tkpath Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 01 SE/Man Trans. Dueler HT's with 17k miles on them. The rear end in this car loves to slide out. Even today, little snow .. being extra careful, the back end can't wait to get a better view. Is it me (I know, leaving myself wide open), tires .. car? I don't have a lot of experience with the Path. Thanks for your thoughts, suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96pfinderSE Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 Seems like the tires dont like the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 I had Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts before (different truck) and they were GREAT. Supposedly there was no A/T tire that fit the Path when I replaced prior tires .. so went with the H/Ts. I'm thinking that's it .. and thinking also of how many miles I'll put on these H/Ts this Spring/Summer/Fall so I can get new tires(!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edta1 Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 Yup...I get a lot of sliding of the postier too. It is a combination of both really car and tires I think. It is a rear wheel drive vehicle if you are not in 4wd. Since all the weight is in the front, there is a lot less friction (grip) for the tires in the back. There is a lot of snow where I live right now, so I'm finding myself shifting into 4wd a lot lately. At least my rear end is firmly planted Before I got new tires, I was slipping everywhere even in rain. Now that I got new tires, my rear end doesn't slip anymore. Make sure your tires are M+S rated. Then again, my old tires were M+S rated and I was all over the road once it got wet. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 Ok EDTA.. what tires did you get that kept you firmly planted? Thanks for the reply ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 I live down here in the south and we don’t get snow, we get ice. Last month we had a bad ice storm; it was so bad you could skate on it. Unfortunately a lot of people decided to use their automobiles and not there skates. I found myself stuck in it on the way home from work with my M/T 2 Wheel Driver PF. This was the first time I experienced this since I bought my PF new in 2001, because we don’t get a lot of weather like this down here. I found the same problem with the rear end wanting to try and work its way around. Fortunately I upgrade to a set of BF Goodwrench All-terrain T/A’s last year, and with a good set of tire, starting out slow in second gear, I found my self making it up hills where 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokees could not. In the rain I almost have do problems, but before I got my T/A's I was sliding all over the place on those stock tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 Trialsin26 (there are 25 others?): Thanks. Are you and SE or LE? What size A/Ts do you have .. and are those stock rims? I had a hard time finding A/Ts (that a tire deal would put on) when I looked in 03. I found it funny that so many A/T tires would not 'fit' the Path .. given that it's advertised as an off road truck. Could be that's all the dealer had but I do recall Tire Rack having a very limited choice in that type of tire for the Path SE/stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 (edited) I have a SE and yes it's on stock rims. The stock tire size was P255/65 R16 106 S and the A/T's I have are LT 225/75 R16 110/107 Q M and S. They fit fine but a little more narrow then stock. Once these run their life I'm getting a set of Rock Crawler Rims and a little wider tire. Edited January 23, 2005 by Trialsin26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 Just bought 16x7 rockcrawler rims (decent rims but don't expect it to be finished well) Put Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos on them (245/75/16) They grip like mad but I have now gone from 16/17 mpg to around 13 mpg. These are THE best AT tires followed by the BFG ATs. That size is a bit tall and runs when turning and reversing at the same time but it doesn't hurt anything. I'm sure it'll stop when the tires wear down a bit. I've looked at where they rub and it is of no concern at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 If you're driving in snow, lower the air pressure in your tires. Driving on snow with full pressure makes the tires slip very easily. Lowering them to 26 or less will give you a LOT more traction. Just remember they're low if you get on the freeway and it's been cleared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abomb1 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I have Bridgestone Dueler AT's on my 01 Manual Transmission SE right now. They are 245/70R16's, so I think they are one size smaller than stock. They were on the vehicle when I bought it in October though, so I've left them alone so far. They do very well in the packed snow/ice, but as others have said, I've heard the Revos are better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edta1 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Ok EDTA.. what tires did you get that kept you firmly planted? Thanks for the reply ... Sorry, I don't what tires I got. They were by Continental though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 Thanks everyone. Checking/lowering the tire pressure is a good suggestion. I may throw a couple of bags of sand in the back for the winter (weight) as well. For those of you using Revos .. will those fit on stock rims? I noted some use Rock Crawler rims but I would like to stay with what I've got. (isn't this fun, in a few months, I'll be complaining about highway traction and noise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 my tires are at 13-15 psi right now. The rear only slides when i give'r and it's slushy out. No slippage on hardpack snow whatsoever. Just remeber to pump 'em back up if you go for a long drive on a dry highway, or it'll screw you for gas milage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herm Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I have 31x10.5 BFGs and they are great on snow, but in 2wd the rear is all over the place - that's not purely a tire issue, it's also a right-foot issue. Even in 4wd the