porsche4786 Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 (edited) So it's about time for some new tires for my 1990 pathfinder. And I was wanting to get some bigger tires. Currently it has 235/75/15. It has the chrome stock wheels, which I think are 5.5-6''. I was wondering if anybody knows the biggest tire that could fit on those. Or if I should just get some new wheels (i like the look of the american racing 767 wheels) and 31x10.5 tires. The truck is completely stock right now. I don't really do much off roading, but do go skiing often, possibly every weekend, and go into the forest roads to go shooting and it can get muddy/snowy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Edited October 28, 2010 by porsche4786 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 31x10.50 was a stock option. 767 wheels are good but http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/671000/10002/-1?CT=999 has some simar choices for less. 3.75-4" backspacing is what you want and 8" wide. For going to the snow or mid mud you encounter for shooting I reccomend a 1-1.5" lift to go with those tires. Use the search function here I think is OME (old man emu) rear springs for the lift and you just crank the t-bars and get an alignment for the front. I also recomend 1" longer shocks for the rear but its not a requirement for 1-1.5" lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 Thanks for the reply. I originally bought this truck for a daily driver, on the super cheap type vehicle. The rx-7 didn't really work well for hauling stuff and going shooting/skiing. I put new monroe shocks on it just a few months ago and didn't really want to spend a lot on this truck since it's not in the greatest condition, I will probably be getting a better one after this one dies (if it does). But at least the wheels come off easily and could go onto another pathfinder in the future. Would those jeg wheels with 31's rub with the stock height? I know some came with 31's stock and they had different wheels. I'll need tires pretty soon, the lift might have to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 Ok...just went to get a price on tires/wheels. They can do $930 for 31x10.50x15 hankook ATM with the 297 wheels (see below) in 15x7''. Or $810 with the stock pathfinder lego wheels, they would have to order either of the wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Get the Crager Soft 8s in 15x7 or 15x8 with 4" BS from Summit Racing. No tax and $12 to ship them all to your door... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 shivers... Get the Crager Soft 8s in 15x7 or 15x8 with 4" BS from Summit Racing. No tax and $12 to ship them all to your door... B I'd look into this route honestly if I were in your shoes... or scour craigslist for some high quality pre-owned wheels that are to your liking. And yea, you can shove a set of 31s under it since they are a stock size Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 (edited) rubbing really depends on tires and flares. Some 31's are actually ~31.5 or more, like my old 90's Laredo tires, are larger than others and will rub on tight turns and speed bumps. Hell they rubbed even when they were balder than slicks. Now my nokian 31's on the other hand are more like 30.5 x3 the on the craigar soft 8's very affordable. I will probably be getting a better one after this one dies (if it does). IF, is all realative the engines with an easy valve lifter swap at ~250k and regular maintence it will make it to 500k the rest depends on you. For example, If my 94 gets t-boned I will likely get another one. If my 89 gets t-boned I will likely park it untill I can make it road worthy again. There is no If it dies with my 89, I've had it too long. Edited October 13, 2010 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 rubbing really depends on tires and flares. Some 31's are actually ~31.5 or more, like my old 90's Laredo tires, are larger than others and will rub on tight turns and speed bumps. Hell they rubbed even when they were balder than slicks. Now my nokian 31's on the other hand are more like 30.5 x3 the on the craigar soft 8's very affordable. IF, is all realative the engines with an easy valve lifter swap at ~250k and regular maintence it will make it to 500k the rest depends on you. For example, If my 94 gets t-boned I will likely get another one. If my 89 gets t-boned I will likely park it untill I can make it road worthy again. There is no If it dies with my 89, I've had it too long. I know nissans will last forever, but this one is having a coolant loss problem. Nothing really points to a blown head gasket, and I've found a few small coolant leaks since I got the truck and fixed them. My guess is that it's got a very small crack in the block, a very small crack. Because if I keep the engine nice and warm (like driving a long distance on the highway) it doesn't loose much/if any of any coolant. But driving around town stop and go quick errands and to work when you turn it off and on it will lose a lot more. I'd say I have to fill the overflow at least once