wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Yeah I'll be interested to see if it makes a difference for me. I'll let you know.
That's a great point. I've never actually done that. I need to.
"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
Yeah I'll be interested to see if it makes a difference for me. I'll let you know.
That's a great point. I've never actually done that. I need to.
kootenay
Intergalacticsuperintendent
In the bike world recent tests have thrown out the theory that higher air pressures are more efficient. All of those bounces you feel are lost momentum. Running a lower pressure will allow the tire to deform around rocks and bumps without slowing you down. Obviously at some point the pressure becomes to low and generate extra heat, and that is lost momentum as well. The chalk test is always a great option.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Interesting! Great to know.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Small technical update: I recently installed new front brakes.
Fed up with my slightly wobbly rotors and crappy pads, so I got some new stuff for the front. My original plan was to go with EBC rotors and pads for the front, but after a lot of reading online, I opted against it. See, EBC Green Stuff pads are organic, which makes them bite pretty well, but they don't last very long and apparently dust like crazy. Some people reported getting as little as 20k out of them. That's not acceptable to me, so I started reading up on some other stuff. I had also decided against drilled or slotted rotors. Drilled rotors seem to have a tendency to crack under continuous heating and can have the holes fill up with small rocks and mud, and slotted rotors would give me trouble if I ever wanted someone to resurface them down the line. So that didn't seem like the best way to go for me.
Armed with this new information, I did a bit more digging. A new breakout favorite pad was the Raybestos EHT (Enhanced Hybrid Technology) brake pad. It's a hybrid of the semi-metallic and ceramic pad types, so you get the bite of semi-metallic and the heat resistance of ceramic. Cool. Plus, they have a GG heat rating, which means they're very good when they're hot. I did a lot of reading on them, and they have been given high praise, other than occasional extra noise for some people. Plus, they're only $44 on RockAuto. Hard to beat that. I opted to pair them with Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors. Not a lot to brag about here other than a really nice anti-rust coating and apparently metallurgy that makes them quieter. I guess. Either way, the fit and finish is great and the price was right at $90 for the pair.
I got the chance to install them a few days ago, and I am so pleased I did. The brake performance is definitely better! Stopping distance seems shorter and the brakes really do seem to bite better. Plus the slight wobble is completely gone. Very happy with the small upgrade.
Fed up with my slightly wobbly rotors and crappy pads, so I got some new stuff for the front. My original plan was to go with EBC rotors and pads for the front, but after a lot of reading online, I opted against it. See, EBC Green Stuff pads are organic, which makes them bite pretty well, but they don't last very long and apparently dust like crazy. Some people reported getting as little as 20k out of them. That's not acceptable to me, so I started reading up on some other stuff. I had also decided against drilled or slotted rotors. Drilled rotors seem to have a tendency to crack under continuous heating and can have the holes fill up with small rocks and mud, and slotted rotors would give me trouble if I ever wanted someone to resurface them down the line. So that didn't seem like the best way to go for me.
Armed with this new information, I did a bit more digging. A new breakout favorite pad was the Raybestos EHT (Enhanced Hybrid Technology) brake pad. It's a hybrid of the semi-metallic and ceramic pad types, so you get the bite of semi-metallic and the heat resistance of ceramic. Cool. Plus, they have a GG heat rating, which means they're very good when they're hot. I did a lot of reading on them, and they have been given high praise, other than occasional extra noise for some people. Plus, they're only $44 on RockAuto. Hard to beat that. I opted to pair them with Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors. Not a lot to brag about here other than a really nice anti-rust coating and apparently metallurgy that makes them quieter. I guess. Either way, the fit and finish is great and the price was right at $90 for the pair.
I got the chance to install them a few days ago, and I am so pleased I did. The brake performance is definitely better! Stopping distance seems shorter and the brakes really do seem to bite better. Plus the slight wobble is completely gone. Very happy with the small upgrade.
bijanjames
Adventurer
New brakes are always nice.
stioc
Expedition Leader
I loved the EBC brakes on my motorcycles but I made the mistake of trying them on the Pathfinder...here's what it says on the first page of my build thread:
- EBC high perf SUV brake pads - removed (they sucked!)
Replaced with the Hawk pads...much better. But with all the extra weight we carry around most stock brakes feel undersized.
- EBC high perf SUV brake pads - removed (they sucked!)
