Fairly new here, what do you all usually do for more power?

[IveFoundThePath]

I have a 96 pathfinder 4x4 and have recently replaced the shocks/struts and control arm (I had a horrible wobble when driving) and I currently are running stock 15" rims with wrangler authority 31x10.50r15lt

 

The truck is pretty much stock but drives really well and has been very reliable. I live in S.Texas off the Gulf Coast and have been taking my truck out to the beach to do some off-roading in the dunes and sand. For the most part, its pretty fun and the 4x4 works pretty good but my only issue is the power, or lack there of. Ive noticed when in some deep soft sand in 4h while in 2nd or any gear above, it seems to fall flat on its face. Meaning, lose power rather quickly to where it feels like it wants to die. I have to slow down and pop it in 1st gear to get enough power to make it out of the soft sand.

 

I tried looking around locally and online for any electronic power adders like BullyDog or SuperChips but so far have been unsuccessful. So my question is what are the rest of you guys doing for additional power? Ive seen tons of pics of modded r50's going through some pretty hairy terrain and would like to be able to do that too.

 

Thanks in advance guys!

[XPLORx4]

How fast are you driving on the sand? If under 40mph, try using 4L instead of 4H. The powertrain has more torque in 4L.

[IveFoundThePath]

its way under 40 and for the most part its very soft sand. I thought 4H was the more common gear when offroading and 4L was to get out of those sticky situations. Ive used 4L when the sand was way too soft and the incline was too steep to manage in 4H.

[kdj]

If you try "horse power" is search you'll find some reading. I found the best way was to get a 2003 3.5 with 240 HP.

[CDN_S4]

Unfortunately there aren't any bolt on power gainers. You can play around a little bit with custom cold air intakes and better flowing mufflers, but it will be marginal. As mentioned above the only real power gains require MASSIVE projects, like engine swapping, turbo or supercharging like the 3.3 Xterra. So either buy one with the 3.5 or an Xterra or learn to live with the fact that these things don't make a lot of power. That being said, mine is severely overweight, and other than on the highway, I have never felt it had insufficient power to do what I needed it to do. Including recovering a boat with a hull half full of water uphill on a sandy slope.

[IveFoundThePath]

Thanx for all the info... What is this pop charger I hear about? Is that the same as a CAI or KN Cone Filter. Im extremely familiar with CAI's from my import cars in the past but have never heard of a pop charger.

 

[colinnwn]

The JWT Pop Charger http://www.jimwolftechnology.com/ is just an oil gauze cone air intake filter replacement for the standard panel paper filter. It is supposedly less restrictive and smooths the flow of air into the intake a little bit.

 

I had one on my Maxima, it made a very small but noticeable difference, not really at low RPMs though, it was more mid to high. Haven't felt like it was worth doing to my Pathfinder. It will work fine on the coarse sand of the Gulf Coast. But if you live in an area that has very fine dust, I've heard that they do tend to let that through more than paper filters. There is a reason they are less restrictive.

 

My 2001 has the 3.5. I liked it much better than the 3.3 when I was shopping for mine several years ago. But none of these engines make monster torque at low RPM. That's why you got to keep it in first longer or use 4L as suggested above. Don't be afraid of the RPM! Japanese engines just expect to operate a little differently than Americans used to Detroit engines operate.

Edited March 5, 2016 by colinnwn