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For the pure functionality look see Keith's (SystemF) http://www.texasnissantrucks.com/upload/ka...s/Dsc04744.html Any ARB or TJM webshot will give pix of the basic aftermarket look. Search on this and ACs message boards for other strings. m.

I have Emu HD up front and medium in the rear. The rear still sits a couple inches higher. I do have about 200+ pounds of armor that affect the front end weight - TJM bumper, Black panther skids and rock sliderz. Regardless of your plans for bumpers, etc, the weight of the motor justifies HD coils up front if you have off-road ideas. But I'm not convinced the medium vs HD fronts will result in that much of a hieght change - the coil rate is different, but not necesarilly overall hieght. HD coils in the rear are for carrying weight. If you are daytrip wheeling and the truck is light you should get better traction with mediums in the rear. The only justification for HD rears is expedition travel, where you will be loaded and off-road for days/weeks. Otherwise the HD coils will only give a rougher ride, and (I assume) jack the rear up another few degrees. To some extent the pathy is designed to sit higher in the rear so regardless of your suspension mods most of them will have that appearance. Part of this is visual - meaning the rear wheelwell is cut larger and gives the appearance of being jacked up, especially on models without flares. Look at your rocker panels to judge the actual vehicle stance. Put 400 pounds on or behind the rear axle and see if it levels out, or sags. m. PS - it takes a year or so for the coils to settle, unless you manage to beat the hell out of them somehow sooner. Think of suspension parts like your sneakers - it's totally dependent on what kind of use/abuse they get as to what stage of wear they may be. Time alone isn't a fair measure.

Welcome to the list! My website has some build info using the Old Man Emu coils: www.purplelizard.com Dean and Vengeful answered your questions, but I'll chime in with my experience. As Dean suggested, a 2 inch lift is really a 3 inch, and the 1 inch is really a 2 inch, although both will settle over time. Both offer increased performance off-road - the AC 2 inch will maximize your off-road ability but with some relatively minor on-road inconvenience, like the topping-out noise and a higher CG. The Emu coils won't give you as much lift, but will provide a firmer ride and increased off-road performance. This is not really due to the slight increase in ground clearance, but simply the firmer suspension handles rough terrain much better than stock. My experience with K&N filters wasn't worth the oil issues, so I went back to paper filters. This isn't the JWT intake - just the K&N drop-in filter. I had some minor problems keeping the intake dry - may be that I over-oiled it, but in hot, humid conditions I had the throttle feeling gummy and sticky. A simple cleaning took care of it, but I prefer my truck towards the zero-maintenece side so I use the paper filters and change it a few times a year depending on my driving conditions. My personal experience with BFG ATs has been very positive as an all-around tire. One of these seasons I'll get a second set of wheels/tires with a dedicated dirt tire for that type of trip, but currently I need rubber that can drive me across the country on a moments notice, and allow me to explore trails wherever I am, so the BFGs have served me well. Between this and the AC list you should use the search features - it may take you days of reading, but you'll find out pretty much everything there is to know about your truck! m.

Great trail picture Dean - where is that? What tires are you running? m.

Glad you found a set of EGRs - I had heard they were discontinued? Installation is a breeze - simple hardware and a flexible rubber gasket with an adhesive edge (like a sticker). It gets tight working the hardware at the bottom of the fender wells - closest to the tires - so you either need some stubby tools or a jack for the rears. The front you can get by with cranking the wheel full lock so you get in there. Actually - when I say jack up the rears - its not the usual case of jacking up a tire. You want to jack up the body to increase working space between the tire and the body. I used a hi-lift on the sliderz, not sure how you'd do it without a jacking point like that. Explorx4 has the very nifty monster jack set-up..... then again, you could easily pull a wheel to get access, so I guess the traditional jack scenario would work fine... nevermind...it's early! Must...get...coffee... Good luck, m.

