2nd Gen (2005+) FAQ

[EB_05_NISMO]

2nd Gen (2005+) FAQ Part 1 [Updated 6-28-08]

This FAQ will hopefully have answers to some of the more commonly asked questions. Please add your input and correct me if anything I have written is incorrect. I will edit the original post with any new information.


2005+ Nissan Frontiers are referred to as 2nd Generation Frontiers

WEBSITES that have Nissan and 2nd Gen related products:
Site Sponsors:
PRG Products: PRG Products
The Nismo Shop: The Nismo Shop :: West Covina Nissan
Stillen: STILLEN : Precision Performance Components for Your Car or Truck
Hellwig Products: Hellwig Products
MGT Motorsports: MGT motorsports Blendmount
Discount Tire Direct: Home - Discount Tire Direct
California Auto Performance CaliforniaAutoPerformance.net wholesale automotive parts and accessories for your car, truck and SUV.
Black Widow Off-Road: Black Widow Off-Road.com

Other Websites:
Shrockworks: Bumpers, Rock Sliders, Rocker Protection, Skid Plates, ShrockWorks
Kennesaw Mountain Accessories: WiFron2005
Trail Gear: Welcome to Trail-Gear Inc
Automotive Customizers (AC)/ 4x4 Parts: Nissan Parts, Nissan Truck Parts, Nissan Suspension Kits, 4x4 Parts | 4x4parts.com
Total Chaos Fabrication: What's New
Calmini: '05-'08 Frontier
Fabtech Motorsports: intro
CST Performance Suspension: http://www.cstsuspension.com/product...ID2/8/sfID3/47
Truxxx: http://www.truxxx.com/store/index.ph...ex&cPath=36_46
Ready Lift: http://www.readylift.com/c-109-front...8-2wd-4wd.aspx
4Crawler Offroad: http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...ehicleProducts
Rancho Suspension: RANCHO Suspension - Nissan
Daystar: http://www.daystarweb.com/Categories...1-23d928237d79
Revtek: Revtek Suspension | Nissan Suspensions
Alcan: Alcan Spring - Manufactures Fine Custom Leaf Springs
Deaver: Deaver Suspension
Eaton/ Detroit: Welcome - Eaton.com
ARB: ARB Air Locker Heavy Duty 4x4 Bumpers
TJM: TJM - Serious 4WD Equipment > Home

FRONT SUSPENSION
The 2nd gen frontier has a coil over front suspension.
There are replacement UCA’s (upper control arms) available from PRG Products, Total Chaos Fabrication, and Calmini.

FRONT LIFT OPTIONS FOR 4x4 TRUCKS
There are many different configurations/ products used to lift the front, I will highlight the basics.
*(It’s not advised to go higher the 3 inches without a drop bracket lift):

Spacer Lift:
Used to raise the truck 2 or 3 inches. The coil spacer is usually placed on top of the shock assembly. (NOTE: There will be coil bucket contact especially when using a 3 inch spacer. Aftermarket UCA’s are recommended for a 3 inch spacer)

Replacement Coil Over’s:
The most common is the Radflo replacement coil over from PRG Products. With stock UCA’s (upper control arms) they will give you up to 2.5 inches. If you get aftermarket UCA’s you can get up to 3.5 inches of lift. Total Chaos also has a kit which includes Fox coil over’s.

Drop Bracket Lift:
Calmini and Fabtech are the companies you can get a drop bracket lift from. The Calmini kit is a 5 inch lift, while the Fabtech kit is a 6 inch lift. These lifts require you to lower the differential (to keep good angles of axles, etc ) and both require some modification (read: cutting) to be installed.

Titan Swap:
The Titan front suspension components are used to help gain more travel (1.5 inches). This will widen the front by 3 inches per side. (I need more info on what parts are needed for the 4 wheel drive swap, but here is what I think is needed) Parts needed for this swap are UCA’s, LCA’s (lower control arms), tie rod extensions, extended axles, extended brake lines, and new coil over’s.

FRONT LIFT OPTIONS FOR 4x2 TRUCKS
There are many different configurations/ products used to lift the front, I will highlight the basics.

Spacer Lift:
Used to raise the truck 2 or 3 inches. The coil spacer is usually placed on top of the shock assembly. (NOTE: There will be coil bucket contact especially when using a 3 inch spacer. Aftermarket UCA’s are recommended)

Replacement Coil Over’s:
The most common is the Radflo replacement coil over from PRG Products. With stock UCA’s (upper control arms) they will give you up to 2.5 inches. If you get aftermarket UCA’s you can get up to 3.5 inches of lift. Total Chaos also has a kit which includes Fox coil over’s.

