Has anyone tried unsuccesfully to install one of these in a r50 or any other 33 spline? I guess my real qeustion is, should I try it? Or will it definitly not work? I wish I could buy the ARB, but that's just out of my price range.

Here's what I understand....it only works in a 4 spider rear and all 33 spline axles have a 2 spider rear.

Thanks for the quick responce. So it's either ARB or rear end swap?

Yep.

Unless you have an LSD....you can add friction discs to those which basically turns them into a spool.

How well does that work on the trail? Does it wear any faster?

seems to be working well for everyone who's done it.

What parts do I need? Where do I get them?

You'll have to ask someone who's done it....I might have a how-to on it as well. Check the how to forum

Actually, I know 3 Xterra owners that added discs to their LSDs, and all have had problems from it. One had tire wear issues, one had the "ears" on the clutch plates bend, and another had his entire LSD grenade on him. I'm not a proponent of adding discs to the LSD at this point.

Instead, I ended up modding mine by building it to the same spec as the pre-96 Pathfinder which calls for 260-289 ft-lbs. of breakaway torque, vs. the 139-180 ft-lbs. specified for my 2000 Xterra. Parts cost about $100.
Actually, I just pulled up the service manual specs for a 96 Pathfinder LSD and much to my surprise, it's only spec'd at 65-80 ft-lbs. of breakaway torque! I checked the same for 97, 98, 99, and 00 and they all have the same spec, though the 96 is unique in that it specifies 6 discs and plates and one spring disc per side vs. 6 plates, 5 discs, and 2 spring discs for the rest. Not sure how they get 65-80 ft-lbs. for the Pathfinder when the Xterra with the same 6/5/2 setup has twice the rating...

Since the R50 unit is so much weaker from the factory, it probably would tolerate adding discs for a total of 14 per side without being too cantankerous, but I'd say swapping in the pre-96 parts without adding additional ones would probably be effective as well.

It's still a vague science I'm afraid,
Brent

Ah, so now I see why you asked me about the Detroit swap I did on mine.

Anyone here know what the axle width is on an R50 as compared to a D22? He asked me if my Detroit install was possible on an R50 and I just don't know. I thought the R50 axle was wider?

I'm gonna lock this bitch one way or another.

The R50 and Xterra/Frontier use the same part number for the axle shaft, so they would be the same width. Should have no problem swapping the 31-spline Frontier guts into an R50.

quote:

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Originally posted by OffroadX:
The R50 and Xterra/Frontier use the same part number for the axle shaft, so they would be the same width. Should have no problem swapping the 31-spline Frontier guts into an R50.

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You keep your FAST at work too don't you?

I didn't have the time to look it up at home the other day, thanks.