My 06 Xterra seemed to bottom out so easily and didn't dampen well over small bumps so I thought it might be time for an upgrade. My X only has 12K on it so I thought I was likely wasting my money but thought it was worth a shot.

I remembered that when I test drove an OffRoad model that it seemed to drive a little smoother but attributed that to the higher sidewalls on the tires. However, I then remembered that it also has Bilstein shocks all the way around. After doing a little research I found the factory Bilsteins for our X for $140 shipped for both rear shocks (from Nissan of Fort Pierce, FL 866-830-4318--ask for Jeff in parts)! Be sure an ask for the Bilsteins for the Offroad model.

To make a long story short these solved the problem 100%! Although shocks only "dampen" somehow my X feels for stable and rides considerably smoother even under normal highway conditions, less vibration also. For $140 this is the best upgrade I have made so far--plus the yellow and blue shocks look cool too. I may do the front eventually but they don't seem to present a problem right now.

The install was very easy and should take less that an hour. To compress the new shocks I set them on the ground and pushed, while they slowly decompressed I wrapped duck tape around them. When I installed them I put the top bolt through and then got the bottom bolt ready to go. Then you cut the tape and stick the bolt through when it gets to the right length. One tip, have a long breaker bar as the bottom nut torque is 148 ft-lbs. The top is around 35 ft-lbs so it is easy. Only two bolts per shock and you don't even need to jack up the vehicle to do it. I highly recommend the upgrade for non-offroad models.

John

I had the same issue with my X even though it is an off road. It appears that the rear spring rate on these units differs from vehicle to vehicle. I ended up having an AAL installed on mine. That eliminated this problem, but created a vibration between 35 and 40 mph. When I took my vehicle in another problem I mentioned this and they said that it happened to some Xterras whan and AAL was done and it was a warranty item. They installed shims which in my case reduced the problem but did not eliminate it. I suspect that I will have to replace the U joints before this vibration will go away.

Thanks for chiming in...I didn't think that I was alone but you never know. It sounds like it is a problem that most new gen Xs are having. Is there a TSB out on it? Is an AAL and after market lift or something else? Did the shims make much of a difference?

The AAL stands for add a leaf. The leaf I added raised the back about 2" which changed the angle of the drive shaft, and I guess caused problems with the U joints. I probably waited to long to get the shims put in because it did not cure the problem it just lessened it. There are other threads concerning adding a leaf. The best way to do this is with a long leaf. I guess that people who have added the short leaf have had some leaf spring breakage down the line. Unfortunately when I did mine I did not realize this so got the short leaf, so now I have that to look forward to also. I will say that adding the leaf changed the way my truck handled considerably. Before if I put any weight in the back and had passenger in the rear seat my X would handle horribly. Now the truck goes where I point and doesn't feel like I am driving a sinking ship.

Great info to have reguarding the AAL--now I know this is add a leaf. If my problem resurfaces it sounds like the add a leaf is the next best step. I do hear your frustration...the X has been a great vehicle but I was surprised that there was so little travel in the back, especially when loaded. Other than this issue, I have been really pleased.