Okay, so I've owned my Xterra for approx 6 months now and I'm sick of my girlfreind haggling me about what trails I can try and which I can't. Can anyone contribute a breakdown of how a stock Xterra compares to a built Xterra in terms of capability? I've driven some stuff that was rougher than she'd approve but I think I can do better!

I'd appreciate if you could distinguish between an '00-'04 and the '05's. My '00 has nothing but Wild Country tires and a Tokico Trail Master Suspension kit. Thanks guys!

Just get rid of your Step Rails and Mud Flaps and you will be surprized of what a Stock X can do...I wouldn't do anything Stupid like Rock Crawling or any extreme Offroading, Just play it by ear, and you'll be alright...

Too broad of a question really

It depends on the area/terrain and how much you care about your vehicle (Would it bother you much if you smashed in a body panel, for instance? No joke here - some people don't mind)

Are you going wheeling alone? That can get you into trouble no matter how built or stock your vehicle is. I'd recommend hooking up with your local X club. Go out to one of their wheeling events. They will be able to steer you toward the right level of fun/risk - and will be there to help you out when you get in over your head.

What can it do is a broad question all right...it has more to due with the driver than the rig most of the time.



Without skids or armor...you can do fire trails and other terrain that is short on sharp rocks or protuding stumps...unless you are good at picking lines through the stuff, etc.

Mud is best done with mud tires...but AT's are a decent compromise for a daily driver...w/o armor, rocks are a bad idea.

You can cross headlight deep water...and hill climbs should be no problem...watch the off camber stuff if its bouncy...but, you can heel over really far w/o tipping....find a slope, and get one side up on it...and keep going further up on the one side untill you think you might fall over...get out, and try to push it over...it probably won't budge (If it falls over, you were braver than most newbies...so as a rule of thumb...if you open the down hill door, and it doesn't swing into the ground...you can go further over...the door thing isn't the limit either...but at least you won't bother to get out and push if the door isn't even hitting the ground yet...)

(Tie a tow strap as a safety line to keep it from going over if it makes you feel better/keeps you from suing people...etc...)



As to pre-'05's...

The 2000-2001's have square headlights and smaller wheel wells that barely fit 31's w/o trimming...

the 2002-2004's are mechanically pretty much the similar, but have round headlights, a higher hood line, a slight power boost, and can be supercharged, and have slightly larger wells due to a bit less plastic in the way...

The 2005+'s are a completely new design, and have WAY more power, can have a factory locker instead of the previous LSD, and more computer gizmo traction stuff, more passenger room and cargo accomodations, have different axles and differentials, have front coil spring suspensions instead of torsion bar suspensions, and can fit 33's stock.



There are of course other differences, but the above is a good start.

Join PNWX, go out for a run with us, you will learn lots....great bunch of guys

Thanks for the info guys, sorry about the broadness, I'm just not sure how to narrow it down much better than that... As for PNWX, I'd like to, I'm just not sure how much time I'm gonna have. Do you guys have any area's in the Tacoma area. I've been up to Elbe Hills ORV course, but that seems to be much more for ATV's, motorcycles and built rock crawlers. It started getting annoying going from a groomed gravel road that was no fun, to a ridiculously steep, off camber, rocky and narrow trail. Are there any good area's around here I could go with a freind (in my car) and goof around on fun trails with minimal risk of destroying my rig, ruling out my own stupidity of course.

We don't know what your skill level is...is more about the driver than the rig as to what you can do.

Obviously, you know what you are asking, but, no one else does...and we'd need words to describe your abilties/type of terrain you can do...most offroad trails have those dirt roads leading to them, with the real trails branching off...so it sounds like you drove on the dirt roads to get to the real trails, but the trails themselves looked too hard?

I think the stuff you say is too hard is what you are supposed to be doing...and you just need to re-calibrate your OH SHIT factor, and give it a shot...

As that's a big jump...try the "lean it and push on it test" above...get a feel of tip over angles...and YES - call out to an off road club, as mentioned a few times above...and go with people who know where what kinds of trails are in your area, and can show you the ropes.

PNWX dude. We schedule runs in advance so as many people as possible can join up. Oct.1-2 is our next run, its in Naches, and its a good one.
You will be surprised at what your stock X will do, as we have one member who takes her stocker everywhere. and yes, those trails that branch off the dirt roads, are the trails we run. You have 4 wheel drive, right?

I did Moab in an 04' stock 4X4. No mud flaps, step rails and removed the sway bar. Scraped the tow hitch alot, but that was about it. Your truck will perform and hold up based off of your level of experiencce and operator error. Use the buddy system.