Stephen's 2017 Nissan Patrol err… Armada

Stephen's 2017 Nissan Patrol err… Armada

Engine: Nissan VK56VD 5.6L V8

Transmission: Stock 7-Speed Automatic

Transfer Case: Stock

Front Axle: Stock

Rear Axle: Stock

Suspension:
Front: Alldogs Offroad Y62-F-M springs, OME 90015 struts, SPC 25560 upper control arms
Rear: Alldogs Offroad Y62-R-M Springs, OME 60084 shocks

Steering: Stock

Wheels and Tires: 35"x12.50 R18 General Grabber ATx's

Communication:
HAM: ICOM ID-4100A
GMRS: Midland MXT-275

______________________________________________________________________

I've loved my Trooper over the last eight and a half years, but I just got the itch about a month ago to get something new. Even with all the work and upgrades I've done to the Trooper, its still a 26-year old vehicle at heart. I wanted something newer and yes, more comfortable. So yesterday I pulled the trigger on this Armada. These have been on my radar since Nissan started basing them on the global Patrol platform in 2017. Yes, the Infiniti QX56/80 have been based on the Patrol since 2011; but those are just ugly.
Now an Armada is 80% Patrol. In Nissan's infinite wisdom, they deleted the factory locker, tuned the suspension to be more road biased, and didn't include the "Rock, Sand, and Mud" transmission modes. And the good ol'Federal impact standards mean the bumpers are totally different. All that said, the Armada is still a very competent off-road vehicle. And its freaking huge. Globally, the Patrol is a direct competitor to the 200-Series Land Cruiser, but the Patrol is actually slightly larger than that. So for me, who generally enjoys small vehicles like Samurai's and Miata's; its like driving a bus! But boy; its a bus with guts! That 390hp (equivalent to ~6 Samurais, in case you're wondering) and 401 lb-ft of torque MOVES.
So what are my plans with this barge? Well, its more or less going to replace the Trooper as my backcountry adventure vehicle. I'm still teasing out exactly what I want to do and where to get it from. As mentioned, since this isn't fully a Patrol, the aftermarket is a bit scattered. Some Patrol stuff bolts right on, some (like bumpers) do not. And the Armada specific aftermarket seems to just be spinning up. A number of companies have products that are in development right now.
In broad strokes, though, a mild lift (2"-3"), better all-terrain tires, ARB air locker in the rear, rock rails, front and rear bumpers (when they're available), and some interior stuff to make camp life a bit more luxe.
And yes, @bryson, part of the motivation in getting an Armada was because its different from a Land Cruiser. I just can't help myself.

 

[Stephen]

thanks for this!!

Your reasons on Calmini are why I havent hit buy on their product yet, many unsatisfied customers out there.

I've landed here - (https://www.alldogsoffroad.com/alld...suspension-lift-kit-2nd-gen-nissan-y62-armada) but do not see the lift size in inches, ideas? Happen to know if this setup clears 35s?

Chad has told me 2" over stock, and that should clear 35's. I'll know more on the 27th of this month when I've gotten mine installed.

Emailing Nisstec now, thanks for that!

Good guys over there. Hope they can help you out.

Anyone tried sourcing Patrol Y62 gears from Aus? Are the Diff housings the same? I'm tempted to order the stock Patrol gears for the front and rear and see if they fit in the US spec I have. That would imply I can install their lockers if it worked.

Front and rear diffs are totally different on the Patrol, which is one reason why the rear springs for a Patrol don't work. The rear subframe on a Patrol is bigger and hangs lower to accommodate the larger diff, so the angle of the spring bucket (which is the same part) is shallower.
There was one guy on the forums that went by Dirt Patriot who was saying he was going to bring in a whole Patrol subframe and swap it over, but he went dark awhile ago, so I have no idea if that happened. I contacted a couple wrecking yards around Sydney and Melbourne a few years ago and asked about shipping subframes up to the states, and they quoted me close to $6k USD, so not worth it. But if you could find a source for a reasonable price, might be cool. And as @johngottfredson's friend is thinking, I've looked at swapping in a Titan solid rear axle, but not too seriously.

