Postby LittleStevie » Sat May 26, 2007 2:26 pm
Hey everyone, I've been on one of the other Pathfinder forums for a while, but new to this one. I had similar discussions with Kevin of Airlift, recommending the 60792 (Kia Sorento) kit for the 2WD R51 Pathfinder. After putting it off for a while, not knowing which kit would be right, I went for it and installed the 60792 on my '05 this morning.
When inflated to ~30 PSI and the truck is sitting normally, the air springs fill up all but about an inch from the spring seat. It does not look like the airlift spring is engaged during the normal unloaded condition, but the air bladder does fill the spaces between the coils. I don't notice any change in rear ride height, but forgot to take pre-installation measurements so it's subjective.
Although the Airlift instructions recommend a tee installation, I've kept them separate to help with sway control, and who knows if I'll ever have to level side to side. I took the truck out for a short test spin and initial impression is that handling is somewhat improved. I obviously have not had a payload in the truck yet, but looking forward to the next Home Depot haul. During the next week I'll try dropping air pressure down to 20 PSI, see how it responds.
Unfortunately, for someone choosing between the 4WD Pathfinder and Kia Sorento kit, I don't have a reference on what the 4WD kit on the 4WD Pathfinder would do. I can say that even though the springs seem short and do not fill the entire cavity, there is definitely a handling improvement, I would say worth $80. I'm not sure about theory of operation, but this may be an ideal case in that the spring rate is increased slightly for better handling, but then the springs will fully engage when loaded for heavy towing or hauling.
Sorry so long of a post, hope this helps anyone out there trying to make the same decision for the 2WD Pathy.