So how do you guys do it? I have a 2X4 and im thinking im going to get stuck in Mud. What When your out there muddin or off-roading you don't want to get stuck when no-one is there.

well first off a 2x4 is a piece of wood, what you have is a 4x2, lol anyways get good mud tires for the rear, if you want to do mudding, your not gonna do much in a 4x2 but just keep momentum, NEVER, and i mean NEVER EVER go out alone mudding ESPECIALLY in a 4x2, cuz then your asking for trouble...good luck

Yeah, it's not a good idea to go on your own, especially if you are 4x2.

Mud tires on the rear will help. You can also install skinny regular tires on the front and do mud bog, I guess.

I agree with what was already said. When I did have my 2wd I just went out with the rest of the guys. If no one was going out then I didn't go any where.

A winch helps.

Quote:
A winch helps.

Are you jokeing or are you serious because it would make sense casue you could tie the string on the Calmini Winch Bumper.

I had posted this in another thread, but if I had a 4x2 I would look into a long travel suspension. Since momentum is your best friend as a 4x2, a long travel suspension will be your best bet.

a locker would help. It essentially gives you real 2 wheel drive. As confusing as it may sound 4x4s only really have 2wd.

a locker would help

Where do you get one? How much are they? Are they really worth it in offroading and cost and to put it on (if it is hard)?

what's a locker?

a locker is a type of differential, a locking differential allows both tires to move at the same speed, pretty much theyre locked together, they allow maxiumum amount of traction offroad, so if you have an non locking, open differential on your X, the tire without traction is going to spin, so if you are in an off camber spot, and one of your rear tires leaves the ground, the the one in the air will spin, leaving the one on the ground with traction useless, with a locker, both tires will move in the same direction at the same speed, so back in the off camber situation, the tire thats in the air, AND the one on the ground will spin, resulting in you moving forward or backwards out of the spot...

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential10.htm

wow nice read. Just learned alot.

Very nice site. Thanks allot. You get a five on the helpful vote!

Me too. Very well put. You got a 5 on your Helpfulness. Can't wait to pick one up for me. But I have a question. Will it affect my everyday use on the roads and highways?

i'll let someone who actually has one confirm but i don't think it will affect anything, its a part time air lock system, so its off until you engage it,i know a couple people who have locked Xterras and its their daily driver, but like i said ill let someone who actually has one confirm

No, locker has no affect on the road, provided that you have to have it off. Since it's unlocked it will be once again the plain old open differential that we all (most of us) have.

Quote: provided that you have to have it off.

You mean that you can turn it off and on when ever you want I thought it was automatically turned on.

No, the automatic would be what they call Limited-Slip. A locker is a manual thing. You engage it when you want both wheels locked together.

A Limited-Slip diff is half way to a locker. It works better than an open diff, but not as well as a locked diff.

No, there are electronic lockers and air lockes. Both need to be switched on and off. An air locker will work off of compressed air (air tank) that you have on board. You'll run hose to the locker to engage/disengage it.

An electronic locker does the same thing but through a circuit and powered off your battery ultimately.

What 'engages' automatically is your limited slip differential. When one wheel starts to slip the clutch disks engage and that way the power is trasferred to the other wheel but sort of creating friction, basically, that would not let one wheel sping w/o the other. In theory that's pretty much how it works (in a nut shell) but in reality the Xterra's limited slip is pretty weak (at least on the older models).

you can, my friend had a jeep 2wd with like a 2 in lift and 31's with Lockers. With those lockers he could get thru some serious obstacles, i mean he did some pretty outrageous tings, especially for a 2wd jeep. Sadily, he rolled his truck doing donuts with the lockers engaged, apparentley u ar enot supposed to do donuts with lockers engaged.

talking about LOckers, wat is difference, in the sence of performance and all that, of Air lockers and Mechanical lockers. From What i have see, air lockers look expensive as hell.

Right now the ARB air locker is the only thing that is available for the 00-04 models. The 05 and up on the OR editions with 4wd comes with the e-locker for the rear. The only way to get something else is to switch the rear end out which I don't think that anyone here has done. I know you can put in your locker of choice in the front if you are doing an SAS job on it.

Where would I get a locking differential?

SAS Job? What does this mean.

SAS= Solid Axle Suspension, swapping out the IFS (Independent Front suspension) on our trucks, and swapping it with a solid axle...heres a pic of the difference, borrowed these pics from the other thread, theres an Xterra with a 3" lift, and the bottom is the Solid Axle Xterra

Xterra/Frontier Limited Slip Differential $399.95 1999-2004 Frontier & 2000-2004 Xterra H233B Rear Differential with drum brakes only

What about a limited slip differential instead of the locking diffential? Does anyone have either of these products? Since money is a issue, i can't really afford the locking differntial with air compressure. Im thinking that the limited is better than the regular open differential but is the limited safe on highways, roads, and turns? Thanks, Nick

Are you sure your X doesn't already have an LSD? Slide under the rear and look for a sticker on the Diff saying 'LSD Oil Only' (Or something along those lines).

I believe the LSD in the 2000 and 2001 X's had a much better break stength than the 02 onwards. 200lbs compared to 30lbs. The LSD in the 2002 onwards therefore being pretty useless really.

Just traded my 2000 LSD equiped 2WD for a Locked 4x4 tho, so I shouldn't have any problems getting up and over stuff anymore!