That said, the Armada's traction control system is impressive. I've gotten it in and out of spots that I never though a vehicle with open diffs could go. And unless you're looking to build this into some sort of land barge rock crawler, I really think that the factory traction control does a great job. But if you really, really want lockers, their are ARB Air Lockers available for the diffs.

What I wish we could get is the different transmission control modes. As you know, all we get is Snow, which does a good job when applied correctly; but I wish we got Sand and Rock modes as well. I looked into that, and it would require swapping out both the TCU, ECU, and the control module in the center console and I'm a little wary of doing that.

 

[Mojo]

Chad has told me 2" over stock, and that should clear 35's. I'll know more on the 27th of this month when I've gotten mine installed.


Good guys over there. Hope they can help you out.



Front and rear diffs are totally different on the Patrol, which is one reason why the rear springs for a Patrol don't work. The rear subframe on a Patrol is bigger and hangs lower to accommodate the larger diff, so the angle of the spring bucket (which is the same part) is shallower.
There was one guy on the forums that went by Dirt Patriot who was saying he was going to bring in a whole Patrol subframe and swap it over, but he went dark awhile ago, so I have no idea if that happened. I contacted a couple wrecking yards around Sydney and Melbourne a few years ago and asked about shipping subframes up to the states, and they quoted me close to $6k USD, so not worth it. But if you could find a source for a reasonable price, might be cool. And as @johngottfredson's friend is thinking, I've looked at swapping in a Titan solid rear axle, but not too seriously.

That said, the Armada's traction control system is impressive. I've gotten it in and out of spots that I never though a vehicle with open diffs could go. And unless you're looking to build this into some sort of land barge rock crawler, I really think that the factory traction control does a great job. But if you really, really want lockers, their are ARB Air Lockers available for the diffs.

What I wish we could get is the different transmission control modes. As you know, all we get is Snow, which does a good job when applied correctly; but I wish we got Sand and Rock modes as well. I looked into that, and it would require swapping out both the TCU, ECU, and the control module in the center console and I'm a little wary of doing that.

excellent, you've kickstarted my obsession again.

Just ordered - https://tinyurl.com/muvcc7zm & https://tinyurl.com/ymwp24h5. Gotta start off slow, if 10k worth of parts turn up at my house, my wife will question my sanity again.

I'll do the lift last, giving me the ability to learn from mistakes made But, if that Alldog one works, I'll be grabbing that late April.

Sourcing 2015 Titan Pro4X (https://tinyurl.com/mrx3ntc9) wheels now for her. I really dig the look of these wheels with larger tires. Ordering Grabber X3s in 295 70 18s to with it. Will get 35s after.

Any ideas for exhausts over this side of the world? These V8s sound badass when not silenced by a muffler.

 

[Stephen]

excellent, you've kickstarted my obsession again.

Just ordered - https://tinyurl.com/muvcc7zm & https://tinyurl.com/ymwp24h5. Gotta start off slow, if 10k worth of parts turn up at my house, my wife will question my sanity again.

I'll do the lift last, giving me the ability to learn from mistakes made But, if that Alldog one works, I'll be grabbing that late April.

Sourcing 2015 Titan Pro4X (https://tinyurl.com/mrx3ntc9) wheels now for her. I really dig the look of these wheels with larger tires. Ordering Grabber X3s in 295 70 18s to with it. Will get 35s after.

Looks like you're off to a good start!

Any ideas for exhausts over this side of the world? These V8s sound badass when not silenced by a muffler.

I'm of the opinion that the quieter the exhaust, the better. Particularly in the backcountry. So I have no plans to mod mine.
But if you want to modify the exhaust, I know DASH Off-Road did a whole series of YouTube videos testing various exhausts on Patrols. Same engine and exhaust, so I'd assume that they'd work.

