hawairish

So another 1.5" of front lift? It's say just put the lift springs and strut spacer on and that's it. You'd drop another few hundred just to negate the lift via SFD...probably not worth it. Should be alignable with 1, possibly 2, sets of camber bolts. Some bump steer, but probably manageable.

Wow! Now that's an impressive set of pics on their latest feeds. Hard to believe there's a line-up of R50s with 33+ MTs in one pic! Doubt that's ever happened here. But yeah, great call on reaching out to those guys.

CV binding isn't the only reason for an SFD. It's meant to correct all the effects of lifting, 2wd or 4wd: Driveline (4wd): restored CV angles, reduced binding, more efficiency Alignment: it moves the LCA mounts downward, effectively restoring kingpin inclination Steering: tie-rods are strongest, and work best, when level Suspension: restores travel and corrects ball joint angles Stability: sway bar links should be perpendicular to the sway bar mount to be the most effective When it boils down to things, though, these benefit 4WDers who find themselves in situations where obstacles can put significantly higher stresses on the components that street driving doesn't. SFD doesn't make any component stronger, but helps them work more efficiently. Obviously, there are less effects at 2" than there are at 4". Again, OP, what's the goal here?

No. A new or modified steering link is required for any SFD amount.

Have you tried contacting Woodward's European counterpart? http://www.woodwardsteering.com/Contact-EUROPE.html Of course, now you understand why I asked if you had looked into this previously, noting it's perhaps most critical part of the SFD for a several reasons, including costs. I've seen other solutions, but the Woodward approach is the cleanest. In essence, you need to add a 2nd u-joint to the upper part of the existing steering link, and also extended it a little. You'll need to do some homework and find a suitable joint from another vehicle. I'm aware that some guys in the past used some Honda u-joint, but I could never find any model or year information. I did an extensive amount of research on other vehicle options and came up empty. You obviously have access to other vehicles than we do here. If you can't find a joint that slips onto the upper gear/pivot box splined end, then you'll need to consider welding a splined end to it to adapt it to some other spline size.

Steering link details: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/41442-sfd-steering-link-details

Adding a note from Snowboarder12345 that he used a shaft length of 5.75" for a 4" SFD. Not sure what happened to my image link, but here it is again:

@haydenmidd12: That's cool. Not too relevant, though, since the process and parts are 100% identical if you want to do it to a 2wd. Keep in mind, though, with the setup you just mentioned (4" SFD + 2" rear AC springs), you'll be sitting lower in the rear than the front. You'd probably need to consider adding rear spring spacers, or going with a modified WJ rear spring. So is the goal 33" tires?

2" is about the minimum you can go, otherwise you run into hardware clearance issues inside the spacers. But as Snowboarder12345 mentioned, there's not much benefit to it. You don't necessarily need the strut spacers height to match the subframe spacer height, but you do need the subframe spacer height to match the motor mount spacer height. The goal of the SFD is to offset some amount of lift so that the CVs won't bind. For the 2" SFD, for example, you could use AC's 2" lift springs, no strut spacers, and 2" SFD blocks if you wanted...and your CVs would be at stock angles. It's also okay for the amount of lift (by strut spacers and/or spring lift) to exceed the height of the subframe spacers, like in the case of a 6" SFD (which is essentially a 4" SFD with an additional 2" lift). You do need a new steering shaft for any amount of SFD drop. The increase in length is not consistent with the amount of drop (i.e., a 4" SFD does not warrant a 4" longer shaft). Woodward probably won't be able to tell you what you need, except perhaps for the 4" kit since they've sold a few. I think someone has posted the length of the shaft for the 4" kit; I can tell you what's necessary for a 2.5" and 3" SFD because I've done both.

Good question, Citron. Honestly, I'd love to see more Nissan truck/SUV chatter since there are actually a lot of similarities between all models (well, models before 2005 anyway), and because a decent amount of active members (self included) are familiar with other Nissan platforms. But as mentioned, this is of course for "Pathfinders"...and more specifically, for those intending to use them for off-road purpose. Not to say that we don't welcome everybody. And yes, the Xterra probably should've been the rightful successor to the WD21. If considering an Xterra, I wouldn't hesitate to ask those questions here. Many of the guys here are already familiar with the engines, transmissions (some guys actually upgrade to X transmissions), and suspension.

