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Old 06-02-2002, 09:19 PM   #1
ToeJam
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"Heavy Duty" Replacement Leaf Springs

When I'm not hauling four people and a weekend's worth of gear, I'm usually towing my boat. During a few recent trips, I really started to notice my rear leaf springs were completely shot. The final straw was a few weeks ago when I started bottoming out on bumps with three people (including me) and maybe 30 lbs of gear.

Unfortunately, most replacement spring packs out there seem to taylor to the offroading market. For these parts, increasing articulation is more important than hauling heavy loads. Fortunately, Automotive Customizers had a set of springs that were rated 400 lbs heavier than the stock Nissan springs. Since I'm also not interested in lifting my X, the 1.5" lift they would provide seemed like a reasonable trade-off.

They arrived ready to install, with all the parts. Interesting enough, they had a Rancho sticker on them. Doesn't Rancho offer a 1.5" lift for the X??!! The spring pack has 13 leafs, including two load leafts.

Anyway, thanks to Rick and Chuck for helping a tool-tard like me install them. And Schlud and SuperJens for the moral support. We had the construction crew standard in full effect this weekend. Three people watching, two working!




The ride is outstanding! I put on a new set of the longer bilsteins, so it is nice and stiff, but not bone-jarring. The only draw back is the spring pack is now lower than the dif. Since wheeling is not my primary concern for the X (actually a close second), that is acceptable for my purposes. Once I've driven on them and re-torqued the bolts, I'll cut off the ends of the U-bolts you see sticking down.

Stats:
Wheel well height before = 34"
Wheel well height after = 36"
Clearance from lowest part of trailer hitch before = 16"
Clearance before with boat hooked up = 14.5"
Clearance after, w/o boat = 19"
Clearance after, w/ boat = 18.5"!!!!:ylsuper

BTW - Hats off to Mike at A/C. I hit him with lots of questions and he replied within hrs. every time!
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Old 06-03-2002, 04:39 PM   #2
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Re: "Heavy Duty" Replacement Leaf Springs

Quote:
Originally posted by ToeJam
And Schlud and SuperJens for the moral support. We had the construction crew standard in full effect this weekend. Three people watching, two working!




Moral support? Who got you those extra long shocks? Your ride would have been pretty stiff with your old Bilsteins maxed out with the new leafs. :licker:
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Old 06-03-2002, 05:14 PM   #3
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I see you mounted your Bilsteins upside down. I did too, but I left the boot on and cut 3 big holes in the new "bottom" of it to let water/crap drain out.

Brent
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Old 06-03-2002, 06:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally posted by OffroadX
I see you mounted your Bilsteins upside down. I did too, but I left the boot on and cut 3 big holes in the new "bottom" of it to let water/crap drain out.

Brent
Since there were already holes in the bottoms of the boots, I think Bilstein intended them to go that way. I removed the boots from mine, but still mounted them canister up because the canister is concave at the end where the shaft goes in and I thought it might hold mud and water in there if that end were up. Some Bilsteins have the plastic cover that fits the other way. Had mine been like that I would have mounted them the other way.

If for no other reason though, having them canister up makes the print right side up.
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Old 06-03-2002, 06:52 PM   #5
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I had my old Bilsteins mounted the opposite (with the boot), but everyone recommended that I reverse them. We haven't had rain here in three or four days, so I was pretty surprised when tons of muddy water flowed out when we took them off. The new ones (THANKS SCHLUD!!!! You gave moral and suspension support) were from Schlud and he didn't have the boot, so I didn't have the option. I'm kinda worried about grime getting on the shaft, but others apparently haven't had any problem yet, so we'll just have to wait and see.
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Old 06-03-2002, 09:52 PM   #6
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You're worried about grime on your shaft?

Uh, anyway, I wouldn't worry about it. Without the boots, all the grime should stay off and not attach. The only real issue is potentially hitting a rock or soemthing with the shaft and damaging it, but I suppose a strike that would damage the shaft would probably crack open the canister, so you'd be screwed either way and more so if the canister were cracked open.

Looks like I'm going to be cracking open my leaf packs again. I ordered the SLR AAL's to replace the Ranchos. I think with all that weight I have in back they will work better and it would be more safe to add shackles if I need to. I almost ordered a whole new pack, but I don't want to spend that much. Sure are nice though!
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Old 06-03-2002, 11:22 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally posted by OffroadX
I see you mounted your Bilsteins upside down. I did too, but I left the boot on and cut 3 big holes in the new "bottom" of it to let water/crap drain out.
Pop quiz Brent, can you tell us why you mounted them inverted ?

A. Looks cool.
B. Saw someone else do it.
C. Decrease unsprung weight.

BTW, inverted you can now put the rear sway bar back on for the street and use disconnects.
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Old 06-04-2002, 12:04 AM   #8
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So what's the deal, is the can better up or down? Mine are down, but I have the plastic boot (solid, not the accordian type).
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Old 06-04-2002, 01:16 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally posted by superjens
So what's the deal, is the can better up or down? Mine are down, but I have the plastic boot (solid, not the accordian type).
Yours are better canister down unless you want to take the plastic boot off. OTherwise, that boot would just fill with crap and destroy your shock. The ones with the accordian boots are intended to be canister up and have the drains on the other end. Without the boots either one can be mounted either way, but I prefer to mount them in a way that contaminants (mud/water) can't be held anywhere.
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Old 06-04-2002, 08:44 AM   #10
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Mine have the rigid boot, not the accordian style, and had no drain holes.

The reason I mounted them upside down is D: None of the above. I had the same reasoning ChuckH mentioned, to prevent crud from accumulating in the little dished area on "top" of the can and being worked into into the can. Not likely stuff would get there under street use, but I don't think Bilstein expects them to get many dunkings in funky water. Reducing unsprung weight is a plus I suppose, but not a consideration.

I figure that even though I can't invert the front shocks, they're a bit less likely to see the nastier water since they're not going to see much of the crap the front end stirs up.

Brent
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Old 06-04-2002, 09:53 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally posted by OffroadX
Reducing unsprung weight is a plus I suppose, but not a consideration.

How does mounting them upside down affect unsprung weight?

Maybe first I should ask: What Is "unsprung weight"? :smoker2: I assume that it is weight (such as axles and tires) that isn't supported by the springs.
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Old 06-04-2002, 01:10 PM   #12
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Exactly. With the can on top, it is fixed in place during suspension movement and the weight of the can/oil/etc. is more than the rod and piston inside it. The less the parts that have to move weigh, the faster they can react to the terrain (less inertia). That's why performance cars use alloy wheels, tubular suspension arms (instead of stamped), etc.

Brent
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Old 06-04-2002, 03:30 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally posted by ScottG
Maybe first I should ask: What Is "unsprung weight"? :smoker2: I assume that it is weight (such as axles and tires) that isn't supported by the springs.
Exactly.

It is very hard to notice a difference on a 4000 lb. truck, but it is noticable on motorcycles and race cars.

My only concern with mounting them inverted is the shock canister hitting the frame under extreme articulation (especially near the swaybar mount on the passenger side). Keep an eye on that area if you do run them inverted.
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Old 06-05-2002, 12:45 AM   #14
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Looks like I get a chance to help you out finally Chuck. Lemme know if you need a hand with the AAL's.


Cheers


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Old 06-05-2002, 01:37 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally posted by ozxterra
Looks like I get a chance to help you out finally Chuck. Lemme know if you need a hand with the AAL's.


Cheers


Chad
Uh, OK! I'll let you know when I'm ready and see if we can work soemthing out. Thanks!
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