Swap in an Aluminum DS. this would run about 250 for a 3in version.
Electirc Cooling fan.

If you add these with intake and an exhaust 20 rwhp should be easy.

"Show me the Dyno"

DS?
Drop Steering?
Drive Shaft?
Foriegn ...from Fish Lake.

DS = Drive Shaft...

The driveahsft would help acceleration, as would a lighter flywheel. Unless you are trying to do faster 0-60 times, why bother? Most of us want to pass better loaded, or on a uphill, or tow better (easier), to stay in overdrive / locked TC more of the time.. The answer is to increase power, not reduce rotating mass.. You can go to a smaller tire, like a 28X8.. That would net faster acceleration & better towing.. but most offroaders want the biggest tires they are comfortable with.. 31's, 32's,33's..

35's, 37's.....is it hot in here, or is it just me?

Reduced Rotating mass is an easy way to get more rwhp in all driving conditions. Your Engine won't make more power but it will get to the wheels more efficently.

horsepower is a measure of torque @ rpm.
You will not see any more torque at the rear wheel, or anywhere else just by changing the material the DS is made of. Changing the gear lube, ot somthing that will reduce the friction of moving parts, yes. Lighter DS, no. All the lighter parts are going to do is help acceleration. Look at a dyno sheet, before and after that the only think you changed is the DS material, or rim material. Steel rims are hard to get moving, alloys are easier.. Both will have the same top soeed, one will just get there before the other.

Yes and why is acceleration better with a ALuminum DS than a steel? Not becasue of the 10 lbs or so lost from the overall weight of the vehicle but becase your drivetrain is now more effcient and is easyier to turn. Less paracitic drag on the drivetrain equals more RWHP

Yes! You have reduced MASS of the drivetrain, not DRAG. Alloy wheels will accelerate faster then steel wheels, with the same tires on both. There is the exact same amount of rwhp, the only difference is the change in DRIVETRAIN MASS.

sometimes its like clapping with one hand isn't it Xtopher.

It is not the mass of the driveshaft that will necessarily increase HP, but most factory steel driveshafts come with vibration problems which WILL eat HP. Aftermarket aluminum and carbon fiber drive shafts are lighter and better balanced which will improve both HP and acceleration.

http://www.ws6.com/mod-1.htm

Hmmmm. I would think putting a alum. driveshaft in an Xterra, is like making a doghouse into a dragster! Stock driveshafts are balanced. You can see this on most driveshafts. If driveshafts were not balanced, we would all be eating up bearings in our drivetrains!

Dan

Did you even read the article you linked?

"This mod is free (if you have an unbalanced stock driveshaft there is a TSB about the problem) and is definitely worth the 4 hours the dealer needs your car."

If the driveshaft is unbalanced, it is defective.
If you crawl under your truck and look, you will see the shaft is not smooth, there are weights attached, to balance it.
Now, put up a Dyno sheet showing a NON DEFECTIVE driveshaft VS a Aluminum one. Most people expect a defective part to function below that the designers intented.
The sheet you linked is about as useful as doing before and after changing the air filter to an aftermarket one, with the stock one pluged up..

Damn I type slow..

Yes, I did read it otherwise I would not have posted it.

Do you really think that driveshafts produced in large scale (as those put in production cars) would be crafted with the same attention as aftermarket pieces which are designed to perform better? Even if you dont notice a serious vibration it doesnt mean that your driveshaft is dead on balanced.

Either way, the gain is minimal and im dropping this topic.

