Dobinsons Suspension Kits vs Other Kits

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Kanazozo
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:40 am

Dobinsons Suspension Kits vs Other Kits

Postby Kanazozo » Tue May 01, 2018 10:32 am

Hey guys,

Thought I would post briefly about my search for a suspension solution that I was truly happy with. I started down this path when I noticed that my suspension was frequently bottoming out (to bump stops in the rear) and had excessive body roll. The body roll was *mostly* resolved with new sway bar end links and marginally wider new tires. The springiness of suspension system was not improved, however.

First, here is a bit about my vehicle:
2011 V8 R51
~75k miles
275/65 R18 Cooper Discoverer ATP's
(mods in signature should be current)

Let me begin by stating what I tried and was NOT completely happy with (and why):

Solution 1: ALL NEW OEM Shocks and Springs, all 4 corners
Issue: Although much better than the old, the rear end was still too soft, and I continued to have what I would consider excessive travel when passing through dips. At first, the shocks would help return the vehicle to stability after 1 to 1.5 "cycles" of up/down, but it quickly deteriorated to 2-3 cycles after several months. Maybe I had a bad set of "new" shocks, but Im thinking that the kit just isnt quite beefy enough for these heavier vehicles (particularly the V8 ).

Solution 2: 4x4 Parts Light Duty front Coils, Medium Duty Rear Coils, Bilstein 5100 front struts, Bilstein 4600 rear shocks
Issue: I had heard a lot about this rig, so I gave it a try. Firstly, the rear end felt much more solid (no complaints), but the front was so stiff (at stock ride height) that hitting railroad tracks, expansion joints, etc would knock fillings out of your teeth. I tried a slightly raised front end also, same issue. I then tried swapping out the front coils and struts for the relatively new OEM set that I had. This was tolerable, but the dynamics were still not quite right (bumps would send the rear end skittering sideways, loss of traction, etc).

Solution 3: Dobinsons +40mm ride height kit (shocks,strut cap, coils)
Issue: None! I have had these installed for about a month now, and every day they continue to provide the perfect blend that I have been looking for. They brought the front end up to just below level with the rear, they provide substantially more peak travel than the other solutions I tried. They handle sharp bumps (tracks, expansion joints, etc) a bit more like a truck (firm but not jolting) and they instantly recover from dips and side to side sways (speed bump at an angle, etc). I was concerned about the +40mm looking too aggressive, but its actually not that much taller than the new factory kit due to the weight of the V8. The kit I got can be found on the Dobinson's site and it was for the 2005+ non-550Ti pathfinders. It does not distinguish between the V6 and V8, but the kit was designed for the heavier diesel engines, and it works perfectly on my V8. i.e. - I cant speak for this solution for V6's.

I am sharing all of this because I spent $thousands on parts and shop time to get to this stage. If any of you are in the same boat, hopefully this will save you some money. If anything changes, Ill update here, but so far I am loving this arrangement.


LinusUAE
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:58 am
Location: Abu Dhabi

Thanks for sharing

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Dec 02, 2018 11:33 am

I’ve got a 2009 Pathy with the V6. I replaced the rear shocks because the back end kept bottoming out. Thought the old ones were just worn out. It made little difference. In the meantime I heard about Dobinsons kit. That sounded like a good option and your post helps confirm that. One question, did you add an adjustable front camber kit? Was your alignment affected?

I appreciate your time.


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