- Location
- Covington, Va
Good answers! And it seems like you're on your way and picked an excellent platform for that.So a lot of these I have thought about pretty heavily over the last year or so,
Answer 1: My Xterra is my daily driver but it's also my adventuring rig. I want to do overland camping and some mild off-roading but the majority of it's use outside of a daily driver will get to hard to reach camping and backpacking locations. ORV parks and rock climbs and such aren't really my bag. I also intent to take it hunting when I finally start going, just haven't gotten around to finding someone to teach me yet nor having the time/money to do it.
Answer 2: I figure my budget is ~3k at the high end. OME caught my eye because of the price and seemingly good build quality. I'm not willing or able to spend more than 3k on a suspension build.
Answer 3: already have the nice steel rear bumper with spare carrier and do plan on getting an Expedition One steel bumper and winch for the front end.
Answer 4: camping/backpacking will generally be my wife, my daughter, myself, and in some cases our two huskies and all the gear that goes along with that.
OME is a great option for shocks and I think @ffxcores and others have had great luck from the Ironman4x4 stuff as well.
You already have the best of the best for front UCAs with those SPCs. The OME shocks and heavy load springs will get you around 1.5" of lift. Add a 1/2" thick (1" lift) spacer to that will allow you maximum travel and get you right at 2" of lift with the steel bumper and a winch. I think you do something similar with Ironman4x4 to get in the 2-2.5" lift range but someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong.
Then match the rears to the front and get some new bump stops for a well rounded suspension set-up. I have the inexpensive Energy brand front bumps but sprung for the Timbren Active rear bump stops.
I also added the braided S/S brake hoses all around (6 lines) and used the RayBestos Element 3 pads and slotted rotors to improve braking as well.