 

[Mojo]

hey again Steven, with the Alldogs fox lift, will I need the extra hardware you required during your lift install, or this Alldogs one just plug and play? Just about to hit buy, want to make sure I get everything. FYI - found the titan pro 4x wheels, so the BFG KO2s in 34s go on today.

 

[Stephen]

hey again Steven, with the Alldogs fox lift, will I need the extra hardware you required during your lift install, or this Alldogs one just plug and play? Just about to hit buy, want to make sure I get everything. FYI - found the titan pro 4x wheels, so the BFG KO2s in 34s go on today.

Since they sell it as a complete kit, I would assume. But if you have questions, I would reach out to them since its their kit. I just got the springs as I'm reusing my existing shocks and struts.

 

[Mojo]

That said, the Armada's traction control system is impressive. I've gotten it in and out of spots that I never though a vehicle with open diffs could go. And unless you're looking to build this into some sort of land barge rock crawler, I really think that the factory traction control does a great job. But if you really, really want lockers, their are ARB Air Lockers available for the diffs.

Morning Stephen, you mentioned here lockers are available from ARB - happen to have a link?

 

[Stephen]

Morning Stephen, you mentioned here lockers are available from ARB - happen to have a link?

You're going to have to do some additional research on that. Once I really tested the traction control, I lost interest in putting an ARB in. I believe that our front diffs are R180A's like an R51 Pathfinder, and our rears are a variant of the M205. The ARB Application Guide says that there are lockers available for them, so any dealer would be able to get them; but you'd have to make sure that they would work with our specific diffs/gears/splines.

 

[johngottfredson]

Morning Stephen, you mentioned here lockers are available from ARB - happen to have a link?

My buddy told me that ARB was only available for the front diff, the rear he would have to swap in a titan axle. Zero independent verification of that info, but he’s typically pretty knowledgeable about his rigs as he builds them.

 

[Mojo]

My buddy told me that ARB was only available for the front diff, the rear he would have to swap in a titan axle. Zero independent verification of that info, but he’s typically pretty knowledgeable about his rigs as he builds them.

Thanks for this!!

I'm just waiting on a few more parts to arrive then she's heading over to the shop to have everything installed. At that time, the shop will be taking my front and rear diff apart and inspecting thoroughly as I want front and rear lockers (some trails here in Alberta NEED lockers, and I'm taking this thing everywhere). Once that inspection is complete I'll let you guys know how much it will cost me.

 

[Mojo]

anyone tried a bumper cut yet? I'd love to be able to build a hidden winch into this thing to keep it looking stock-ish.

I've seen the rear done, that one is easy and I'll be getting on that pretty sharpish when it warms up here.

 

[Stephen]

Installed the AllDogs Off-Road springs yesterday. No pictures of the install because we were jamming from the moment we got to my buddies shop. Front struts were easy, in and out no problem. Rear springs were the same as the OME ones. Had to compress the ever loving sh!t out of them to get them to go in. But since I built my super heavy duty ACME rod spring compressor, it was much easier and faster than before. Got everything swapped and aligned in about three and a half hours, so not bad.

It sits about an inch lower than with the OME springs. Ride is also noticeably softer, which is nice. My 35's still fit, but since they're so worn from 2 years of bad camber, I think I might swap them out for some slightly smaller 295/70/18's.

Most importantly, rear camber is dialed in perfectly to spec! No more positive camber! I'll drive it around for about a week and when I put the new tires on next week I'll re-torque and re-verify, but we had plenty of adjustment, so should be good.

I'll grab some driveway pictures this morning when I get a chance and post them.

 

[I Lean]

Installed the AllDogs Off-Road springs yesterday. No pictures of the install because we were jamming from the moment we got to my buddies shop. Front struts were easy, in and out no problem. Rear springs were the same as the OME ones. Had to compress the ever loving sh!t out of them to get them to go in. But since I built my super heavy duty ACME rod spring compressor, it was much easier and faster than before. Got everything swapped and aligned in about three and a half hours, so not bad.

