Flyer

Well, I hear the OME shocks (not OEM shocks) are bulletproof but I hope the KYB struts hold up.

The OME shocks are the best. I have even heard good things from the off road shops and Land Rover guys, and believe me- those guys are the pickiest guys around. Anyway, I love mine and I went with the Medium duty springs and shocks. The back sits a bit higher than the front- you can buy a spacer/tower to resollve that but I like it that way- it is very stable, rails around corners, and once you load the back with bikes/gear, it sits level. Anyway, with a heavy-duty bumper and winch, you WILL want to get the heavy duty springs. It may not make the vehicle level front to back though I have zero problem with that. Now if it were the other way around, it would really start to bother me. I can't feel it while driving and there is much less nosedive under braking now.

Well, the Hayabusa 1300 cc (Suzuki) engine that cranks out around 160 hp stock is far understressed and last longer than smaller motors that crank out less hp (like the GRSX 750 even or the ZX-7 Kawasaki, for example). The reason is that at 100 mph it is using half its "muscle" while at 100 mph, a 750 cc bike is using 70-80% of its muscle. I think that's what the previous poster is saying and I agree with that. At 80 mph, my 305 is probabaly much less strained than a 3.3 or smaller at the same speed. Since I drive on the highway a LOT, that's a good thing. However, I see what you're saying though I think there is a misunderstanding about the term "under-stressed". In real life terms, the 3.5L engine, even with a high compression ratio, is still very understressed. These motors are known to last as long, if not longer than any other motor that we see in Nissans. The 3.5 is shared among many vehicle for its power, reliability, and tunability for torque and horsepower. The new 4.0L Nissan motor is the 3.5L that has a longer Stroke (not Bore) so in theory, it could be even more of a peach than the 3.5L. We have to wait and see.

Heck, my rear raised up about two inches while the front raised up about one inch. The stock springs sagged a lot at the back. I just put them on last Saturday and they have not appeared to "settle" at all yet. Body lean is reduced as well.

I mean side illumination going down the road a bit- along with my regular headlights though it doesn't have to be too far up ahead.

I'm trying to figure out the lighting on my 2002 LE. I have OEM fog lights but I'd like to get two more driving lights for more side illumination. I'm looking at the Hella 500 series and the KC All Season rectangulars lights as well. I'd possibly mount them on a Westin Safari Bar but with that option, I'm not sure which lights will fit (depthwise). Have you guys mounted any light on a Safari Bar? If so which lights are you using? I don't need a long-range spotlight. Any ideas will be appreciated since I don't know much about lights. I don't want cheapies while I don't need the $200 per set PIAAs. Well..maybe I do- do I? Anyway, I need them primarily for trials I encounter while mountain biking/camping at night/ and wheeling. I'm using the Safari Bar since I think it's the best way I know to mount them without drilling into my truck.

Well, Marcel at Black Panther has great skidplates BUT he does not have one for the Transfer Case, just two pieces for the front and middle of the underside. Anyway, I need to look for one that covers the TC as well. Additionally, he said he was looking at making Sliders though I don't know how long I can wait (maybe I can) though the Skidplates are more critical. I do want Sliders that stick out further though. I hope I don't end up buying something that sits even closer than stock step bars.

A Subaru will fit the bill though have less space. I like Subarus though I've never owned one. I actually looked at them before I bought the Pathy and since I have a big dog who likes space, the Pathy won out. I would say you will average 14-16 mpg on the Pathfinder and 21-23 mpg on the Subaru. There's a big difference there. I went from a 24 mpg Accord to a 15 mpg Pathfinder last September and it STILL hurts pssd However, my dog loved sleeping back there with the back seats folded flat so that's that.

Having that Auto AWD or Auto "4WD" is nice- you can utilize it at any speed and any surface, especially slick highways. Other than that and the 3.5L engine, the differences are cosmetic with the newer one looking more updated. I have a 2002 and wanted a newer one though I drove several others. Then again, I'm big on comfort and nice features- if I just wanted an exclusive "play" vehicle, I would not have bought a Pathfinder. If the extra $5K isn't a real issue, I'd go for the new one, with the AWD option and the bigger engine being the major deciding factors- no brainer for me

Good idea. I wish you were working on a newer Pathy though

What I really like is the low friction factor. That would really help in just sliding over rocks instead of scraping and dragging over them.

