micahfelker
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Posts posted by micahfelker
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These are the struts that I run in the front paired with OME HD coils, and they have held up great. They're way less sloppy than oem, despite the fact that I do a ton of wheeling. They have a good ride and a good price, and they hold up. I can't speak for Rancho as I haven't ever run their products, but I have OME shocks in the rear and they are fantastic.
Either one will serve you well, but I would go with KYB just because they're way cheaper.
If you get the KYB's, you will also want to make sure you get these, but you will have to drill out the center of the bump stop a little bit to get them to slide over the strut.
You'll also want to replace your strut bearings and top hats at the same time. I would recommend either reusing your original ones or getting an oem part (or something else that you trust to be solid). If you get either KYB or Gabriel ones they WILL fall apart and you WILL have to pull your strut apart again to replace them with something better. I say this from personal experience and from the experience of many others, just so you don't have to go thorough the same thing.
You don't have to, but if you also get a new plate with the studs on it then you'll have all new parts and won't have to disassemble your old struts to reuse and parts. This will save you a lot of time and frustration, as taking struts apart and dealing with spring compressors is a royal pain in the butt lol
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If you're going for a v8, I would urge you to go for a VH45DE rather than an LS.
The vh45de is a Nissan made motor that was used in the 90-96 Infiniti Q45. From the factory the motor puts out 310hp and 330ft/lb of torque. It's stronger than pretty much any other option out there, and is notorious for being able to push close to 1000hp on stock internals.
Another benefit is it's a Nissan motor for a Nissan rig, putting a GM motor in would be a sin! Lol
Here's a thread on a guy who did this swap: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/18663-vh45-swap-sas-update-merged-threads/
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Thank you so MUCH!!! this is a lot of help....like a ton!!! just waiting for my tax return now. hehe.
Heck yeah man my pleasure! Again, keep us updated with pictures when you get everything together!
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Unfortunately, I pretty much guarantee it's the sheetmetal that the hinges attach to that's bent. It's incredibly weak, while the hinges themselves are pretty solid. My back right door hinge thing ripped the sheet metal it was attached to clean off just on the part that keeps the door held open, so it still opens and closes perfectly but just falls shut if there's wind or if it's parked on a hill or whatever.
Anyway, all that to say that the metal it ripped out was super duper thin, so you may have to experiment with trying to leverage the door upwards to pull the metal back into place.
Can you see (pictures maybe?) if it looks like the metal itself is bent or if it actually is just the hinge?
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I am looking to do a 2in lift so I can eventually fit 31 - 33 in tires.
If you think that 2in lift is not enough for the tires I am very open to any ideas.
You can fit 31's with no lift, but 33's will need more than 2" of lift to fit without a ton of rubbing/trimming.
Both 31's and 32's are a good size for about 2" of lift, but you pretty much need 16" wheels to fit more than 31's. With 15's the options in the range you listed are 31x10.5, 32x11.5, and 33x12.5. With only 2 inches anything over 10.5 wide is gonna rub like crazy on your fenders when you turn and require some major trimming. With 16's, however, you have 265/70/16 (31x10.5), 265/75/16 (32x10.5), and 285/75/16 (33x11.5) available.
To make it easy I'll try to list some easily achievable heights and what size tires you can safely run with minimal trimming. I'll keep it to full inch diameters to make it simple.
sp=spacer LR=Land Rover springs
Lift amount (in)..........Max tire size with 15's........... Max tire size with 16's
none..........................31x10.5r15.............................265/70r16 (31x10.5)
1.75-2 (OME).............31x10.5r15.............................265/75r16 (32x10.5)
2-2.5 (AC)..................32x11.5r15.............................285/75r16 (33x11.5)
3 (AC+sp/LR).............33x12.5r15.............................285/75r16 (33x11.5)
OME: http://www.rocky-road.com/nissan-pathfinder-lift-kit.html
Spacers: https://sfcreation.com/t/pathfinder-1996-2004-r50-platform
I'm not linking any Land Rover springs just because there's so many different ones that would take way too long.