You need to check in with a local 4x4 club (assuming one exists) to see if they have regular places to go. And yes, you do need to be aware of public/private land, and the sub-regulations within those land parcels. As mxextreme said, Northern Maine is empty, and there is a lot of exploring to be done. This is where I live. But even on paper company land, not all areas are open to wheeling. The other thing about wheeling in EMPTY places is you are very much on your own. I have to chainsaw my way through some routes, only to find a bridge is out with no way to wheel across the gap. Most of our trails/roads are not mapped, and I assume I will be lost for some time (and I'm a mapmaker by trade). That is part of the adventure up here. We don't have cell coverage, and you can't count on anyone being within CB range, and the trails turn to hostile rock-infested chutes or bottomless bogs very quickly. There is no such thing as AAA. So up here, we always have to think about staying in the woods for a few days, or being prepared to hike out, so every wheeling trip is also set up like a camping trip just in case. Especially since I do most of my trips solo. The huge advantage to parks is help is always at hand, and you won't get lost - pretty much like skiing in-bounds vs out of bounds. m.

First word of advice: see if the dealer will do this under thier used car warranty. secondly: see if the dealer can determine if the timing belt was changed yet - some folks do it earlier. If a nissan dealer did it the service may show up with the VIN number. thirdly - get a parts/labor quote from the dealer for reference. People post quotes of 1000 bucks, but mine was half of that. Maybe they had additional stuff done - I had fairly new belts so I didn't need much. Bangor, Maine Nissan Dealer invoice: 2004 13028-0B785 Timing Belt = $46.44 13042-D0101 Oil crank seal (cam seals) = $15.12 (for 2) 21010-0W028 Water Pump = 106.80 21014-0W000 gasket (water pump) = 5.58 anti-freeze 6.75 upper rad hose 21.98 misc 2.04 total parts = 204.71 total labor 350.00 total job $554.71 in hindsight I should have requested the timing belt tensioner be replaced. So, if you want to do it yourself, great - more power to ya - personally I'm not that well set up for such a task (mentally or shop-wise) so the $350. labor charge was fine by me to drop it off in the morning and drive it home that afternoon.... no worries, mon! m.

You may not be so premature if you've had those tires on for the last 50,000 miles - the larger tire gives both lower speedo and odometer readings than actual.

the nice thing about black panther plates is you can add the additional skids as time and money allow - so just get the steel replacement for the factory (plastic) splash guard. weight isn't an issue - they aren't that heavy -they will not affect the suspension in any significant way.

I have the original splash guard from my 97 if you want it. It's yours for shipping costs. I took it off when I got the black panther skids from runnerman. That is the sweet set-up - and I highly recommend it - but if you want the truly low-buck solution I can mail ya a 'dirty but almost like new' stock piece. It's just gonna go to the dump one of these weekends! see my website to check out runnermans skids on my pathy. m.

Like Precise1 said, the BFG ATs have a loyal following as a solid jack-of-all-trades tire. Personally, over 11 years and three vehicles (87 4Runner, 95 Nissan PU, 97 Pathy) I have NEVER flatted with these. Prior to that I usually flatted or trashed a sidewall once a season. But that may not be entirely fair because those flats were on factory rubber, and I wasn't nearly as experienced (or less-stupid?) as I have become in the last decade of off-roading. But Kieth (System-F) trashed a BFG sidewall on the AZ run this summer - but he gets in some pretty rough situations and AZ rocks are harsh! see: www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT Notice the Revo's hold the number one spot, but statistically they have half the mileage in responses - since they are newer - but they are encroaching on BFGs marketshare pretty successfully. I haven't run these but I've heard so many people say good things (especially on this and the AC list) that they seem to be a winner too. The only thing I notice in the technical ratings is the Revo's do not carry the Severe Winter Duty rating that the BFG does - so if you live in the north that may be a concern. I've always lived in snow regions - either north or at altitude - so I'm on snowpack at least 3 months straight. The BFGs do a really great job on snow and in sub-zero conditions. m.

