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OK, it sounds to me like you want to replace the head unit, but plan to keep the stock speakers and stock Bose amps. That will work, but you need to use the Scosche adapter. The factory HU outputs low-level signals to the amps (one attached to each front door speaker, and a 2-channel amp behind the left rear cargo panel for the rear speakers). A new HU will output high-level signals, which need to be attenuated down to the low-level signals. The Scosche adapter does this. You cannot bypass the Bose amps and use the stock speakers with an new HU because the stock speakers have an impedance of only 1 ohm, instead of the 4-ohm load that aftermarket units need. So, if you plan to bypass the Bose amps, you must also replace the speakers. When I replaced my audio system, I didn't reuse anything except the factory wiring. I installed a Pioneer AVIC head unit, an Alpine 4-channel amp, 4 new door speakers, and a 10" subwoofer. Originally, I didn't have the sub, but the sound from only the door speakers was still unsatisfying because it lacked deep bass. The front speakers and sub are powered by the amp, and the rear speakers are powered by the HU. In short, if you want to keep your Bose amps and speakers, just get a new HU and the Scosche adapter. If you want to replace your speakers, just get a new HU, skip the Scosche adapter, and yank out the Bose amps.

Depending on the tire you bought, if it's available at TireRack, you can check the manufacturer specs for the recommended wheel widths for each tire size. For example, at this link for a Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo2 245/65R17 tire, the specs tab on the page shows the rim width range is 7 to 8.5". If you do not wish to purchase new wheels, you can have a local machine shop bore out the wheel centers to fit the hubs.

Something like this but better already exists. It's called a semi-automatic transmission (or "clutchless manual" or a myriad of other "marketing names") but not many vehicles have such a transmission. A good implementation of such a transmission is in the Mitsubishi Evo: Twin Clutch-SST

When driving off-road, I always row through the gears. I never just put it "D" and let the tranny do the thinking. When off-road, you often want to keep the engine RPM in a predictable range, so that the right amount of power is instantly available, without making big changes in accelerator position. (To downshift from "D", a disproportionately large amount of throttle is needed, and the moment you let off the throttle, it'll shift back.) In fact, whenever I start from a stop after shifting into 4WD, I shift the tranny straight to "1". If the engine starts to rev too high, I shift to "2". If that's still not a tall-enough gear, I will shift to "D" (O/D off). I very rarely find use for O/D when using 4HI. When decelerating, I will also row the gears down. I tend to drive my auto tranny like a manual. The benefit is not needing a clutch. This technique assures that the right amount of engine torque and power is always instantly available. When driving on pavement, I usually use "D" with O/D on. Typical exceptions to this are congested freeways, steep grades, in which I will shift to the gear that best uses the engine's power and provides the most consistent speed. For example, on certain very steep grades, my truck cannot maintain 55mph in "D". In order to reach 55, I have to floor it (auto downshift to "2"), then let off. But then there's not enough torque to maintain that speed, despite applying more throttle. So, I just shift to "2" until the grade levels out again. I apply the same principles for using "O/D".

Looks like a Sidekick

I don't think it'll look bad with the 2" AC lift. You can simulate the appearance of a lift if you have a couple of floor jacks and a tall block of wood. Put one floor jack in the center of the front crossmember and start jacking until the height is 2" more in front. Put the wood on its end on top of the floor jack and place the floor jack beneath a part of the unibody "frame" in the rear (trailer hitch, spare tire crossmember, or rear lower link mounts). Jack it up the same amount, stand back, and see what you think!

While my Pathfinder was a daily driver, I had 2 sets of BFG AT's, and got nearly 40K miles out of each set. They did great on rocks and dirt (not so good in deep mud) when aired down, provided a relatively quiet highway ride, and helped maintain reasonably good gas mileage. If I were still using my Pathfinder as a daily driver, I would definitely have these tires. Good luck with your decision!

