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vengeful

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Posts posted by vengeful

    Strut spacer drawings available?

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    Right on Dan!

    When I added my strut spacers, I replaced those 10mm studs with 1/2" grade 8 bolts....I should hope these stand up to the task. My only concern is that they would break before bending and showing wear.

     

    ...on the other hand my rig will never wheel like your last one, perhaps not even as hard as your new one!

     

    1/2" Grade 8 bolts will do fine.

     

    The only reason my strut tower broke was I launched the truck out of a sink-hole on OBX at 30mph and slammed the front end down extremely hard. Insurance covered it, oddly enough!

     

    You think I'm going to wheel the Acura? LMAO!

     

    Strut spacer drawings available?

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    I don't know the actual forces exerted, but I would imagine the force spread out over the surface area of three washers is not going to be suitable...

     

    DISCLAIMER: The below is a rough approximation. The figures calculated are in no way determined to be accurate. Please review the Notes at the bottom.

     

    Let's see here. Of course we're just estimating, but, the advertised curb weight of an average R50 is ~4300lbs. The weight distribution is 62/38 F/R.

     

    62% of 4300lbs is 2666lbs. Assuming unequal distribution left/right*, on a 8% difference, that means that 54% of the weight is on the drivers front, and 46% of the frontal weight is bearing on the passengers front. Meaning that the drivers front strut is supporting 33.5% of the total vehicle weight, or approximately 1450lbs. Consider the diameter of the strut mount bolts, at 10mm (about 3/8"). There are three bolts supporting the strut mount to the vehicle, which means that each 10mm bolt is supporting up to 484lbs at any given moment.

     

    Now, the forces exerted on that bolt, are the weight supported multiplied by any acceleration acting on that bolt. Gravity, suspension harmonics, suspension movement, etc. The acceleration due to gravity is 32ft/sec^2 using US units (of course the calculations are easier using SI/Metric units, but Ft/Lbs/Sec are easier for most people to understand.

     

    Each bolt, under maximum strut extension is seeing over 3570PSI of force!! Let's also not forget what happens when the truck is compressing the struts, that force will go up exponentially - so much so, in fact, that my own truck broke off the entire strut tower from the inner fender skin!

     

    Not something you would want to trust a safety critical part to a washer!

     

    *Drivers weight, weight of fuel in tank, and other factors apply here to generate the uneven left/right weight distribution.

     

    NOTE: This is also assuming a STOCK bodied R50. Once you add accessories, such as a bull bar and winch, the weight distribution is even more front biased, and the forces exerted on those little 10mm bolts are even more exaggerated.

     

    ADDITIONAL NOTE: Also realize that to determine the exact forces exerted on the strut mounts would be very complex, and would have to take into account exact corner weights of the vehicle in question, sprung and unsprung weight, center of gravity, and it would depend on exactly what situation the vehicle is in at a particular point of interest. At rest, the forces exerted on the strut mount are the corner weight of the truck pushing down, and the force of the spring, and the strut pushing up. So you have compression forces acting on the mount from both sides. The calculations above are a VERY rough estimation based on approximated figures and should be taken only as such. These are not accurate figures, but are merely an approximate representation to give you an idea of what is going on in your suspension.

     

    This is why it is imperative that you use a high-quality strut mount, such as the OEM Nissan one, and not a cheap mount, like the KYB, which will fail after a short period of use.

    Pathfinders Any Good For Big Doods?

    in New People Start Here!

    Posted

    Yeah, the back-seats aren't the best, but, if the trunk isn't loaded to the gills, they do recline a bit, which helps dramatically.

     

    Memphis, TN, to Washington, DC - 940 miles, 17.5 hours, stops only for fuel/food/facilities....was quite tired and a bit stiff from sitting for that long when I got in, but no soreness. But then again, sit in any chair for nearly 18 hours, and tell me you're not a bit stiff...

    LSD for rear axle.

