4 replies to this topic

[Rob in MT]

I've tried to read all the posts on this subject but it gets more confusing the more I read.

I have a 2010 Nissan Frontier crew cab long bed on which I will placing an ATC Bobcat shell. To that I will be adding a 12v refer (in the truck cab), 50 pounds or so, and a battery (in the camper), 50 pounds or so. So maybe 650 pounds before adding people,camping gear, and water (another 80-100 pounds, in the camper). Maybe solar in the future.

I will be using on challenging roads but probably not significantly aggresive.

What I would like to know is do I need to add the E rated tires and upgrade the stock suspension? I was thinking of waiting before I do anything to see how it drove, but the impression I get is that something needs to be done before I put on the camper.

I am a bit confused on suspension. I've read people upgrade their springs, add timbrens or air bags, and upgrade their shocks. Some do all three, others seem to just do the timbrens or air bags. I was thinking of just doing the timbrens.

What is the benefit for each, and what if I do nothing?

Thanks for your help.

[busboy66]

Rob,

It can be confusing. The big thing to make sure of is to not exceed the cargo capacity of your vehicle. I'm not sure of the Frontier's capabilities, but normally folks use airbags, Hellwigs, Supersprings, Timbrens etc. to level and stabilize their ride, not to increase load capacity.

Try the truck with the camper and gear, see how it handles. Then look for solutions to any problems you see.

As for E rated tires, they are probably not necessary for your truck and load - besides when unloaded, the E's could make the ride a bit harsh. I would speak to someone who knows tires.

Shocks - probably not necessary either, but I think to each their own. Everyone will have an opinion

I have a Mazda B4000 (identical to a Ranger) with a FWC Eagle with Hancook DynaPro ATMs (not E rated) and Timbrens in the rear. With water, extra fuel, food, gear and beer I'm pretty close to the max capacity of the truck, but not over.

FYI - I've just stumbled on a pair of Supersprings for a great deal. I'm going to swap the Timbrens for the springs and try. I don't like the bounciness of the Timbrens. Going over dips or bumpy roads was interesting with them. It seems they rebound faster than springs, so the front and rear suspension of the truck were rebounding and different frequency, sometimes causing a nosediving effect. Most folks I have spoken to regard airbags as the best solution. My decision to not use them stems from cost and the risk of one failing while off the beaten path.

Also, will do some things this year to lighten load a bit:

Take way less clothes - last year we spent 5 weeks in the desert and I wore pants once - I figure can save 20 lbs of clothes between the missus and I.
Have rebuilt the cabinet I made for the Eagle shell with lighter wood. Even cut out areas not needed. - 20 pounds
Take way less food and cooking gear - brought along too many plates, cooking gadgets, canned food etc that never got used - 50 pounds

Like you, I keep the coolers (hopefully this year a portable fridge) in the front, along with my tools, water and other heavy stuff. I found this helps a lot.

For what it's worth,

Tom

[davidshourd]

Another Frontier! I have an 07' frontier king cab with an 07 Eagle on it. When I first got the camper I was running longer shackles in the rear and some beefy front coils on Nissan titan shocks. Needless to say the rear leafs sagged out pretty quick and was nearly riding on my bump stops in the rear. so I added Timbrens, this helped but as another poster here noted they are realyl bouncy and I was nearly riding on them full time. the rear leafs in teh frontiers are not that beefy for constant weight. so my latest (nearly a year and a half now) upgrade was a 3 leaf add to the stock leafs in the rear. this is stiffer without the camper, but with the camper on its a nice ride. The front end has since seen PRG Coilovers from PRG products (google them), they can tune them for your cab/engine/bumper/winch load. they are like a dream over stock. If you give Greg at PRG a call and let him know what your after and the loads you will be carrying he can hook you up with a perfect set up. This would add lift though. if your not after any lift then I would look into airbags for the rear, I have never had them but read a bit about them here on the forum and it seems like the way to go if you are not looking for lift and about stock articulation/wheel travel in the rear. your front should be fine up front with stock, though you might want to look into a 2" spacer to level out the front. PM me if you have any other questions. clubfrontier.org is also an amazing resource for just about anything Frontier related. also expeditionportal.com. here is a link to some pictures/write up of the build of my frontier over the past few years:

http://www.expeditio...ead.php?t=44537

[Argonaut20]

Congratulations on the Bobcat. Good choice!

Second the idea of being careful to travel light. The more stuff you take, the more you have to do to beef up the truck to carry it. On my Tacoma, when it came to tires, I went from 245 to 265 and gained about 800 pounds of tire capacity. No E rating. I had Toyota put on their heavier springs and I use air bags at about 20# when the camper is mounted. I do not drive the Tacoma hard off road. The harder you want to go in the rough stuff, the more you are going to have to fret the suspension. While I don't drive a Frontier, I think it is similar enough to a Tacoma that some of this may be useful info to you.

[Silvertip47]

As far as the tires I would want a pretty tough tire for off road. If you are still running the P rated for passenger cars I would ditch them in favor of an LT. A D rating would be plenty for your rig.

As far as the suspension I agree with busboy66. Try it first. May save you a lot of money!!! Then if you have a particular problem you can work on a specific cure. JMHO