All is not lost. But, I must stress that there is probably more research required on your part if you're still needing to ask some of these questions. (And by no means do I say this negatively; I don't mind explaining things, though I hope they're not lost in translation, of course.) Let's take a step backwards, though... The "standard" 4" SFD was intended to use all stock front suspension parts...it is essentially a spacer kit. It included 4" strut spacers, 4" subframe spacers, and 4" motor mount spacers. Since there is no off-the-shelf 4" rear lift solution, the proposed method was to use a rear WJ lift spring, which would require cutting one end of the spring so that it could fit the upper spring perch on the chassis. An adapter is required to mount the uncut end of the WJ spring to the lower spring perch on the axle. It's important to note that a 6" WJ lift spring does not mean you get 6" of lift on the R50. You will cut—and possibly re-cut—the 6" WJ springs to get 4" of lift on the R50. it is not as simple as cutting 2" off the spring. You will have to determine the amount of rear lift and rake through trial and error, which is why you'd initially want to cut off the least amount of spring as possible. Now...to get 5"-6" of lift, you do everything for the 4" SFD, and then must use front R50 lift springs (OME, AC, Snake, IronMan, Pedders...whatever is available in your region). They must be for an R50 because they have to fit the R50 strut, without being heavily customized. The front WJ spring doesn't fit the stock R50 strut. You can use stock struts (there are no "lift" struts for an R50). For the rear, the 6" WJ may or may not work (I don't know the specs of the springs), but I suspect they will. In both scenarios, the SFD spacers are all 4". Your Air Lift bags may also not work in the WJ springs. They are meant for the shape R50 springs, not WJ springs. But, it may be possible to make them fit, you'll just need to modify their installation a little, since the WJ spring adapter may interfere with the air line. If you can get around that, you can make them work. You've also not mentioned anything about the steering link, which is one of the more critical parts. Have you gotten this link, or do you intend to make a custom one? The same length is use for the 4" and 6" options above. My recommendation at this point is to just run a 4" SFD, stock front suspension, and rear WJ springs. But if you want 5"-6", all you should need is front R50 lift springs.

Thanks! Funny, I'm curious to see how yours turns out! That's why I usually let the mud sit a few days to dry out, knock all the stuff off, take it to the powerwash, then just shovel the dirt off the driveway. But...I got restless and took it to the powerwash tonight...bad idea. The sprayer wasn't powerful enough to knock all the chunks off, so now I gotta take it back later. I always feel like a jerk leaving all that mud there, though. I'm hoping to get into welding this year, too. I bought a cheapo HF flux core welder last year...still in the box, though, until I can dedicate space for it. The 4Runner bumper in mind is actually a DIY (er, WIY...weld it yourself) kit, so that would/should just need slight modification of the mounting brackets. I have a few other projects lined up, that I'd at least like to tack up and get a pro to finish. But, the year is young...

My kids love it, even had my 3-yo with me on the little adventure (was better than going to Costco). Got it muddy the other week, too, and left it in the driveway for a few days, then went around with a mallet to knock all the big chunks off (enough to fill a bucket). Not a mud fan, but fun to see all the crap falling off it. I've been thinking about bumpers a lot lately, actually. My last trip the other week punctured and dented the rear bumper on the passenger side...trivial metal damage underneath the quarter panel, and the plastic can probably be knocked out with a mallet and some heat. But fact is that it just hangs too low, as does my hitch. I've got something simple in mind, but not the know-how to DIY. There are a couple fabrication connections with my FB group, though. For the front, though, I've been eyeballing a 4Runner winch bumper that ought to be a better solution than the Cherokee bumper. 2016 was definitely a driveline year; 2017 will hopefully mean more lift and armor.

A guy in one of the FB Nissan groups I follow got stuck in some mud yesterday, not too far from my house and put out a call for some help...and apparently some half dozen other people also got stuck all around the area (lol, idiots). I pulled out one guy in a Toyota pickup, and that was fun. After I yanked him out, I then had to drag him crooked about 300 more feet so that we were both on firm ground. It kinda looked like how a boat would pull a skier, where the skier was to the side, not directly behind...except I also had to drive sideways a bit to keep momentum. Wish I had some pics or a video. Not too shabby for ATs, but the lockers did wonders. Not sure how some guys got as stuck as they did...the guy I was actually responding was out there with a D40 2wd Frontier. Not sure what he was thinking. I suppose I should go wash it off today.

