modification advice anyone?

[caseyxterra]

Hey ya'll !

Just bought my baby about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Shes a red 2003 Nissan Xterra (obviously), with 140 000 kms. Great truck, i'm in love with it. Had already taken it out off roading a good couple times and had lots of fun!

This spring i'm thinking to do some modification to be able to do a lot more off-roading without doing any damage and/or to off-road easier and I've been looking at some winch bumpers, suspension lifts, tires, roof lights and stuff like that. I'm still new to all the off-roading stuff therefor i'm Just looking for advice on what modification should be done first and/or what is needed most importantly. Also read that a CB radio is also handy, am i right ?

thanks guys!

[Scotto]

Wow. Let's see...

It depends what type of trails you want to do. But, in general, from more important to yeah, sure you could there:

- a suspension lift (even a PML) is good. If you can get the truck up on 31"s it's good. This involves a few things, depending on your route. It can be as easy as some new leaf shackles and a torsion bar twist. Or new UCAs... It kind of depends on your decision.
- skid plates. There's a bunch of stuff under the truck that really you don't want to hit with a rock. Get some plates for the bottom. The front part of the truck where the engine is for sure, and maybe a tranny plate if you can.
- sliders. These are the things that protect the side of the truck from becoming scrambled eggs. They replace the little step-rails that are probably on your truck now (and should be removed ASAP). Sliders are a great investment.
- a good roof rack.
- breather tubes to extend your axle and tranny vents.
- CB cause you need one on the trail. Some guys have FRS radios, but I find that then I end up saying everything twice (once in the CB, once in the FRS) and it's a PITA.
- you don't need a winch. You will never wheel alone, so there will always be a truck to help you out.
- front bumper of some sort. Steel. Provides better approach angles, and when you hit stuff it won't fold up and break other parts of your truck.
- If you are getting nutty, a swing gate on the rear to hold that spare tire that will no longer fit under the truck...
- move the ECM into the dash for safety (it sits on the hump of the floor, and it doesn't take much to get water in there).
- off road lights.

that's all I got right now. This isn't something you do all at once, unless you're rich. It's best to do a bit at a time, and slowly put it all together. I guess that's like telling a little kid that Xmas presents don't get opened until everyone has had breakfast, but it's the truth.

[Jayman]

Scotto has covered the basics above, so I don’t think that I need to regurgitate them for you.

If you are talking about WHAT mods you should do, the list is almost endless is what you can do to your vehicle. From suspension lifts to recovery equipment, the list simply goes on and on… If you are looking for guidance on what mods to do FIRST, opinions will differ on this one, for various reasons.

Most people in the club have gone the route of tires first. Get a set of MT’s so that when you get out on to the trail, you have a decent set of sneakers to help give you the traction that you need.

Now, even there, you don’t NEED MT’s to wheel, but they certainly help you get through obstacles easier then a highway tire. There is no debating that.

After getting tires, most will look at some kind of suspension lift to gain some clearance over obstacles.

This was the route that I went, and in looking back, if I had to do it all over again, I would have done things a bit differently. I went tires, sliders (armoured step rails), poor man’s lift, 3” suspension lift, front bumper with winch, various steering upgrades, CB, off road lights, recovery gear, skid plates, rear bumper with tire carrier, snorkel, revolver shackles. There’s a bunch of stuff interspersed in there, but that’s the major stuff for now.

If you plan to wheel your vehicle, as Scotto pointed out, you will want to protect it because they aren’t cheap, and when you break something, it’s usually expensive. Notice I didn’t say IF you break something, but when, because you will break something eventually. Learning how to fix stuff is half the fun though, and doing the work yourself makes things a bit less painful on the wallet.

Anyways, if you want to protect it, you have to wrap it up! For your truck, this means you need skid plates and sliders. As Bender likes to say, “Anything you can’t drive over, you can glide over…” using your armour underneath.

If I had the chance, I would get tires, then skid plates & sliders, then everything else.

The only problem with skid plates for most people is that they are quite expensive to purchase, and they give you no visual difference in your vehicle. No lift, no big tires, no “Look at my bad-ass truck” effect. I wanted that “look at my bad-ass truck” effect, as did most people when they first started modding, so skid plates were pretty low on the list of priorities for me.

Having gained some experience wheeling my vehicle though, I think differently about things now, and although I still enjoy having the “bad-ass truck” look, I realize that I went the wrong direction when I started modding. Skids should have been first on the list…

That’s a tough pill to swallow for most, as I said, skids don’t give you any immediately gratification as a mod. You can’t see them, you pretty much forget they are there 99% of the time. What they do give you however is a sense of confidence on the trails that you are better protected for when you go wheeling. You will actually enjoy wheeling more, because you aren’t constantly worried about breaking something. This was something that was always in the back of my mind when I was out on the trails; what am I going to break today, and how much will this cost me…

Skids and sliders won’t protect you from everything, but they certainly take you a step up when it comes to preparing and protecting your vehicle for wheeling.

