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Regearing my R50


drewp29
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Alright, I think it is time to seriously start looking at options for my slowly failing rear differential. When I bought the truck it had a weird groaning noise coming from the rear diff, so I drained the fluid and there was A LOT of metal in the old fluid.

 

So I started looking at purchasing a used 3rd member and swapping it out. I have the LSD diff, and wanted to stay with the LSD. After reading Laxman's thread on building the rear LSD so the break away torque is much higher I thought I would go that route.

 

Then I lifted and put 32s on...

 

Well, I have the 3.363 gearing and I noticed that low end torque suffered a bit from the heavier tires. So now I am thinking about regearing to the 3.636 gear ratio.

 

In my research I came across this OLD thread discussing swapping out for an Xterra front and rear differential:

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/17476-lsd-diff-wanted/

 

So, my question is: Are the Xterra front and rear diff really just a bolt on application? And if they are, do you HAVE to use 2002-2004 Xterra parts, or can the 2000-2001 parts be used?

 

The reason for wanting the 2000-2001 differentials is the LSD in those models had a MUCH higher break away torque of I think 168-184 ft-lbs. The 02-04 had roughly the equivalent of what I currently have, which might as well not even be called a LSD.

 

Any help on this is much appreciated. Thanks!

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Or would it be better to just purchase a third member and front diff from a 3.636 geared Pathy and just replace half the friction discs with friction plates as in this thread:

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/28801-97-lsd-rebuild-to-94-specs/?hl=differential

 

Basically Laxman's rebuild but not with the Desert Runner differential, since those are stupid hard to find.

 

edit: Oh, and the Xterra breakaway torque is 138-180ft-lbs, which is still miles better than the one I have

Edited by drewp29
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Have you checked in to the possibility of using these?

 

Rugged Rocks - Gears

 

I'm close to being in the same boat as you (my LSD is practically useless and I'm quite under-geared for my tires), so I'll be watching this thread (and I will PM you if I ever get off my duff and do something this winter).

 

 

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Have you checked in to the possibility of using these?

 

Rugged Rocks - Gears

 

I'm close to being in the same boat as you (my LSD is practically useless and I'm quite under-geared for my tires), so I'll be watching this thread (and I will PM you if I ever get off my duff and do something this winter).

 

 

 

Those look nice, but 900 bones for the set! Plus I would still need to figure out the rear differential situation - that gets pricey pretty quick.

 

I was hoping to figure out a way to increase the breakaway torque and regear without killing the budget too much. Nice find though, I hadn't seen that option before!

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...

Have any of you re geared yet? I'm New to the forum. My brother has a lifted F-150. He's re geared, and has a better differential.

 

With all of us with our R50's being lifted, why hasn't this topic been more spoken about?

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I have an 01 with 32's and never honestly have had or noticed an issue with low power. It has the 3.36's too. When I did it i was worried and wanted to regear like my other lifted trucks, but unless I go SFD and get over 33's I'm not worried about it yet. I do want mechanical lockers if I ever do any gear or diff swap though.

 

I wonder if it's not brought up a lot because so many people had the 3.63's to start with.

Edited by LittleFR
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Note that the ratios in the R50 are 4.363 and 4.636 (not 3.xxx). Most newer R50's (with the 3.5L) come with 4.363 gears, I assume to help improve highway mpg with stock tires.

 

The highest ratio gears that can be installed on the R50 are 4.636:1. Front diffs from ONLY the R50 will fit the R50. This is because the front R200A diff on the R50 uses a reverse-cut ring and pinion. The simplest way to regear the R50 from 4.363 to 4.636 is to source a set of R50 diffs from a salvage yard.

 

My 97 LE originally came with 4.363 gears. After I installed 31" tires, I noticed a substantial drop in performance, so I installed a set of 4.636 gears. It involved simply removing the original front diff assembly and replacing it with the new one. The rear third member is also a very straightforward swap.

 

Edited by XPLORx4
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I'm sorry to be annoying, but I got to start somewhere. I want to go 32's, but would really love 33's. I got the AC 2" lift and got a 1inch front strut spacer. I know I'll have to cut, no problem.

 

If it's better to just get gears for both front and back from rugged rocks, that's what I'll do. I don't want a half ass build, if money has to be spent to do it right, that's what I want. To my knowledge my brothers truck for: wheels/tires, re-geared front/back $5,300 with his hook ups.

 

Do you guys have any suggestions for me on gearing?

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I'm sorry to be annoying, but I got to start somewhere. I want to go 32's, but would really love 33's. I got the AC 2" lift and got a 1inch front strut spacer. I know I'll have to cut, no problem.

 

If it's better to just get gears for both front and back from rugged rocks, that's what I'll do. I don't want a half ass build, if money has to be spent to do it right, that's what I want. To my knowledge my brothers truck for: wheels/tires, re-geared front/back $5,300 with his hook ups.

 

Do you guys have any suggestions for me on gearing?

 

I'm still on the stock tire size, but fingers crossed I'll be starting my sfd this weekend. Along with the AC lift coils and some cutting I'm looking to cram in 35s, or maybe 33s if it ends up being really tight. My plan is to see how it drives and go from there. I'm like you in the sense that I'd rather buy new parts and do it right the first time if need be. The way I see it is I want the tire size, and I have acknowledged I may have to fork out more cash for a re-gear so it won't be a surprise or a pain if I end up having to. I'll be sure to post up how it goes for me and what I end up doing.

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Let me know how it goes! i wanted to do SFD and coils, but after reading all the crap I have to do SFD, I lost my will lol. I'm just gonna stick with coils and a front strut spacer to be leveled. I had the AC lift before and hated the rake, then found out about the spacer 😑.

 

Now, I'm going to put it all together, and if the back is still higher. I'm going to see what the OME spring in the back with 1.75" lift does. Asthetics, functionality, and reliability are important. I don't understand how everyone can lift their SUV, put bigger wheels, then not worry about gearing?

 

Like I said, I'm not too mechanically inclined, but when I see my brother and his buddies, which some have spent 10-15K on a lift to do it right. It makes me think.

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I don't understand how everyone can lift their SUV, put bigger wheels, then not worry about gearing?

 

It's not that we don't worry about regearing. We just accept the fact that regearing the R50 isn't possible in order to fully compensate for larger tires. We just deal with the lower performance.

 

Even with 32" tires, regearing from 4.36 to 4.63 isn't enough. We need 4.88's at least. The rugged rocks link mentioned earlier does not apply to the R50 R200A, which is unique across all other Nissan models. It works on the Hardbody-style rigs, the Xterra and Frontier.

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What about swapping in the diff from a wd21, or an xterra? The mounts should be similar. Then you can use all of the gear "options".

Unfortunately, the mounts are not similar. I can assure you that if they were, R50 owners would have figured this out 15 years ago.

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Also, there is a huge difference between the 3.3 and 3.5. I am running 4.36 with 33" and I don't feel like I lost alot of power with it.

 

3.5 FTW :happy:

 

Also I'm glad XPLORX4 caught my gear ratio mistake earlier.

 

I def have 4.36 gears and 32's not 3.36 it's stamped right on my firewall. Wish i had the 4.6 for towing but DD I don't notice the tires and in 4Low i could get out and walk beside it so no torque issues there.

Edited by LittleFR
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Basically, Chip510, your only option for re-gearing is from 4.363 to 4.636 because there are no other ring/pinion gear ratios that fit in the R50 R200A front diff. I don't know why Nissan made the R50 so dang unique (ie. hard to modify).

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It's not that we don't worry about regearing. We just accept the fact that regearing the R50 isn't possible in order to fully compensate for larger tires. We just deal with the lower performance.

 

Even with 32" tires, regearing from 4.36 to 4.63 isn't enough. We need 4.88's at least. The rugged rocks link mentioned earlier does not apply to the R50 R200A, which is unique across all other Nissan models. It works on the Hardbody-style rigs, the Xterra and Frontier.

 

In your opinion, is it worth the extra expense to go to 4.63 on a 3.5L? Currently have the stock 4.3, I believe. Will be doing lift to run 32's/33's. Thanks.

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The 3.5L is fine without re-gearing, but it's worth it to me, especially if you're planning any other traction upgrade. If you wheel often enough, any improvement in gearing helps the bottom line, especially for the low cost of used diffs.

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