702krawler
Adventurer
I have a 2011 Xterra Pro-4x. After only 30,000 miles, I discovered two leaking OEM Bilstein shocks (one front and one rear). I also had the same complaints everyone else seems to about the rear OEM springs being too soft.
To remedy the situation, I ordered Radflo front coilovers along with OME medium duty Dakar leaf springs and Radflo emulsion shocks for the rear.
The installation was pretty straightforward. The rear probably took me and a friend about 2.5 hours. It wasn't overly complicated. There were a few hard to remove bolts (mostly on the shackles), but otherwise it was a simple unbolt and re-bolt. I gained about 1.75" of lift in the rear. One small issue I ran into was with the u-bolts. There is another thread dealing with this, but to make a long story short, you'll prefer Nisstec's u-bolts over PRG's u-bolts (they simply fit better).
The front swap was even easier. It should take about an hour, though I ran into an issue that made it take longer. The reality is, there are only four bolts per side that need to come off, though I found loosening the front sway bar helped as well, so perhaps three additional bolts per side (the sway bar connector to the lower control arm and the bolts on the sway bar bracket which when loosened allow you to rotate it out of the way).
The problem I ran into was when attempting to remove the lower shock mount bolt. Even with only 30,000 miles, and a breaker bar, I could not do it. In fact, I even broke a ratchet extension, and nearly stripped the nut. You might be able to attack it easier from the front (bolt side), but I'd highly recommend an impact wrench. If you can't borrow one, consider buying one. It comes in quite handy when working on your car. Lug nuts come off (but not on please) with ease.
Anyway, once the impact wrench saved me, the rest was easy. The three smaller nuts that secure the top of the coilover can be tricky to take off and get back on due to a limited working area, but if you have a decent socket set with various extensions and depths, you should be fine. As for lift, the Radflo coilovers are adjustable, so matching the rear was easy.
Something I used that I think most people overlook, is a good manual like Haynes to get the torque right on each bolt when putting everything back together. It also helped even when taking things apart.
Since installing the new suspension, I've only had a chance to evaluate it on road. So far, so good. I went with stiffer (700 pound) springs up front, to account for the front bumper and winch I have on order. For now, it is a little stiff, but not harsh. The rear is also much firmer thanks to both the better OME springs and better damping from the Radflos. I will have a chance to evaluate it off road next weekend (moderate speed washboard in Death Valley). The weekend after that, I will have an even better opportunity to evaluate it off road while towing a teardrop. I'll update this thread with my off road impressions then.
To remedy the situation, I ordered Radflo front coilovers along with OME medium duty Dakar leaf springs and Radflo emulsion shocks for the rear.
The installation was pretty straightforward. The rear probably took me and a friend about 2.5 hours. It wasn't overly complicated. There were a few hard to remove bolts (mostly on the shackles), but otherwise it was a simple unbolt and re-bolt. I gained about 1.75" of lift in the rear. One small issue I ran into was with the u-bolts. There is another thread dealing with this, but to make a long story short, you'll prefer Nisstec's u-bolts over PRG's u-bolts (they simply fit better).
The front swap was even easier. It should take about an hour, though I ran into an issue that made it take longer. The reality is, there are only four bolts per side that need to come off, though I found loosening the front sway bar helped as well, so perhaps three additional bolts per side (the sway bar connector to the lower control arm and the bolts on the sway bar bracket which when loosened allow you to rotate it out of the way).
The problem I ran into was when attempting to remove the lower shock mount bolt. Even with only 30,000 miles, and a breaker bar, I could not do it. In fact, I even broke a ratchet extension, and nearly stripped the nut. You might be able to attack it easier from the front (bolt side), but I'd highly recommend an impact wrench. If you can't borrow one, consider buying one. It comes in quite handy when working on your car. Lug nuts come off (but not on please) with ease.
Anyway, once the impact wrench saved me, the rest was easy. The three smaller nuts that secure the top of the coilover can be tricky to take off and get back on due to a limited working area, but if you have a decent socket set with various extensions and depths, you should be fine. As for lift, the Radflo coilovers are adjustable, so matching the rear was easy.
Something I used that I think most people overlook, is a good manual like Haynes to get the torque right on each bolt when putting everything back together. It also helped even when taking things apart.
Since installing the new suspension, I've only had a chance to evaluate it on road. So far, so good. I went with stiffer (700 pound) springs up front, to account for the front bumper and winch I have on order. For now, it is a little stiff, but not harsh. The rear is also much firmer thanks to both the better OME springs and better damping from the Radflos. I will have a chance to evaluate it off road next weekend (moderate speed washboard in Death Valley). The weekend after that, I will have an even better opportunity to evaluate it off road while towing a teardrop. I'll update this thread with my off road impressions then.
Last edited:
