norcalpathy Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 (edited) I have a 97 pathfinder and I'm doing research on lifting it. I'm going with the AC package, and I'd like to go with some 32" MTs. My question is: Will they be "too heavy" for my car? How would the performance be affected? Better brakes needed? Will they rub? An unrelated question I have is also: Any good sounding exhausts? More questions will come soon..., but these will help decided whether I lift it or not.. Edited December 25, 2007 by norcalpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 Lift = Yes 32's = I wouldn't do it again I got 265/75/16 and I would get 265/70/16 so that there would be no rubbing issues...maby less wide but tallver if that is possible Brakes = Yup upgrade to slow you better or at least stong OEM's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 I have a 97 pathfinder and I'm doing research on lifting it. I'm going with the AC package, and I'd like to go with some 32" MTs. My question is: Will they be "too heavy" for my car? How would the performance be affected? Better brakes needed? Will they rub? An unrelated question I have is also: Any good sounding exhausts? More questions will come soon..., but these will help decided whether I lift it or not.. Lift--------Yes! Yes! Yes! 32's..........I am running 32x11.5x15 on my 03. You can actually save money by getting new steel 15" rims and tires instead of just 16" tires. They did rub but with a good eye and a sharp knife you can trim enough plastic to make it work quite well. There is an excess of plastic/rubber in the wheel wells that is not really needed. They will still rub when you stuff them really deep but that will happen anyway you go and is not that big a deal. With the AC lift you can actually run 33x9.50x15 but the skinner tread is not good for sandy conditions. Performance.......expect really crappy gas mileage (13-14 City & 18? Highway) due to the larger tires. I did not notice any measurable power loss with my 3.5 but your engine might be different as I believe it is a tad smaller. Your 4-wheel low will not be as low as it was before the larger tires. I solved that problem by switching from the stock 4.33 gears to the 4.66 from an Xterra. Not sure if those gears are available for your rig but think they are. Strut spacers for the front are also a real bonus since the Pathy's tend to be nose heavy. I would not go over 1" due to CV joint angle potential problems. Warn hubs will solve that and are a cheap, very effective addition. The Warn's will also help the MPG by reducing added drag of the front axels always being engaged. Brakes......Get the best quality you can find, which is a good idea anyway. Exhaust.....still rinning the OEM so can't help you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcalpathy Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share Posted December 25, 2007 Lift--------Yes! Yes! Yes! 32's..........I am running 32x11.5x15 on my 03. You can actually save money by getting new steel 15" rims and tires instead of just 16" tires. They did rub but with a good eye and a sharp knife you can trim enough plastic to make it work quite well. There is an excess of plastic/rubber in the wheel wells that is not really needed. They will still rub when you stuff them really deep but that will happen anyway you go and is not that big a deal. With the AC lift you can actually run 33x9.50x15 but the skinner tread is not good for sandy conditions. Performance.......expect really crappy gas mileage (13-14 City & 18? Highway) due to the larger tires. I did not notice any measurable power loss with my 3.5 but your engine might be different as I believe it is a tad smaller. Your 4-wheel low will not be as low as it was before the larger tires. I solved that problem by switching from the stock 4.33 gears to the 4.66 from an Xterra. Not sure if those gears are available for your rig but think they are. Strut spacers for the front are also a real bonus since the Pathy's tend to be nose heavy. I would not go over 1" due to CV joint angle potential problems. Warn hubs will solve that and are a cheap, very effective addition. The Warn's will also help the MPG by reducing added drag of the front axels always being engaged. Brakes......Get the best quality you can find, which is a good idea anyway. Exhaust.....still rinning the OEM so can't help you there. I'm just worried about the power loss in the Pathfinder, as mine's not the most "powerful" out there. How much more power does the 3.5 have compared to mine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted December 25, 2007 Share Posted December 25, 2007 I've got a 99 with 32s, and I can still roast the rear tires....I wouldn't be too worried about power-loss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcalpathy Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 (edited) I've got a 99 with 32s, and I can still roast the rear tires....I wouldn't be too worried about power-loss... Did you do any trimming to fit the 32s? Are they ATs, MTs? Got any recommendations on tires/wheels? (I'm gonna be going with some black wheels preferrably) Edited December 26, 2007 by norcalpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Did you do any trimming to fit the 32s? Are they ATs, MTs? Got any recommendations on tires/wheels? (I'm gonna be going with some black wheels preferrably) Mine are AT's for 2 reasons. 1) I almost never run in mud in So Calif., unless some dork runs over a fire hydrant, and 2) they are quieter on the road. I know a lot of you folks are in snow and heavy rain country so the MT's would most likely be the better choice. And, of course, in the off-roading world it seems everything is some kind of a trade off. My steel rims are just basic black from 4wheel parts. I think a lot of the folks paid around $60 or so for their steel rims. I could be wrong. My 03 had a lot of excess rubber/plastic that extended into the wheel well from the mounting points. I cleaned up about an extra 1" all around plus you can heat the splash guards in the front to push them up and out of the way. I used some heavy duty zip-ties, drilled a few holes and pulled the guards about 2" deeper. It is very hard to rub the tires now unless you really stuff them bad on a obstacle and all it does is shine up the rubber. It does not happen enough to pose any real problem for me. I think the older rigs have a bit more departure angle than the new stuff. Much less cosmetic plastic sticking down. I know I gained an extra 9" in the rear by having a bumper made to follow the original outline but eliminate all the junk sticking down like air dams. I had to keep the original profile for the front due to the radiator being mounted so low and the power steering line/tranny lines being so exposed. I sure wish they would make a newer 4x4 without all the added plastic crap. Kinda defeats the whole 4x4 purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzy Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 goto summitracing.com and get some steel rims. then post a new threads asking for backspacing and lug pattern questions... hah im jk get bs from anywhere 3.75 to 4.0 i run 4.0 and i have a 97 pathfinder and 31'' AT's.... i love it lug patterns 6 x 5.50 dude here. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...mp;autoview=sku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 i strongly suggest brakes with 32's i had 32's on my 99 R50 and going 60 mph, I slammed on the brakes with all my weight (i weight 215 lb) and the wheels did not lock up, all the way to 0 mph the car just slowed down, and not that great either I slammed into a Toyota (it ended up being his fault for an illegal maneuver) and blame it 100% on the big gumpy tires and stock brakes You can certainly drive with 32's and stock brakes, but BE VERY CAREFUL, STOPPING DISTANCE IS MORE THAN DOUBLED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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