Originally posted by jadcock I just put mine to just about centered between the stops now, with the new low profile upper stops (see details and pics here http://jadcock.oldsgmail.com/nissan/...ars/index.html). When I order the AC foam lowers and install them, I'll probably re-center everything between them then, since the foam ones are a bit taller than stock. I figure I'll then be about an inch taller than factory height probably, with improved suspension travel and isolation (with that foam lower) and room for 31" tires when the current ones wear out.
Mine is still higher in the adjustment. Its slightly less than centered with the taller soft AC bumpstops. It sits 1/2-3/4" from the top low profile bump stop.
I put the remote shock in-cabin adjusting kit in today. The suspension is amazing. Even on full soft, it still corners well and doesnt float. Up to level 4 its totaly plush. I can hit huge dips in the road at 50 mph and you bairly feel them.
The on fly adjustment is cool and the range is much greater than the stock SE shocks where you can bairly feel a difference.
Mike
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Originally posted by morepower2 Mine is still higher in the adjustment. Its slightly less than centered with the taller soft AC bumpstops. It sits 1/2-3/4" from the top low profile bump stop.
I put the remote shock in-cabin adjusting kit in today. The suspension is amazing. Even on full soft, it still corners well and doesnt float. Up to level 4 its totaly plush. I can hit huge dips in the road at 50 mph and you bairly feel them.
I'll re-center mine after I get the new AC lower stops. Maybe I'll even put it a bit higher, like yours, to within about 3/4" from the top stop. Do you have the same upper stop that I have? I saw both "ultra low profile" and "low profile". Mine are the "low profile" ones...the only ones Pep Boys had in stock. If I wanted the "ultra" ones, I'd have to mail order those I guess.
I'll take mine out for a ride today to see if I can feel any differences. It may have been bottoming before and I just didn't realize it, and that may have been the harshness. I'll see. I think my ultimate "fix" would be the 9000 shocks, though. That'll have to wait a while. I think I'd purchase my 31" tires first (mainly to get the aggressive tread pattern I think I want).
So many cool things for the truck + wife = not much money for cool things for the truck.
Originally posted by jadcock I'll re-center mine after I get the new AC lower stops. Maybe I'll even put it a bit higher, like yours, to within about 3/4" from the top stop. Do you have the same upper stop that I have? I saw both "ultra low profile" and "low profile". Mine are the "low profile" ones...the only ones Pep Boys had in stock. If I wanted the "ultra" ones, I'd have to mail order those I guess.
I'll take mine out for a ride today to see if I can feel any differences. It may have been bottoming before and I just didn't realize it, and that may have been the harshness. I'll see. I think my ultimate "fix" would be the 9000 shocks, though. That'll have to wait a while. I think I'd purchase my 31" tires first (mainly to get the aggressive tread pattern I think I want).
So many cool things for the truck + wife = not much money for cool things for the truck.
I am using the low profile uppers and from the pictures mine look identical to yours except the color, mine are red. Man are those things a bitch to get out!
You can make the 9000's really stiff but there is no float even on full soft. I wonder if your 5000 are blown out or bad somehow. My buddy has 5000's on his Pathfinder and they seem to work well. His setup is nearly identical to mine other than the shocks.
I bet you were bottoming. Yours should ride even softer than mine with the softer torsion bars.
Mike
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Mike, actually, I think the ride is indeed better. I can't believe it was bottoming before, but I can't explain the better ride after the adjustment any other way. The ride even feels more controlled now. I wonder if I was wearing a "soft" spot into the shocks and now they're stiffer now that I'm out of that range. Or maybe the truck is now closer to designed ride and the shocks work better here?
I thought the original Monroes were bad when I had them. The ride was bouncier with them than with the original Nissan shocks I took off it. I completely removed them and was shocked (pun intended) to find the ride wasn't that much different. The Ranchos made a big difference in the ride, but it still wasn't what I would have expected with Ranchos. I always imagined them as real "stiff off-roading shocks", but after studying their advertising and packaging literature, it appears that they're designed similar to the Monroe Sensa-Traks, that is they have a softer spot right near curb height for a "smooth" ride on the highway, then getting progressively stiffer as travel increases. The result of this, on my Nissan anyway, seems to be not enough resistance at normal highway ride. Seems a "linear" shock is what I need, if I were to change out shocks AGAIN (I don't plan to). Stiffer is a must, adjustability is a plus. Easy choice: Rancho 9000.
