tekazgtr1984

So I'm thinking the SFD you've designed is 4"...right? That means it can fit 33's... *drool*

Before I bought my '98 in April, the PO did power steering flush. He said he noticed much smoother steering. It was the first time it was ever done on the Pathy (160,000km [100,000mi]). I'd say it's not crucial but probably worth doing every 100k or so.

Nope, you're at liberty to discuss any issue related to vehicles on this forum, so kudos to you for initially addressing it. No need to take the blame for other people having issues with others' opinions. I was just expressing my thoughts on this DRL controversy, and I did in fact look at Wikipedia before throwing in my 2 cents. Wikipedia isn't always the ideal place to get those kinds of "facts" so I was calling bullsh*t on what I think is not a very pragmatic law in terms of road saftey. That's all it was. An opinion. Anyways, I'll can the ranting. :tonguefinger: But for the record, I'm not blaming you for putting this DRL topic on here.

I'm pretty sure the Titan and co. bolt pattern is the same as the R50 (6x5.5) because I know the R51 has the 6x4.5. If that's the case I think more research is needed on this whole Brembo kit for the Titan/Armada/QX56 and if it could be applied to the R50.

I'm not spouting off though. And besides, Wikipedia isn't the ideal place to get so-called "facts" either. So if you think I'm spouting off, my apologies. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone here for expressing my opinion, and especially if I come across as someone who just shoots his mouth off. The US doesn't totally enforce that law, and they have 10x more drivers on the road. The truth is the automaker makes the final call stateside anyhow. Japan doesn't have that law either and there are millions of cars on the road there too. And as far as I remember, most of Europe enforces it with several conditions, therefore it isn't totally regulated as it is here in Canada. And I do understand the law is always being changed and re-interpreted; it is not absolute in any way. And yeah, I would consider it a money grab for the gov't. If a vehicle doesn't have this equipment, it needs in order to pass safety. Here in Manitoba, that is strictly enforced and ends up costing more than it should. Therefore, in my mind, I consider that a tax grab. Just my opinion. I didn't ask you to agree with it.

You're right, it'd be difficult to find... FSC rear disc brake? I guess a Titan/Armada/QX56 swap would be just stupid $$$... WD21 Pathy no good?

Proven to save lives? I wonder just how 'extensively' the research was made in pursuit of this law. That makes me wonder why no other country recognizes or enforces such a law? I still call bullsh*t on this 'law' and I think it's just a money grab for the feds (what else is new?) but I still wouldn't break it for having no DRL's...

Those look pretty sweet! If only a set of 4 was a realistic endeavour...

Dagnabit, Lax! Always gotta be the realist... :tonguefinger: LOL

Oh. My. Gods! You're the man! Of course it'd be a good idea! Drums are the nasty sh*t... That's why high-end sports cars only use a disc-brake set-up! Your custom work is truly an ode to our ingenuity and hard work. Now you're making me want to do this all over again! BTW, thanks for the pics. That looks sooooo badass!

Thanks Adam! I'll look into it once I got some $$$ I think you ARE turning Canadian Lax! LOL :tonguefinger: What's the name of the brand BTW? Yeah, it sounds like it could be a really sweet upgrade... Necessity, however, I've been told otherwise. I just loathe drums for the nasty primitiveness. Disc brakes are just an all-around better brake system. Supposedly a company in Japan made a full disc-conversion kit for the R50 but I've had no such luck in finding any information. But heck, it'd be nice to fab something up...

Yup, I've already got the AC 2" SL, and the hubs are going on this Saturday. As for the tools required, I'm pretty sure I've got access to them or at least the majority of them. A 3-ton floor jack I do not have but I'm sure I can find someone to lend me theirs... This is definitely a good way to make extra income while in school! R&D is always exciting, especially when automobiles are involved. Armour prototypes are always a good start (I'm hoping to learn more on this once spring comes around). I'd like to design rock sliders and a custom roof-rack with spare tire mount at some point, as well as design some custom steel bumpers with recovery points, light guards, mounts, etc. for the front and rear. Back to SFD's though... definitely a fun aspect of automotive R&D.

Where did you find the Brembo rotors? I've looked everywhere!! But by exploring this topic on here, it gets exposure so more of us can look into it! I am also leaning to Brembo rotors at the moment... To be honest I'd love to do a full conversion to Titan brakes to fit on the OEM Brembo front and rears... *sigh* Here's a thread I started regarding a full disc-brake conversion: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19719

Werd Alex! Thanks for the info My '98 SE has 4.6's and I've never had the opportunity to take my Pathy up to 90mph and I doubt that will ever happen. I've got front and rear detachable sway bar links so it pretty much takes 2 mins. to take 'em off and on. That being said, I doubt I'd have any issue with highway driving with the SFD. Your advice is really helping me lean more to doing a SFD on my R50! All I need is to figure out what I need to do it...

