esy

holy, what the....

i didn't bother with new bumpstops. didn't need them. what boots are you talking about? the dust boots around the strut? if so, those don't really matter a whole lot unless you're doing a bunch of offroading. i didn't bother with a camber kit either. however, i am on the OME HD/MD lift, but it didn't affect me a whole lot. it probably gets worse on the AC lift, i wouldn't know. there aren't any longer travelling struts, that i'm aware of. to prevent the strut from topping out, you'll have to get straps to prevent that. there are a few guys that fabbed some up without getting the spacers or an SFD. you'll learn to deal with the strut topping out over time by either dealing with the clunk/bang that is associated with it, or by going over speed bumps and stuff slower. i've done the latter. when my brother and i lifted our trucks, we just paid the local Pep Boys to put the spring and strut together because i've had a few encounters when lowering my past vehicles that i'd rather not re-live. i'll let those guys do that for $40 of my money.

@kdj, i've been eyeing the Chevy. like i said in my original post, i've always been pretty pleased with GM vehicles. my dad had an '86 Chevrolet Celebrity wagon when we were growing up. that thing was a tank! it ran very well up until my dad allowed some of his mechanic friends that weren't familiar with the vehicle work on it. however, i will say this much, i've been opening my options a bit more and the '11 F150s look very enticing! i would've never thought that i'd be considering buying a Ford in my life, but here i am! i was just entertaining the idea, however, i noticed that the middle seat in the front bench had a 3-point seat belt! that's not very common in front bench seats and as little as that may seem to a lot of people, it really piqued my interest! i've been looking into them more and more and it would almost seem that many of the options that the F150s have fit what i'm looking for. i just need to go and take one on a test drive and see if it really fits what i'm looking for.

i'm pretty disappointed. so after looking around some more, i've discovered that Nissan hasn't stopped using the Dana 44 rear ends on the newer truck models. although i'm not a big hauler, tower, or what not, but that's still not very reassuring. as much as i love Nissan, that's extremely disheartening that they haven't taken care of that issue! looks like i'm either narrowing my options or having to open my options up to others.

@kdj, i can respect that. i also see a lot of domestic trucks everywhere, but many of the trucks that i see, in general, are too prissy to be on the road. don't get me wrong, i'm no hardcore offroader or what have you, but my trucks (my R50 included) are trucks. they're meant to be beat up, driven fairly hard, and handle anything being thrown its way. pretty much any and all fleet/work trucks that i see around are Chevy/Ford and i would assume that there's a reason why they are so popular for work trucks or what have you. @heloflyboy, yeah, i'd probably get a new truck every few years too. must be nice! hahah. @jamesrich, i've found a pretty good number of bench seat Titans. they seem to be more common in the newer models than the older models. again, i'm pretty happy with a relatively basic truck, don't need a lot of the fancy frills like back up cameras/sensors, leather, heated/power seats, etc. good to hear that your rear diff is still doing well. the consensus that i got from titantalk.org and clubtitan.org are that the Titans are simply Frontiers with a V8. that lightweight Dana was a pretty horrible choice for those trucks. any other advice from anyone?

"esy" is my initials and my 'handle' that i used when i DJ'ed in clubs, parties, etc. and it was also one of my many aliases when i used to do graff work, bombs, and peaces. and yes, it's supposed to be pronounced like easy. i would many times also incorporate a ".iam" or "_iam" in my user names if i can't get esy. that part came from a rapper that i listen to named, luckyiam.PSC. he's a rapper from the Living Legends and i thought it was pretty cool and incorporated that into my user names a long while ago.

any particular reason? is it safe to assume that you would also go with an F150 like nismothunder? good to know! however, your brother getting a new Ram every 60k is a bit odd. is that just because he gets tired of them or something else? i'm trying to keep this for the long haul and don't want to have to swap out trucks every 60k, haha. i'd LOVE to have a diesel, but i simply don't need a 2500/3500. the full-size trucks are big enough as it is, and i don't need one any bigger. the only truck i haven't driven is the Chevy. i haven't driven a Titan, specifically, but one of my brothers used to have an Armada which is essentially the same truck. both the Ram and the "Titan" drive really nice. although the Ram has the coils in the rear, i feel it still drives very "boaty", like the Chevy, Fords, etc with leaf springs. the only times i've ever driven any other truck is when i'm working on them in the Tire Center. the Titan/Armada feels a lot tighter, IMO, but a lot of the body roll in the other two trucks can be remedied by stiffening up the suspension a bit with different shocks, sway bars, etc., etc. any particular reason why? thinking about my situation more and more, i'm feeling that i'm straying away from the Ram. mostly because i don't know if i can get over my annoyance, if you will, of Dodge's build quality and how cheap it feels. they're nice trucks, don't get me wrong, but i'm just not feeling how hollow the trucks feel. anyway, any more input would be great! although i said that i don't want to buy a Ford or am not considering a Toyota, my ears are still open since it seems like a few of you are thinking of others.