a week. I've tried almost everything to find the leak and can't, so it must be something to do with the head. Unfortunately I've had this problem ever since I got the truck about 8 or 9 thousand miles ago. And it appears to have been abused. There was soo much sludge in the valve covers it was disgusting. No external coolant leaks that I can find, it's parked in a garage and nothing on the floor. The last leak was a pin hole in a small hose at the rear left of the engine, when water came out of it the water would evaporate really fast because it's soo hot, so that leak was hard to find. I did run a cleaner thru my system last weekend and hooked a garden hose up to it and gave it a good flushing. So the coolant loss soo far this week could be from air, we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 28, 2010 Author Share Posted October 28, 2010 I got the wheels and tires installed yesterday, it rubbed on the front plastic lip and the mud flap bracket and slightly on the mudflap itself when turned. I raised the front up last night. And trimmed the lip/removed the mud flaps in the front this morning. It's kinda close to the ends of the fender when turned just before lock in both directions, but I don't think it will hit. Now I need to get springs for the rear. Will get an alignment very soon. I will also need to get chains for the mountain, but it looks like they will have to go on the rear. The shop that did the wheel/tire install was out of black lug nuts so they put chromed ones on and said they would have a box of them for me today to pickup. Not sure which to use. But I'll need a locking nut set too I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 is that an SE without a tire carrier? weird! Wheels and tires look slick man! I like it a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 28, 2010 Author Share Posted October 28, 2010 is that an SE without a tire carrier? weird! Wheels and tires look slick man! I like it a lot! Yeah, tire is inside, which is nice to not have the carrier when opening and closing the rear a lot, but takes a heck of a lot of room! And a 31'' spare won't fit inside. I'd put a spare on a rack on top but then it wouldn't fit thru my garage door. I really need to paint those drum housings...gross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Looks good!! So what rims did you wind up getting, how much, and where?? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 And a 31'' spare won't fit inside. Factory internal rack? I've had a 31" on a steelies spare wheel, a 31" on a lego, and even a 32"(all be it a bit thin on tread) on an aftermarket 8"wide wheel mounted on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Looks good!! So what rims did you wind up getting, how much, and where?? B I just got the off brand "unique" from americas tire co, the wheels are made in the USA, so I figured what the heck. I got hankook atm tires. Everything was $832 installed, and I get to pick up a set of black lug nuts tomorrow at no charge. Factory internal rack? I've had a 31" on a steelies spare wheel, a 31" on a lego, and even a 32"(all be it a bit thin on tread) on an aftermarket 8"wide wheel mounted on it Well then, I'll have to give it a shot and see. If they do fit then I'll get a spare. I went to firestone complete auto care to get an alignment tonight, (i don't trust les schwab anymore, they couldn't get my alignment correct twice in a row, and they didn't say anything was bent or broken or worn out) after an hour and a half they said that my pitman arm and idler arm were shot. Not sure why it took them soo long to tell me that. Then I call napa to find the parts and the guy said it was weird for me to have to replace them both. He said one of them ( can't remember if he said idler or pitman) was uncommon to replace unless it was broken or stretched. And recommends I go to a different alignment shop to get an honest opinion. So as of now, I guess I'll have to make an appt tomorrow and try to get in. Time to drive the RX-7 in the rain till I get this taken care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Then I call napa to find the parts and the guy said it was weird for me to have to replace them both. He said one of them ( can't remember if he said idler or pitman) was uncommon to replace unless it was broken or stretched. And recommends I go to a different alignment shop to get an honest opinion. So as of now, I guess I'll have to make an appt tomorrow and try to get in. Time to drive the RX-7 in the rain till I get this taken care of. HooRay for the Napa guy why gave you good advice. The Pitman arm goes from the steering box to the center link (which attaches to the tie rod end on that side and the idler arm and the other tie rod on the other end. The pitman arm can only bend (rare), break (extremely rare) or have the hole in it ovaled out (unusual). SOunds like someone was trying to work you, definitely get a second opinion. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 HooRay for the Napa guy why gave you good advice. The Pitman arm goes from the steering box to the center link (which attaches to the tie rod end on that side and the idler arm and the other tie rod on the other end. The pitman arm can only bend (rare), break (extremely rare) or have the hole in it ovaled out (unusual). SOunds like someone was trying to work you, definitely get a second opinion. B If it's just the bushing in the idler arm then that is an easy fix. Or can just replace the whole arm. There's no way I'll let them do the work for me. I've only let one place work on any of my cars, and it was my rx7, i got it back with broken bolts, missing parts, and reused gaskets (which blew). And that was from a recommended shop from a very reputable rotary engine re-builder (pineapple racing). I only take my stuff in for work that I don't have the expensive tools for. But this would make sense of why les schwab couldn't get my alignment correct (even thought they said they did). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 30, 2010 Author Share Posted October 30, 2010 If it's just the bushing in the idler arm then that is an easy fix. Or can just replace the whole arm. There's no way I'll let them do the work for me. I've only let one place work on any of my cars, and it was my rx7, i got it back with broken bolts, missing parts, and reused gaskets (which blew). And that was from a recommended shop from a very reputable rotary engine re-builder (pineapple racing). I only take my stuff in for work that I don't have the expensive tools for. But this would make sense of why les schwab couldn't get my alignment correct (even thought they said they did). How much movement between your pitman arm and your tie rod/relay rod are you supposed to have? I can barely see it move before the tie rod/relay rod move, the idler arm definitely needs replacement (and it's hanging there right now waiting for the puller in the morning). I'll try to make a video in the morning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 None. It is a taper fit designed to be snug. Generally speaking, any slop in the front end components is bad and has a cumulative negative effect on handling. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted October 30, 2010 Author Share Posted October 30, 2010 None. It is a taper fit designed to be snug. Generally speaking, any slop in the front end components is bad and has a cumulative negative effect on handling. B I replaced the idler arm and wheel bearings now. I grabbed the wheel at 9 and 3 and turned it a little side to side and the slop that used to be in the idler is gone. And on the drivers side, I looked at the steering wheel while doing this, and the steering wheel moved with the smallest movements. So I think the pitman arm is fine. I noticed that there are attachment points for a steering damper, which models came with the steering damper mounted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 It's an option, trim level independent, like almost every option available other than sunroof. Sounds like you have the front end back in shape... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 And the steering damper is a whole other debate as well. Some like it, some hate it, mainly because it will mask steering problems until they become REAL bad. I like the damper but when one of my tie rods started to get some play I never noticed till another member here and I were checking out his front end and checked mine for the hell of it. Holy crap that @!*% was loose! It is a matter of personal preference really. I would check your UCA bushings, tension rod bushings, and all other parts before installing one. I replaced those things and now I don't even feel the need for it. (truck doesn't follow the rutted highways and such) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmccallister Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 I know tire size questions are frowned at but I need to know if 31x11.5x15 will run ok on a stock pathfinder? I know 31.10.5x15 are fine however I have a chance to buy some that are 11.5 wide and need to know asap. Thanks phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porsche4786 Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 I know tire size questions are frowned at but I need to know if 31x11.5x15 will run ok on a stock pathfinder? I know 31.10.5x15 are fine however I have a chance to buy some that are 11.5 wide and need to know asap. Thanks phil Probably also depends on the wheels used, with the wheels I got (using the 31x10.5x15) I had to do some lifting of the front, trimming of the front spoiler/lip under the bumper, and remove front mud flaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 Pathy Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Yes, 31X11.5X15's will fit. I have that size of Swamppers on my Lego's & they work & opperate just fine. No rubbing or anything. Ur new wheels & tires are rubbing? Check the back spacing. I have some after markets rims that make the tires rub cause of back spacing issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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