So in my opinion, tires, skids & sliders, then hit the trails. You can decide what you need after that.

[Spider 007]

So in my opinion, tires, skids & sliders, then hit the trails. You can decide what you need after that.

I would even go as far as telling you to hit at least one trail (pick a somewhat easy one) with your truck as it sits right now. It'll give you a chance to see what you like (rocks, mud, expedition, etc...) and also what kind of wheeler you are. That will help you decide what mods comes first for you... because let's face it: everyone's different and you'll get different opinions from different people.

[Miner]

My list, this is based on two assumptions: the first is that you will not tackle a truly difficult/treacherous trail in your first couple years of wheeling, and the second you want the visual of lift and tires. This move protection down on the priority list, altough I agree it is a necessity.

1. Cheap lift or PML with nice riding shocks (not the expensive dessert racing ones);
2. Aggressive AT or MT tires (as big as will fit without rubbing, or cutting metal);
3. CB;
4. Recovery gear (good recovery strap, shackles, high-lift, shovel);
5. Tools (broken on the trail is worse then being stuck);
6. Trail armour (skids, rock sliders and bumpers....in that order), and after wheeling for a couple years
7. Better lift and better/bigger tires.

Lights, roof racks, winch(s), lockers, air compressors... are all nice to have but they are really accessories as they are only for show or to use 1% of the time.

[Bow_Tied]

First things first:
if not already done remove step bars and rigid mudflaps.
Next is to verify all maintenance is up to date, brakes, steering etc and a good spare and tool kit.
Enjoy as is for a few outings. Get to know your rig on the trail. Then you can decide how far to go with mods. It's like a free trial before investing in the bigger deal.

Just my opinion. A lot of fun to be had in stock trim.

[Adam]

There are a couple trails I know of that we could take your X out on in the near future if you wanna test'er out. The tires I saw on your rig are all seasons at best so your traction will be limited.

140,000kms? Has the timing belt been changed? I know it's not at the manual specified 160 but it is 11 years old now... That would be the first thing on my list to be completely honest.

[Nd4SpdSe]

I would personally just recommend just getting out there, hitting trails, and upgrade as you see fit. You'll tailor your truck only to your driving style, but to the type of off-roading that you perfer.

My life not long after I got the truck, has made things difficult to upgrade her in the way that I would like it, but I do it bit-by-bit as best I can afford.

I'm running off a PML with a 2" BL and 32" MT tires. You don't need the BL for 32's, but I didn't want to deal with rubbing. The BL isn't too expensive, so why not? I also want with factory offset rims to help with that as well, but I will admit, the stance on rims pertruding out the wheel wells do look very nice. I'm running my original stock shocks. They're worn and bouncy, but I'm trying to hold off to get RS9000's. Do I need RS9000's? More likely not, but I hate doing things twice and would like to have them in and ready for when I can get a proper suspension lift on, and incrementally, it would make less expensive for a one-time big chunk of money spent. With them I tend to hit the frame on rocks, not from the clearance, but from the bouce of the shocks, but I'm also wondering if extra movement saves me from breaking stuff that would normally experience extra stress, but that's a theory for another time. I'd love to get skids, but they're just way too rich for my blood at this time, but I haven't experienced any situation that I wish I had them except to ease/peace of mind for some trails/sections, just in case, but I did get sliders when I could, and they have indeed saved my rockers

Love having good MT's, but I do'nt use her to commute, and when I did, I'd swap my street tires to my MT's for hitting the trail, than back. Go with what you need, but good tires do make a big difference. With bigger tires, upgrade the idler arm. I'm still running stock TRE's, but there's one situation at AW in '10 where I was told that my idler arms probably saved me (wish someone would of gotten a pic of it tho )

Love my OEM roof rack. I don't plan on upgrading it. I would love to have some nice off-road lights up there, but it's just a luxury and it's on the long list with the Xoskel Offroad Lo Pro Light Bar for it. Hopefully this year

I got a winch, and I've used it way more often to pull others out and to help myself, seriously! Feels good when you do though, especially when it's a Jeep

Fan of the CB, handy for off-roading, no matter who you go with, people always have a CB. Funny to listen to truckers talk too on those long trips.

Diff-breather definitely, cheap and easy. Front probably had one, but the rear will have some funky breathing cap on it and it doesn't take much to get that fluid grimy.

I think that's all from me for now. if I could I'd be running a nice list using SLR UCA's, Revolver rear shackles using a military-wrap leaf and front and rear lockers, but sadly I'm on a budget, but in time...

[caseyxterra]

First of all thanks for all the awesome information guys ! lots of help.

I already took some trails out in the fields back home with some friends, there was a couple of big rocks, snow and high grass..nothing too serious. Every year we usually go to North Agusta "mudding" there is lots and lots of mud and trails there its crazy, there might be some rocks too not too sure, i'm tempted to go this year and see how she does.

First thing I might actually do like some of you said is remove the step bars and mud flaps, then once I have enough money saved i'l get some good MT's, although i'm afraid it will rub if their too big so how could I tell or would the suspension lift help at all ??