Get the springs while you can - you can always sell the tires and get a bigger set. Overall the truck will work better, and that is the important part.

I think you'd be pretty stoked with that set -up. You will be surprised how sweet it handles, maybe even give that Maxima a run in the corners? Nice Nissan quiver you have there! m.

Either coil choice will resolve your tire/wheelwell clearance issue, and either coil will work well towing. Getting them in your hands and installed may not fit your timeline. If you want to lift the truck 2-3 inches go with AC, but understand there may be some compromises concerning topping out and the road-suspension you've been accustomed to. There is plenty of info and opinions on AC and NPORA boards - just use the search tools. Old Man Emu will lift the truck 1-2 inches and poses no complications to any aspect of the suspension. I think the only way you can resolve your coil issue immediately, as in less than a week, is to call the dealer and have new Nissan factory coils installed. This will allow you to fit 31s, be able to tow in 72 hours, and restore the rear suspension to day 1 specs. Which isn't bad at all - most of us picked up our trucks used and never actually experienced brand new coils. The only issue with them is they fatigue over time - but new Nissan coils will set you up for a good 3 - 5 years, and unless you are set on "building" the truck that would be the quickest and easiest solution. All the coils are priced pretty closely to each other, so $$ isn't a concern. If you can wait a bit for shipping and install, my personal recomendation is the Emu's, simply because they integrate seamlessly with the rest of the suspension, and I've been very happy with the handling charactersitics both on and off road. But you'll be limited to 31s - if you have visions of running 32-33s you need to go with the AC 2 inch coils. There are a few vendors these days for Emu coils, but often they sell them but don't stock them - so you'll have to wait for the next shipment from ARB in Australia to hit the US shores. I got mine from Rocky Road in Utah (see my website for links) but now AC carries them too, and possibly more vendors? Try those guys first. Also - if you're doing front coils as well, you should consider new struts, strut mounts, and strut bearings, assuming what you have is original. They have to pull the struts to install the coils anyway. Regardless of which brands you choose, new struts and coils will blow you away - it's like a brand new truck!

Precise - THX for the info! exactly the questions I've been thinking about. The skids I heard of weren't purely plastic - they were steel but used the plastic as an exterior lining to slide easier. Runnerman - is this the Fram Sure-Drain plug you have? http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/Pro...254&prmenbr=361 I *think* the pathy oild drain thread specs are M12x1.25 which is the SD3 part number. Can anyone confirm that? I want to put one of these in to make the oil change process easier with the skids. m.

I have the Panther skids and they are pretty nice. And Marcel is also pretty nice! I agree that countersinking the crossmember bolts would stop the chance of shearing them. The front skid is bolted to existing threaded holes, but they are smaller. There are much larger threaded holes within a few inches that could be used - these are used to hold the factory brush guard set-up. I think they would be a better mounting choice - using two large bolts up front instead of 2 smaller. But that is pretty minor. I'm looking into fabbing a piece of 1/4 inch teflon plate (cutting board material) to line the outer part of the skids - this would effectively reduce the vulnerability of the exposed boltheads and let you slide over things instead of hanging up. Which could work for or against you, given the particular situation - but overall I think it would be a benefit. Apparently you can buy this in a roll thru contractor supply houses, but I haven't found a source yet. 4wheeler magazine did a similar mod.

Mine had a rubber on rubber (or steel) type squeak after the Emu coils were installed on the KYB struts. Also seemed to happen when turning - we sprayed the strut towers and everything suspension related with a basic aerosol lube and it went away. That was a couple years ago and it never returned. That's the easy place to start anyway. A worn strut bearing noise is not a squeak, it's more of a creak. The topping out noise is a clunk, and it doesn't happen on Emu coils - only on the 2inch lift coils. Methinks you just have a dry spot somewhere in the coil/strut relationship. m.

yeah, the oldies are rugged... but parts availability is difficult, and essentailly you're driving an enclosed tractor with zero creature comforts. The Defender 90 is the modern day equivalent, with modern mechanicals. But seriously overpriced... even moreso now that they stopped importing them. Uni-mog anyone? m.