Again, adjusting the ride height up yesterday seemed to help the "problem". I'd love to get new torsion bars, though. Yours are newer than stock (not sagging) and are stronger than stock, so they're not tensioned nearly as much as my stock softer sagging bars are (really cranked just to achieve stock height). I think my ride would improve considerably with stronger bars (or at least NEW stock bars).
Again, next move in the near future is the AC foam stops (and adjusting the ride accordingly). Long term is 31" tires, either Michelin, BFG, or Bridgestone. Will cross that bridge when I get there. I don't plan a lift, certainly not before I get a few other things squared away first (like fixing some rust, replacing a ball joint or two in the front end). I also want to install a steering solution (Calmini, SLR, etc) before I lift too much further.
First off, way to go doing a build up on a Pathfinder Ive never seen or heard of one being done so this is great news.
Now my question is why dont you go with a engine swap from a 2001-2003 Pathfinder? Wouldnt this be the better route to go or is it to expensive? Or is the new engine not as good as the 95 engine?
First off, way to go doing a build up on a Pathfinder Ive never seen or heard of one being done so this is great news.
Now my question is why dont you go with a engine swap from a 2001-2003 Pathfinder? Wouldnt this be the better route to go or is it to expensive? Or is the new engine not as good as the 95 engine?
Thanks and good luck
Nicholas
It is a good motor but its not a direct bolt on and the motors are expensive. This is a quick and simple project car thats just intended as my tow vehicle, fun hauler, not a ultimate project car.
Mike
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Do you guys like the current way I am going things to the suspension, like heavy duty mild off road, good on road, or would you like to eventualy see something more radical, like a 13" travel prerunner sort of thing.
More suspension work is coming as is motor mods and a complete 240 hp motor build up.
Mike
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Do you guys like the current way I am going things to the suspension, like heavy duty mild off road, good on road, or would you like to eventualy see something more radical, like a 13" travel prerunner sort of thing.
More suspension work is coming as is motor mods and a complete 240 hp motor build up.
Mike
I am in for anything.. I highly reccomend the AC (4x4parts.com) polys in the suspension... I also have there 2inch coils. But I know your not interested in lift.
Thanks,
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Barry
1993 King Cab SE 4wd- SAS, 35s + stuff
1992 Pathfinder SE 4wd - SAS 33s + stuff
2004 Quest SE
I am in for anything.. I highly reccomend the AC (4x4parts.com) polys in the suspension... I also have there 2inch coils. But I know your not interested in lift.
Thanks,
Allready have that stuff, looks in the december issue of NPM! You must have read my mind!
Mike
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Mike, actually, I think the ride is indeed better. I can't believe it was bottoming before, but I can't explain the better ride after the adjustment any other way. The ride even feels more controlled now. I wonder if I was wearing a "soft" spot into the shocks and now they're stiffer now that I'm out of that range. Or maybe the truck is now closer to designed ride and the shocks work better here?
I thought the original Monroes were bad when I had them. The ride was bouncier with them than with the original Nissan shocks I took off it. I completely removed them and was shocked (pun intended) to find the ride wasn't that much different. The Ranchos made a big difference in the ride, but it still wasn't what I would have expected with Ranchos. I always imagined them as real "stiff off-roading shocks", but after studying their advertising and packaging literature, it appears that they're designed similar to the Monroe Sensa-Traks, that is they have a softer spot right near curb height for a "smooth" ride on the highway, then getting progressively stiffer as travel increases. The result of this, on my Nissan anyway, seems to be not enough resistance at normal highway ride. Seems a "linear" shock is what I need, if I were to change out shocks AGAIN (I don't plan to). Stiffer is a must, adjustability is a plus. Easy choice: Rancho 9000.
Thanks for your help on this...
