d40 single cab-keep or up-grade

[rickyrick]

Hi all.

Where to start,
as the owner of a 2008 rx d40 single cab for near two years now since new ,i find myself abit mixed in decision as to whether to go back to hilux petrol or spend some dosh on up-grading the d40 such as well needed new stronger suspension kit, snorkel which i still cannot find to suit the less flared wheel arch, heavy duty clutch kit including single mass flywheel($$$$$).

I have found this trayback to be quite powerful and good to drive in all situations inc narly 4wd stuff as it has the large intercooler and dohc engine which has never missed a beat. The clutch and flywheel did go at 30,000 kms due to the dual mass flywheel faults that the nissan dealership workshop foreman admitted to of weak components but got changed under warranty. i am a bit annoyed at the specified fuel consumption on the brochure(9lt/100kms) as it has been quite thirsty in reality at about 12lt/100km or 8.3km/1lt.

the only other dissapointment would be the high gearing as first gear can be a struggle when towing and 6th gear is never nessecary unless traveling over 110kms. the issue i have with gearing is only because i would like to put beefier tyres for 4x4ing but dont want to make heavy take off's more difficult.

I have found out that basically every late model 4x4 ute around has the dual mass flywheel which seems to be a big topic at the moment due to massive numbers of warranty claims accross the makes of all.

in conclusion to all of this i am fairly satified and for a ute at around $30,000 it can only be compared to the bt-50,triton and isuzu dmax as the hilux d4d is $10,000 more to buy and still not perfect!

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum!

If you're happy with the vehicle's performance I'd say keep it. You've fixed the clutch, you know the vehicle is reliable. It's a little thirsty and tall-geared.

I don't know what tyres your KC is wearing, but if they're bigger than standard then you're adding to the fuel bill already. Larger tyres = larger diameter = longer lever from road surface to axle = harder to turn over. All obvious, sure, but needs to be explained to see why the car uses more fuel JUST because the tyres are larger.

Sticking even larger tyres on it will only increase that effect.

Those fuel consumption figures are bull, too. You can match the figures, but it takes some clever and patient driving to achieve it. Knowing HOW those results are received is important.

Apparently, a vehicle of that make and model is placed on a dyno and "driven" up to cruising speed.

Where's the wind resistance in that? Forgot to include that one. What about hills? Sod it, they forgot that too. On a dead flat road, you'll use a certain amount of fuel. Your fuel consumption UP a hill will be much larger than the savings you achieve going DOWN that same hill. They don't account for this.

That makes it difficult to achieve those figures, but it can be done.

Try not revving the old girl over 2500, in fact try to keep it around 2,000rpm. Coast as much as possible. Keep her in as high a gear as you can manage and in top, get up to about 2000rpm and cruise there - it should be about 95km/h.

Going faster requires a lot more fuel. The force curve is not linear - it's exponential - the amount of fuel required to go a little faster is increasing more and more with the speed of the vehicle.

We've found that 2,000rpm is a nice spot - it happens to be where the diesel's torque comes on hard, thanks to the turbo's boost rising up dramatically around this point. Thus it's the "sweet spot" - it's where you're getting the absolute most out of your engine for the fuel that you're using.

You could try a tankful driving around like that - gently, max 95km/h - and see how consumption goes. Doing that for 150-200km ought to give you a good indication, anyway.

 

[rickyrick]

Thanks Tony,
you make a very good point about the fuel consumption issues and im curious about whether a snorkel will help, as for the tyres subject,i am running the stock 205r16c cheese cutters which are 736mm diameter and as ive been informed by a few tyre shops is the smallest diameter available for tyres with that load rating(110). also looked at 15 inch rims to get a smaller dia tyre but they dont fit around the front brake calipers. not sure what to do at this point about the tyres and for now ive turned my attention again to finding a snorkel that will fit properly,nissan and the aftermarket brands dont stock one for the single cab which is different to the king and dual cab.

 

[Old.Tony]

You'll find the snorkel won't make a huge different to fuel economy. It does make a difference, but it's small. Where the snorkel really helps is with the obvious water crossings, and with the long-term (and often forgotten) effect of abrasive particles being drawn into the air intake.

The standard air intake is down among the heavy dirt particles being thrown around the place, and the vehicle draws these in to be caught by the air filter.

The snorkel is grabbing air from higher up, and much of the heavier particles don't rise that high - meaning the air entering your intake is cleaner. It's also cooler, which assists the engine to a small degree.

Would I get a snorkel if I was doing it again? Absolutely. Mine's sucked in buckets of dust, hundreds of insects, feathers from birds that just can't get out of the way fast enough and who knows how much rain. It gives me the ability to wade through creeks that I otherwise wouldn't get through, and in convoy I'd rather sit back and let the guys without pollen filters ride up front.

If you're on standard tyres, then you're on diameters that the engineers designed the drive train ratios for. I am not sure I'd want to go smaller. You could try a lower profile tyre, - that won't change the gearing too much, but might just be enough to make you happy. Try a 205/55 instead of a 205/65?

 

[Dave]

Upgrade to a D22.

Enjoy the site mate.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

[rickyrick]

thanks dave,
i would consider a d22 if the supplied a single cab 4x4 as my brother has the 4x2 version with still no faults at 240,0000 kms,well none that he hasnt brought on himself that is!
just curious about the d22, does it have a dual massflywheel or smf?

rick

 

[rickyrick]

thanks Tony,

i will keep looking and hopefully one will come from safari or airtec in the near future.
a snorkel is definetly a good thing for a few reasons as you said. I know i could maybe modify a king cab version or make one but it wont be pretty as whats around on most 4by's.
cheers rick

 

[Dave]

Only the D40's have the Dual mass flywheel.

On another note.

I was looking the other day at the new D22's.

Since Nissan dropped the YD25 in, there has been 3 different diff ratio's in the STR's.

 

[rickyrick]

d40 rx single cab.another clutch and flywheel at 60k

so the clutch has started slipping again and this time just out of warranty so i will go with a solid flywheel and heavy duty clutch from exedy and hope for better clutch performance wich should be garanteed. cheapest quote to supply and fit is $2000. otherwise its goin ok and i ve recently put a full 2 &3/4 beau exhaust, k&n filter and silicone turbo hose. not much power increase that i can notice tho.

cheers