LOL. So your saying in your 2000 X you had a Limited Slip Differential and it could do 200lbs worth and on the 2001's it was the same but on 2002's an up there not on the 2WD models?

Slide under the rear and look for a sticker on the Diff saying 'LSD Oil Only' (Or something along those lines).

Didn't see anything on it. I want to make sure i was looking at the right thing. Is it the thing that connect to the shaft? It looks like a ball conecting to the two rear wheels.

its on the rear diff, it'll look like this...note the "USE ONLY LSD OIL" sticker

IT DID. Im so happy. Thanks so much for the information. It really help. Just one question i spoke to parts at a nissan dealer ship and said the only way to tell if it is LSD is to jack it up and spin one tire if the other tire spins the same way it is LSD. Also is it possible to use LSD oil in a open differential? Thanks So Much. You made my day. Nick

That would be the way to tell if the diff was locked. Most LSD's don't kick in until a certain amount of torque is reached. A LSD is still an open diff until one wheel starts to spin much faster than the other. Clutch plates then start to transfer some of the torque to the other wheel. LSD is better than an open diff, but not as good as a locked diff.

Best bet, save up the money until you can get lockers.

I went up and over and through some pretty scary stuff with my LSD equipped 2000 2WD. I say head out with some 4x4 owners and soe recovery gear and see what she can do. Momentum is your friend, combined with a good set of rear tires you can do alot in a 2WD.

I know but it is so dam expensive. Like $729 for Rear Air Locker and $145 for ARB Compact On Board Air System. Then on top of that i need it all installed. Thats a bundle of money. Unless your rich and nice and you want to help a fellow Nissan Lover and fork over some money for it I don't think im getting it.

Well, I have neve installed a locker, but I have changed out my share of rear ends over the years. I'll offer to install it for you, but you own your own as far as buying the kit

I don't even know where you live. I have a question towards your internet site and you had this symbol that is the rainbow in it. Are you gay or bi-sexual.

I really like your site, what did you use to build it? Also, what program are you using for your picture gallery.

Good job.

Sry for double posting...

My suggestion is this; dont get a locker. Reason is that on a 4x2 you dont have the LOW range, only HI. You would still need the speed and momentum to get you thru the obstacle, (what ever it will be). That being said it is very easy for you to brake something. Save your money, and trade your truck in for a 4x4. You will be happier and safer in the end.

I live in Florida and i really dont need 4 wheel drive. The X is perfect right now and don't want to get fucked on a deal on a trade in. I dont like the new X's that much only the size of the engine. So i rather put a winch bumber on it and go off roading with my friends with 4 wheel drive and they will pull me out. But I heard that even in 2 wheel drive with a limited slip differential i can get through some fun stuff.

A locker is very useful and experiance will get you well down the trail even with a 2wd. I just got an 06 2wd SE 6sp man. what I'm not sure of is the value of the VDC button for controlling slip at my discretion.

Galveston, Texas is a great place to live man! Welcome to the XOC.

Enjoy the truck!

Thanks. Go to This is how I built my site . I pay $42 for the year for the premium service. I also registered my own domain name which is $19 a year. It's pretty easy. I have the easy account. If you know html then you can do your site that way as well. I don't know that yet so that's why I chose the easy account level. Basically you type what you want to say like replying here and that's it.

Umm, No, that is a camera shutter with the 6 primary colors for each leaf. It's a Photography thing. Sorry.

Just clarifying the LSD test thing...

The LSD is not smart...its just a friction thing that holds on until there's too much torque for it to hold on, and then, its lets go, at its "Break free" torque setting....

IE: Think of the LSD as always locked, by a lock that's not real strong...so the tires turn to gether at first (So the test works), and only differentiate if one tire has TOO MUCH torque, and then it lets it slip...

Its a Limited Slip Differential.



As for a locked hi-range...

It fine in mud, which doesn't really need low range...and hi-range primarily falls short in rocks, which is not a 2wd forte anyway....and in hill decents.

So - having only a high range means rock crawling is not a good idea, unless you have REALLY patient freinds...

A locked 2wd hi-range will get further than an un locked 2wd hi-range though...so its not a waste afterall.

A locker in mud of courrse isn't the be all and end all...as the tires tend to spin the same speed in mud anyway, and you rarely lift a tire in mud either...so a locker isn't going to make you superman.

On dirt, hill climbs, etc...the locker will shine though...and may cut your winching buddies a break now and again.

While the diff's open, you could throw in a set of lower gears, and try to compensate for the lack of low range/the larger tires you'll no doubt want to mount.

So, on that note, if the LSD is designed to break free if one wheel has too much torque, what bad things can happen to a locker that doesn't break free?
Is there situations that can occur when locked that can damage the diff if you keep it locked?

Sure...you can break gears, snap axle shafts, crab sideways off a cliff and break into tiny pieces....lots of potential damage from a locker....not a lot of actual damage from selectable lockers, but sure, its possible.

only trying to park in a parking lot with the locker engaged. You are LESS likely to kill anything with a locker locked, as both tires spin at the same speed..
say you lift a tire without a locked locker, and the speedo says 30, and you set it back down. The tire is doing 60mph when it hits, and is likely to break stuff.. not lock the locker, lift the tire, get teh speedo to 30.. set the tire back down, and it is only doing 30mph.. It will leave a mark, but you should be able to drive off.. Plus with the other tire on the ground, is you have any traction on that one, you will just be cruising.. Think of the old videos of hummers lifting tires all the time, but not really spinning the crap out of them..

Thanks!