Complete 3-3 1/2" Kit?

Maxxpags

Bought an X
I have posted questions regarding lifting my 2011 pro 4X before but it seems everyone is piecing their lifts together, uca's from one company, shakles from another, spacers & coils from yet somewhere else. Granted I wish I had the time to read thru all of these threads but have not. My question now is: are there any manufacturers that sell a complete kit I could just buy & bring to my mechanic & have him put it on? Looking to just get it up 3- 3 1/2", don't need a super killer indestructible suspension here, just looking for ride height. I guess the tire size I can expect woud be like 275-70-16 from what I have read here. I will be going with BFG A/T's. Any direction you could point me in would be much appreciated . thanks & sorry to be basically asking the same questions
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
Here goes my honest done it 2 1/2 times response. There isn't one. 2" lifts yes, 3 - 3 1/2" no. If you want that kind of lift you need to be concerned with down travel (2 1/2" at a minimum). While some suggest that with a titan swap you can get 12" of travel, this is patently false. if you take the shock out of the front with the titan control arms installed, cycle it full compression to full droop, you get 10 1/2" not 12". Then you need to subtract the bumpstop. With the Nisstec coil overs which are shorter than the PRG's you can only 10" and that is with the stock bumpstops which are not sufficient. Which means you can only get a reasonable 3 1/2" of lift with the acceptable down travel. But I digress, sorry. At any rate if you really are looking for ONLY ride height and a far less than desirable ride, then by all means go with an off the shelf lift kit. If you actually want it to ride nice, and articulate, you need to get new rear leaf springs and piece a kit together with the parts you want, the OME kits are fine, but sub par IMO. They are the only ones who offer a "kit" with new rear leafs, and you won't get that amount of lift. Further if you really want that kind of lift, you really need to T Swap. I spent 3k just on the front, plus another 1100 on the rear. And you'll need to lose the sway bars. Just my opinion, but it's my opinion because I've done it.
 
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Maxxpags

Bought an X
What about 2-2 1/2" kits? I seem to find a few of those, are they junk? My goal here is to just improve the look & bump up a tire size or 2. Not gonna be doing any serious wheel'n with it. Worth it or no?
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
What about 2-2 1/2" kits? I seem to find a few of those, are they junk? My goal here is to just improve the look & bump up a tire size or 2. Not gonna be doing any serious wheel'n with it. Worth it or no?

Sure it's worth it, most off the shelf kits have better shocks than stock... first question is how many miles are on the rig, the reason I ask is you may want to invest in new leaf packs anyway due to the stock rear leafs being crap to begin with.

There is a line in the sand with 2" vs 2.5" One can use the stock UCA's the other cannot, in that order. So tell us how many miles you've got, and we can make suggestions. You can run a 285/75 R16 (33") without lift and only doing the Melt Mod. Although it looks better with a lift IMO.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
@IM1RU is dead on for a formidable off-road rig.

If you want a well matched kit for mild offroad use and camping/overland type stuff, I say get the OME kit with heavy coils/ leaves do the melt mod and run 285/75/16s or 255/85/16.

It's lacking in off-road prowess for rock crawling but it makes a very well mannered street vehicle that is still capable offroad. You'll want to keep the front swaybar on with that setup IMHO but again you need to do research into what you're trying to accomplish with the vehicle.
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
@TerryD As you probably noticed, my first response, was more in response to a "3 to 3.5" lift than to building an off-roader .... as you also know, you're not gonna get there with an Xterra without accidentally building a formidable off road rig..... either that or end up spending a ton of $ and having a rig that rides like shiat.

Not to confuse the issue.... And to further respond to the OP

2" lift kits are there and can be done from cheap to spendy (spacers to full kits like the OME)
2.5" kits are there but require more mods due to coil bucket contact
3" kits are there, but you're pushing the limits of the stock width geometry as far a ride quality goes due to lack of down travel.

Anything above that and you'd better be T-swaping... and even then you're really not gonna gain lift without sacrificing ride and articulation.

and as noted by TerryD if you're not going to offroad this thing, there is absolutely no reason to remove the sway bars.
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
@IM1RU is dead on for a formidable off-road rig.

If you want a well matched kit for mild offroad use and camping/overland type stuff, I say get the OME kit with heavy coils/ leaves do the melt mod and run 285/75/16s or 255/85/16.

It's lacking in off-road prowess for rock crawling but it makes a very well mannered street vehicle that is still capable offroad. You'll want to keep the front swaybar on with that setup IMHO but again you need to do research into what you're trying to accomplish with the vehicle.

I'm a big fan of OME stuff and have it on both of our Xterras. OME's and 33's will get you pretty far. It's a solid suspension upgrade but it's a subtle amount of lift, so if the OP is just wanting the look of a bigger lift, then he'll have to look at some of the other options that have been suggested in both threads.

IMO, with Old Man Emu, the medium coils and springs are the way to go unless the OP is carrying a lot of extra weight. My '06 has medium coils and medium leafs, and has aftermarket radiator and engine skids and rock sliders. The '09 has heavy coils and medium leafs, but it also has a winch, complete set of aftermarket skids, and rock sliders. Staying under GVWR, or at least in the neighborhood of that, I've never felt the medium leafs to be lacking. That being said I have never tried the heavy leafs so maybe I'm missing out. I just feel like they'd be too stiff for how we use ours.
 
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