Replaced with the Hawk pads...much better. But with all the extra weight we carry around most stock brakes feel undersized.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Yeah the reviews I was reading from others didn't have me very impressed. Some people love them, but dig a little deeper and you see some issues. Too bad, because they almost had my money!
I looked at the Hawk pads, but I was slightly put off by the price. I've heard lots of good things though. But since I needed pads and rotors, I figured for the price the Raybestos stuff was worth a try. And they're definitely a big improvement over stock, and an enormous improvement over the parts store mush I had on there. I'd recommend them to anyone looking.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Another small technical update!
I've started a "drain-and-replace" regimen for my transmission. It's long overdue for new fluid, and I wanted to avoid a machine flush at all costs due to some of the horror stories I've read about resulting from them. So I've opted to drain the old fluid and replace it over time. On Thursday, I drained about 4 quarts (of the 11 7/8 quarts total) out of the pan and replaced it with new fluid.
I noticed an immediate improvement in shifts. My downshifts mellowed out dramatically while still being precise and fast, and my upshifts definitely feel better too. Today I'll do the same thing, drain and replace the fluid as needed. I'll drive around on it for a few days, then do another drain and replace. I'll do this until I'm happy with the fluid that's on the dipstick. Going forward, I'll probably do the drain and replace procedure once a year, or do one round of it every six months.
Feels good to do something small that makes a noticeable difference.
I've started a "drain-and-replace" regimen for my transmission. It's long overdue for new fluid, and I wanted to avoid a machine flush at all costs due to some of the horror stories I've read about resulting from them. So I've opted to drain the old fluid and replace it over time. On Thursday, I drained about 4 quarts (of the 11 7/8 quarts total) out of the pan and replaced it with new fluid.
I noticed an immediate improvement in shifts. My downshifts mellowed out dramatically while still being precise and fast, and my upshifts definitely feel better too. Today I'll do the same thing, drain and replace the fluid as needed. I'll drive around on it for a few days, then do another drain and replace. I'll do this until I'm happy with the fluid that's on the dipstick. Going forward, I'll probably do the drain and replace procedure once a year, or do one round of it every six months.
Feels good to do something small that makes a noticeable difference.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Second tranny fluid swap happened tonight. Haven't had a chance to test drive it yet though, as I had other things to do at home. Old fluid came out a lot cleaner than the first round. Feeling good about doing this.
07BlackSpecV
Adventurer
So, quick question, when you were putting on your RockyMountainX front recovery points was the driver's side threaded already or did you have to tap it? Mine doesn't seem to be taped.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Mine was already tapped.
AggroCrag
Meat Popsicle
tranny fluid swap.
why not just drain all (as much as will come out on its own) of your tranny fluid and put in all new fluid? Is there something I'm missing? It seems like your method will take much more fluid to get all fresh fluid in the tranny, due to the small increments being dirtied by the pre existing fluid....
There has to be some logic behind the way you're doing it, but I just don't get it.
-aggro
why not just drain all (as much as will come out on its own) of your tranny fluid and put in all new fluid? Is there something I'm missing? It seems like your method will take much more fluid to get all fresh fluid in the tranny, due to the small increments being dirtied by the pre existing fluid....
There has to be some logic behind the way you're doing it, but I just don't get it.
-aggro
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
When you pull the drain plug from under the tranny and leave it for about twenty minutes to drain, about between four and four and a half quarts comes out before it stops draining. The tranny holds almost 12.
About a third of the fluid stays in the pan, yes, but the nearly 8 other quarts is still in the transmission, in the oil passages, in the valve body, in the pump, in the cooler, and the cooler lines. So it won't all drain at once when you pull the plug.
To get around this, you can hook the transmission up to a flushing machine at a shop, do a DIY flush by disconnecting a couple of hoses and running the engine, or use my method. A lot of people have reported bad things happening after a transmission flush using the machine, including some people who have said it completely ruined their transmission. So I didn't want to go that route. I didn't like the DIY approach either, because it's more messy and I really didn't like the idea of using the pump to drain the fluid while the truck is running. My approach may use more fluid and take a bit longer, but it's the most gentle on the transmission and takes the least amount of technical work. Undo a bolt, sit for 20-30 minutes, reinstall bolt and refill.
Is it the most efficient way? No. But it's easy, I feel comfortable with it, and after two rounds of it I'm already getting way better looking fluid on the dipstick. So I'm happy with it.
