Rim/wheels suggested for general light duty use 2003 SE?

Attack of the unibody snatchers! Styling and handling refined or bland? You decide.

Moderator: volvite

Snake2715
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 5:52 am

Rim/wheels suggested for general light duty use 2003 SE?

Postby Snake2715 » Wed Nov 30, 2016 6:23 am

Recently purchased 2003 SE with 135k on the clock. One owner all records. Looking at possibly picking up another set of rims and AT tires. Nothing crazy, most likely will not even lift the truck. My initial research says to grab the billsteins and rear air bags for the planned type of use.

The plan for this truck is camping, Michigan winters to get to work, pulling a trailer with bikes or Side by side, etc . I really don't plan to off road in any real sense, maybe some light two tracks up north or similar.

Came across some rims off an xterra that I was initially excited about until I researched their bolt pattern: Dual bolt pattern, 6x114 and 6x127, 78.1mm hub size 6mm offset.



Figuring those won't fit I wanted to ask the community what is the general inexpensive rim that is used for this type of situation?

What is the real suggested tire size to go bigger but keep most road manners and not need a lift due to rubbing etc?

Thanks in advance for any insight.


User avatar
smj999smj
Site Admin
Posts: 6054
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:13 pm
Location: Prospect, VA

Postby smj999smj » Wed Nov 30, 2016 11:36 am

Nissan kept the same bolt pattern for many years until 2005, when the Pathfinder/Xterra/Frontier all got a smaller bolt circle, for reasons no one knows. Bilstein HD shocks and Airlift 1000 air bags are a common upgrade on they R51 Pathfinders (2005-2012) due to the softly sprung rear suspension on them, but you can go that way on the R50's, as well.
It's not clear by your post if you are looking to add a spare set of wheels/tires or if you are looking to replace your originals for some reason. If you want a factory style wheel, Rockauto offers Keystone reconditioned wheels in 16x7 and 17x8 from $142-$170 per wheel. You could probably find a better deal on Ebay from someone who has replaced their factory wheels with aftermarkets, but keep in mind shipping costs will probably be a bit high. You could also check your local salvage yards. If you want aftermarket wheels, then the decision gets a lot wider and more difficult to answer because it really depends on what style and color you want for your truck.
As far as tire, Michelin LTX AT2 is one of the best all-terrain tires that is not too aggressive for highway use. I've known a couple of people with Nitto Terra Grapplers that have been very happy with them and they are a little less expensive. The Cooper Discoverer A/T3 is another good choice.

Snake2715
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 5:52 am

Postby Snake2715 » Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:45 pm

smj,

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I guess I was a bit all over.

I had intended to ask what is an inexpensive tire and possibly rim combo that is chosen for the uses I explained (light offroading). I am not sure I want to mess with lifting the truck at all. I might want a bit larger AT tire and possibly a black rim.

Is there a suggested tire size to increase to and stay on stock SE rims or close to stock sized rim for these SE's?


Return to “1996-2004 Pathfinder (R50)”