these guys have a great site that will walk you thru rover restos, for better or worse. http://www.eastcoastrover.com/ http://www.eastcoastrover.com/tableDisco.html I have some Land Rover experience - they are very capable trucks (solid axles, lockers) but dang expensive to maintain. The Rovers have several weak links, just like any truck on the market. They are a bit overhyped with 'mystique' as the world's best 4x4. But there is a ton of support for them, both in aftermarket parts and a fanatical rover community, which is fun. With a Pathy, we have maybe 2 choices for an upgrade (if that!), where a Rover has about 10. You'll need quite a bit of 'play cash' to build a nice rover. I love reading the projects the guys at East Coast Rovers do - but you'll notice a 'price is no option' undercurrent. Like "The first thing we do is take out the factory motor and put in a fresh 300Tdi" ECR does build some of the best Rovers possible, and those completed projects are awesome rides. But a stock Disco is full of weaknesses. I believe a well built Pathfinder, like Dean Thayer (XPLORx4) or Kieth Maddox (System F) have built, will hold thier own against a regular Land Rover Discovery for considerably less $$ and effort. But, if I had $50 large to drop on a serious 4x4 (not H2 junk) the Rover's that ECR build are definatley high on my list as ultimate rides.... Just my opinion....

I always get my tires at Sears because they have a road hazard option for about $12/tire, and they do free rotations every 3000 miles. Pretty easy to drop it off for oil change and tire rotation while you kill an hour in the mall. Sears are pretty much everywhere so if I needed one there would be one on most roadtrips. I try to time it when they have a sale so the BFGs are a reasonable price. Too bad about the sidewall, I've had BFGs on every one of my cars and trucks since 1995 and I've never had a flat - but a sidewall puncture is something that most tires have trouble resisting. The Swampers have a beefy sidewall design, as do several others, but none are particularly nice tires to drive across the US on... on pavement, anyway.

Yes, they are all plastic. I know it looks kinda odd, not what I was expecting to actually be called a bearing. The consensus for Nissan bearings is based on a couple isolated cases where the non-Nissan brand made a popping noise after installation, and since it's a PITA to swap them out some folks suggest to avoid non-Nissan. But, I have the KYB strut mounts and bearings and I didn't have any problems. They appear to be pretty identical products. If you're doing it yourself you'll have to deal with whatever works or doesn't work anyway. If you're having a Nissan dealer do the work I'd suggest Nissan parts just so if anything weird happens they would cover the labor to replace them. but certainly KYB sells a zillion strut bearings so I don't think there is really a serious issue that they won't work, just a few were bad for some people. Luck of the draw, I guess? m.

dean - what were you doing when the studs broke? or did you just notice they were busted later? m.

Yes, No and Maybe - i thought it would be easy, but it wasn't. I gave up and had a real mechanic do it. Mine was pretty rusty - just beating the crap out of the dust cap to break it free was difficult, and from there it got worse. So, since it doesn't have to be done, I'd suggest you don't tackle it the day before a major roadtrip.

My OME springs made no effect to the gas guage.... m.

you definately want the KYBs over Nissan - even my dealer suggested those over Nissan when my struts went. The dealer didn't want to order the part, so I used Trirerack.com to order struts. You should also do the strut bearings (these sit between the strut top and the uni-body). Opinions vary, but it seems the Nissan strut bearings are the better choice, and you should replace these with the struts. KYB also sells bearings, but some folks had trouble with them - if you use Nissan, and the dealer does the work, you should be well protected if they don't work out. My dealer installed the KYB struts I provided from tirerack. The dust boots for the struts aren't really needed, although I added them, from 4x4parts.com. You should get the sway bar links from Nissan too, they are cheap You won't believe the difference new, firm struts make - the way struts wear out is so slow, over time, we forget how tight the front end should feel on these pathys. m.