Jason,
The only shocks that have position senstive damping are some of the true off road racing shocks like bilstien and king racing series shocks with external bleeds. The sense a tracks and 5000's simply have whats called a blow off valve that lets the shock respond better to sharp hits. Actualy a lot of shocks have this nowdays.
I figured out why the RSX 9000's fell so much better than the 5000's, I called up one of my buddies who is an engineer at Tennico (the companmy that makes Rancho) and he said the 9000's have a new type of valve they call an ASD valve. Basicaly it works on inertia moving a weighted valve that is held up on springs. When you hit a bump, the sharp impact causes the valve to open and allow a lot of oil flow and the shock is free to move and respond to a bump. A sharp bump makes the shock body move fast but the weighted valve on springs wants to stay in the same spot so the shock body moves in relationship to the valve. This exposes a bleed orface and lets more oil flow. Lean in turns, big dips and dive under braking are slower movements and the valve stays shut giving much more damping and control in turns and under braking.
So the shock can be valved really stiff to handle big dips, dive and roll under cornering but the ASD valve opens when sharp bumps like railroad tracks and potholes are hit so the ride can be smooth. The ASD valve works a lot faster and to a bigger extreame than the old style blow off valves.
Mike
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Mike, thanks for the info update on the Rancho shocks. I agree that the 9000 series shocks are leaps and bounds better than the 5000s. Dad had a set on his F-550 and liked them a lot. If I ever have to replace the rears (I'm happy with the Monroes now I think), I'll put 9000s on there. Fronts will have to wait a while until I can justify new ones...just put the 5000s on there.
I sent somebody an email about the project a little while ago...and now I notice this thread. Oh well.
I have about ~8" travel up front, but all I did was let the tire come up further into the well. Any more down travel and I'd be breaking CVs offroad.
I got some Rancho 9000s(not 9000x...mine are just 5-way adj) in the back and I like them alot. They are longer than stock cause I was maxing out the stock ones.
My front chocks are the stock adjustable ones and they are about dead. I'll probably buy stock length 5000s or RSX soon.
I can't wait to see the engine mods you're doing. I've always wanted to adapt some Z31 VG30E parts to mine, but I'll see how yours does first. What kinda TB are you going to use?
I sent somebody an email about the project a little while ago...and now I notice this thread. Oh well.
I have about ~8" travel up front, but all I did was let the tire come up further into the well. Any more down travel and I'd be breaking CVs offroad.
I got some Rancho 9000s(not 9000x...mine are just 5-way adj) in the back and I like them alot. They are longer than stock cause I was maxing out the stock ones.
My front chocks are the stock adjustable ones and they are about dead. I'll probably buy stock length 5000s or RSX soon.
I can't wait to see the engine mods you're doing. I've always wanted to adapt some Z31 VG30E parts to mine, but I'll see how yours does first. What kinda TB are you going to use?
Basicaly the Z31 parts are no better than the Pathfinder stuff. I am proably going to use a bored out stock throttle body or maybe a 240SX one, 60mm.
Mike
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Just gotta say that I love my 95 Pathfinder. Nothing besides routine maintenance and I'm at 105k....well, so far. I think I need new front lower ball joints.
Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting the engine segment of your project. Mainly b/c the ONLY problem for me with this vehicle is that it's underpowered. OK, well, the steering is getting worse too.
Also, can you give cost estimates for the work that you're doing? At least parts cost would be nice. I've been trying to get ahold of those wheels and am having a hard time. Can I do the same thing with 15"x8.5?
Just gotta say that I love my 95 Pathfinder. Nothing besides routine maintenance and I'm at 105k....well, so far. I think I need new front lower ball joints.
Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting the engine segment of your project. Mainly b/c the ONLY problem for me with this vehicle is that it's underpowered. OK, well, the steering is getting worse too.
Also, can you give cost estimates for the work that you're doing? At least parts cost would be nice. I've been trying to get ahold of those wheels and am having a hard time. Can I do the same thing with 15"x8.5?
Thanks and good luck!
Dweeg
Call Eddie Lee at Mackin Industries and he can direct you to your closest dealer. 562 946-6820 ex 115
The parts cost can be obtained by calling the dealers for the parts or visitingtheir websights.
Mike
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Linear Mode
