Buying my first Nav

[bigboibelton]

G'day guys

I'm looking at buying my first Nav in the coming days. I've done a bit of research and have narrowed things down to the D22. I have about 15k to spend and I'm currently looking at an 09 d22 with a yd25 in it with just over 150k kms.

Coming from an 09 VE SS commodore, I'm not expecting the mighty 98kw engine to be quick. In saying that, how is it in terms of a daily driver and light 4wding. Will I struggle on sand with just the 2.5? Are there any essential power modifications I will need, or am I better off with the 3.0L?

Cheers

 

[Old.Tony]

The 2.5 and 3.0 engines are a little different. More cubes will always make lighter work, but the 2.5 engine isn't a bad one. It will work on sand just fine, as long as you take the right precautions. Tyre deflation (to about 18-20 psi), carrying a shovel and/or items like MaxTraxx (or equivalent, Aldi sells them from time to time and they're quite good), and having a decent compressor on board are almost a requirement if you're going to do it regularly.

In fact, you might consider getting an on-board compressor with air lockers from ARB to kill two birds with one stone. Lockers on sand are useful, you won't see any extra tension in the drive train from driving with both axles locked and this will reduce the chance that you'll have one wheel in something a bit looser and unable to move because it's dug itself a hole.

Try to keep the area in front of the radiator clear, because slow driving at high engine loads can make the car overheat, and if you're concentrating on the beach, keeping the front as light as possible (no steel bull bar!) will only help, just be sure to have points front and rear where a tow strap can be fitted in case the worst happens.

 

[Tappet]

Are there any essential power modifications I will need, or am I better off with the 3.0L?

No. If your interest is beach and sand driving keep it light as you possibly can. Weight is the killer. You'll be amazed where you can go with the right Technique. Don't go for aggressive tyres. They just dig a better hole. Have a means of inflating your tyres fast (a good compressor) when you come off the sand. Keep the momentum up. Once you have lost it, going from a standing start is very difficult. I don't believe a 3.0L engine for your requirements is an advantage. In fact a bit of a revver or even petrol engines work well in sand.

 

[Jardsoooo]

I drive a 2015 D22 - they all come with the YD 25 from I believe 2009 ( ?) when Thailand took over the manufacture. Also got a 100mm longer tub and the plain looking tailgate.
If you are coming from a road sedan all I can say is lower your expectations dramatically.
As a daily driver it is pretty agricultural handling wise and very ordinary power wise and expect no power below 1500 rpm.
Seats are pretty horrible to be frank and the cabin cramped with nowhere to even put your phone and wallet unless fully put away in the consol or glove box.
On the big plus side I've taken it out in some tough 4wd situations and it always seems to go where I ask it to with no fuss.
It naturally sits up relatively high without having to spend hard earned on lift kits tho the rear overhang is a bit of a bother at times.
I love that the transfer case is manual - fast disappearing feature these days - and the manual front hubs are a godsend. Most of the time spent in 4 wheel low is backing trailers into tight spots up steep driveways so being able to use low range without engaging the front axel brilliant.
Low range has saved me a number of times getting going on steep suburban hills - eg the one I live on - and will ensure the clutch has a long life.
I've done 115k and not spent a cent on it other than maintenance.
It is due for a suspension upgrade and I've finally decided its time for a chip.
Recommended as a cheap and capable 4wd but don't expect too much as a daily drive

 

[GunMentalGrey]

Agree with the cramped cabin. The D22 is older design and hadn’t benefitted from the upsizing that happened to other models. Eg the D40 has a lot more room. When I bought my D40 the interior room was important and was also pretty much the only model available in my budget with that space. Hilux and Ranger, Dmax with the space were too new and therefore too pricey. I didn’t need extra space for the tray though.

 

[Horatius]

I have the old zd30 and it doesn't perform as well as comparable 3 litre engines (Isuzu, Toyota). They seem highly "detuned", which isn't a problem at all and not a bad thing for longevity. Would be surprised if the 2.5 litre didn't go as well as them (or better).

The d22 goes well as a daily driver unless you're in lots of traffic. Once they're up to speed they're fine but stopping and starting at lights all the time would not be fun. Other brands such as Hilux are so much better to drive in these conditions (especially as you can get them in auto).

Sand isn't a problem (at least desert sand isn't). Technique, weight and things such as tyre pressures are probably more important than power there.

 

[Boogieboots]

I drive a 2015 D22 - they all come with the YD 25 from I believe 2009 ( ?) when Thailand took over the manufacture. Also got a 100mm longer tub and the plain looking tailgate.
If you are coming from a road sedan all I can say is lower your expectations dramatically.
As a daily driver it is pretty agricultural handling wise and very ordinary power wise and expect no power below 1500 rpm.
Seats are pretty horrible to be frank and the cabin cramped with nowhere to even put your phone and wallet unless fully put away in the consol or glove box.
On the big plus side I've taken it out in some tough 4wd situations and it always seems to go where I ask it to with no fuss.
It naturally sits up relatively high without having to spend hard earned on lift kits tho the rear overhang is a bit of a bother at times.
I love that the transfer case is manual - fast disappearing feature these days - and the manual front hubs are a godsend. Most of the time spent in 4 wheel low is backing trailers into tight spots up steep driveways so being able to use low range without engaging the front axel brilliant.
Low range has saved me a number of times getting going on steep suburban hills - eg the one I live on - and will ensure the clutch has a long life.
I've done 115k and not spent a cent on it other than maintenance.
It is due for a suspension upgrade and I've finally decided its time for a chip.
Recommended as a cheap and capable 4wd but don't expect too much as a daily drive

