GoPathyGo

But don't let that discourage you from sending the ARB bumper, ideally to my address in Washington, DC. I'll sign up. Been really swamped but still all about the Pathy. However, the SAS project has blown huge holes in my wallet. So um hope someone here likes DVDs...

Yeah, but the front is where I was having rub problems. The rear was never an issue. Not sure I agree the front doesn't "flex for @!*%". (That sounds like AlexRex garbage. Are you channeling him now ? ) There is a fair amount of vertical "flex"/movement. The more plastic trim, the greater the rubbing up front. Yes, the lateral flex isn't as great as a solid axle, but what is ? Besides, unless everyone else here has been wheeling backwards, there's gotta be enough for it to work.

But wouldn't a 1.5" spacer get you close to the same backspacing as a 3.2" backspace wheel ?

Welcome! Sounds like you're off to a great start. One of the nice things about older vehicles (such as ours) is that parts are pretty plentiful. If you have a pick-pull place near you, there's a good chance it'll have a WD21 or two. You could also get parts dirt cheap from down south. Shipping wouldn't be cheap, but you could have the parts dropped at the nearest freight terminal and pick them up. I think one of our members shipped an entire engine (the whole thing) for a few hundred bucks that way. Anyway, welcome and have fun!

Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. People get too hung up on the lift - it's practically as bad as the "size matters" issue. I've run 35s (35.3 SSRs and they felt bigger) on the Yota and the actual ground clearance and ride height difference over 33s wasn't that great. My own highly unscientific observation is that it's a matter of diminishing returns. Stock -> AC lift yields a noticeable change. Stock tires -> 32s yields a noticeable difference. 32->33 and 33-> 35 is a "meh". I'd have to go to 37s to really notice a difference and gain big clearance advantages over the 33s I have on now. I think folks on this board have demonstrated that you can do some pretty impressive things with moderate lifts. As they say,"It's how you use it..."

Dude, your tire has herpes...

02 sensor ? MAF ?

Castrol Fully Synthetic 5W-40. Purolator PureOne Filter. Changed based on usage. If I've been wheeling or driving in a lot of stop-and-go traffic, I'll change it at 3k miles or so. If I've just been on long trips, I let the change interval go to 4k or 5k miles.

Bans Tungsten for being in Jersey.

I had to basically take out all the plastic stuff at the back. The problem I ran into was that flex dropped pretty dramatically. As the pic shows, the 33s fill out the wheel wells so much that you lose some maneuverability. Of course, Alex probably has some superultrawonder thing going on that mere mortals couldn't understand.

I had a custom bumper with a swing-out tire carrier. I eventually got rid of the tire carrier, but have kept the bumper. A few questions that may help as you look at options: 1. What size spare will you mount ? The larger the tire the lower the visibility out the rear. A large, heavy tire may also require you to put the tire carrier in the center to make sure the weight is evenly distributed. My 32" BFG A/Ts blocked the rear altogether. 2. How often will you carry cargo ? Mine was a pain to open, specially in urban areas, parking lots and street parking spaces. 3. How important is fuel economy and weight to you ? The bumper and tire carrier together added well over 100 lbs 4. How important are aesthetics ? A twin-tube bumper will weigh less than a boxed bumper but will not look "stock" or even "OEM-style" 5. How important is maneuverability ? Mine extended the length of the more than a foot and made parallel parking quite the adventure. 6. Cost ? My bumper, if it was done today, would run about $500-$600 - without the tire carrier. I got the tire carrier off a tube-style bumper. Mine's probably overkill though for most people - 5 bolt points each side, wraparound plate, side support brace, D-rings and stupid high clearance. Alternatively, you could just chuck the spare in the cargo area when wheeling... Good luck!

Welcome!

Low speed and some of the energy was transferred into the Prius. While I like the looks of my Nissan brush guard, 3 bolts each side torqued at 40 ft-lbs with no upper support ain't real strong... Force = Change in momentum/Duration of impact Assume a 100 lb deer, 50 mph vehicle speed and an instantaneous impact (0.2 seconds though you can be more scientific). The deer is going to be accelerated to the vehicle speed very rapidly. I simplified and assumed that was instantaneous too. I used metrics (45 kg and 22 meters/second) but converting back from Newtons to lbs it works out to about 1125 lbs. That's a lot to ask of a brush guard.

Keep the receipt ?

Wow! Never heard of that before. Did you contact the company ? Not sure what "drain it out" means. I thought it just burns off with everything else... Also, not sure how the thinning oil and lower octane would cause detonation. I would have thought the machine would have just cut altered the mix to compensate for the lower octane... But that may just be my ignorance and lack of knowledge.

I think that one's right up there with this gem... http://cgi.ebay.com/Nissan-Supercharger-Turbo-for-X-Trail-Navara-Maxima_W0QQitemZ370276739454QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item563636a97e

Would the lightforce nuts work ? I'm getting them for the Blitzes and HID mounted on the truck. http://www.lightforce.com/products/accessories/security-nuts

Has you friend tried All Pro Offroad, ICON Vehicle Development, Toytec Lifts and some others ? All these guys (and others) make some form of long-travel kit for the Tacoma and FJ Cruiser...

Brandywine has amongst the worst prices around. One guy offered me a door for MORE than a new one from the stealership. Try Crazy Ray's in Jessup. R50s show up there regularly, though no guarantees on the wheels. Condition varies but only once have I seen R50s that were so trashed that basically nothing was salvageable... Well, maybe the cigarette lighter.

3" SL + 33s + Engaged in a bad winter could do it...

The jack points should look like little upside-down saucers on the frame rails. I usually put the head of the jack as close to the center of the saucer as I can.

Yeah, I got 'em to fit. TrXus 255/85-16s that came in at 32.8" BUT that was after basically removing the fender flares, removing pretty much all the plastic in the wheelhouse (few pieces left), 3.125" backspacing and new struts (hadn't sagged). The problem was that the tires took up so much room they whacked the rest of the body pretty much any time the suspension seriously flexed. The 1.2" over the BFGs didn't sound like much when I ordered them, but the increased tire size and the very aggressive lugs made a real difference. I ran into the same problem when I tried 35s on the Yota. Even with low backspacing the 35s were hitting the frame and killing flex. Went back to the 33s. Basically, I think you practically need an SFD/SAS to really use 33 and up to their full potential... Not saying it can't be done. Just that there are limits and the noise/bashing can get pretty annoying.

Boy I hope they don't have speed bumps where those guys live...

Nah, it was really more at the original post with spark plug comment.