Bilstein shocks and Exhaust recommendation

[ihojeff]

I'm more of a Scout fan and usually hang out on the other boards but I do also own a 91' Nissan 4wd P/U with the V6 and thought I ask you Nissan owners a couple of things.

1. I just put on a set of Bilstein shocks(stock lift truck) on today. The rear seem to have real soft valving. Not sure if I really like the rears but the truck does ride better except for the rear suspension bottoming out easier. Anyone else put a set on their truck with the same results? I don't want to add a leaf spring but was maybe thinking of putting on better bumpstops. Open for opinion/suggestions.

2. Want to put on a new muffler and tailpipe. Any recommendations as to what fit/sounded/performed better than stock.

Thanks, Jeff:cool:

[bignissan]

bumpstops won't help in the rear....the stock rears are very stiff as it is. surprised you find it's too soft now. i really doubt it's bottoming out, as it's hard to do that even when flexing. i don't have bilstiens, so i couldn't say from experience...

for exhaust, these motors are sensitive to pipe size. with the v-6 i wouldn't go over 2.5" max, but really try to keep it at 2.25" until you get to tips or whatnot. i personally prefer just a dump over the axle or something without tips. for sound, find something like borla or gibson. flow's, glasspacks,etc...sound like crap to me. way too ricey. these trucks will always be that way, but Borla has to best sound IMO. I have a gift certificate if you would like me to order a Borla set for you. It's 25% off any stainless item, so I could get you a muffler for a decent price.
Greg

[ihojeff]

Quote

bumpstops won't help in the rear....the stock rears are very stiff as it is. surprised you find it's too soft now. i really doubt it's bottoming out, as it's hard to do that even when flexing. i don't have bilstiens, so i couldn't say from experience

Unquote

Yes, these Bilsteins in the rear are way soft. Softer than the Sensatracs that I just took off. The front is great but I can feel the suspension slam the hard rubber bumpstops in the rear. I might just call up Bilsteins Tech support on this one and see what they have to say. I've desert offroad raced for many years and am a ASE Certified Master Tech so I know what I'm feeling and I like to do things right the first time(no hack shit). All I ever do is drive this truck to and from work. Now that my Scout is basically done, I need something else to fuck around with on the side. I haven't spent to much time with the Nissan crowd, but do appreciate the input to keep me from wasting any time or money on this ride unneccessarily.

Way cool of you to offer your Borla discount to me but I will hold off just yet. I agree that Borla and Gibson are good shit. No glasspacks for me for thats just hack. And I'm done with Flowmasters for now, just a bit noisy for me. I was looking at AC's website lastnight and learned quite a bit regarding several different things. I'm considering buying their exhaust system for my truck but I need to call them first to see what muffler they use on their systems. Sounds like too much exhaust is a bad thing for these motors. I was going to get rid of the cat converter and put in a straight pipe(yeah I know, thats hack) but I hear its a waste of time when it comes to a performance gain.

Any other opinions on the matter?

Thanks, Jeff

[bignissan]

deleting the cat on these is pointless. you will not notice and performance gain with exhaust mods other than LOSS of power more than likely. headers are nice, they help, but just piping doesn't do much at all if any. As for the rear shocks, the Bilsteins I have installed in the past have never been that soft. THey provide a better ride, but rebounded much quicker for a more solid feel. Give them a call you might have a bad set. As for adding the add-a-leaf, that's makes for an even harsher ride. I believe, but don't quote me on this, AC's systems are Borla, but not positive. They can get you pretty much anything though. My Borla GC expires in December of this year, I have no use for it. I'm not putting Borla on the Nissan, that's pointless, and my DD is a Ford Powerstroke, and my bike....well, suzuki's don't need borla either.
Greg

[fivetenben]

Ditto what Greg said about pipe size. Too big is bad. I have 2.25 after the cat to the stock exit point and a three chamber flowmaster. Muffler guy said the 3 chamber has a lower pitch, and its not as loud as the standard 2 chamber. It sounds good to me, not too loud or ricey. I had mine bent up and installed at a local shop and it was cheaper than any mail order kits.

Ben

[MIGpro26]

For exaust i ran 2.25" pipe with a high flow cat and a Flow pro muffler, Kelly's muffler in Paradise Ca did it. It sounds awesome, not too loud but a great sound. Although i have a 4banger. It probably would sound good with a V6 as well.

[ihojeff]

UPDATE - After a few days of driving around with these Bilsteins I must say that they are some of the best shocks I have ever used. Talk about handling. Excellent cornering. The back is a bit soft in the rough but on the street this truck rocks. I highly recommend this upgrade. On a side note I also added a second Bilstein shock to the front of my Scout(Dual setup with one 5150 and one 5100 series valved the same). Again, way bitchin handling compared to the Trailmaster that it replaced.

As for exhaust I will be swapping out the muffler/tailpipe assy in the near future.

Jeff

[unimogken]

I bought a "Sebring" cat back exhaust for my 1991 Nissan Pathfinder from a place called "Stillen Motorsports" about 5-6 years ago.

It made a pretty big difference and had a different tone than stock trucks. I had alot more power uphills and on the freeway with my 33 inch tires.

The exhaust system had a "Terrano" packing slip in the box.

Later.

Ken S.