In re-reading the posts, I can see where the confusion was...we were talking in the context of WJ rear springs, but "rear" got dropped from discussion and was then misinterpreted as being "all" springs. I see it wasn't caught on your confirmation post a while ago, either. Unfortunately, the front WJ springs can't easily be used. You'll need OME lift springs (the medium or heavy duty, the latter giving slightly more lift), or 2" lift springs from Automotive Customizers (4x4parts.com). (This assumes you're going for a 6" lift, or 4" SFD + 2" lift.) As for how much to cut the rears, start by cutting only one side at the spring at the point where the inner diameter is the max...that is, cut off the least amount of the pigtail so that it'll fit the upper perch. Then you'll need some adapter to sit atop the lower spring perch on the axle that will allow you to use the pigtail that's still on the opposite side of the spring. If it's been a while, I'd highly recommend searching for more SFD discussions on the forum...but the search function of the forum ignores 3-letter words, so use Google to search "NPORA SFD WJ springs" or similar to find better results. There are several of them. I can't really give any more specific details about the WJ springs because that's not the approach I took, but the concept is pretty simple.

If you're still doing the SFD, you just need stock R50 front springs (or OME, etc.) for the front and the WJ rear springs for the rear. The WJ rear springs also get cut and require some sort of adapter...people have bought them because the inner diameter is close to the R50 rear springs (except at the tail end, which is why it gets cut off).

Cool! But what's with the front WJ springs? I don't think you'll be able to use those anywhere.

If it's what I think it is, it may actually be both subframe and the chassis pad it connects to. I've seen several pics of damage in the same spot. Not pretty. @Mrelecko, there was a rust recall but it was for the area behind the front struts, and not the subframe (if that's what BrianD is referring to). But either way, you're right, he should check for rust in that area as well.

I think you're talking about the subframe, which is a large steel frame that the suspension and steering components mount to, as well as provides the mounting surface for the engine mounts. The rear mount area, above the tail end of the lower control arm, has rusted on many owners. Does it look like this first pic in this link? http://forums.nicoclub.com/rust-right-side-shaking-qx4-t582076.html

Smart Entrance Control Unit, btw. The unit is detecting state changes in door, lights, alarms, security, etc...so perhaps it's a faulty unit. I'm not able to check out the FSM at the moment to help, but might want to use that as a starting point since there are troubleshooting steps. Doubt any will be specific to a parasitic draw like this, but surely steps on how to diagnose the model. I'll try to chime in later today with a better response.

Absolutely. There a few hose/tube options that would work just fine.

If they're anything like the R50 (and I suspect they are), there really isn't a lower isolator, per se. The perches on the axle pretty much fit the spring end closely, and the final wrap of the spring just has some sort of plastic/rubber liner that prevents metal-metal contact. Normally if that piece can be removed from the current spring in one piece, it can be re-used on the new spring.

This is for use as an upper isolator, correct? I thought the lower was just a rubber sleeve on the bottom wrap, but correct me if wrong. Given those dimensions (btw, the OD would be 2x coil size + ID, so 5.19"), and presuming it is for the upper isolator, I would think these would fit: The 1st and 3rd ones would snug up on the springs perfectly; only difference is the 3rd one is .25" thicker. 2nd would be a little snug but surely doable. The rest of the dimensions are basically the same. As long as "A" fits over the center of the coil bucket (presuming it's <3.75" OD), these ought to work. And if so, I'd think #1 would be the best option, since it would probably conform to the bucket better (being thinner).

Was that 15.6103 reference from one of my posts? I have that exact p/n, but it was for the pigtail on 4th Gen 4Runner springs mocked up for my R50. What dimensions you got? Isn't there some Jeep spring that fits WD21 without modification? Maybe see if there's an isolator for that. Tried Prothane?

The ES catalog has dimensions...could you just measure your spring and compare?