Upgrade suspension system OME ARB?

Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
  • MEMBER
  • 2024 NISSAN NAVARA
  • 2.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 12,000 MILES
Hi everyone,

I’m writing from Uruguay. I recently installed a pair of Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Plus front struts (Part No. 93032) on my 2024 Nissan NP300 / Navara D23, using stock upper mounts and coil springs.

After installation, I noticed a clunking noise coming from the front suspension under certain conditions:
• Hard braking at low speeds, especially on a downhill slope
• When going over speed bumps
• When rocking the car laterally (by pushing on the roof)

Interestingly, the noise is not present while driving at high speeds, and it has gradually reduced over time. The vehicle handles very well on the highway (even at 160 km/h), but the knocking is noticeable at low-speed suspension compression or rebound.

I suspect this may be related to:
• Preload setting on the strut spring seat (I used the 10 mm clip setting)
• Bushing preload on the lower shock mount, possibly torqued with the suspension unloaded

So, my questions are:
1. Has anyone experienced similar noises with OME Nitrocharger struts?
2. Could this be due to excess preload on the spring seat or incorrect torque on the lower shock mount bushings?
3. Does anyone have the official torque specs for:
• Top strut mount (3 bolts)
• Lower strut mount bolt (to lower control arm)
• Sway bar link
• Upper ball joint (if relevant)

Unfortunately, in Uruguay we don’t have local ARB suspension specialists, so any help or shared experience would be extremely appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

—Juan Pablo
Friday, August 8th, 2025 AT 4:40 AM

15 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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Chances are you have a defective strut and there is something broken inside the cartage. Want might want to try rechecking the mounting bolts, here are the torque specs.

Top strut bolts: 40-50 ft

Strut lower mounting bolt: 116-130 ft

Here is a guide to go over as well.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/popping-noise

If the truck made no noise before and all nuts and bolts are tight, swap out the struts again. FYI OEM strut are of very high quality. Please upload a video of the video if you can get one so I can hear it to help confirm.
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Friday, August 8th, 2025 AT 4:13 PM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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Thank you for your response. The truck did not make this noise before, and the struts are brand new - they don’t seem to be defective.

To be more specific, the noise happens, for example, when braking hard at very low speed; once the truck comes to a complete stop, the noise occurs with the rocking movement of the vehicle.

What do you think about the possibility that it’s related to having too much preload? Right now, it’s set to 10 mm, which is the third option in the configuration. I was thinking of lowering it to 5 mm. Would reducing the preload affect the braking improvement I noticed at higher speeds?

I can’t record a video from the outside while the wheel is moving, but I will try to capture the sound of the noise from inside the truck.

Thanks again for your time and support.
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Friday, August 8th, 2025 AT 5:38 PM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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Another important point: at some stage, we thought the noise might be coming from the tightening of the lower bushing bolts on the struts. I re-tightened them with the truck on the ground, and that seemed to improve the situation a bit.
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Saturday, August 9th, 2025 AT 4:12 AM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
  • MEMBER
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I went to the alignment shop, and we inspected the truck. It appears the noise is coming from a suspension full-travel event (possibly a top-out or bottom-out). We suspect the current preload setting might be limiting suspension travel due to the extra ride height. This week, I plan to reduce the preload and see if that changes the behavior. What’s your opinion on this approach?
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Saturday, August 9th, 2025 AT 6:05 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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You can give it a try, I still think you have a defective strut.
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Saturday, August 9th, 2025 AT 9:35 AM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
  • MEMBER
  • 13 POSTS
Hi Ken,
I tried to record the noise but couldn’t capture it. I haven’t removed the preload yet, but after testing the truck on an off-road trail the improvement was remarkable - it actually feels like a different vehicle. The weight transfer changed completely and the grip on sand was incredibly superior. On top of that, the overall dynamic behavior also improved in a surprisingly positive way. I’ll keep you updated.
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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 AT 2:49 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Maybe the struts just needed to "break in' Please let me know if the car gets even better in a few miles.
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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 AT 5:25 PM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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I’m thinking that since the front end is lifted so much (57 mm), the shock absorber might be hitting the internal top-out and that’s the noise I’m hearing. What do you think? Another question: in your opinion, are the Branick 7200 Strut Spring Compressors appropriate for OME coils?
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Thursday, August 28th, 2025 AT 1:08 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yep that is good info. If the truck is raised you will need the travel shocks that match the lift.
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Friday, August 29th, 2025 AT 11:41 AM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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The problem or mistery is I don’t know why it rise that match
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Friday, August 29th, 2025 AT 1:42 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Do you have after market springs, control arms or spindles? This would be why the truck is raised.
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Friday, August 29th, 2025 AT 4:17 PM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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No the uca is the original and no one extra accessories more than the ome kit, it should be suppose it raise 30mm plus the separator for preload.
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Monday, September 1st, 2025 AT 2:49 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Can you upload an image to help me see what it going on?
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Monday, September 1st, 2025 AT 8:44 AM
Tiny
JUAN PABLO APESTEGUY
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Today I removed both the preload spacer and the trim packer from the front suspension. The good news is that the noise is completely gone. However, during alignment a couple of issues came up:
-The left-hand side is sitting about 10 mm lower than the right.
-The camber on the left side is already at the limit of what can be adjusted.

This raises some interesting points to consider - it could be due to natural chassis/load bias, spring rate variation, or the need to move towards aftermarket upper control arms to gain additional adjustment range.

For the next update, what would you find more useful to see?
-Photos of the components (spacer and trim packer) that were removed.
-Photos of the truck itself after the changes, showing ride height and stance.

Looking forward to your input so I can share the most relevant details.
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 AT 5:21 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Images of both would be great, Also, you could have an alignment problems because the truck has been off road which is common, though 10mm is considered okay on a 4x4 lifted truck.
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Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025 AT 8:23 AM

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