Also here's a link for those poly bushings while I'm thinking of it.
Just let me know if you need anything else!
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Now, my questions is how do you know what coils and shocks to buy. I understand that I would need longer coils with higher spring rate and longer shocks in the back. My question is how do you know what are the right specifications for the coils and shocks. I have looked around for springs and shocks but it is hard to find the a site that actually sells a set or just individual parts for the r50 (96 pathfinder in my case). I have also read a bunch of threads here but every one has a bit of different configuration and really dont go into details of what products they buy, just generic brand names.
I am sorry if I am hijacking this thread, but I think this info could also help OP.
Depends on what you want man!
... brieflyIf you scroll through the topics for a bit you can also check out the thread on fitting Land Rover springs in the rear.
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/43810-land-rover-rear-lift-spring-install/
There's a link to a site in there with a list of part numbers for all the different spring rates and lengths and stuff, and there's a ton of useful information and pictures in the thread that multiple people have contributed regarding which springs give how much lift and how they ride and whatnot.
If you don't find what you're looking for there, just post up with what height you want and whatever and I'll try to find either links or part numbers for you!
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Thanks for the info, gonna have to keep this in mind and think it over then
Yeah man you bet! Keep us posted with progress and pictures!
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Not going against the cheaper route but I've had no luck at all with aftermarket distributors. Everyone I've ever installed craps out almost immediately. I would go with a reman or a brand new one or the cheapest route go to a junkyard and pull one out of another Pathfinder, Qx4, Xterra or Frontier. I've had great luck with junk yard pulls.
Sent from my SM-S337TL using Tapatalk
Yeah I've heard similar things from a lot of people... but the one I got for 50 bucks lasted 3 years and I just replaced it with the same one again this year when it went bad. Obviously a more expensive one is probably better but for the price you can't beat it, especially considering I can't afford anything more lol
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Sorry guys I don't know why that first one ended up sideways /: stinkin tapatalk
Hopefully you can turn your head enough to see! lol
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Did a little snow wheeling with some guys in Bozeman this weekend, I think the place was called little bear but I can't remember. We hit a closed gate unfortunately after not too long, but thankfully Josh in the expedition brought us so entertainment by getting stuck on the way back down.
On to the pictures!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
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Yep definitely sound like a distributor. I've had the same problem multiple times and the distributor always fixes it. It's super easy and cheap to do, you can get a new one for like 50 bucks on amazon and it only takes about 20 minutes to put in.
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Welcome to the r50 crew!
Yeah you have to have the transmission in neutral when going into 4 low, but switching in between 4 high and 2 high is pretty easy, just pull the level back and push it forward. If you force it downwards (like towards the floor) it'll grind.
If you try switching between 4lo and 4hi in any gear besides neutral the transfer case will grind and not want to come in or out because the transmission is still connecting your power to the driveshafts and whatnot. Since 4lo and 4hi have a different gear ratio in the transfer case, if you try to switch between the 2 without disconnecting the trans so to speak (going into neutral) you'll have two parts going different speeds trying to connect or pull apart which obviously won't be good.
AC stands for Automotive Consumers and like Remus said, is sold by 4x4parts. This is a coil spring lift that gives you a 2-3" height gain due to a higher spring rate and longer, thicker coil than factory. OME springs (rocky-road.com) are the same concept, just less expensive and a little less height. AC springs will give you a bit more than 2" of lift, and OME will give you right around 2. These are different than spacers because they not only give you added height, but they also give you a better ride and more articulation. Spacers will give you height, but will not help your performance in any way, in fact it will more than likely lower it.
