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#283201 - 07/07/03 05:05 PM Suspension (long, rambling, boring)
Anonymous
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Let me preface this post by saying that yes, I did do a search, and no, I didn't find a specific answer to my question. wink

Being a motorcyclist, I'm used to paying $600+ for a premium shock. So you can imagine my surprise when, while surfing tirerack.com, I stumbled across aftermarket KYB shocks for $40/corner. After picking my jaw back up off the ground, I started thinking ... and that's never a good thing.

The damping on the X is, IMO, less than ideal. The low-speed damping (and by low-speed I mean the speed of the wheel travel, not the speed of the vehicle) is too fast (soft), while the high-speed damping is too slow (hard). The X floats gracelessly over small bumps but feels locked at the knees over big bumps.

So I'm wondering if for $40/corner I can reasonably except superior damping compared to the OEM shocks. Are these shocks designed to be better than OEM, or are they simply replacements for the stockers when they wear out?

If it's the former, than it's a no brainer. $160 + installation is nothing to pay for superior wheel control. But if it's the latter, how much do I have to spend, and what do I have to buy, in order to get better damping?

TIA,
JAS

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#283202 - 07/07/03 05:10 PM Re: Suspension (long, rambling, boring)
Uzbad Offline
Member

Registered: 28/01/03
Posts: 632
Loc: Durango, CO
60+$ x 4 for decent shocks (pricing from top of my head for bilsteins/pro-comps)

around 300$ (cant remember right now) for better steering
(calmini seems to be of favorite place for that)

+ installation (about 5-15$ per shock at tire places + whatever they will get for steering installation) if you aint gonna do it yourself.
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#283203 - 07/07/03 05:24 PM Re: Suspension (long, rambling, boring)
Anonymous
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So would that give better low- AND high-speed damping? I've seen the "20% stiffer" term thrown around and wonder if that means 20% stiffer across the board, or only low-speed damping, or what.

If it's 20% stiffer across the board then that would be a bad thing for my needs since it would worsen the "locked at the knees" feeling over sharp bumps.

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#283204 - 07/07/03 05:57 PM Re: Suspension (long, rambling, boring)
XOC Offline
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Registered: 16/08/00
Posts: 17103
Loc: Minneapolis, MN
One thing to note is that your $600 for a top of the line Fox or Ohlin's (which has been on all of my bikes, love'em) shock you're getting a complete suspension component, not just a damper. You get the spring and the ability to adjust rebound, compression and preload separately.

On most trucks, the springs are separate from the dampers, unless you have a MacPherson strut design. This can cause an excellent shock to still handle differently than you want by having springs (leaf in the rear, torsion bars up front) being too stiff or too soft for your tastes.

At this time, no one offers a shock for the Xterra that allows individual adjustment of rebound and compression rates. Rancho offers their adjustable 9000 series shock, but it is only adjustable for both rates at once (and it doesn't fit very well).

Bilstein offers their stiffer shocks for 4WD models since they weigh more up front than 2WD models, and yes, they are just valved 20% tighter. I've driven them, and they do offer a much better ride and resolve the issues you are seeing to a degree.

Regarding steering, unless you lift your Xterra, the stock steering is the best there is. I'm not sure why Uzbad brought it up.
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#283205 - 07/07/03 06:19 PM Re: Suspension (long, rambling, boring)
Uzbad Offline
Member

Registered: 28/01/03
Posts: 632
Loc: Durango, CO
Well he wanted better wheel control 8)

I think its subconsios thing really, as i am keep thinking about lift so steering is lurking at the moment in my mind 8)

Also i remember some people were saying that upgraded steering felt "more precise"
_________________________
“Yay! I’m gonna be sick!” –GIR

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