Next I think the skid plates and rock sliders would be good use to protect underneath and keep from costing me a fortune to replace what could get damaged. Afterwards I will possibly get a good solid bumper with bull bar and lights, not entirely sure if i'l get one with a winch or not but it can be expensive with a winch and probably wont be needing it much so, that's another thing to think about. I will then slowly add up all the accessories like jayman said to make it look like a "bad-ass truck " haha!

What do you think?

Another question: if i do end up getting a CB where do most of you put it ?? Also where do/did most of you find all your stuff for the truck ?

for Adam , i'm totally in for a run to test'er out! anytime on wednesdays and sundays ! Even this week i'm free if your up to it! Your right they are all season tires so i'm thinking to find some good mud tires soon. The truck JUST got to 140, i guess it would be a good idea to check the timing belt.

again thanks guys for all the help, wouldn't get the best do's and dont's without yous !

[Miner]

North Augusta eh, PM me when you're going as we are often in the area.

[caseyxterra]

wil do !

[Nd4SpdSe]

how could I tell or would the suspension lift help at all ??

Typically no unless because your maximum articulation points will still be the same, it's just your regular stance will be higher. You can bit 32's with no body lift with minor triming,and 33's with major triming, so depends on what kind of mods you want to do to the truck. I'd rather minimise the cutting and put on a BL.

Another question: if i do end up getting a CB where do most of you put it ?? Also where do/did most of you find all your stuff for the truck ?

Everyone is creative with their CB mounting, there's very few that are alike. Mine I put in an aftermarket single-din headunit and put the CB right underneath. You can get some really small Midland/RadioShack CB's that are easy to tuck away. Even Dudu got one that tucks away, and the Microphone has controls on it, pretty neat.

[HolidayNation]

Good gravy I love thinking back to the angst and excitement of starting my build...


The information provided already, is valid and will serve you well. A good start would be a nice set of sneakers. You can stuff 31s on stock with no issues, and your spare will still fit underneath. A little Tbar crank will level out your ride too, but don't crank too far or you will spend your dark hours getting flashed( and not in a good way). Your ride as is will handle way more than one could imagine, but loose your fancy step rails and hard mud guards (already mentioned). I highly recommend armour. If ever there was money well spent, this would be it...sliders, full underbelly, gas tank. As Jay mentioned, not a pretty mod, but sure does alleviate stress on the trail. As a wise man once mentioned (or was it Bender?) "what you cant ride over, glide over". Once you start adding weight, then you can consider what you want to do with the back end...ie: shackles, leaf packs, add a leaf, then off you go with your money pit. Adam mentioned a valid point, Timing belt consideration, don't want that thing letting go on ya. CBs are everywhere and a must for trail riding. This can be a pretty cheap first mod, check ebay/kijiji etc and maybe find a good deal, truck stops too. JUST DON"T CHEAP OUT ON YOUR ANTENNA INSTALL!!!!! there is no bargain with a crappy antenna.
Most of all, enjoy the process...

******Be sure to use the search feature on this site and google, there is a tonne of redundancy and information out there that will assist you in your build process...********

[dududuckling]

Even Dudu got one that tucks away, and the Microphone has controls on it, pretty neat.

And it glows in the dark, hahahhaa



Good luck!

[caseyxterra]

love your CB set up dudu never knew a glowing one existed haha. looks like it comes with phone plulgins too ?! genius

thanks for all the info guys will definitely keep all that in mind !

looked at some sliders and skids ..thought they would be a lot more expensive as like some of you said they drain your wallet

http://www.shrockworks.com/Nissan-Skid- ... c-260.html

http://www.shrockworks.com/Nissan-Xterr ... 16144.html

[Jayman]

Don't forget shipping costs and all that. The skids are HEAVY, so it's not cheap to get them up here.

When Holiday and I got ours, we went through The National 4wheel distributor in Smiths Falls, for no other reason then the fact that it was far easier to have them deal with the shipping crap.

[BigRed44]

I agree with Jayman i got mine from hefty this winter and getting them here was almost as much as the skids cost themselves

[caseyxterra]

oh true , did NOT think of that ..stupid me hehe

[deeker]

Lots of good advice here. Tires, protection and a lift are the big ones to consider.

The only thing I can add is to learn how to drive your vehicle off-road. For example, follow someone with a similar vehicle to see how it behaves over obstacles on the trail, where they place wheels, how they screw up, etc... There are loads of people on the forum here who are experienced and careful, and understand you need to get home in one piece.

Learn from these people, absorb the good info, don't go beyond what you feel you can handle. You will be able to discover what additional modifications are needed to your driving style and to your vehicle.

Don't listen to me though. I drive a Jeep.

[caseyxterra]

good point ! I will keep that in mind. I love driving , i'm always willing to learn new things from others

haha my sister has a yellow rubicon , drove it for a good while we used to share it actually ..much prefer my "new" xterra though