Great job on the SLiders. I like those- they do stick out far enough to effectivly use as a step without slipping off. The other bonus is that the cars will hit it before hitting your vehicle- I love that! Well, I will keep looking to see which Sliders to get- I definitely can't make them myself.

Where did you attach the self-drilling screws and with what tool did you do that? Do you mean that you drilled into the metal somewhere? It sounds easy but I can't visualize this fully yet. The Black Panthers are all bolt-on-only so that is easy for me to visualize.

Cool, I emailed him. I just hope they are wide enough to use as steps.

I talked to Marcel today (I assume that's the owner's name) and he was very nice. I love the product and it's two weeks out so I can wait a little bit. Any of you having luck with Rock Sliders though. It looks like a custom job is the only option for the newer Pathy. That could get really expensive and may not fit properly either, custom or prototype.

Polyetheylene, huh? I know steel works well but how is this stuff better- I'm curious. I do need more than the front though- I'd like to cover up as much as possible. Anyway, I'd be interested in learning more and any info you have would be helpful. Can I access the drain plug and oil filter as well?

Well, I jus got back home with my new suspension- I haven't driven much but first impressions are GREAT! The OME springs shock along with the KBY struts raised my Pathy by almost 2" (stock springs sag 1"). The ride is firmer and it kick over sharp bumps more but the back is empty- with gear, it'll be perfect. Anyway, I'm looking for sliders that are higher up and further out than the ones I'm seeing- almost far enough out to be able to use as a step. Any ideas on this? As far as Skidplates go, I think I'm going with Black Panthers unless you guys have another, better, option. I'd like to order it all by Mon and maybe have it all put on by next weekend. I may even get some offroad lights but I'm not sure where to mount them- a Safari bar or just tuck them into a recess in the stock bumper. Heck, I don't even know what kind to get. I really seem to have caught the modbug and I am helpless in its grasp- as is my bank account.

lgranch: You're a funny guy- maybe without intending to be Yeah, but many of us (and I'm not that young) do a lot of stuff besides mess with the Pathy. We have women to deal with/find, dogs to walk, mountain bikes to ride, friends to meet, mountains to explore, and rocks to climb. However, we still do appreciate the advice and guidance we get here as much as anyone else.

So does the chain ever need to be replaced? When I asked the dealer in the city I moved from, they actually did say it had no replacement schedule. Is thattrue or are they clueless? Every other vehicle I have owned had a 85k-105K timing belt replacement recommendation.

And here I was thinking that the old one was a shadow of the new one. Silly me - Anyway, with all the advice I have received, I made a suspension decision and I'll make sure I post a write-up of the before and after feel, as well as the other relevant details such as ride height and overall comfort. I decided to go with: KYB GR2 Struts Old Man Emu Springs Old Man Emu Shocks Nissan Bearings Stock/Existing Mounting Plates I intend to keep my word so look for a write-up next week.

I should have the KYB struts and Old Man Emu shocks and springs on this Saturday. I've driven on the stock ones for 10,000 miles so I should be able to report a decent "Before and After" comparison once I drive on the new suspension for a day or two.

When I was researching shocks, I was told that the Rancho 5000s are a pretty harsh ride. If you go with the Ranchos, I'd look at the 9000 series. I ended up calling many offroad shops in addition to reading posts here and ended up going with the Old Man Emu shocks- should be here today -bounce- I think they are mucho tougher than stock shocks and will take a trail beating well but I hear they are also mucho harsh on the roads/highways with not as much damping as 9000s, Bilsteins, or Old Man Emus.

It's wonderful to have you on the Board. Welcome and may good Russian vodka keep flowing to the United States and the ret of the world. This is very cool and I hope you enjoy your time here on this Forum. Just don't go crazy and do too much on the Terrano- you will go broke. I don't know how these guys do it Welcome again, Comrade and we enjoy Barbeque too

17 with the '02's stock tires- 22 on the highway 14-15 with the Bridgestone Revos- 20 on the highway

I will post some pics for sure. I've been researching this for months and this was the best overall setup I came up with. Any higher could cause reliability issues and I'm not too crazy about raising the center of gravity on my daily driver. If I had an exclusive off-roader, I'd raise it a good 3 inches. This should do fine on most trails and I may add some skid plates soon- that's pretty much all the mods I'll be doing. Now if the surprisingly active Rocky Mountain XTerra group just hurries up and has their first "open to all Nissans" event, I'll be havin' some real fun