Thanks for that! That was pretty helpful so far. You know, i eyed the f150s for a little bit, but i'm just not a fan of ford at all. Call it a big time "prejudice" against them, but just no really into them. I doubt i'll even be getting any of the 6L V8s. Most of the Chevys in my price range are typically the 4.8L FFVs. I think they're 4.8s, anyway. Power wise, they're not far off from the Titans and defintely weaker than the Hemis. However, power isn't a major thing for me. As long as it's got at leas 300hp and even more torque, i'll be happy. Although my brother's Ram is a 2wd, he averages about 18ish with about a 70/30 highway/city split of driving. I'd expect somewhere around at least 15, which would only be a couple miles less than my Pathy right now with the manual hubs. And my driving isn't too wild. My truck will be used the way it should be used, although not as aggressively as others probably would. Like i said in my previous post, i do camping (would definitely like to get the bed tent and camp in the bed), will haul stuff from time to time (max would maybe be 1000lbs, possibly 2000lbs), go to the snow very often (this past season sucked though), and maybe some mild offroading here and there. It'll essentially be a grocery getter with the ability to handle any offroad stuff. I'm opting out of an SUV because i want that open bed to load whatever i want in the back. I also want the front bench because i want to be able to utilize as much space in the cab as i can instead of getting captain's seats.

I guess i should've made this into a poll. Is there a way to edit this into one now? I'm on my phone and not sure if i can do it. What year did you have? How many miles did you put on it? Did you experience any of the same rear and front diff issues as to what i was talking about? That's my main concern when i was researching those trucks. I'd be pretty pissed if the truck only got some 70-80k and the diffs started to explode on me. Granted i don't do a whole lot of towing, hauling, or offroading, but i jus want to be certain. I really only do camping, hit the snow a lot, and will haul little stuff here and there.

hello, all. so i'm somewhat in the market for a new truck. probably going to go lightly used ('08+) with low miles (planning on staying under the 40k, for sure). i don't think i'll be ready to buy quite yet unless i simply can't pass up a crazy deal, so maybe by the end of the year or next? anyway, i'm heavily leaning towards a full-size truck. many of the newer full-size trucks get very similar MPGs as many of us already do, so i won't be losing much there, and i'd like to get a full-size because of the larger bed than mid-size trucks. if i were to go with a mid-size truck, i think i'm pretty set on getting a Fronty. anyway, i think my budget would be right around the $25-$26k range. that way, i can put $5k down and i can have a note under $400/month on a 60-mo loan. my requirements are a crew cab, 4x4, and a front bench seat (meaning i can seat 3 adults in the front). the only reason that i don't have power everything as a requirement is because i've found that full-size, crew cab trucks typically come standard with that. anyway, enough rambling, onto the advice. here are the three trucks that i'm currently eyeing/interested in: '08+ Titan (of course!) '09+ Ram 1500 '08+ Silverado/Sierra 1500 i'm obviously a huge Nissan head. every vehicle that i've ever owned has been a Nissan (240SX FB, a couple of old school Z cars, two Z32s, an Infinti G20t, a WD21, and my current R50). however, from what i've researched at clubtitan.org and titantalk.org, it would appear that the Titans have a pretty high propensity for rear diff failures. many of the owners had them fail during the powertrain warranty and they were replaced or what not, but it wasn't until Nissan really began placing brand new part #'s/different diffs that those original diffs stopped coming in. many of those people haven't noticed anything yet, but you never really know. at the same time, i've only noticed that with the '04-'07 Titans, not the '08+. so, i'm not certain if that problem has been fixed on the newer models or not. there were also many instances of it happening with the front diffs as well (more common in the trucks that had any kind of a lift, be it a mini-lift or a Fabtech 6" lift). it sounded like the clips would pop off and the axle would obviously move quite a bit and would ultimately cause some severe damage to the front diffs. again, Nissan was covering those, but not sure if it was only specific to the '04-'07 model years. the '09+ Rams have been a pretty nice truck with the remodel. my oldest bro has a '10 Ram 1500 2WD and it's a nice ride. the cab is enormous (slightly larger than the Titans, i believe), obviously comes with gobs of power with the Hemi, and the new remodels look pretty clean. my main issue with the Rams is mostly from a build standpoint/quality. i've felt that ever since Dodge started revamping and releasing new vehicles back in '04 (with the Magnum, Chargers, etc.), i've felt that the quality has lacked. the doors sound and feel very hollow, build quality doesn't appear to be top, etc. my brother loves his truck and says he'd buy it all over again, but i'm not sure if i'm just looking into it too much or if it's justified. also, if i were able to find one of the Rams with the Rambox option, those are pretty badass. really cool option and wouldn't mind having that if i could track one down. the '08+ Silverado/Sierra are also a really nice truck. although the electronics, interior styling, etc. are pretty dated, i still love GMs. growing up, i've always felt that GMs made a far superior vehicle in the domestic market than any others. anyway, i like the design of these newer modeled Silverados/Sierras, they have good power (depending which engine it comes equipped with) and also have a lot of the GM reliability that i've been so accustomed to seeing for a larger part of my life. the advice i'm wanting is what does everyone think of these three? any input would be greatly appreciated, especially if any of you own, have owned, regularly use, etc. any of these trucks. i'd appreciate it if we could just stick to these three options, however, as i'm not at all interested in getting a Ford nor am i very interested in getting a Toyota. i apologize for the novel, but this would obviously be the largest purchase of my life thus far and want to make sure i make the right, informed decision. again any input, advice, and experience will be greatly appreciated! thanks!

