mjotrainbrain

Certainly looks fantastic in pics, bet it looks real nice in person too! Good job!

Isn't Windrock near or in Tennessee? You could attend WENT Windrock this fall and wheel with a bunch of other Nissans! I always wanted to drive down to that event.

@Citron not sure if this is what you're thinking of as far as the disappearing oil, but that's definitely an issue with the VQ 3.5 engines in the later R50's. Don't think anybody's figured out where it goes yet haha

That's something that I really like about the 2nd gen Xterra over the 4Runner for sure. Depending on market, a really nice condition 4th gen could be just as expensive as an almost brand new Xterra due to stupid "Toyota tax". Technically you can get a 4th gen with a factory rear locker too, but it was only on rare Trail Edition models only available in 2009, so you're talking about $20k for a 10 year old truck (still puzzled that Nissan was on their game so much more, heck, even Jeep had a factory locker in the LIBERTY back then!)...on that topic though, if the ATRAC doesn't do well enough a locker from another Toyota can be retrofitted pretty easily. Not sure how far you intend to go with this vehicle @Citron, is it gonna be more along the lines of a hunting road rig or do you intend to wheel in SAS territory? Honestly I'd say they're both really solid choices; for me, it would come down to whichever one I could find in better shape with the desired options in the required price range, rather than setting my heart on a particular model. Make sure to test drive one of each too, sounds obvious I know, but just don't forget! 15 minutes behind the wheel could show you that you can't stand a vehicle that sounds awesome on paper (er, screen?). Is there a place to check out your Xterra somewhere @bushnut? It sounds pretty sweet!

I didn't know about the seats thing. I love how the 4Runner's front seats can be scooted forward and then laid flat. Personally I'd prefer a split hatch like an 80 series, but that's a different topic.

One more thing (not going to be foolish enough to say "one last thing", I know myself), I'm 6'4" and find the T4R4 far roomier than my R50 was. If mine didn't have a sunroof I'd actually have a bit of room to spare, same as with my R50, but leg room is definitely better. Also another thing, yeah, the dash cracks and falls apart. And yeah, there was an extended warranty for it, but it's expired. I know I'm pointing out a lot of bad things and making it sound like a bad vehicle, but it really isn't. If you find one that was cared for and continue to care for it, most of these won't ever be an issue.

Also worth mentioning, the Lexus GX470 is the same vehicle underneath. If you can get over the looks and sideways opening trunk, you'll get a manual transfer case lever and a vehicle that was probably cared for much more. The cost of a luxury brand pretty much balances the Toyota tax, and may even come out cheaper. Wish I'd known that before I went shopping!

The aftermarket for the T4R is worlds bigger. You have probably 6 or so UCA choices, at least as many front bumpers, several skidplates manufacturer options (including aluminum or steel, and different thicknesses), etc. There's even at least 2 different companies that make MOLLE panels for the rear windows. Basically, anything you could want you have options. Some of the accessory stuff can be a bit pricey, but the regular stuff like lift components and bumpers are fairly standard pricing compared to other vehicles. Most of the wide parts availability is due to the chassis being darn near identical to the FJ cruiser, and front end being extremely similar to the 2nd/3rd gen Tacoma, and overall strong similarity to the 5th gen 4Runner. As far as selectable traction control (and some other options like outlet in center console), many things aren't tied to a trim level (other than the JBL sound system which is tied to the Limited model), but rather are an option which is usually rare on the base SR5 trim, although technically available. Also, there was a facelift in 2006, and at the same time lots of options were added/became more common. It has a lot of traction control systems, including VSC (is disabled if you lock the center diff, cuts engine power when it detects lateral slipping. This one is my least favorite, since if slip in snow going from a side street to a main road you can be left vulnerable, and often the center diff doesn't lock quick enough to be useful, hence a custom mod or finding one with the button), ATRAC (brakes individual wheels when center diff is locked to help offroad, more aggressive in 4LO), and of course good ol' ABS. I think there's one more system for if your wheels are slipping but there's no lateral sliding, but I'm not sure. Worth mentioning, the V6 is part time 4wd and the V8 is full time 4wd, and most people seem to notice a 1-2 mpg difference between the two at best. For towing, I haven't towed anything especially heavy with mine and it's a V8, but from what I've read people are pleased with what they can tow with their V6, it can just feel kinda doggish in hilly terrain (the engines have similar HP, but the V8 has considerably more torque as you'd imagine). I don't have personal experience though, so take that with a grain of salt. As with pretty much any Toyota ever (and any vehicle with a boxed in frame really), beware of frame rot. The crossmember under the radiator by the tie down loops and the area around where the rear lower links connect to the frame are good places to look for rot. If you go to look at one, they do have some funny quirks. See if the rear window has been replaced; there was some kind of design flaw with them which caused them to (rare) shatter when using the rear defroster. The extended warranty for that component expired this last year, but if it was done the new window shouldn't have that issue. If there's a drivetrain clunk, good chance it's the driveshafts; the slip joints and u-joints are supposed to be greased and they often aren't. Add grease and they'll be fine; I have yet to read of one that got damaged from lack of greasing from a careless owner, only an annoying clunk. Also make sure you test all the transfer case modes (4HI/LO and center diff lock, plus of course 2WD if it's a V6), as the actuator tends to gum up from lack of use and can be expensive and/or time consuming to replace/rebuild (beware, the dealership will insist on replacing the whole t-case) - this one would definitely be a major haggling point if it's not working right (although many folks have gotten theirs working by just giving it a try at every opportunity; if it works/once it works, use monthly). I'm stopping myself now before I go rambling on about more details that probably aren't too important haha. Feel free to ask any further questions.

