered by the warranty…but it would not be anywhere indicated in the VIN except by tracing back via the dealer’s records. Suspension systems seem to be the largest area in which this is currently done.
NISMO parts are factory issue on some Nissan models. In some years you could opt for the S-Tune package for your 350Z or the R-Tune package, which was the more hardcore track package. In the case of the NISMO Frontier, it’s factory off-road package for certain years, Much like Ford’s FX4 Rangers or TRD Tacomas. As for the extra lift the OP is getting, my only guess is that Nissan may have cosolidated parts between the 4WD model and the 2WD model. There were relatively few 2WD NISMO Frontiers sold.
The rear struts are usually taller than the fronts…and on SOME vehicles you would be hard pressed to distinguish the front from the rears…This happened to me on a 300Z…we took all the struts off at one time…and come time to install the new ones…we had a hard as hell time figuring out what went where… Odd…usually the struts are so different that you cant mess it up…but on that Z…we had a hell of a time and were shocked to be faced with such a dilemma…we never saw a car that had such similar struts between front and rear… Could this be the case with this truck? I don’t know…I’d have to look up the parts online to see what they look like. If the rear are able to go on the front…it would jack it up I believe…but this is RARE
Blackbird
@Honda Blackbird
This truck uses shocks and leaf springs in the back. It’s unlikely the front struts would be able to be mounted on the rear.
I think it’s clear that he has the wrong parts. I still suspect the NISMO parts. While they can be ordered “from the factory”, they’re actually produced by a seperate performance parts company that has worked with Nissan to have the parts approved as replacement parts without invalidating the warranty. I still think these parts are installed post-assemblyline and may not be reflected in the VIN number.
Which suggests to me that perhaps the OP can get the correct replacement parts directly from NISMO, or from the Nissan accessories listing.
Only other thing I can think of is these are gas-charged shocks, maybe Bilsteins, and the old ones had ‘lost their charge’. So the new ones are returning him to factory - spec ride height. Maybe?
LOL…Uh Ya thats for sure… Duh… Have you double/triple checked the part numbers yet?
Thanks everyone for you comments/suggestions.
The ride height of my cars usually change 1-2" when the struts are changed, because the old ones are worn and weak.
Is there any chance that the spring ends were not installed properly into their “pockets?” If the spring ends are not oriented correctly, they could be riding on higher on their perches than they are supposed to.