The Nissan Path

Since I've firmly decided to keep my R51 and start doing some upgrades instead of getting an R52 I elected to start off with some snazzier wheels and tires and had them put on just today.

I got a set of Enkei ETS 17-inchers on closeout off Tire Rack and then decided to get BFGoodrich Rugged Terrains for their aggressive look and boy do they look aggressive lol. I kind of wish I'd done this sooner now

And yeah, I know it needs a good wash lol.

Looks great, why has no one else commented on this yet?... Awesome upgrade and how do those tires ride? Any vibration or steering wheel shake, loud roar or any thing such, let us know. Good job!

Looks great, why has no one else commented on this yet?... Awesome upgrade and how do those tires ride? Any vibration or steering wheel shake, loud roar or any thing such, let us know. Good job!

What size did you go with?

Looks great!

Do you notice a difference in ride quality between the 17s and your old 15s?

GSX-R35 wrote:Since I've firmly decided to keep my R51 and start doing some upgrades instead of getting an R52 I elected to start off with some snazzier wheels and tires and had them put on just today.

Looks good. What else do you have planned?

What swayed you to stick with the R51? I was a passenger in the new Pathfinder last week. I already had 99 nails in that coffin, but my passenger ride added the final nail. Even the guy driving it was bitching about it being a pregnant Murano that got knocked up by a minivan.

Nice wheel/tire combo! How's the road performance of Rugged Terrains? Need to replace my tires soon.

staynlean wrote:Looks great, why has no one else commented on this yet?... Awesome upgrade and how do those tires ride? Any vibration or steering wheel shake, loud roar or any thing such, let us know. Good job!

Thanks for the comments. Couldn't reply earlier since I caught a bug and have been busy playing catch up since.

As far as the ride, I'm happy to say that I've only noticed a tiny bit more road noise compared to my old Long Trails - it's really barely noticeable so to be honest it may even be my imagination. Other than that my R51 drives as well as ever although I admit I've yet to put too many miles on it since it's not my daily driver. I'm hoping I can take it on a camping trip in a few weeks if my schedule allows but early impressions are really good so far

NmexMAX wrote:What size did you go with?

I went with 265/65R-17s.

DanJetta wrote:Looks great!

Do you notice a difference in ride quality between the 17s and your old 15s?

Thanks! I haven't noticed any difference in ride quality at all compared to my old tire/wheel combo. Maybe just a tiny bit more road noise as I mentioned above but the ride and handling feel no different than before - which to me is good since I was really happy with my Pathy before especially considering it's a big body-on-frame SUV.

NVSteve wrote:
Looks good. What else do you have planned?

What swayed you to stick with the R51? I was a passenger in the new Pathfinder last week. I already had 99 nails in that coffin, but my passenger ride added the final nail. Even the guy driving it was bitching about it being a pregnant Murano that got knocked up by a minivan.

I'm thinking I'll slowly add a few more parts like a CAI, exhaust, sliders, airlift kit, and shocks. Beyond that I'm not sure - I like to modify and I'm REALLY intrigued by the Stillen supercharger after seeing the video posted in the main forum - but I already have one car that I sink large amounts of cash into for mods so it's hard for me to make up my mind. My R51s been a reliable ride for so long though that me and my family and friends think it deserves some attention of its own lol.

As for sticking with the R51 instead of a 52, I was already hesitant to make the switch after hearing the new model would be a unibody. I've used my Pathfinder regularly for camping trips with some mild off-roading and long towing trips with my motorcycles to the track so a body-on-frame suited my needs more in that regard. I was lent a new R52 for a couple of days and enjoyed it but it didn't impress me enough to say it was a sufficient step up for me to commit especially since my R51 has long been paid off lol. The lack of torque relative to my old Pathfinder was a big thing for me. I've always thought the R51 was surprisingly quick for a body-on-frame SUV so the R52 felt kind of slow by comparison. And lastly I was concerned with the longevity of the CVT if I started using it again for regular tow duty.

nismofan wrote:Nice wheel/tire combo! How's the road performance of Rugged Terrains? Need to replace my tires soon.

Thanks for the compliment. As I mentioned in the previous replies, I've had little time yet with my new wheels and tires for various reasons but so far I have no complaints. They feel just as comfy as my old tires and wheels with only a skooch more road noise...maybe.

Are those wheels hub centric or do they use a spacer ring to mount them?