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What?! No link to that video?! I'd love to get my hands on your QD32. Share the video!

Weekend Drive

DesertRat out of Phoenix, Arizona is another good supply source - definitely better than AC, cheaper than Summit usually & as cheap as 4Wheel Parts. Tax & shipping free in the US (unsure re BC). KYBs are well respected front struts (OME probably better but not cost effective). AC front shocks or OME from just about anywhere (i.e. Desert Rat). Generally full 2” on AC springs, less but variably sol, with OME - might add a small 0.5-1” spacer. AC stiff, OME smoother ride. LR for the rear, hands down. I don’t think anybody is advocating AC for the rear once the LR became a known option. I’m unaware of anyone who doesn’t like them. MileMarkers should be fine but not all hubs fit through all OEM wheels. @hawarish has a great breakdown on hubs - you can rely on anything he puts out.

Perfect, thanks again! I’ll have to post some photos once I get things started.

With shocks, I just price shop. On my 5125’s it was between 4wheelparts and amazon. As long as it’s the right part number you’re good to go. I just search the specific part number and compare prices from there. Summit Racing is a good distributor though. Almost everyone runs OEM spec struts. Old Man Emu does make an “aftermarket” strut that supposedly rides amazing. All in all, KYB seems to be the most popular option, and that’s what I have. They got replaced when I first did my spacer lift. Hubs: you only want two, just for the front pair of wheels (perhaps asking about 4 was a typo?). Usually the mile markers run ~$100/pair, and and sold in pairs. Mounting hardware included. The part number is 435. I got mine off of advance auto w/ a 25% off code, pretty good deal. Amazon and your typical 4x4 distributors are all good places to buy. Haha, the EMT..... it came on the missing link first, and then saw some roof rack ideas and went for it. There are plenty of stouter options to be had, but I’ve enjoyed the EMT rack. Not an electrician, actually studying to be a Civil Engineer. You bet man! Just spend a little time comparing prices, and I’m sure you’ll sort it out. Googling the part numbers has always served me well. Best of luck!

Hey Carson ( @R50_QX4 )! Great Questions. As a general rule of thumb, I buy as little as is possible from 4x4parts.com . Shipping is a fiasco ($70 to ship two springs to Idaho). So even though 4x4parts.com has most of what you want with struts and springs and shocks, I’d at least shop around before pulling the trigger. You’ll still end up buying the front 2” lift coils from them, but you might be able to save a buck elsewhere. Be careful installing the front coils. They’re stiff. It’s pretty common to at least take them to a shop to get the strut assembled, though some members such as @RainGoat have had stellar success compressing their OME HD coils with a stoutly designed coil compressor. They may be able to handle the AC’s as well. So, the “obvious” difference between the common 5100 (33-185552) and the increasingly popular 5125 (33-185569) is collapsed length and extended length. I do happen to have a long-winded Youtube Video (Yup, those are my videos) on the topic, but that’s more info than is necessary. The 5125 is 29.7” extended and about 18 collapsed. The 5100 is about 26/16. 4WP and summit racing supply shock specs if you ever want to compare other models. I actually just happened to get some verification on how that shock affects my articulation. My NRC9449’s (Same height as the 9447) just barely unseat at full flex. You can wiggle the spring by hand but you certainly couldn’t pop it out. The sway bar link looks maxed, and I’m suspecting that the sway bar limits my flex, not the shock. If I removed it (but I’m not going to) I might find myself wishing for slightly shorter shock. But, since the 5125 is a good deal away from the factory spec of 24/14, you’ll want to extend that center (2 lines if you have VDC) brake line- it will likely be taught at full flex, which isn’t acceptable in my opinion. You’ll want to either test or guess as to how much to extend the bumpstop. Mine are extended ~2.5”. My diff breather sometimes pops off and should get extended as well, but I haven’t done it yet. If you do the math, I haven’t gained much by running the 5125 and it’s not a do or die on running that shock. I think it’s a good choice for LR springs, but 5100’s are a great shock too, and the 5100’s won’t require any of those brake line or bumpstop or breather modifications. LR vs AC. Not sure how they’d stack up. Price aside, I don’t know heights or spring rates of the AC coils so that’s difficult to compare. LR springs lift pretty similar heights, but they’re less than 50% of the price and seem the superior option based on that. Should be $80-90 from lrdirect.com after shipping. Although, I know Canadian shipping can be complicated..... I believe they’ve been having stocking issues recently, I’m sure the R50 community is to blame for that lol. Locking hubs. Great mod in my opinion, and a near no brainer if you have the floor shift, manual transfer case. Seems that Warn, Rugged Ridge, and Mile Marker’s are the most popular, and few complaints across the brands. I have the mile markers, they were the cheapest and they’ve performed just fine for the last year. There are mostly just 2 things that stress the CV axles- when the joints are forced to operate at sharp angles (suspension droops or wheels are turned), and sudden changes in the torque supplied to them (free spinning tire suddenly lands on dirt and stops spinning). These are true for anytime the axle is forced to spin, but those conditions generally become an even bigger issue when 4WD is engaged and the CV axles are being supplied with torque that they’re transferring to the tires, as opposed to being passively spun in 2WD. Manual hubs will increase the longevity of the boots if not the joints as well. Lemme know if I missed anything -Tyler