Spindle Lift:
CST spindles will give you 4 inches of lift and they replace the factory spindles. You can also add a spacer or coil over’s to this to get up to 7 inches of lift. If you go above the 4 inches you will need extended brake lines.

Drop Bracket Lift:
Calmini and Fabtech are the companies you can get a drop bracket lift from. The Calmini kit is a 5 inch lift, while the Fabtech kit is a 6 inch lift. I’m not positive, but there should be less modification needed since the 2 wheel drive trucks have no front differential.

Titan Swap:
The Titan front suspension components are used to help gain more travel (1.5 inches). This will widen the front by 3 inches per side. Parts needed for this swap are UCA’s, LCA’s (lower control arms), tie rod extensions, extended brake lines, and new coil over’s.


REAR SUSPENSION
The rear suspension is a spring over axle suspension. This means that the spring pack sits on top of the axle, and as a result our spring packs are pretty flat looking right from the factory. NOTE: It is recommended that you get longer shocks when lifting the rear, although the stock shocks will be ok for up to 2 inches of lift.

REAR LIFT OPTIONS:
(You can combine blocks, shackles, and AAL’s in various combinations to achieve your desired height)
* 6-speed 2wd Frontiers that want more than 4" of rear lift need a carrier bearing drop bracket.

Blocks:
Blocks are a piece of aluminum or steel that goes in-between the axle and the leaf pack. They usually provide between 1 and 3 inches of lift. This is the easiest way to lift to lift the rear of the truck. One downside to blocks is that they can increase the chances of axle wrap. Axle wrap is caused by torque of the rear wheels twisting the leaf springs, which will make the rear end hop under acceleration.

Shackles:
You replace the factory shackles with ones that are longer. They provide 1 to 2 inches of lift. These are also fairly easy to install and will give you more flex than blocks or Add-A-Leaf’s.

Add-A-Leaf (AAL’s):
With an AAL you add leaves (2 to 3 leaves depending on which brand you buy) to your leaf pack. The added leaves raises the rear of the truck. With some AAL’s you may need to remove the stock overload leaf. Most people say this is the best way (without getting a full leaf pack) to lift the rear and will often add shackles if they need more lift.

Full Leaf Pack (custom):
This is probably the best way to lift the rear, but it’s not the most cost effective. I believe they run about $600 and they can be ordered from Alcan Spring or Deaver Spring. They may also need to know specific measurements and what you are using the truck for so they can build you the correct pack. (Alcan should know our measurements by now since I believe a few people have ordered custom packs.)

BODY LIFTS
You can get a 3 inch body lift from 4x4parts.com with everything you need included. You can also get a custom body lift (especially if you want a 2 inch lift) from 4crawler Off Road. It looks like he has some info for the Frontier, but it doesn’t look like it includes any relocation brackets. A body lift raises the body of the truck giving it the lifted look while the suspension and frame are still at the same stock height. The advantage with a body lift is that it allows for bigger tires. Body lifts are typically less money to purchase, but are a lot more work to install.

Post #3 has Part 2 with more info

[igbar]

Originally Posted by mike

Agree.

Mods, can you edit this topic to where it is only information (maybe just one post) and no questions?

I'm keeping a close eye on this thread and have already discussed with EB_05_NISMO that when he posts up his next round of info, I'll delete everything inbetween so that the posts are consecutive.

All valid questions should be addressed before I delete them, though...this is why I'm kinda waiting.

Very specific questions should be addressed in their respective forums.

Also, be familiar with the forum stickys:
Suspension Lifts for 05+

DIY 2" body lift

[EB_05_NISMO]

2nd Gen (2005+) FAQ Part 2

Some basic wheel info:

Titan wheels (or any 6x5.5 wheel) will not fit on a 2005+ Frontier without wheel adapters.

Wheel bolt pattern is 6x4.5 or 6x114.3mm
Factory wheels have an offset of +32

Stock XE:
Wheel size is 15 inches
Wheel width is 7

Stock SE and NISMO:
Wheel size is 16 inches
Wheel width is 7 inches

Stock LE:
Wheel size is 17 inches
Wheel width is 7.5 inches

**The most common and easily fit tire-size is 285/75/16 and it usually requires at least a 2" lift. It's roughly a 33" tire and it keeps the stock rim size for SEs and NISMOs.

