WATYF Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) Hi there. I just purchased a 1996 Pathfinder LE and I'm looking to increase my ground clearance a little bit with tires that are slightly larger than stock. I found this thread, but unfortunately, it did not address my questions, so here I am. What I'd like to know is... are there any major differences (suspension or whatever) between the SE and the LE. On Edmunds.com, the ground clearance for the SE is listed as 8.5" or so, but for the LE it's only 7.5". Is this just due to the different stock tire size, or are there any other differences? I noticed in the "Max tire size" thread that a couple people are running 31x10.5's on a stock SE, but will I have issues on the LE? I was told that the SE's were more "off-road" capable, so I'm trying to figure out exactly what the differences are and whether they will affect the use of 31" tires. For example, is the gear ratio different on the SE (to allow for larger tires)? Also, if I get a set of 31x10.5x15, can I still use the same stock rims that come with the LE? And if I shouldn't be going with 31x10.5x15 for the LE, then what's the largest I can use without having to worry about rubbing or other issues? Thanks for any help. WATYF Edited October 30, 2009 by WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Hi there. I just purchased a 1996 Pathfinder LE and I'm looking to increase my ground clearance a little bit with tires that are slightly larger than stock. I found this thread, but unfortunately, it did not address my questions, so here I am. What I'd like to know is... are there any major differences (suspension or whatever) between the SE and the LE. On Edmunds.com, the ground clearance for the SE is listed as 8.5" or so, but for the LE it's only 7.5". Is this just due to the different stock tire size, or are there any other differences? I noticed in the "Max tire size" thread that a couple people are running 31x10.5's on a stock SE, but will I have issues on the LE? I was told that the SE's were more "off-road" capable, so I'm trying to figure out exactly what the differences are and whether they will affect the use of 31" tires. For example, is the gear ratio different on the SE (to allow for larger tires)? Also, if I get a set of 31x10.5x15, can I still use the same stock rims that come with the LE? And if I shouldn't be going with 31x10.5x15 for the LE, then what's the largest I can use without having to worry about rubbing or other issues? Thanks for any help. WATYF Yep, the difference in height is due to the tire size. The stock LE tire recommendation is 235/70R15 (or 28" diameter), while the SE uses 265/70R15 (29.6" diameter). Also, the LE has a higher final drive ratio of 4.363:1 (i.e. the ring and pinion gears in the front/rear differentials), so the engine has to work harder to spin larger tires. The SE's ratio is 4.636:1, which is 6% lower, and is a better ratio to handle larger tires. Finally, the stock "luxury spoke" alloy wheels on the LE are 15x6.5", which are too narrow to fit 31x10.50R15 tires. The 15x7 wheels on the SE can accomodate 31" tires OK, though. The largest tire I would recommend on the stock wheels is 30x9.50R15. If you're willing to replace the wheels because you really want 31's, and you think you might eventually want to try 32's, then I suggest 15x8 wheels with a backspacing between 3.75" to 4". Backspacing outside this range will not work. Wheels this size will accomodate 31" tires with some trimming or heat-gun reshaping of the front plastic inner fender liners, and 32" tires if you remove all mudflaps and trim pieces on the fenders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 Yep, the difference in height is due to the tire size. The stock LE tire recommendation is 235/70R15 (or 28" diameter), while the SE uses 265/70R15 (29.6" diameter). Also, the LE has a higher final drive ratio of 4.363:1 (i.e. the ring and pinion gears in the front/rear differentials), so the engine has to work harder to spin larger tires. The SE's ratio is 4.636:1, which is 6% lower, and is a better ratio to handle larger tires. Finally, the stock "luxury spoke" alloy wheels on the LE are 15x6.5", which are too narrow to fit 31x10.50R15 tires. The 15x7 wheels on the SE can accomodate 31" tires OK, though. The largest tire I would recommend on the stock wheels is 30x9.50R15. If you're willing to replace the wheels because you really want 31's, and you think you might eventually want to try 32's, then I suggest 15x8 wheels with a backspacing between 3.75" to 4". Backspacing outside this range will not work. Wheels this size will accomodate 31" tires with some trimming or heat-gun reshaping of the front plastic inner fender liners, and 32" tires if you remove all mudflaps and trim pieces on the fenders. OK... so basically, unless I want to get new