Thanks for all the feedback, really helpful. ko2, Wildpeak A/T3W and the Destination MTs are what I'll choose from, they all look good both visually and capability-wise. I'm really stuck trying to decide on final size to go with. Given the pictures/videos I've seen from you guys here I'm thinking it'll be 32x11.5x15. I've already got 31x10.5x15 and seem to have lots of room to spare. Will still do a coil lift and if needed spacers to fit the tires in. Have learned a lot from @PathyDude17's Youtube videos (thx for those!) and all the messages here, I almost understand what I need to order. Heading to Desert Rats tomorrow to poke around, talk with them about putting on the coil lift and new tires, then if any issues with rubbing they can bang and cut as needed. Not sure I want my regular mechanic to do the work, and definitely not in my wheelhouse. Those in the Phoenix area, if you don't do your own work like this who do you take it to?

It Fits! The 04 Xterra transmission was Plug and play into my 98 pathfinder.. The only "issue" was the Xterra's transmission wiring harness was a few inches shorter than the pathfinders. I could have easily swapped harnesses but I chose to just move my pathfinders chassis wiring a little and tie wrapped/zip tied them to the speed sensor cable. My pathfinder TX10 transfer case bolted right up to this transmission. I'll make a separate post with a few more details soon.

I think the 17” LE wheels (that don’t fit Warn hubs) are 2002 - 2004 wheels for LE models. The 16” wheels in question were for LE and SE models prior to 2002. My 01 LE has those 16” wheels but I’ve seen them in SE models too

KO2'S are a really tough tire and do well in about any situation. Sidewalls are super strong. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

1st test, Lokka Talk: Here's an obstacle that has stumped me twice before by either getting hung up on my sliders or rocker panels. You pick either the rock on the left side or the right side to pivot/bottom out on, and proceed from there. I have a sneaking suspicsion that the obstacle has been rearranged since last summer, but I also got stuck on it in March, and its less likely the rocks have been changed since then. The first time I got hung up in June 2019- I'm a tire rotation away from obliterating my driver rocker panel: The vehicle ends up coming up and over the rocks with the front tires lifting and dropping at seperate times. On open diffs, this obstacle generally wasn't possible for me. We managed to get @micahfelker through without damage, but I couldn't replicate the feat. Adding sliders just meant I got stuck sooner w/o any risk for body damage. With the lokka however, it's a different obstacle. I crawled over this (unspotted) in one slow but succinct motion, pivoting on the passenger slider throughout most of the motion. Sure, if I had the stones I could probably throttle and bump my way up it, but I'd take the lokka over that any day. My sliders are more useful now too-they don't just protect, but they actually now can slide over rocks in certain situations. There are still plenty of ways to get this thing stuck, bottomed out, and immobilized, but I think the lokka will prove to be a worthy upgrade. Steering: It's affected by adding a lokka, don't get me wrong on that. I found that it depended pretty predictably on the terrain and to what extent you had the drivetrain engaged. Obvioulsy, with hubs unlocked you can't feel it. 2WD w/ hubs locked has practically zero change in steering on most surfaces, including pavement and hard packed dirt. Little to no self centering. 4WD High/Lo: Noticeable self centering/resistance in steering. In a ~2hr test run with it, the self centering didn't really let up or lighten much while in 4WD. It's 100% driveable, but its also 100% different than an open diff. The more torque you supply the lokka with (and the less traction/grip a certain surface has), the stronger the steering will get. So, in between obstacles I coasted through turns and supplied throttle on straightaways, and that made it totally driveable. Or if you're in 4HI, popping it in to 2HI works as well. I also wouldn't try to drive super fast in 4WD. The steering got the worst when I decided to try a U-turn on a trail only slightly wider than my vehicle while still in 4LO. It was fairly sandy, and I could immediately tell that my turning radius was diminished under those circumstances. The steering wheel was pretty heavy at full lock, and in the sand (with all the torque available in that gear), the vehicle plows forward through sand as it turns. It turned a ~2.5 point turn into a solid 3-4 point turn. So, if you were in a dire situation I could see how the lokka might put someone at a disadvantage. I was just goofing off and could've put it in 2HI if I was trying to turn as quickly as possible. A little long-winded, but I wanted to give a thorough idea of how it's gone so far and what changes I've noticed. I'll revise any of the above statements as I get used to the lokka, these are just my first impressions. For me personally, I'd call the first test a success. I couldn't necessarily "feel" the LSD, maybe I'll have to test it out in 2WD. 4.6's are good, and the low end torque is nice for all things dirt and rock.