I don't know how much a chip is but I will attach a link below for a mob that does remaps for both ZD30 and YD25. I had mine done by a different mob but they have great reviews. They have a list of different stages, for the ZD30 at least. Makes it a lot easier to drive in traffic
https://baet.com.au/product/nissan-d22-zd30-navara-ecu-remap/

 

[Jardsoooo]

I don't know how much a chip is but I will attach a link below for a job that does remaps for both ZD30 and YD25. I had mine done by a different mob but they have great reviews. They have a list of different stages, for the ZD30 at least. Makes it a lot easier to drive in traffic
https://baet.com.au/product/nissan-d22-zd30-navara-ecu-remap/

Thats very interesting ! $1000 cheaper than others out there tho I notice that re the YD 25 they are saying the ecu does not control boost so you have to fit a manual boost controller.
Can anybody comment on this ?

 

[Jardsoooo]

I don't know how much a chip is but I will attach a link below for a job that does remaps for both ZD30 and YD25. I had mine done by a different mob but they have great reviews. They have a list of different stages, for the ZD30 at least. Makes it a lot easier to drive in traffic
https://baet.com.au/product/nissan-d22-zd30-navara-ecu-remap/

So Ive bit the bullet and ordered an exchange Stage 1 re-mapped ecu from baet - hope to see it in the not to distant future.

Of interest to me was learning that as above, the yd turbo is not controlled by the ecu but wastegated.

So I've had to buy a boost controller and boost gauge as well.

The key implication of course is that power chips cannot increase boost on these engines thus chucking extra fuel in only.

Am I wrong in thinking this doesn't seem the right way to go about it ?

 

[Boogieboots]

Probably. I mean it works but it is very crude. You also cannot hold them responsible for overboosting your engine.The mob I had mine done by also disabled the EGR within the remap so I didn't need to blank it, though I am pretty sure the beat remap does this too?

 

[Jardsoooo]

Yes it does tho mine is blanked anyway which I must say made a noticeable difference at the time to low end power delivery and pretty much eliminated smoke except under heavy load over about 3k revs.

 

[Boogieboots]

Yes it does tho mine is blanked anyway which I must say made a noticeable difference at the time to low end power delivery and pretty much eliminated smoke except under heavy load over about 3k revs.

Well I will be interested in hearing how it goes for you. My stepson is probably getting a YD25 D22 in the next week or so and have mentioned this to him.
My remap made a world of difference on the ZD

 

[Jardsoooo]

Well I will be interested in hearing how it goes for you. My stepson is probably getting a YD25 D22 in the next week or so and have mentioned this to him.
My remap made a world of difference on the ZD

First up I'm going to fit the gauge only to see what existing boost is - I'm predicting its lower than it should be - then then boost controller - see how it runs at 20psi without the remap.

 

[Horatius]

So Ive bit the bullet and ordered an exchange Stage 1 re-mapped ecu from baet - hope to see it in the not to distant future.

Of interest to me was learning that as above, the yd turbo is not controlled by the ecu but wastegated.

So I've had to buy a boost controller and boost gauge as well.

The key implication of course is that power chips cannot increase boost on these engines thus chucking extra fuel in only.

Am I wrong in thinking this doesn't seem the right way to go about it ?

I know various turbos such as the forefront ones can be easily adjusted to give much more boost if that's what you're after. Though even at the standard 15 psi max boost they are a noticeable performance upgrade from the Hitachi. Not sure bout the 2.5 but in the zd30 I thought lack of fuel was the biggest issue with power. They seem way under tuned that way (which is one of the things I like about them, less stress).

 

[Jardsoooo]

Agreed less stress is a good thing but when I read about vehicles such as Blue Nav pushing out 350 HP I figure just a little more stress I can live with

 

[Horatius]

Agreed less stress is a good thing but when I read about vehicles such as Blue Nav pushing out 350 HP I figure just a little more stress I can live with

Yeah, fair enough. I use mine mostly for off roading or outback touring, where power isn't an issue and reliability takes precedence. I sometimes forget that other people have them for different reasons, or also use them like a normal car/ute lol.

 

[Alec Jardine]

Yeah, fair enough. I use mine mostly for off roading or outback touring, where power isn't an issue and reliability takes precedence. I sometimes forget that other people have them for different reasons, or also use them like a normal car/ute lol.

Ok so I've fitted the re-mapped Jamie Nobel / BAET ecu and manual boost controller.

First thing I fitted was the boost gauge only to check what it was running.

Pretty much as it should have been at around 16.

Then fitted the controller and got it up to 20 and took it for a spin.

Def pulling harder once the revs got up but nothing crazy.

Have now fitted the ecu.

Has made a substantial difference acceleration wise and def pulling harder up hill.

Feel wise it's like it's breathing properly- always felt like it was starving previously

Not sure how much it has reduced the below 1500 revs power lack but haven't really spent much time with it yet.

Big test for me will be trailer towing - I live in a hilly area and the old girl has always struggled even with an aluminium tool trailer.

 

[Boogieboots]

Good stuff, hope it serves you well mate