It sits about an inch lower than with the OME springs. Ride is also noticeably softer, which is nice. My 35's still fit, but since they're so worn from 2 years of bad camber, I think I might swap them out for some slightly smaller 295/70/18's.

Most importantly, rear camber is dialed in perfectly to spec! No more positive camber! I'll drive it around for about a week and when I put the new tires on next week I'll re-torque and re-verify, but we had plenty of adjustment, so should be good.

I'll grab some driveway pictures this morning when I get a chance and post them.

I want to see your ACME rod spring compressor.

 

[Mojo]

Installed the AllDogs Off-Road springs yesterday. No pictures of the install because we were jamming from the moment we got to my buddies shop. Front struts were easy, in and out no problem. Rear springs were the same as the OME ones. Had to compress the ever loving sh!t out of them to get them to go in. But since I built my super heavy duty ACME rod spring compressor, it was much easier and faster than before. Got everything swapped and aligned in about three and a half hours, so not bad.

It sits about an inch lower than with the OME springs. Ride is also noticeably softer, which is nice. My 35's still fit, but since they're so worn from 2 years of bad camber, I think I might swap them out for some slightly smaller 295/70/18's.

Most importantly, rear camber is dialed in perfectly to spec! No more positive camber! I'll drive it around for about a week and when I put the new tires on next week I'll re-torque and re-verify, but we had plenty of adjustment, so should be good.

I'll grab some driveway pictures this morning when I get a chance and post them.

What do you think you gained over stock? 1-2" inches?

I grabbed the Bilstein 6100 kit from Alldogs yesterday - hoping for a 1.5" - 2" lift. Snorkel and lift should be here early May, perfect timing to get them both installed at the same time.

 

[Stephen]

I want to see your ACME rod spring compressor.

I'll snap a picture of that too. It's basically just a length of 3/4" ACME rod with two nuts welded on the bottom, a puller H-block from another compressor drilled out so it can slide over it, and a cap nut to hold the H-block in place. The ACME thread is just so much bigger than the fine thread on most pullers that it makes it much faster.

 

[Stephen]

What do you think you gained over stock? 1-2" inches?

I grabbed the Bilstein 6100 kit from Alldogs yesterday - hoping for a 1.5" - 2" lift. Snorkel and lift should be here early May, perfect timing to get them both installed at the same time.

Probably about 2" over stock I'd say.

 

[Stephen]

Slightly lower and in alignment.


ACME Puller

 

[Mojo]

I really wanted that bumper - but it seems Nisstec in Denver are pretty shady. None stop posts about them taking money and running - pretty bumed about that as I dont wanna pay AU prices for the Dash gear.

Your truck is looking awesome. Is there a reason for 2" diff in front vs rear height? Trunk loaded?

 

[Stephen]

I really wanted that bumper - but it seems Nisstec in Denver are pretty shady. None stop posts about them taking money and running - pretty bumed about that as I dont wanna pay AU prices for the Dash gear.

Your truck is looking awesome. Is there a reason for 2" diff in front vs rear height? Trunk loaded?

From the bottom of the fender to the center of the hub, it's about an inch higher in the front. Its always been that way, even stock I always thought the front looked higher than the rear. But if you measure off the frame underneath its level front and rear.

 

[Mojo]

Yea, I see it on mine now with just the new rims and tires. She sits a tad higher in the front, but not quite to the extent of yours. I'll share images of mine when I get the kit installed. I wont be adding the weight to the front like yours, so I'm guessing I may sit higher.

 

[Mojo]

From the bottom of the fender to the center of the hub, it's about an inch higher in the front. Its always been that way, even stock I always thought the front looked higher than the rear. But if you measure off the frame underneath its level front and rear.

any regrets on the ADO lift after a week of driving?

They are currently giving me the runaround on the kit I ordered - getting no answers when asking for a shipping update. Tempted to just cancel this order and go elsewhere. What is with companies lately? Nisstec Denver, now ADO... crazy times.