A defective, unbalanced driveshaft vs a custom aftermarket driveshaft is minimal gain. Every driveshaft is balanced from the factory (that makes them for nissan). Our shafts spin ~4.5 - 5 times the speed of the tires (depends on your R&P). Every tire/wheel is balanced when it is mounted. I threw a wheel weight years ago, and it was very noticeable, I would figure an unbalanced driveshaft spining at 4.1 times (ford) the speed would be even more noticeable, and without the springs & tire to absorb the bouncing, would have destroyed the CV & U-joint in short order.

how long have you been into racing and modding for more horsepower Xtopher? did you know rotating mass "reduction" is worth about 4 times that of stationary weight? come on to the track or to the dyno (where i spend most my life when not at work) and you'll see why most run aluminum... unless your making enough to snap it (600+ hp dumping the clutch at 7000rpm on slicks)

Author Topic: "Some Ideas for you guys on more power"

You Said:

"Swap in an Aluminum DS. this would run about 250 for a 3in version.
Electirc Cooling fan.
If you add these with intake and an exhaust 20 rwhp should be easy."

"Reduced Rotating mass is an easy way to get more rwhp in all driving conditions. Your Engine won't make more power but it will get to the wheels more efficently."

"Yes and why is acceleration better with a ALuminum DS than a steel? Not becasue of the 10 lbs or so lost from the overall weight of the vehicle but becase your drivetrain is now more effcient and is easyier to turn. Less paracitic drag on the drivetrain equals more RWHP"

"It is not the mass of the driveshaft that will necessarily increase HP, but most factory steel driveshafts come with vibration problems which WILL eat HP. Aftermarket aluminum and carbon fiber drive shafts are lighter and better balanced which will improve both HP and acceleration."

"Yes, I did read it otherwise I would not have posted it.

Do you really think that driveshafts produced in large scale (as those put in production cars) would be crafted with the same attention as aftermarket pieces which are designed to perform better? Even if you dont notice a serious vibration it doesnt mean that your driveshaft is dead on balanced.

Either way, the gain is minimal and im dropping this topic."

"how long have you been into racing and modding for more horsepower Xtopher? did you know rotating mass "reduction" is worth about 4 times that of stationary weight? come on to the track or to the dyno (where i spend most my life when not at work) and you'll see why most run aluminum... unless your making enough to snap it (600+ hp dumping the clutch at 7000rpm on slicks)"

I Said:
"The driveahsft would help acceleration, as would a lighter flywheel. Unless you are trying to do faster 0-60 times, why bother? Most of us want to pass better loaded, or on a uphill, or tow better (easier), to stay in overdrive / locked TC more of the time.. The answer is to increase power, not reduce rotating mass.. You can go to a smaller tire, like a 28X8.. That would net faster acceleration & better towing.. but most offroaders want the biggest tires they are comfortable with.. 31's, 32's,33's.."

The whole point of this thread is 20rwhp. Not faster acceleration. Whatever you want to call yourself today, and whatever you do at the track does not matter. The point is increasing power to the rear wheels, not getting faster times at the track. Xterras couldn't win a race against much of anything, so why bother trying. More power will help with towing & oversized tires, 2 things Xterras are good at, Racing.. forget it.

Why not consider a carbon fiber driveshaft?
I looked into it for my car years ago, lighter and stronger than aluminum but costly. I think when I checked they would build you one for around $650. But that begs the question, why bother? The electric fan is another animal. Well worth it. I put one on my 4cyl. Ranger and it made more difference than an intake and exhaust combined.

The fan is in the plan..
Was thinking of somthing along these lines:

truckperformance.com
FLEX-A-LITE Dual 13.5-inch Puller Electric Fan, 4600 CFM
Mounting Surface Required: 17-1/2 x 27-1/4 x 4 inches

Now all i have to do is attack the front of my truck with a tape measure.. and see if it will fit..

Its not a question of where he grips it.
Its simply a matter of weight ratios... a five ounce bird cannot carry a one pound coconut.
Seriously though, a lightweight driveline is not advantageous for off roading. Aluminum perhaps, but carbon fiber doesn't take impacts well.

And that's why the 350Z has a carbon fiber drive shaft, for accidents.

The shaft will shatter instead of ram it's way somehere not wanted.

According to flex-a-lite, it will...
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/27inch-electric.html

Nissan Trucks
96-99 Pathfinder
98-01 Xterra

They are calling it a 98 - 01 xterra.. I am thinking thay are refering to the fronter..

I thought Regean performance had on installed on there 01 x? I could be wrong.