I've gotta be honest, I love my 4th gen. Never been in a 2nd gen Xterra though so I can't say anything about that. 4th gen 4Runners do have some annoying flaws, like invasive traction control and such that you have to do some custom work to disable anytime you want, but on the flip side the ATRAC makes lockers pretty much unnecessary unless you plan on really extreme stuff. Both the V6 and V8 have plenty of power and last a long time of course, but the early V6 has head gasket issues, the V8 has manifold cracking issues (just an excuse to get headers!!!), and the later V8's, while more powerful, have issues at higher mileage (250k+ usually) with part of the system which gives them more power, although if caught in time can be bypassed cheaply enough. I can answer pretty much any question you've got about the 4th gens if you have any, I'd say more now but gotta hurry off to class! Oh, and V8 is timing belt (not too bad to do), and V6 is timing chain.

Moved to R50 section for more attention.

I do not see any pictures.

Nice video! Man is that exhaust leak loud though

To answer your question, yes you can install an LSD into an axle that didn't have one to begin with. Here's a link to Google search results from this forum (more user-friendly than the forum's built-in search feature) about swapping an LSD into a Pathfinder without one. WD21 Pathfinders have an extremely similar rear axle to the one in your R50, so even the search results about older trucks will be relevant. https://www.google.com/search?q=npora+lsd+swap+site:www.nissanpathfinders.net&safe=strict&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS759US759&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3r73Aw8PgAhVG1IMKHV43CNEQrQIoBDAAegQIBRAM&biw=1536&bih=723

Moved from FAQ/Pinned section for greater visibility.

Mine were too, not fun. Mine were trashed though, so worth the difficulty! @02_Pathy how does it feel with the poly bushings?

The links those guys posted are really useful, check em out for sure. To answer some of your concerns/questions directly, basically your friends are right. Spacer lifts cause issues with your suspension, and any bigger tires or offset wheels will add additional wear to various components. However, as long as you keep up on maintenance you shouldn't be concerned; those parts will still last a good long time unless you're absolutely flogging it on the trails every weekend. A 2" lift is generally regarded to be the safe upper limit for lift for the front end, however you can dabble with more by various means (pushing your luck, SFD, diff drop). You can get a 2" lift pretty simple with just some 2" lift coils from 4x4parts.com ("AC" coils). There is a decent variety of options available though, especially for the rear end. As far as tires, if you want to go bigger than 31" you'll need wheel spacers or new wheels with ~3.75" of backspacing to clear the strut. Welcome to NPORA!

If @TowndawgR50 is involved with these parts this should be good! I have guesses ready.

This thread has been a long time coming! Can't wait to see what you've got "coming very soon".

That's a handy trick! Just make sure your neighbors don't see you holding a lighter under a spoon haha.

When I had mine I was paranoid and stuck with the old 4k mile interval. Probably totally overkill, but I felt better about it, especially with only 2-3 changes a year with how little I drove. No idea what condition the inside of the engine was in since I had never even had the valve covers off. I always brought it to the dealer to have it done because they gave me a sweet deal, so I don't even know what the oil looked like. (Worth noting I do 5k+/- intervals now and change myself.)

I didn't read carefully enough...OME springs with a spacer (depending on thickness) will probably be a bit taller, but AC springs are stiffer than the stiffest OME springs so if you have extra weight like Micah does they'll probably net more lift.

The opposite should be true, AC is 2" and OME is 1.5"-1.75" usually.

Yeah, that's the bit that I found funny. Rock Creek edition sounds rugged and....it looks exactly like a regular R52. Really would have been cool if the R52 wasn't such a softy. This would have been a cool opportunity to at least make it slightly more respectable of its heritage.

I don't know if the coils are longer, but they usually have thicker metal with more wraps; this is common in pretty much all lift kits for any vehicle. The struts being stock length really isn't much of a limitation; other geometries of the front suspension limit far more, so I wouldn't worry about that. As @XPLORx4 mentioned top-out isn't a huge issue, and if you're concerned about being limited to stock suspension travel, disconnecting the sway bar will do way more than a 2" longer strut ever would. If longer aftermarket struts did exist, a coil lift with those struts would have all the same downsides as a spacer lift anyways. That issue with the bigger tires fitting when the suspension cycles is something often overlooked. If you truly want zero rubbing at any point in the suspension's travel, you may as well get the tires and start cutting before even lifting. As a note about tire sizes, a tire which measures 31.5" tall would usually be considered a 32; take a look at the actual specifications of the first couple tires in this list for reference: https://tiresize.com/tires/BFGoodrich/All-Terrain-TA-KO2.htm As such the stock tire size (which I believe is a 29.5") is really what you could consider a 30. I have heard that some pre-facelift R50's came with 31's from the factory, and as such in many cases 31's on stock wheels will cause little to no rubbing. The bulk of the issue with fitting 32's comes from the offset wheels that are necessary; in the front the tire swings further when turning which interferes with a lot more stuff, and in the rear the tire will no longer tuck behind the fender when flexing and will instead hit it, so you lose several inches of space that Nissan gives you under there.

The clickbait article title got me all excited, only to find out it's $1000 worth of trim. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/amp26133262/2019-nissan-pathfinder-rock-creek-edition/