Now that’s a fantastic pic!

No roof rack no spoiler Guess I’ll be trying my hand at painting the hood in the near future... unless I find a good one at the yard. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

My 1998 QX4 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Utah! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Use your old transfer case. The electric-shift transfer case (ATX14A) is a complicated little bugger, and yes, it's computer-controlled. If you want to see what you'd be up against, go on Nico and check out the transfer case section of the '03 or '04 R50 service manual.

Hi Guys, long time lurker first time poster. Thanks for this great thread, saved me a ton over OME kit! I just put in the AC springs, and KYB Struts in the front, and NRC9447 springs, and Bilseine 5100's in the back. Gained 3.75" in the back and 2" in the front. Wish we had an alternative for the front spings! AC cost me a bit over $400CND when all was said and done. Anyways, worth it! Thanks for the great discovery OP! Tomek

Add one more to the successful Land Rover Defender spring install, here's my numbers: Rear: Spring - Land Rover NRC9446 from LRDirect for $77.27 shipped to WA Shock - KYB OEM replacement P/N 343379 from RockAuto Front: Strut - KYB OEM replacement P/N 335031 and 335030 from RockAuto Strut mount/bearing/boot - KYB OEM replacement P/N SM5329 from RockAuto Spring - ARB 2928 Old Man Emu Coil Spring P/N 2928 from Amazon Sagging suspension: RR: 31.25" (FSM spec: 33.31") RL: 30.5" FR: 32" (FSM spec: 32.09") FL: 31.25" Rake: -0.75" (FSM spec: 1.22") New suspension: RR: 34.875" RL: 34.5" FR: 33.25" FL: 33.25" Rake: 1.44" Note: I had a shop assemble the front struts with the OME HD springs due to the increased compression required and subsequent sketchiness factor.

Definitely happy with the outcome. Got 4” as expected and ride quality as good as everyone boasts. #9448 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First large haul today. Estimating 3-400lbs of wet, fresh cut cherry wood. Not really sure what the weight was but the springs had minimal droop. Felt it in braking and hill climbs though. Pretty good load. unloaded partial load Loaded

I think I'm the first one to have the 9447's installed (although I could be wrong) but everyone who ordered hoping for 2" of lift is gonna be in for a surprise haha, mine gave me about 4" from where I was sitting before. We'll see how much more it settles but so far I'm pretty stoked with how it sits. I posted more pics on my thread if anyone wants to see. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On the VG33, the ECT sensor and the coolant temperature sensor for the gauge are different. The ECT sensor reports a voltage or resistance level to the PCM, which converts it to a temperature value (and this is what the ScanGauge reports). I don't know if the ECT sensor and the gauge sensor have different responses or if the temp gauge has a nonlinear response to its input. Bottom line, the temperature gauge is not a good way to evaluate engine coolant temperature.