Bilstein shocks...How bad did I mess up

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zoodragon
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Bilstein shocks...How bad did I mess up

Postby zoodragon » Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:11 pm

2007 R51 4X4 165k miles stockish

So about a year ago I installed some new Bilsteins then very shortly after got into a wreck and was without the vehicle for almost 2 months so I never really got to notice how the vehicle handled with the new suspension setup.

when i got the vehicle back it handled a little "off" (bump steer, clunkiness when going over rough terrain, body seems to sway side to side and i swear over certain bumps its going diagonal) and i just figured it was cuz of the accident and such (had 2 alignments at 2 different places and they claimed to be "within spec").

Well, its about time for tires again so I do my usual check for suspension parts before replacing em and notice my ball joints are bad. I check receipts to see if Ive replaced em before and I notice on one of my receipts that I inadvertently have installed the 2WD rear shocks on the vehicle.

part number I have currently on the car is 24-186919
quick google search says im supposed to have 24-197434

the rear does have a airlift setup on it as well.

could that explain my strange handling?

now im questioning if i even installed the front struts right in the first place as well.


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eieio
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Postby eieio » Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:22 pm

I have a 2WD & a 4WD
I replaced the 2WD rear shocks with the 24-186919 Bilsteins. (good shocks)
I was surprised a few days ago looking up a set for the 4WD, and noticed they are different part #s (as you mention)
I'm going to try tomorrow to find out what the difference is

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:04 pm

It depends what source you use to look up the part, as some say one and some say the other. I don't really think it matters. Nissan only lists two rear shocks for the V6-equipped R51. One is for the Rancho used on the SE-Off Road and the other is for the standard shock used on all other trims. Each shock is listed for both 2WD, 4WD and AWD. I thought I had seen one site note that one of the numbers is used until out of stock and then replaced with the other number, but I can't remember where it was at.

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:48 am

24-197434 4WD Rear
24-186919 2WD Rear

according to the information I just received from Bilstein, between the 2WD & 4WD rear shocks, there are differences in:
collapsed length and extended length
upper & lower eye mount diameters
compression damping & rebound damping
most of the differences are small, but the difference in rebound damping is considerable

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:18 pm

eieio wrote:24-197434 4WD Rear
24-186919 2WD Rear

according to the information I just received from Bilstein, between the 2WD & 4WD rear shocks, there are differences in:
collapsed length and extended length
upper & lower eye mount diameters
compression damping & rebound damping
most of the differences are small, but the difference in rebound damping is considerable
Then I wonder how Nissan gets away with using the same shocks for 2wd and 4WD V6 models, the only differences being for the SE-Off Road models which come with the Ranchos? And from what I see on Rockauto.com, all other aftermarket shock manufacturers are using the same rear shock part number on R51 V6 models, regardless of whether they are 2WD, 4WD or SE-Off Road models!

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:05 pm

smj999smj wrote:
eieio wrote:24-197434 4WD Rear
24-186919 2WD Rear

according to the information I just received from Bilstein, between the 2WD & 4WD rear shocks, there are differences in:
collapsed length and extended length
upper & lower eye mount diameters
compression damping & rebound damping
most of the differences are small, but the difference in rebound damping is considerable
Then I wonder how Nissan gets away with using the same shocks for 2wd and 4WD V6 models, the only differences being for the SE-Off Road models which come with the Ranchos? And from what I see on Rockauto.com, all other aftermarket shock manufacturers are using the same rear shock part number on R51 V6 models, regardless of whether they are 2WD, 4WD or SE-Off Road models!
I don't know.
I do know that the recommended Bilsteins 24-186919 work great on our 2WD.
They feel close to the OEM shocks.
Probably some time this spring/early summer i'll order & install the 24-197434 shocks on the 4WD SE-OR (to replace the OEM Rancho's), and let you guys know what I think of them.
Seems to me that Nissan used a different brand of shocks than Rancho's on later model SE-ORs.
By the way, customer service at Bilstein was very helpful in answering my questions.
The rep that I spoke to yesterday afternoon didn't have the info on hand, but e-mailed it to me early this morning - very good customer service! :D

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:29 pm

I'm happy with the Bilsteins on the back of my Pathy, but not as much as I am with the Airlifts!

zoodragon
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Postby zoodragon » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:31 pm

Now im wondering if I should bother switching them or not.

Im definitely getting some strange suspension behavior and it's driving me nuts.

Gonna install some new LCAs which will kill a few birds at the same time (ball joint, bushing, cam kits) and replace the sway bar bushings and see what happens.

Car feels like it's teeter tottering sideways down the road sometimes and it's starting to worry me. I bet my thrust angle and caster is off and they lied to me


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