wheels and do a bunch of mods, I should just go with 30x9.50R15? Is that the gist of it? If so, is the gearing of the LE enough to handle the 30's? WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) Well, the gist of it is if you want to do absolutely nothing more than replace the tires, get 30x9.50R15. That tire size won't be noticeable with the stock LE gearing. However, if your budget allows the purchase of new wheels, "bunch of mods" isn't really that big a deal. If you have a hairdryer, you should be able to heat up the plastic fender liners to reshape them to prevent rubbing when you steer full right or left. And it's just a few screws to remove the mudflaps. Edited October 30, 2009 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 Well, the gist of it is if you want to do absolutely nothing more than replace the tires, get 30x9.50R15. That tire size won't be noticeable with the stock LE gearing. However, if your budget allows the purchase of new wheels, "bunch of mods" isn't really that big a deal. If you have a hairdryer, you should be able to heat up the plastic fender liners to reshape them to prevent rubbing when you steer full right or left. And it's just a few screws to remove the mudflaps. Right... that's fine. I just wanted to understand what my options were. I don't mind the mods as much as having to buy new wheels as well. Thanks for all the info. You've been very helpful. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Yep, the difference in height is due to the tire size. The stock LE tire recommendation is 235/70R15 (or 28" diameter), while the SE uses 265/70R15 (29.6" diameter). Also, the LE has a higher final drive ratio of 4.363:1 (i.e. the ring and pinion gears in the front/rear differentials), so the engine has to work harder to spin larger tires. The SE's ratio is 4.636:1, which is 6% lower, and is a better ratio to handle larger tires. Finally, the stock "luxury spoke" alloy wheels on the LE are 15x6.5", which are too narrow to fit 31x10.50R15 tires. The 15x7 wheels on the SE can accomodate 31" tires OK, though. The largest tire I would recommend on the stock wheels is 30x9.50R15. If you're willing to replace the wheels because you really want 31's, and you think you might eventually want to try 32's, then I suggest 15x8 wheels with a backspacing between 3.75" to 4". Backspacing outside this range will not work. Wheels this size will accomodate 31" tires with some trimming or heat-gun reshaping of the front plastic inner fender liners, and 32" tires if you remove all mudflaps and trim pieces on the fenders. I thought the gearing was different between auto's and manuals? Not models...Hmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Depending on what wheels are acceptable to you, summit racing had/has black steel wheels on sale for $40 each with a $15 handling charge. 5 rims to your door for under $220... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I thought the gearing was different between auto's and manuals? Not models...Hmm.... If you want to try to find rhyme or reason to the gearing, well, I already tried that for the WD21... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20182&view=&hl=gear&fromsearch=1 B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Well as far as W/D21s go, their is no trend for the 4.3/4.6, as alot of poeple said auot with both. but i've seen only auto R50's with the 4.6 and manuals with the 4.3's...but thats just what I have seen. Sorry to go off topic...well, not too far off since the OP did mention gears...right? Jose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Well as far as W/D21s go, their is no trend for the 4.3/4.6, as alot of poeple said auot with both. but i've seen only auto R50's with the 4.6 and manuals with the 4.3's...but thats just what I have seen. Sorry to go off topic...well, not too far off since the OP did mention gears...right? Jose No, that's not off-topic at all. By all means... if I might have the 4.6 gearing (because mine is auto), then I'd like to know that, because that will factor into which tires I can go with. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 I checked the panel on mine, and it said HG43, so it looks like XPLOR was right. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 OK, so I found some used 30x9.5x15's locally on craigslist for pretty cheap. They had a ton of tread left on them, so I thought it was a pretty good deal. At first, the shop I took it to actually told me that the tires weren't gonna fit. They had it up on the jack and put a new one up to the existing tire and the guy thought there was no way it would fit. I had already bought them (mainly because everyone here said that they would fit ), so I told him to just try one tire and if it didn't fit, I would pay him for just the one mount/unmount. So anyway, he gets it on and says it barely fit, so that was a crisis averted. Anyway, the truck looks much nicer now that it's not on such tiny tires. Here's a pic: So now, I only have two concerns... 