TIRE SIZES
There is no clear cut answer for the biggest tire you can run. There are so many variables with rims and tire widths, etc. that it is difficult to say exactly what will fit. Most people run a maximum of a 33 inch tire. To fit this they usually have some kind of lift and will remove the front air dam and sometimes the mud flaps. Some tire/ wheel combo’s also require you to remold the inner fender plastic lining using a heat gun. Sometimes modification of sheet metal may be required.

REAR AXLES
XE has a C200?
LE’s and Auto SE’s have a C200
Nismo’s and manual tranny SE’s have an M226 (bastardized Dana 44)

AXLE RATIO’S
Model Axle Gears
XE KC 4x2 5M C200 4.083
XE KC 4x2 5A C200 3.692

SE KC 4x2 6M M226 3.538
SE KC 4x2 5A C200 3.133
SE KC 4x4 6M M226 3.538
SE KC 4x4 5A C200 3.133
SE CC 4x2 6M M226 3.538
SE CC 4x2 5A C200 3.133
SE CC 4x4 6M M226 3.692
SE CC 4x4 5A C200 3.357

NISMO KC 4x2 5A M226 3.133
NISMO KC 4x4 6M M226 3.692
NISMO KC 4x4 5A M226 3.357
NISMO CC 4x2 5A M226 3.131
NISMO CC 4x4 5A M226 3.357

LE KC 4x2 5A C200 2.937
LE KC 4x4 5A C200 3.133
LE CC 4x2 5A C200 3.133
LE CC 4x4 5A C200 3.357

Please note that the gearing may not be accurate for LWB models, the specs I am using do not include LWB, so I do not know if they are geared lower to make up for the weight increase. However, the axles will be the same.

Limited Slip Differential's (LSD) and Lockers:
In an open differential power goes to the wheel with the least resistance. In low traction situations this means that a wheel that is slipping is getting a the power. An open differential allows opposing wheels to move at different speeds when taking a turn (the inside wheel moves slower than the outside wheel in a turn). An LSD will help with gaining traction when one wheel starts to slip. It will automatically transfer some of the torque from a slipping wheel to the opposite wheel granted it has a chance at having traction.

A locker will split the power between the wheels 50/50 no matter what the traction situation is. This is the ideal solution for traction off road since both wheels are getting power. Most people today seem to opt for a selectable locker (whether by air, cable, or electric) if there vehicle is also driven on the street. This gives them the option to return to having an open differential for driving on the street.

For trucks with the M226 axle, the Detroit TrueTrac made for the Titan M226 will will work.
For trucks with the C200 axle, nothing is available at this time.

FLUIDS and CAPACITIES (According to the Amsoil Product Guide)

VQ40DE [V6]
Cooling System:
11 Quarts for the Initial Fill

Engine Oil with Filter:
API SAE 5w-30, 5.4 Quarts

Manual Transmission:
GL-4 75W-85 (Nissan recommends their MTF HQ Multi 75W-85 Part# 999MP-MTF00P)
6 speed 4x2 takes 4.2 Quarts
6 speed 4x4 takes 4.45 Quarts
Automatic Transmission:
Genuine Nissan Matic J Trans fluid, 11 Quarts for a total fill

Front Differential (R180A):
GL-5 80w-90, 0.95 Quarts

C200 Rear Differential:
GL-5 75w-90, 1.7 Quarts

M226 Rear Differential:
GL-5 75w-140 (*Synthetic Required), 2.1 Quarts

Transfer Case:
Nissan Matic D or DEXRON-III/MERCON, 2.1 Quarts

QR25DE [I4] (I assume the Rear Diff is a C200, but I haven’t confirmed it)
Cooling System:
10 Quarts for the Initial Fill

Engine Oil with Filter:
API SAE 5w-30, 5.2 Quarts

Manual Transmission:
GL-4 75W-85 (Nissan recommends their MTF HQ Multi 75W-85 Part# 999MP-MTF00P), 3.05 Quarts

Automatic Transmission:
Genuine Nissan Matic J Trans fluid, 11 Quarts for a total fill

C200 Rear Differential:
GL-5 75w-90, 1.7 Quarts

[EB_05_NISMO]

Updated with new links, rear axle info, and fluids and capacities, now in two parts (post numbers 1 and 3).