TowndawgR50

The Lokka is doing great. Just as good as the day I installed it. It's taken my rig through some incredibly challenging trails and never really gave me any reason for regret. Having driven HawaIrish's fully air locked rig, my Lokka equipped rig and a stock rig, an airlocker is hands down the best performance for trail use but may not be what everyone needs. A proper line choice, good spotter and quality tires will get an open differential truck through a lot of challenging terrain. The Lokka is the best bang for your buck if you want a huge gain in trail performance on a budget but comes at the cost of a substantial change in the driving requirements and limited street use. When it snows here I use 4WD on the street and highways without issue but that's the only time it sees use on pavement as my hubs stay unlocked and the truck in 2WD the rest of the year Still need to install my super packed LSD. I think HawaIrish set it up for 200-ish ft lbs? When compared to the OEM LSD it should be very nice improvement. It's been shelved with the 4:1 t-case gearset, 4.6 diff gears and my rear disc brake setup. I plan to get those installed for the next trail run in Colorado. Moab trip was a perfect example of where air lockers reign supreme but I'd wager the front Lokka and rear super packed LSD would have done well.

x2 on the OME springs. They are a great spring that sells well for those not wanting more than 2" of lift. I had OME MD rear springs for a long time and paired them with a set of Bilstein's. Fantastic for hauling heavier loads like camp gear and dogs. With the assistance of a set of Airlift spring helpers they handled our 18ft toy hauler superbly. With no load they were well mannered and kept the truck tight on the road without being harsh. Definitely recommend them if you're looking for a heavier duty 2" rear spring. Cant really go wrong with ARB products. Installed with spacers and airlift spring helpers not long after I got the truck:

The R50 in question was supposedly an LE rig but it had an SE interior with manual cloth seats, and tan no less, lending to the boring theme. The poor, painfully long run-ons of attempted humor aside- he also seemed to continue comparing a first gen lifted 4runner to a stock R50 Pathfinder. If i had to compare like for like when talking about a 3rd generation 4Runner and R50 Pathfinder they both use the same nasty fake wood plastic trim, both had a great v6 ( Toyota 3.4 180hp vs Nissan 3.5 249hp) and both had potential for the person looking to modify their vehicles. I personally think the LE leather interior more on the Pathfinder but to each their own. As for the exterior- they both get ho-hum ratings in the looks department, though I will say the 3.5 QX4 gets top marks out of all 3 options in my book. Doubly so with the simple addition of a lift and meaty tires. The T-cases on LE model R50's had the AWD system which makes it far more capable as a road vehicle than the 4Runner ever could be, and still able to shift into 4L to tackle challenging obstacles. That said I think the 4Runners came with rear differential locks on some models. Clearly with the off road enthusiast in mind. Our LSD's are pretty useless and yet many people have been able to take stock Pathfinders through some very rugged and demanding situations. I will say the quality of his video production isn't terrible...so there is that.

Try using an image hosting site like flickr or imgur. There is a guide here:

Lets change that!

After a long period of R&D followed by successful installs on the initial test group, who have racked up considerable mileage, hardware is starting to make its way out into the world now and we felt it was time to make a thread dedicated to our Pines to Spines SFD kit. This will be the official thread where you'll find a showcase of the rigs that are running our hardware and testimonials from them should they choose to participate in the discussion. Both 3" & 4" kits include: - 2x P2S Strut spacers - 2x engine spacers - 4x subframe spacers - 1x panhard bar drop bracket - 1x steering extension with universal joints - brand new fasteners (OEM hardware is retained) You will need to purchase or fabricate- - Longer brake lines - power steering hardline support bracket - extended sway bar end links - a missing link Note- OEM fitment skid plates will not be able to be retained. You will need to fabricate or purchase a SFD specific set. If you're interested in a kit please DM both @TowndawgR50 & @hawairish in the same message ( you can add multiple recipients to a DM) and we'll get back to you as soon as possible with availability and pricing. @02_Pathy @Ravens794 @Stpickens @Rockit

Welcome! I dig the build. Jealous of the aluminum front bumper option you guys had available down there. Is the rig a diesel or petrol? Looking forward to seeing more of it out and about.

I received mine the other day and I'm very pleased. I'd agree that the color is close enough that when coupled with the OEM privacy glass that creates a darker interior environment it's not obviously different. The part quality is great. Not a single complaint yet. Getting wiring up there will definitely be a chore. I suspect I may need to split the leads between the A-pillars but I'll see how it goes when I cross that bridge.

Doesn't have to be a daily to encourage them to develop parts for it. Ironman has a wide range of products for various makes and models outside the USA. The R50 sold well internationally with many of them still being modified and used for recreational purposes. With the exception of engine options they don't change much from region to region so I think there's a chance we could see some offerings even if they aren't as plentiful as others available to the USDM Toyota or Subaru crowd.

With the latest news of someone within the company picking up an R50 maybe it'll encourage them to open up more offerings specific to our platform. We can only hope, right? Let's play nice and encourage them diplomatically. Maybe someone can inform them about the power valve issue and throttle body coolant leak that fries ECU's without frightening them off...