1) The guy I bought them from said he couldn't find the load/speed rating on the tires, so I didn't know what it was until I got there. It's a 104Q. Now, my first thought was that 104 wasn't enough of a load rating, but it ends up that the previous tires were 102S, so I guess 104 is fine. The tires are Load Range C, which also seems like enough for this vehicle. Correct me if I'm wrong. I guess the only issue might be the speed rating. Q is pretty low, so I guess that means I have to keep my highway speeds down. Not like I was gonna go 100, but still... 80mph might be a little too much for these things. 2) The tires rub when I turn hard right (but not hard left). We checked this out and found out it's because of a piece that sticks out on the inside of the fender well on the right side (this same piece doesn't exist on the left side). Here's a pic of that (the rub occurs where the red dot is)... So, can anyone tell me what would need to be done to mod that so the tire doesn't rub any more? Should I flatten it or remove it entirely or...? Thanks for any input. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Don't personally know about R50s but does it really do anything? If not, ditch it, if so try to flatten it down some... I know I saw hair driedr mensioned in here, should heat it up enough to make it work (guessign it's plastic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finder98 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I know that this is a bit late but I have a 98 LE and befor I put my lift on I had 31x10.5x15 tires on the stock rims for about 4 years with no problems just a little rubbing. They are the exact same rims you have on your pathfinder now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Those tires look great for being used! That little metal panel protects some hard lines...most R50's with larger tires on stock wheels rub here...don't sweat it. Eventually this piece will be buffed to a nice polished finish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 That little metal panel protects some hard lines... OK... so I take it that means I shouldn't even try to mod it, eh. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike9 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I just put 31x10.5x15 BFG AT's with Cragar 15x8 black steel wheels on my wife's 98 LE with stock suspension (OME on order). There is only very minor rubbing - mostly in reverse. One problem though - my wife hates the wheels/tires because they look too "rugged". She misses the nice alloy wheels. I think I'm going to put a set of 30x9.5x15 tires on the stock wheels and sell the BFG's and Cragars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 (edited) Yeah, don't mod that protective cover. The fuel and brake lines are beneath it! I would not worry about the rubbing on that cover, since it's not often that you drive with the wheels fully turned right. If you are concerned with the rubbing, just back off on the steering wheel input a little. Something you might find interesting is that the 96-99 LE has a steering rack which allows for a tighter turning radius. SE's and XE's have steering racks which don't allow the tires to turn as sharply, so ironically on those models you won't get as much, if any, rubbing on that plate. Here's what mine looks like with 32x11.50R15 tires on 15x8 wheels, after 160,000 miles: Edited November 2, 2009 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 OK. I guess I'll just leave it then. Don't wanna mess with fuel lines. So how about that load and speed rating? Does that seem fine? WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATYF Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Btw, thanks for all the input everyone. I'm really happy with the lift I got from these tires, and they seem to be working out just fine. I'll be taking them off road this coming Saturday, so we'll see how they work in a real-world scenario. WATYF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavefromOZ Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I just put 31x10.5x15 BFG AT's with Cragar 15x8 black steel wheels on my wife's 98 LE with stock suspension (OME on order). There is only very minor rubbing - mostly in reverse. One problem though - my wife hates the wheels/tires because they look too "rugged". She misses the nice alloy wheels. I think I'm going to put a set of 30x9.5x15 tires on the stock wheels and sell the BFG's and Cragars. Get some 30" H/T's for the stock rims for every day use, but keep the 31's for when you go wheeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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