The ARB locker completely replaces the differential case, so unless the third member housings are different between LSD and open, the ARB will fit. I think there's confusion about how the ARB works compared to other locking diffs, such as a Detroit locker (which does re-use the open diff case, and replaces only the spider and/or side gears). From what I can tell after reading the installation manual for the ARB RD136, it doesn't matter whether you have an LSD or an open diff. The RD135 for the 33-spline H233B (which fits the R50), is the same. Here's an diagram of the RD135. Anyway, my advice would be to stay away from the stock LSD if you drive on trails where you get wheels in the air, especially when climbing. No amount of parking brake application will prevent the engine torque from being applied only to that dangling wheel. Now, if you were somehow able to figure out how to independently apply the parking brake to each wheel, that could work, but in my experience, the parking brake isn't really that strong anyway. On the other hand, if you are only looking for a mild performance upgrade for ice, light snow or mud, the LSD would be an improvement.

Where did you read that? The ARB RD136 for the 31-spline H233B doesn't seem to indicate such a restriction.

I've been a bit of a lurker in this thread, but I figured I should step in and clear up some confusion about the terminology here. A "third member" is usually the entire center section of a rear axle, including the front of the differential housing, the ring and pinion, the differential carrier, and its bearings. "Third member" straight axles are constructed differently than straight axles with a differential cover. R&R of a third member into the axle tube is often much easier than the other type because you don't have to set bearing preload, backlash, and other more complicated setups during reinstallation. Therefore, third members can be more "plug and play" and don't require expertise in gear setup. For example, if you want to replace a 4.36:1 open diff with a 4.63:1 LSD, to upgrade the diff and R/P ratio simultaneously, all you need to do is pull the old third member off the axle tube and swap in the LSD unit. The "differential carrier" is the housing that encases the side gears and spider gears of the differential. The differential carrier bolts to the ring gear. LSD carriers and open diff carriers are different, but once they're bolted to the ring gear, installing the ring+carrier combo into the third member housing and setting the gear mesh is pretty much the same. An ARB air-locker is a complete differential carrier that replaces the original carrier, whether that original is an LSD or an open diff. The ARB carrier bolts to the ring gear, and then the ring gear/ARB carrier is installed into the third member housing (which is then mounted onto the rear axle tube). When not engaged, the air locker behaves just like an open diff. When engaged (or "locked"), the left and right axleshafts are mechanically locked together so that there is no differential action between them, for maximum traction off-road. Finally, the stock LSD in the R50 is very weak compared to the WD21 LSD. It's a marginal upgrade that in my opinion is not really worth the expense and effort, unless it is further modified. The R50 LSD is not strong enough to move the truck if a rear wheel is off the ground. An H233B third member from any year, any model R50, will fit into any other R50. The only differences will be gear ratio (4.636 or 4.363) and open vs LSD. The following threads can be followed if you want to improve the stock LSD performance: 97 LSD Rebuild to 94 Specs Laxman's 2001 R50 LSD Modification and Install Whether you simply swap in a stock LSD, or modify the clutch packs of a stock LSD (and deal with resetting the gear backlash and bearing preload), or replace an open diff with an air-locker is primarily a matter of what kind of performance you want to get from your rig, and how much time and/or money you have. My '97 LE originally came equipped with 4.363:1 front open diff and 4.363:1 rear LSD. I purchased from a local wrecking yard a front entire diff case with 4.636:1 gears, and a 4.636:1 open rear third member for $250 each. (They were relatively new, roughly 37,000 miles on 'em). I had a shop swap out the open rear for an ARB locker, then replace the stock third member, which I then sold for $100 to a guy who wanted a stock LSD. A few years later, I had that same shop install a front ARB locker. I still have the stock front open carrier boxed up on a shelf in my garage.

It's unlikely you'll find any junkyard R50's with anything except stock front diffs. R50's only came equipped with a pair of open diffs, or a rear limited slip. If you do decide to get larger-diameter tires (31" or more), you will probably want to swap in 4.636:1 differential gears from a junkyard R50 (usually SE models), since the LE came with 4.363:1 gears intended for use with small (28") tires. The rear limited slip isn't suitable for heavy duty off-road use, though it works OK in gravel, mud, light snow or rain. I have heard it said that the only thing a locker will do is get you stuck further down the trail. I believe that locking diffs, due to their expense, should be among the last mods you make to an R50. Tires, suspension mods, rocker-panel protection, and recovery accessories (tow strap, come-along, hi-lift jack, winch, etc.) should be first. Like rgallant asked, what type of off-roading do you plan to use your R50 for?