Putting a spacer in the rear (given you also add longer shocks) will give you height but you will gain no extra travel out of your suspension. It will flex the same amount, just a few inches lower relative to the "frame." A longer spring, however, will give you both the height you want and allow your axle to flex more, meaning more wheels on the ground at any given moment, meaning more traction, meaning more mad off road skills! Lol
For the front, adding a longer coil into your strut will give you height and a better ride, but won't change your articulation because the strut is still the same size. Therefore, at full droop (strut shocks all the way extended) your control arms will not hang any lower than they would at full droop with stock coils. This is good, because your cv axles were not made to function at any angle over full droop with a stock configuration. A spacer serves the same function in the front as in the rear. Placed in between your strut assembly and your strut tower, spacers will give you increased height by pushing the strut down from it's original mounting point. The problem with this, however, is that your suspension now will still droop the same amount as it did before when flexing, only pushed down 2 more inches. Since your cv axles were not designed to handle the added 2 inches at full droop, they will bind up and you'll end up breaking something.
Adding a spacer to the front will give you height, but actually hurt your performance. For this reason, if you ever drive off road I wouldn't recommend any sort of spacer over an inch. If you're gonna lift your rig, go with springs. It's far worth the extra money knowing your performance is improving over stock rather than getting worse, and will save you money fixing axles in the long run. If you just use your rig on the street and just want the extra height for the looks, then spacers are a great and cost effective option!
Before you put in your new trailing arms, get rid of those rubber bushings and throw some poly ones in there! Down the road the rubber ones are just gonna wear out again and you'll get death wobble and be forced to replace them. Poly bushings will give you a better ride, and you'll never have to worry about replacing them again! This is gonna be my next mod, as my sway is getting reallyyyy bad.
Sorry if that was more information than you asked for lol, I just want to make sure you're well informed (:
Let me know if you have any questions!! Good luck!
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Dude, fantastic pics as always!
Thanks Matthew!!
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Hopefully this works
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
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Since I haven't posted pics in awhile here's some recent ones
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using TapatalkEdit: A couple of them were really bad quality for some reason so I'm gonna try those 2 again.
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Weather is beautiful today so decided to clean some of the “winter” off of the winter beater! (I use the word beater a bit loosely, truth is I love the old R50!)
Man your interior is clean! Your rig looks amazing man
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Although they aren't technically AT, I would strongly recommend Duratracs. They're best tire in existence if you ask me.
The ride height of that second pic (with the 2" spacers) is how it should have come from the factory. Silly Nissan leaving no wheel gap!
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What lift did you go with? It looks good!
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Stupid Photobucket has hijacked all your pictures. I don't suppose you still have them around?
This extension will let you see everything
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Goodness gracious those tail lights are awful
I guess I didn't notice in the small pics on my phone but seeing it bigger I can definitely say the rear end does not look good at all. The font looks nice besides the rust though. Where was that bar mounted? -
Dang that's super weird... the tail lights looked almost completely even with yours in the pic you sent me
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Did you figure out if it had a lift or not?
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Which extension did you download? Because the one I've been using seems to have stopped working. I'd like to see this guy's progress pics, lol
It's called Photobucket Hotlink Fix. I was using the one you showed me and it stopped working too, and this was the best reviewed one that came up when I searched for it in extensions
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Nevermind I downloaded a different extension and they showed up!
Nice mod though! Are you gonna leave it black or paint it to match the bumper?
Front strut suggestions R50 Pathfinder w Krypton SFD
in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders
Posted
To be blunt, that is absolutely false. Keep in mind I have absolutely no extra weight in the front at all. It's noticeably firmer than stock, and it's almost a perfect match with my LR springs (175 sr) in the rear.
The best I can do to explain it is that it feels way more solid, but is not harsh (like leaf springs) in any way. I would say that even the HD OME springs are less stiff than the AC coils. I can not express enough how good the ride is with the OME springs up front and the LR springs in the back. People who know nothing about cars who've ridden with me have even commented on how sturdy and well the car rides and feels.
Don't let their comment on that scare you away at all! I would 100% recommend them.