I agree with @RainGoat If they're on order wait on it. I only know of a couple others that have used them and they have yet to complain. The guy from the video was asked by Ironman directly for a hub to fender measurement from before and after which he opted to not provide. The FSM provides the factory specifications for ride height so even though he never took measurements before installing the springs he could have referenced the FSM material and then provided a post-lift measurements, just as they asked. We don't know what conversation took place prior to the video but I'd think if you provided them with OEM literature paired with before and after measurements, including photos, they would be obligated to fix the situation with a refund or replacement pair of springs.

I have Bilstein 5160 shocks in the rear. I tend to keep a pretty good clip on washboard and rough terrain and these perform very well. My rear end doesn't float like it used to with the 5100 series and the road characteristics are sporty and responsive. If you already have the KYB shocks I'd run with those and if you find that you need or want more performance then change at a later point in time. I don't recall what the OEM spec compressed and extended lengths are but I'm sure you can find them posted.

OME HD springs gave me slightly more than 1.625" of lift and haven't sagged at all in almost ?6? years. Even before I ran a steel bumper I had no top out issues paired with a KYB strut. Never quite figured out why they list the springs at a little over half inch because that's never been the case for me. I suspect the Ironman springs will be similar but I cant say for sure since I've never been in a vehicle with them or know anyone personally. There are a few accounts of them on social media from folks who have done front and back and claim they work well with no issues. I'm definitely interested as they're local now and really good with customer service. I have their awning and have been looking at the water storage they have as well. Lots of reasonably priced items that give other brands like ARB a run for their money. Only downside is the obnoxious logo on our awning. Some may not like the bright green springs either but for the price and availability its not a bad option As for camber bolts- its not a bad idea to have some to bring it back into spec as you'll definitely see some positive camber but I cant recall if 1.5" of lift is enough to throw it out of whack. Definitely get an alignment after lifting.

Ironman America offers front and rear springs. Located outside of Portland, OR. Dont know anyone that has used them but the price is on par with OME and they are in stock as of 1/27/2021 https://ironman4x4america.com/categories/?_bc_fsnf=1&sort=pricedesc&Make=Nissan&Model=Pathfinder&Year=2001

I know this is pretty late to help but for future reference Ironman America offers both front and rear springs. They're USDM HQ is outside of Portland, OR. I've been curious about the performance. Price is on par with OME. They list them as in stock as of 1/27/2021 https://ironman4x4america.com/categories/?_bc_fsnf=1&sort=pricedesc&Make=Nissan&Model=Pathfinder&Year=2001

Yup. Pretty unpleasant experience BUT the switch to poly ( I swapped all suspension bushings to poly) was worth the work in my opinion. The performance gain is a stark contrast to OEM rubber. If you just want a OEM replacement get the whole arm. I had access to a fully equipped machine shop and made some "quick" fixtures to enable me to use a hydraulic press but it was not worth it in the end. One cocked sideways and started to damage the lip so I had to burn the rubber out (also very unpleasant) and bore the bushing housing. I'd argue that the odd design was intentional to generate revenue for Nissan via parts sales.

No thread. Just open the light, pull the lens and take it down to your local Tap Plastics. They can size it to the existing piece you have and cut it right there on the spot. If you prefer to do it yourself just find a high quality polycarbonate in your choice of color and cut to size. Just make sure to reseal it or you'll have water intrusion.

I opened the light, removed the old clear lens and had new amber lenses cut to match. Coatings and tints just dont create correct hue and richness of color. I tried both

A little before and after. Cleaned up the rig from last weekends trail run with @RainGoat

Absolutely. The brilliant white that it was before reflects off everything, including my hood. Makes it somewhat uselss unless there is perfect conditions. It would reflect off rain, snow, dust signs etc. With the switch to amber there is very little of that and the light penetrates much further.

Nope. Just the older international style of Nissan emblem.

Trail run w @RainGoat

My 2001 LE CV Brand/PN: OReilly's Import Direct/NI8185 Markings: "KAI 025" on the outer cup band. Has a smooth round outer cup Strut Brand/PN: KYB-335032 & KYB-335033 Spacers: SFD w 4.75" strut spacers + OME HD coils Binding: 0 currently, had 2" spacers on top of the OME HD when I first lifted the truck before installing my SFD and broke 2 CV axles but never observed issues at full droop though there was likely some Pines to Spines 2003 LE "Gambler" CV Brand/PN: uknown Markings: none Strut Brand/PN: unkown Spacers: Pines to Spines 4" SFD Binding: 0 I currently have 3 sets of CV's to look at- My 2001 which has new units from ORielly's, a used set of what @02_Pathy thought were OEM and the set on the Gambler, which look identical to the assumed OEM set. The biggest difference I can tell right away is the entirely smooth and round outer cup on the OReilly part whereas the "OEM" units have a step in the casting. Assuming the 190K 2003 Gambler has never had a CV replaced and @02_Pathy really did replace OEM units I think this may be an identifying trait? Also worth noting- @02_Pathy installed a brand of CV I've never heard of and has had no issues since, although they have the same part number as the new OReilly units in my 2001 and could just be a re-branded part. He gave me the "OEM" units in their boxes