You can run this with your stock rims, no problem. The main reason why people get different rims when lifting their Pathfinders is that many folks want bigger tires when they lift. Bigger tires do not always fit on stock rims, due to clearance issues between the tire shoulder and the lower spring mount on the front strut.

fleurys- what orientation are you running those shocks in? If it's not too inconvenient, could you take a look at the shock body and see if it is stamped with "mount this side down" (or something like that)? Also, what is the diameter of the shock body? Thanks for your help!

Does anyone have part numbers for the Rancho 5000's or the Procomp ES3000's? (Part number on Rancho is usually stamped on the shock body.) And Phantom01, what modification did you have to do to the ES3000's? Thanks.

Why not go up to 16x8? What size tires do you plan to put on?

Very cool! That brings back good memories. I ran a bunch of trails in that area in 2002. Look familiar?

Hi guys, I need some very specific advice from those of you who have the AC 2" lift installed on a 96-99 R50. Earlier this year I replaced my 8-year-old, worn-out Rancho RS9010 shocks. I purchased (from AC) the Rancho 9000 shocks they sell as part of the 2" lift. The part number I received from them is RS999112. The shock bodies are 2.75" in diameter and the shock bodies must be on the bottom in order to work properly. Here are the specs: Rancho RS999112 Upper mount: L1 Lower mount: L1 Compressed length: 16.125" Extended length: 26.000" Travel: 9.875" Body diameter: 2.75" Unfortunately, during extreme articulation, there is insufficient clearance between the panhard rod and the shock, resulting in this: That shock now "sticks" in certain places along its travel length. Additionally, the amount of damping it provides is not very much. Even with the adjustment knob maxxed out, the damping is only marginally good enough to limit bouncing when my Pathy is empty. When full of gear and people, it's a little too bouncy. The RS9010 shocks I had before didn't have this problem. The shock bodies were narrower, I was able to mount them upside-down, and the adjustment range allowed for a very wide range of damping. Does anyone have good experiences with a different shock brand and/or part number? Note: this is for 2" AC lift, not stock or SFD. Thanks.

I'm not a big fan of those oval-shaped lights on the bumper. They don't match the styling of the R50 at all. Also, how are you getting the Multicarrier for just $435? The bumper (without carrier) is $400, but when you add the tire carrier, the price jumps to $650.

Looks good. Are those fender flares stock? I like them. They don't look like OEM flares. What brand are they and how do they attach to the body?

Do you already have a t-case in your rig? Or do you have only a 2WD? Why do you want a second one? Are you going with a dual-case setup?

You may not need the camber kit. Many people do need it in order to get the camber back in spec, but you might not. You can order Ingalls camber bolts from other sources later if you find you need them.

NONE. Camber is in spec on mine, for some reason.

"End of life"... 166k miles is nowhere near that. I have 168K miles on my '97, and I don't see any signs of it nearing "end of life". There will always be some unplanned maintenance costs as vehicles age, but your new-to-you '03 still has lots of life left in her. I live in California, where fortunately, rust and corrosion are virtually non-existent. The engine and auto tranny still run strong, despite hundreds of miles of severe off-road use, overheating to over 250°F, and driving with a completely cracked open radiator for 50 rough, unpaved miles in Death Valley NP. The only way my Pathfinder is going to "die" is if it's wrecked or if it develops random unexplainable electrical issues. If the engine dies, I'll replace it. If the tranny dies, I'll replace it. Either of those two options will be less costly than building up another vehicle.

Since your struts are fairly new, I wouldn't recommend replacing them any time soon. Just wait to replace them when they wear out. New struts don't have any performance advantages over older, but still perfectly functioning ones, with a lift or without a lift.

How many miles are on your Pathy? More importantly, how many miles are on the currently installed struts? Part of the reason why new struts are advised when installing new springs is that the labor to replace the strut is almost identical to the labor to replace the spring. Certain parts, like the strut upper mount and the strut bearing, tend to wear out and it makes more sense to replace those parts while you've got the whole strut assembly out of the vehicle the first time, rather than reuse old, worn parts that may need replacing soon. Assuming you're still running the stock 16x7 wheels, 265/70R16's should fit.