No need to apologize at all! My apologies if my response came off the wrong way. I didn't think your comment was in any way racist; I just wanted to know a little more about where you stood. I also wanted to defend companies like Endless, Project Mu and so forth because they produce some of the finest brake kits in the world. Not sure where they obtain their materials but I'm pretty sure it's within Japan.

That doesn't sound too bad at all! I've already got the 2" SL done, and manual hubs are going on this weekend. So you're saying it may take a weeked to perform a SFD... that's tight! I still don't know all the steps and what else is necessary to make it work; I'll have to contact Nissandoms and see what he can tell me. In any case, post those pics of the operation because ever since I first laid eyes on tmorgan's R50 I've wanted to do a SFD. The more I hear about it and see pics on NPORA the more I want to learn about it. Gotta love the serious comraderie on this forum!! It is just great! BTW, is your R50 a auto or manual? VQ right?

Don't get me wrong I love my Pathy too! But I'm mostly concerned with all the considerations to make when doing a SFD. Will the VG33E be sufficient enough to power 33's? What other mods are needed to make this work so a R50 is still a reasonably road-going vehicle? I don't want to compromise everyday driveability for adding 3-4" of lift as well as all the aspects to consider, i.e. steering, brakes, gears, auto vs. manual, etc. Also, considering the time one requires to do a SFD, I'd probably lose my rig for a while and have no other vehicle to use. Another vehicle purchase might be necessary for me to make my R50 what I want it to be. In the long run I'd like to find a D22 Frontier (preferably '02-'04) and make it a serious beast! But I digress... A lifted R50 with 2" coils alone turns some serious heads where I live; a SFD'd R50 on 33's or 35's would be beyond badass! Probably the biggest challenge will be finding someone locally who could blueprint everything out (and all the NPORA help would go a long way too! ). Research will be extensive to say the least.

I plug my '98 in on a timer, starting up around 5 am (I leave the house for work just after 9), and I remote start 5 mins. before I leave. When I get in my truck I put it in N and E-brake, let it sit for a few minutes, then go. I've been able to get just over 300km/tank so far since the cold has hit. My manual locking hubs just got in so that'll be a fun Saturday project. I've also been driving with O/D off since reading it on here a few weeks back. It's actually more efficient for city driving under 60km/h and appears to work quite well in my case (4.6's, automatic, HKS Super Hybrid filter, Bosch Platinum plugs, 2" lift on 32" Toyo A/T's). I'll do anything to stretch a tank of gas (I'm running 91 octane with Lucas Octane Boost) and so far so good! Wondering what other efficiency modifications are available...?

Hmmm, a 3.5" SFD seems pretty good to me; what of the side effects though? I'm debating on form vs. function when considering this type of application. Cost/material and time are also factors worth consideration. Would it be more feasible to just buy a non-unibody Nissan and give it a BL/SL combo?

Why do you only prefer brake kits made from Americansteel? There are plenty of good brake kits available from Japanese companies...

Dang, I think I'm pretty much SOL unless I can find me a 5spd R50... but that'd be taking a step back in light of my current rig... Maybe I should leave the Pathy as is height-wise...?

TD4L.com is a good place to look for rubbers. I'm not sure of shipping but I'd imagine it to be pretty reasonable. As for wheels, it depends on a) what you'd like to get and your location. If you can find a local performance shop you can probably get a good deal rather than buying online and paying for shipping. A set of four 15" steelies won't cost too much; 16" wheels won't be too much either. Good luck!

Good point bro! That's always some relief... Paying $1.50/L was just nasty.

I figured time and cost are always the downsides to this type of modification. Damn unibodies! :tonguefinger: Anyway, I've seen the subframe drop done in Japan and other parts of Asia, varying from 2" to 6" but I doubt I'd like to go that high. Somewhere in the middle would be ideal for me, just enough to give it the badass look. In any case, I still would need to learn more about this whole process. Maybe if I can get my filthy mitts on a VQ 5-spd at some point this would be do-able.

650km/tank?! That's bananas! I'm happy to get 450km/tank in summer. Then again, I haven't got manual hubs (yet) and I should invest in an electric fan. In any case, your summer mileage is pretty impressive. Back to cold weather mileage, don't ever expect it to be good with a SUV.