Pathy will drift and slide under throttle, most vehicles will unless there is a computer controlled traction system. And what fun is that? Well, actually - my Subaru has that, and in many ways it is a LOT of fun. But in any driving condition it's key to know and respect both the vehicles driving limits, and the drivers. The Pathy will swap ends in a heartbeat on any slippery surface (dirt or snow) if you mash the throttle. That's not neccesarily a bad thing. The Suby has a zillion microprocessors which make it almost impossible to swap ends, but it's still just as easy to drift into a guardrail or worse. Snow is a great equalizer, and ice is the wildcard. Plus all those other idiots! skrillaguerilla - you run your tires at 13 psi on pavement? I rarely drop mine that low even on the beach. I'd be concerned driving over about 15 mph at that psi. For winter driving, on road, I never drop my pressure. Only for trail rides do I drop it, and even then I run at 18-20 psi. I save the 13 psi trick for getting (un)stuck as a last resort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 Herm, I do notice the end-swapping 'capabilities' of the car. And I agree that driving technique makes a big difference. What luck would I have adding some weight in the cargo area .. If you think it would be useful .. how much would make a different (couple of 50 lb bags of sand)?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01PathySE Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 The Dunlop Grandtreks on my 01 are SCARY in the snow/ice and also a little iffy on wet roads. I can barely move in 2wd when theres snow on the ground. I hope to upgrade to the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos soon size 255/70/16. These are as close to the stock size as I can get. They are just as wide, just about an inch or so taller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herm Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 It's hard to say for certain how much of a difference adding weight would make. It's a proven trick for snow, certainly a standard for 2wd trucks, so it can't hurt. But a full tank of gas adds significant wieght also, yet I can't 'feel' a difference between a full or an 1/8 tank. A few sand bags, or bird seed, wouldn't be a bad idea - but overall it might not be worth the effort. m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 That's a good point on the gas Herm. How much does a tank weigh? 20 gallons at ...Just a sec, I'll check the interent (I should know this having once been an AF pilot) ok around 6lbs so .. 120 lbs. That's a big diff between full and empty. Since that doesn't make a big difference, you'd probably need a lot more than 100 pounds to make a discernible difference. Hmmmmm. And god help you if it ever shifts. I'm thinking new tires and a lighter foot .. hard in a manual trans sometimes. Like I said, I've owned other SUVs .. but the Path, although a nice car, definitely loves to pivot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herm Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 If you really feel the pathy is that loose it may be a suspension issue - I mean the tires are one thing, certainly - that makes a huge difference. But when the front struts get soft (actually, they leak) they wreck havoc on the whole set-up, and maybe something like that could be exagerating the rear end traction, or lack of. Suspension issues creep up on us that way, because we adjust our style to the slow demise of the handling, and don't realise how much we're over-compensating. When I replaced the front struts at 70k miles it felt like a whole new car. m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 Herm, if I inspect the front struts, what am I looking for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosspbig Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 I would second the suggestion made earlier about putting some bags of sand in the back. not only does it help weigh down the extremly light rear end but it also provides you with a source of traction if you spread the sand out on an ice patch if you get stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herm Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 The struts will leak, and this seepage should be visible around the seal. Just cut the front wheels far right or left, and take a look. Maybe wipe a rag around the strut and see if you get some gunk. Once they begin leaking, they can't do thier job very well. Another 'test' is to play around slamming on the brakes and see how much front end dive you get. But without another, newer, pathy to compare this test can be a bit abstract. You could ask your dealer or mechanic to take a look next time you're in for service, that inspection is usually a freebie. It seems most of the R50 struts die a slow death between 70-90k miles. The favorite replacement is a KYB G2 gas strut - this is a thicker strut, and has a firmer ride. And they cost a bit less than factory Nissan. I ordered them from tirerack.com, but any local shop can get them as well. I had the Nissan dealer do the install, it was about $200 labor, and the struts were about $160/pair. There are some other parts to consider replacing as well, there is a strut mount with a plastic bearing in it that wears out. Factory Nissan is a fine replacement, these are about $35 each, and KYB sells one too. If you live in a muck-weather region, there are aftermarket rubber boots for the struts also, AC sells these, which will help the seals last longer. They are about $30/pair, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkpath Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 Thank you everyone for your responses and suggestions. I'll keep the tank filled, maybe not max out tire pressure, add a little weight to the back and drive a lot this year so I can get a set of dueler a/t's next year. Good to know I'm not crazy .. just a poor winter driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I found driving a 2wd pick up truck for 7 winters really taught me how to drive in the snow... this is my first winter in the pathy, and it's awesome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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