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Karmann

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Posts posted by Karmann

  1. My only gripe about sleeping in the back of my Pathy is that there's no interior hatch release. It's cumbersome to get out from the rear doors. It would be fantastic to swap in that feature from a QX4.

     

    Agreed, though for me, I can usually rotate and move out of the passenger side rear door. I put my usually muddy boots under where the sleeping platform goes past the top of the folded seatback on my rubber floor mats. It's a little awkward, but it works well enough.

    • Like 1
  2. I built this sleeping platform a few years ago, and have used it on several trips. By now I must have spent at least a month sleeping in the truck, and apart from having to remove the seat bottom, it's very simple. I used less than one piece of plywood, some indoor/outdoor carpeting and a piano hinge.

    IMG_4335G_zps4c360817.jpg

     

    It folds up very small too:

    IMG_4339G_zpse8920d96.jpg

     

    It's worked very well for me, and apart from mounting an upcoming ARB fridge where it sits, I'd continue to use it.

    • Like 1
  3. Looking good! The supercharged Xterra was on my list when getting my Pathy, but after reading about the mileage and the issues a lot of owners have with the crank sensor, it wasn't worth it to me. Not for only 210 horsepower, which is still incredibly weak for all that trouble. I went with the VQ in my Pathfinder, with the nicer interior as you mentioned, and never looked back. Plus I have something against torsion bars in my trucks/SUVs. I'm not sure why. Either way, it's always fun to look at/drive the other Nissan SUVs, and how you notice all the little differences.

  4. I love the hillclimb and rally stuff, as well as the Baja endurance racing, though I don't follow it especially closely. I have a friend who actually prepped a couple Ducati Dual-Sports for the Akropovic team, he's one of the head managers for the North American division, and has taken home quite a few neat bikes. My neighbors are also involved in racing, though with the Baja 1000 specifically. He chased for team Toyota three years in a row, and has been going to the race for at least the last 15 years, it's always neat to talk shop with them. Needless to say, we have a little friendly Toyota/Nissan rivalry going. ;) But I'll be the first to admit his TRD supercharged Tundra with complete Camburg suspension (around 500hp and 16" of travel) is pretty sweet.

     

    I usually fall in love with the older iron, so you can bet I could win at a double clutching challenge, or anything with manual advance/retard of spark. The latter spark adjustment was the class they put me in in high school. :laugh: Which might explain why the only sport I do follow religiously is NASCAR. #22 and #88 are my picks.

  5. Very good looking rig! Crap luck about the fender bender, but at least you've been able to invest that in mods that make the truck more usable and look cool to you. I would like to see a picture of your hi-lift bugout setup, I always get a kick out of those, and have a bit of one in my pathfinder.

     

    Oh and welcome, love the nickname for the truck by the way.

  6. Definitely go with the OME springs all around, it handles a load better, and rides better unloaded IMO. Less lean in the corners, and better control over rough surfaces. I paired mine with extended length Bilstein 5100s out back, and I couldn't be happier. Stock I could hit rough washboards at 35, now with the Bilsteins, I can comfortably do 50-55 all day with complete control. Check out my build thread for more details, and my impressions.

    • Like 1
  7. You and I have very similar trucks, even in terms of mods, and the situation you're describing seems to be 100% normal. I've taken mine over the grapevine a million times, done several cross country trips, and have taken it up to high elevation several times, so I'd like to say I'm familiar with how the transmission behaves, and I've noticed that trait every time. My trick is usually just to let off the gas when going back down hill for a few seconds, and it'll eventually settle into OD. Or if you manually switch it out of OD when climbing the hill, and then turn OD back on, it seems to swap gears marginally sooner. But I think you already know both those things.

     

    You might be due for a throttle body cleaning, I know I was when I took it all apart. Afterwards it does seem to have less jumpy throttle response, which is a good thing around town and on the trail. Other than that, you might want to get yourself a scan gauge or something to otherwise monitor the tranny temps, and check the fluid frequently of course, but mine hasn't grenaded and it's been doing that shifting pattern for the past 65k. I think it's just a programming issue, I really wish they came with a 5th gear, or lower overdrive just to conserve fuel and quiet it down some, but it's 13 years too late now.

  8. I wouldn't trust Consumer Reports. Here on this forum, myself included, we have members who've taken VQ equipped pathfinders on very long road trips and expeditions both on and off road without major problems. I drove my pathfinder on an 8,000 mile road trip to Florida and back without a single problem both on road and off road, at high elevation, and in temps above 100* virtually the entire time, all the while loaded up with gear and over 100k on the odo. I trust these trucks immensely. An 04 XE should be simple enough options-wise that it should all still work, and will make a great rig to build up.

     

    Since it's from a family member, if they have the service records, or are fastidious about changing the fluids etc. then it should be an extremely reliable car for you. Drive it and see if you like it.

  9. Sweet little project! As far as the OME vs. AC debate, I think you made the right choice. It depends on the terrain you wheel as to which one is advantageous, but seeing as you're in California like myself, the lack of top-out, and pretty darn comfortable ride over washboards and mogul will make them excellent. Having ridden and wheeled with trucks having both, I think the OMEs with a leveling puck work best for my taste, because going over a washboard for an hour and constantly hearing top-out (something that happens with the ACs) would drive me insane.

     

    Anyway, looks like a really cool trailer, those tiny house projects fascinate me. How much do you think it'll weigh when all said and done?

  10. Crossing the South Yuba up near where I'm originally from, on the way to a massive mine.

    DSC_7583%20G_zpsm5moxdiv.jpg

     

    Off the road going around Lake Tahoe, beautiful drive.

    DSC_7687%20G_zpsthwwjzgu.jpg

     

    Out near an old water-refilling station for the steam locomotives out near the Mexican border.

    IMG_5127G_zps4a9de11e.jpg

     

    Same area, different angle.

    IMG_5120G_zps9af76b33.jpg

    • Like 4
  11. I had the same problem with my 2001 R50. In my opinion the rear springs are weak, period. Having my 6'2" son in the back seat was enough for the truck to bottom out on the freeway in any humps. I put in Airlift air springs about 5 years ago and they made a huge difference. :aok: I had the local mechanic down the street do the install but really it does not look difficult to put in. good luck

    I have been looking at the different builds from the members of this group and am tempted to upgrade the rear springs and shocks, maybe even a lift. I need to self educate about the options availiable but it does sound like the guys who have upgraded the rear suspension dont have this problem.

     

     

    No bottoming out with my OMEs at all. Like I said, even loaded with ~700 lbs of junk for an extended trip, zero bottoming out, and almost no sag. It will ride slightly firmer than stock, but in a good way. It's much more controlled over the rough stuff, potholes, and on the freeway the rear end doesn't want to dance out over expansion joints so bad. Corners flatter too, so I really don't have any complaints. I actually like the highway ride more, it eats bumps without being floaty/uncontrolled. Not to mention when leveled it only lifts 2.5" which is about perfect for what I do, and I think enough for 99% of wheeling, minus rock crawling. I really do love my OME/Bilstein 5100 combo.

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