suspension articulation

[IceChickenX]

I've tried to look for a thread on this subject, couldn't find one...so here goes...

What type of suspension articulation does the X have with everything factory?
What type of abuse can it take before things start to break?
What usually breaks first?
What kind of mods can you perform to improve articulation?

As you can tell, these are the questions of a beginner

[Schludwiller]

I don't know what the factory articulation limits are. I guess you could always cycle the front and rear between the bumpstops to figure it out. The rear sway bar also limits your articulation, so many of us remove it after upgrading the shocks.

Your truck can withstand a lot. Abuse is rather subjective. If you drive into things with abandon, you'll break stuff. On a stock suspension it seems shocks go first. They're pretty worthless as is, so it's not much of a loss. Then leaf springs and sometimes torsion bars wear out. With suspension lifts, tie rods, CV joints and centerlinks undergo more stress.

Taking off the rear sway bar is the simplest thing to improve your articulation. Then you need to start looking into lifts. Some people remove the front swaybar, but this should only be done in low-speed offroading situations.

[IceChickenX]

The rear sway bar also limits your articulation, so many of us remove it after upgrading the shocks.

what should I upgrade the shocks to?
removing the rear sway bar...should it be re-installed when not off-road?
Is it o.k. to leave off permanently?
What type of performance is affected by removing it?

[superjens]

what should I upgrade the shocks to? Bilsteins
removing the rear sway bar...should it be re-installed when not off-road? Don't have to.
Is it o.k. to leave off permanently? Yup. I'd say 90% of the folks in PNWX don't have a rear sway-bar anymore.
What type of performance is affected by removing it? None that I can see. I did the slalom test down my street with it on and off, and honestly I can't tell a difference. Damn truck is a pig in corners anyways!

You can always get a quick-disconnect for your rear sway bar, cost is low and it does the trick.

[IceChickenX]

Thanks for the reply, now I can do some research with your suggestions.

[OffroadX]

While it's certainly wise to caution about removing the rear swaybar without stiffer shocks, I'd say that most of us here yanked our rear swaybars off while we still had the stock shocks and never missed it. My wife didn't even notice when I took it off, though the stock shocks were still in decent shape then. My shocks were shot to hell when I upgraded to 20% stiffer Bilsteins last spring, but I had been driving without it for nearly two years and not once did I ever feel like the swaybar needed to go back on.
I've driven with the front swaybar off on my stock shocks and that is a bit too tipsy. I've been toying with removing it now that I've got the 20% stiffer shocks and seeing how it behaves, but I don't think I'll go that way permanently until I finish destroying the swaybar brackets on the front crossmember and have no other choice. :toothless

Brent

[Schludwiller]

Why are your front swaybar brackets being destroyed? The front ones are replaceable too.

[IceChickenX]

seeing that Bilsteins might be the shock of choice, what about an assembly that has a spring with a shock in the center?

I've heard them referred to as: Helper springs, load handlers, etc....

Would this be a suitable replacement?

I know they would increase load capacity, but would they decrease articulation?

[OffroadX]

Schlud, I've crushed the passenger side bracket down to about half it's normal height from various hits with rocks etc. This is the part that the bolts thread into, and can't be replaced without welding etc. Someone on XOC had one break from a "pothole" and Nissan quoted her a fix that was essentially a full frame replacement job to "fix" it. I guess they won't condone any welding to repair the frame or anything permanently affixed to it.

Brent

[Synchro]

in many states it is illegal to weld anything to the frame after the car is new. So it may not be that they aren't willing, but by law not allowed. I know from reading other 4x4 boards this is talked about more with sliders being welded to the frame. So who knows.