welcome!

yes, 31s are about the max that the Pathy can handle before a lift and very minimal rubbing. you probably won't rub at all with that backspacing unless you're at a pretty wicked flexed angle.

uhhhh, re-read my post. the ONLY AT tire made by Michelin in 33s (Michelin owns BFG) are the BFG ATs. period. there's no point mentioning the KM2s because he wanted an AT tire.

i'm a big Michelin/BFG guy and the only AT tire made in the 33s (33x12.5x15) are the BFG ATs. they're a great tire and have been around forever and haven't changed much, if at all. there's a reason why they're still considered one of the best AT tires around. the tires that ramdala has on his truck are MTs so that won't fit your needs.

got a picture of what you're thinking? personally, i would love it if a company made some simple, steel tube, bumpers for our trucks. something like these for the front: and these for the rear (obviously it'd be great to get a tire carrier on the back!):

headliner? are you talking about the roof rack fairing or are you literally talking about the interior headliner?

if they could produce these at a cost-effective price, i'd be interested and i'm sure many more would be.

nice bumpers! i wish i could fab something like those up.

when i first got the POP charger, i cleaned it a couple times at ~10-12k because i was driving through some fairly dusty roads during a few of our vacations. right now, i'm on a 15k-20k"ish" schedule, depending on what the filter looks like. the saturation on the L side of the engine bay/plastic wheel wells isn't bad, but just due, in part, to me not wiping all of the oil off when putting it back on or what have you. wasn't aware of that radiator cap TSB and i'll have to check that out too. thanks. although it doesn't really help me with my "supposed psg head side coolant leak". i'm also not aware of any HG issues with the VQs either which also strikes me as a bit strange, and yes, i need to degrease the engine and engine bay.

Again, i haven't looked much deeper into it yet. Haven't had time lately with everything going on. To answer some quick questions, no other typical symptoms of burning oil/coolant, etc. other than the old oil on the backside of the oil pan. Which is why it was a bit surprising that this guy said that he believes my HG is going out. I haven't ever degreased the engine, even after the upper rad hose went out on me, and i know that's something i should've done long ago. Hopefully, i can get under the hood and track anything down this weekend. I've never seen Any leaking fluids ever, anywhere, except when the upper rad hose went out. The only "saturation" that i have is right at my cone filter, but that's from excess filter oil when i clean it. I'll report back later, but does anyone know of any upgrades to the HG, just in case? Or am i just relegated to the OEM HG?

Just a name change. Nothing different. I actually have a mismatched GR2 and Excel G.

BTW, i'm not totally certain it's a HG issue yet. since i was told from the mechanic that he saw a leak from the psg side head, i haven't had a chance to check it out any deeper than what he showed me behind the oil pan, under the truck. this mechanic isn't my normal mechanic that i have do some of the work that i don't do myself, so again, not sure. hoping he's wrong and was just assuming things because i did change my upper rad hose about six months ago when it cracked and sprayed coolant everywhere, but just preparing myself, just in case.

ok, so it would appear that my headgasket may be slowly going out. just recently had a mechanic take a look at the truck (tranny, specifically) because i was just recently rear-ended. he didn't notice anything funny or strange, but he did notice some coolant leaking from the passenger side of head. i never noticed it before, and did see some old, coolant on the backside of the oil pan (which i've never noticed since i don't go far back enough under the vehicle when i'm changing the oil). so, i'm hoping to get ready to get the work done soon since the 150k is coming up soon, just curious if there were any upgrades to the headgasket out there? i haven't seen much in the light searching that i've done so far, but if there were any, anyone know anything? any help is appreciated. it's going to be a big chunk of change, but i'm not ready to let the Pathy go since it is still in pretty awesome shape aside from that.

as for myself, i still see a good number of Pathys. what i tend to do now is when i look at other Pathys i wonder, "was my truck really that small?!" it's kind of weird looking at stock height Pathys because they look so short and small to me now, and i don't even have bigger tires yet.

good stuff. the suspension should settle in a bit and come down to under 2". i haven't bothered to measure mine, but i'd assume right around a total of 1.5" all around. either way, it's higher. i'm still debating on what route i'll be going. going with 16" steelies or moving down to 15" steelies. if i stay with the 16"s, i might run a 275/70R16 which would come out a bit larger than a 31". 265/70R16 are the P-metric equivalents of 31"s. only thing i'm racking my brain around is clearance of the caliper on the 15"s. there are a handful of guys running 15"s with the 2G R50s like ours and clear just fine, but not sure if i want to stress over a few cm of space.