Dobinsons Suspension for 2009 R51

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LinusUAE
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Location: Abu Dhabi

Dobinsons Suspension for 2009 R51

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:06 am

Wanted to share my recent experience with this forum for anyone else considering a suspension upgrade. I have a 2009 Pathfinder with about 86k miles on it. There are so many things I have come to appreciate on this suv. For my family, it’s the perfect size and it’s got plenty of power. The problem I had was the suspension would bottom out constantly and it was very noisy. Basically any decent amount of cargo or people in the third row made it pretty miserable to drive.

I decided to replace the shocks to see if that improved things. It helped, but it would still bottom out pretty frequently. Wasn’t sure what to do next until I chatted with a guy who had a tricked out ford raptor. He swore by Dobinsons. I did some research and decided to give it a shot. I had the 40mm kit installed which included springs, front struts and rear shocks. The shop also included a front alignment kit. I’ve had it on the car for about a week and I can honestly say it’s a fantastic upgrade. I would have done this even without getting the extra ground clearance. It rides firmer, but not uncomfortably. The squeaks are gone and now it doesn’t bottom out. So basically I’ve become a believer in the Dobinsons setup for the R51. Hope this helps anyone out here considering upgrading their rig. I’m sure there are other good suspensions out there, but I can definitely vouch for Dobinsons.

If I can figure out how to add images I will add a before and after pics. 🤨


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palmerwmd
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Postby palmerwmd » Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:39 pm

Linus,

thanks for the info.
This is what we are all about :D

You can post pics by hosing them somewhere like on imgur.com and then u click on your linked pick for "copy pic url" and then paste it into the posting window on here between the img tags like this: Image

Cheers,

Krymdog
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Location: Central Virginia

Linus, did you get the 300kg or the 200kg for the rear?

Postby Krymdog » Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:46 am

My rear is regularly pretty empty, third row down. I am looking for a ride that doesn't want to bounce me to the moon when I drive over a pebble.

Did you replace the bushings in your sway bar links?

Thanks in advance.

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

Postby LinusUAE » Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:09 pm

Krymdog,

No I didn’t replace the bushings in my sway bar. I have it checked over regularly and I replace whatever is worn out. I had some control arms replaced in both the front and rear as the bushings were shot. I wanted to just replace the bushings but most shops just replace the whole darn arm. I bought them from Rockauto and was pleased with the parts.

Regarding ride quality, I am pleasantly surprised at how nice the ride is with the new Dobinsons set up. It is firmer than stock, but definitely not uncomfortable. This is my wife’s daily so I had to keep this thing driving comfortably.

Hope this helps.

Krymdog
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Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 7:21 am
Location: Central Virginia

Postby Krymdog » Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:00 pm

It does. Thanks. :D
Did you do 200kg or 300kg for the rear springs?

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

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:35 am

Hey Krymdog, finally got the part numbers for the springs.

C45-254 in the front
C45-255 in the back

It’s just the standard linear rate spring with the 40mm lift.

Hope this helps. Taking it camping in the desert this weekend. This will be the first time off-road since the upgrade. Plus it will be loaded with gear so will see how it handles the weight.

Cheers

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

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:39 am

Update, I've finally had a chance to play with the photos:

Before Suspension:
Image

After Suspension:
Image

First time out:
Image

Image

Image

Image

So, this was the first time going out after the suspension upgrade was added. The difference was pretty remarkable. Firstly, it was amazing how much quieter the suspension was. Previously, it was squeaking and groaning which gave me very little confidence. Secondly, I was able to load up the back with lots of gear and it never bottomed out.

I really believe this Dobinsons setup is ideal for this SUV. It handles great on the road, is quiet and doesn't beat you up. If you are considering this set-up, I highly recommend it.

One other note, I added the Yokohama geolandar a/t-s tires and they have been fantastic as well. Aggressive tread, but quiet on the road.

Hope this pictures come through!

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

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:55 am

palmerwmd wrote:Linus,

thanks for the info.
This is what we are all about :D

You can post pics by hosing them somewhere like on imgur.com and then u click on your linked pick for "copy pic url" and then paste it into the posting window on here between the img tags like this: Image

Cheers,
Hi palmerwmd,

Not sure why, but pic links don’t seem to work. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks!

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palmerwmd
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Postby palmerwmd » Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:26 am

LinusUAE wrote:
palmerwmd wrote:Linus,

thanks for the info.
This is what we are all about :D

You can post pics by hosing them somewhere like on imgur.com and then u click on your linked pick for "copy pic url" and then paste it into the posting window on here between the img tags like this: Image

Cheers,
Hi palmerwmd,

Not sure why, but pic links don’t seem to work. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks!
This is why:

When you copy the link to put into the img tags here.. you copied the link for the entire imgur page the pic is on.. not the pic itself..
right click on the pic , then "copy image address" and then put that into the img tags on here..

(Also these gorgeous pics really deserve a thread of their own, consider starting one in our Offorad adventures subforum = http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewforum.php?f=3 )

Here is after I copy /pasted from the right click on the pic... not of the host page

Image

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

Postby LinusUAE » Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:48 am

I'll try again:

Image

Image

Image

Suspension Before:

Image

Suspension After:

Image

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palmerwmd
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Postby palmerwmd » Sun Jan 20, 2019 6:49 am

It looks so much newer than a 2009 :D
Also gorgeous pics!!!


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