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    Yes, this site is heavily biased towards off-road recreation and performance, and that could make finding information relevant to street performance difficult, but it's first and foremost a Pathfinder site. And there's no reason not to help a fellow Pathfinder owner because of his or her intended use of his or her Pathfinder...

     

    Besides, better street performance translates into better towing stability and performance as well, something we can all appreciate!

     

    Let's try to keep this thread on-topic and keep the bashing OFF of the public forums, shall we?

    Pathfinders Any Good For Big Doods?

    in New People Start Here!

    Posted

    That looks sweet, am I right that the two tone flares and such was an '01 only thing? I like that!

     

    No, that was available 99.5-2001. 2002 and later were mono-tone.

     

    I'm not as tall as you are, 5'11, but I drove my 99 3.3L Automatic from Arizona to DC in 3 days, solo, and had no issues. They're actually quite comfortable on long trips and surprisingly stable at triple-digit plus speeds...I was in Kansas, and there was a Tornado....

    LSD for rear axle.

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    I happen to always check this site although the info is mostly @!*% - this is the first 'real' info providing conversation - anyway, I wanted to ask a question of my own. I go the opposite direction in terms of my 01 (se 5spd 3.5) usage because I do ZERO offroading and wanted to improve on road everything/anything. These guys (4x4) seemed to have the most pathy related stuff I could find and in their defense, when I called I received very good customer service and had all of my questions addressed - patiently and thoroughly - as I had just purchased my first pathy. They seemed to also cater to my need for handling as well (ie LOWERING SPRINGS/bilstein rr lowering shox/lsd etc **BTW has anyone done this lowering/results???? question1).

     

    So heres the question (#2) - If I mostly do onroad, then would this weaker rr lsd (which I was planning on ordering form 4x4) improve my performance onroad and in the snow?? From my experience with my rwd bmw, when I replaced my open for an lsd (clutch type), as long as I drove moderately in the snow there was a marked improvement in traction/stability - I was hoping to accomplish this with my r50 as it currently is pathetic unless I engage the 4x4 (and even then sideways, making me also consider the front lsd as well). Also, I want to improve dry traction in the summer as well (on top of the lowering of course). Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated , thank you for your patience.

     

    To answer your question, yes, an LSD will aid in on-road traction, just like it will aid in off-road traction (to a certain extent). The information above about re-building the LSD with additional clutch packs still applies to "tighten-up" the LSD and increase the break-away torque.

     

    With your BMW, you're probably used to a fairly tight LSD. The OEM R50 LSD is anything but.

     

    You'd probably notice a marked improvement in winter traction with a good set of all-terrain M&S tires, such as a Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO, if you can find one in the size you need after lowering your truck. (Boy, that sounds strange for this forum!) That would be my first step, before starting into the Diffs. Get a good set of tires, and see where that leaves you. Then if you're still not satisfied, you can add the LSD.

    D44/D60 Front/Rear

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    Just because Jeep never put a 60 on a Waggy, doesn't mean that there isn't a Waggy with a 60 rear under it.

     

    Now, that said, most Dana60s are Full Width axles, and wouldn't match a Wagoneer width front 44. Seems like either the guy's got set of full-width axles that he put under a Waggy, that he's trying to sell, or he doesn't know what he's talking about.

     

    Either way, I'd be skeptical, and would want to see detailed pictures with WMS to WMS measurements before determining weather or not it's a fair price.

     

    But, as 87 said, for an R50, you'd be better off with a HP44 front/9" rear combination...or, even keep the 233b, as that's a pretty damn stout axle to begin with.

    Manual Hubs

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    later on the HB's moved to a 28 spline. I don't remember which year they switched but I shipped some to an r50 guy not to long ago.

     

    All, 1990 on V6 Hardbodies had the 28 spline shafts. Actually, all V6 4WD Nissans had the same shafts and hubs, Pathfinder, Hardbody, Frontier, and Xterra, up to 2004.

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