Just wanted to check interest. At Gone the Nissan reps indicated some interest in doing a Con event, like so many other manufacturers. I picked up a little info a few weeks ago when in Rubicon Springs. Before I propose something, how many would be interested in a Rubicon event. Not worth proposing unless attendance would be good.

Yes! Heading up there for a test run as soon as the truck is together. I would love to watch a few SAS X's too.

Yes for 06' and Yes for 05 also

Did Loon to Spider and part of Wentworth the 3rd Weekend in July already.

Plan on going back in a couple of weeks and running the whole trail.

Marty…either 9/16-18 or 9/23-25th let me know if your interested? Starting from Loon? Going though Gatekeeper, Big Sluice, etc no bypasses well maybe the Little Sluice but you never know

Brian

I'd do it, but it'll be important to choose the overnight locations and the time of year. August through September is better, because there's more daylight and snow is unlikely to be a problem that late in the year. I'd say it'll take a minimum of 3 days for a reasonably-well equipped truck to make it from Loon Lake to Tahoe, taking as many bypasses as possible. Minimum requirements would be 32" tires, a locker, sliders, and a 3" lift. I seriously doubt a stock Nissan [anything]would make it without significant problems.

I have a write-up of my trip over the 'con at this link.

I'm game, but like Dean said all Nissans must be appropriately equipped.

I would love to do it, but I have too many weekends in Sept that I'm gone due to work. If I went I would be home a total of 6 days in the month and my wife would leave me. I would be up for an 06 event.

-Doug

I'd be there... should have the pathy up to specs by 06

One can be assured if it was done in conjunction with Nissan they may want to run some stockers through, but they would have to have rocker sliders and off-road package to be sure.( I will say the Nissan Reps at Gone showed no mercy keeping up, though the trails were far easier) And no Titans :rolleyes:

Its likely that IF Nissan did it they would want to make it to Rubicon springs to camp, and not stop along the way anywhere else. This means starting at the crack of dawn like Jeep Jambo, having a hell of a long day getting to Rubicon Springs, a rest day of fun, then driving out.(something I would never do otherwise!) With a flawless, well equipped group I can do Loon to Spider in 3hrs, 3hrs to Buck and 2 more to Rubicon Springs. Although its more common to start at 10:00+ in the morning each day and stop at Spider, and have breakage or rookies make for 3X as long
Due to the ever reduction in school summer vacation, it would probably need to be toward the end of July for me.
Anyhow, let me see what Nissan says. If they dont want to do it, its a mute point anyways and we could plan whatever we want....
If Nissan goes I will take my 05 with whatever mods I can afford by then. If not, I may still run the Montero. The trip will also include other trails as well to fill up 10days. I am not sure of exact line up yet.

Count me out for the first day then. There's no way I'm doing Loon to Rubicon Springs in one day. That would probably be a 12+ hour day with a large (6 or more) group of locked IFS rigs, longer if there are any mostly-stock trucks. (SAS rigs don't factor into this; they should do OK.) Sorry to say this, but a Nissan is NOT a Jeep (or even a short wheelbase Montero), and "flawless" and "Rubicon" are practically mutually exclusive words(unless you're lucky), especially when some rigs won't be "well-equipped." Major problem areas will be Gatekeeper , the ridge after Walker Hill , the steep descent just after Spider Lake, and Big Sluice .

There's a big difference between Jeep Jamboree (which has a spare-parts helicopter, rigs with welders, and more) and first-time Nissan-sponsored run.

I'll be more than happy to come in from Tahoe and stoke a campfire at Rubicon Springs for y'all though.

Dean's right. Three days at 5 hours a day it took me with no traffic and no problems. First night would be better at Buck Island Lake.

I am looking for input, so I know what to talk about with them. I am concerned about time. Its true, I watched Jeep Jambo this summer, passed them above Big Sluice and its like a fine oiled machine.

I am still new to Xterras, so capability is something I am still trying to understand. We have easily driven stock Monteros over the Rubicon over the years, but they are very strong with decent clearence and room for 33s stock.
As well I drive an 05 X, and that is a far different animal from a 00-04, with off-road improvements in every possible catagory. It should be noted that stock Jeeps have almost no clearence, and no capability unless they are Rubicons. Still, at the Jambo dozens of spotters /rock stackers follow along and help everyone every step of the way.
I also worry about breakage. At Gone, I learned that Xterras, atleast older ones are quite delicate, and thats not something I am used to. Ok, let me play with this....

And it would probably be nice to have a well built rig there that can easily walk over anything to help out with extractions. Solid axles, 2 lockers, 35"+ tires, gears, and a winch

Another thing I just thought of is that stock t-case manual transmission rigs should NOT be permitted. MT's gotta have crawler gears. AT's with stock low range are OK, but 2:1 low range is pitiful for hard-core rock-crawling. If you fry a clutch out there (which is highly likely), you're screwed.

Also, I believe that driver experience has a lot to do with how well one traverses the trail. An experienced driver in a stock rig will require less spotting than an inexperienced driver in a modified rig. Self-spotting is key to a successful, efficient run, especially in large groups.

At goneMOAB '03 I ran Golden Spike with something like 20 rigs, some with just a lift and inexperienced drivers. It took well over 12 hours before we hit the pavement again. There were many times were we'd be backed up for 15-30 minutes, waiting for a stock rig to get unstuck because the driver took a bad line. Those delays really add up.

The Rubicon isn't like anything Nissans have run at Moab. In Moab, there aren't giant marbles that can roll under critical drivetrain parts as you drive over them. You have to know how to drive on moveable terrain.

Finally, many (actually most) serious Jeep 4-wheelers are used to bringing lots of spare parts and know what stuff breaks often. They often carry parts like axles, brake lines, driveshafts, U-joints, hubs, gear oil, coolant, etc. Most Nissan 4-wheelers I know don't carry a spare drivetrain around with them; Nissan parts are expensive!

You know Dean, you'll have to change the opening line of your Rubicon write-up from "Once is enough!" when you go.

As you mentioned the rocks move. I can see from your pic at the base of Cadillac Hill that it has gotten worse. Last weekend for the rock in front of the passenger tire only fully locked dual crawler 37's and 38's could clear it. Most had to take a much more off-camber line too the left, the trail is always changing.

I'll second the parts/fluids suggestion. We had or ran across 4 power steering overheats/losses that needed fluid. Also lost 2 driveshaft u-joints, 2 front axle u-joints, and seriously bent a tie-rod. Still the trail was a blast!

I know a guy in this category..Maybe I'll ride with him as support?

Great information. The Rubicon is one of a number of trails I have discovered that a seriously well equipped trail leader, excellent spotters and most uniquely someone who has ran the trail before helps greatly.(I count Fordyce and MT Blanca in this catagory as well)

So, the stock gearing on older Xs is really that bad? Monteros are not great either, but they can usually sneak by with some stalling, and some overheating.

I know what you mean on spare parts, as Montero guys are just starting to carry them. Scarry thing is, no one really knows what is vulnerable on 05+ yet. But knowing older Xs, spare parts would be mandatory. This summers Sierras trip saw some of the worst carnage for our group, and others I have ever seen. I welded up TWO gear boxes, one on a Bronco, 1 on a Fourunner with my new EZ welder.(I think I will hide that sucker next summer)

I have gotten priety good at getting people over that rock at the bottom of Cadillac hill, and it takes a perfect line for sure.

Golden Spike, despite being priety easy, is quite long, and always seems to take 12hrs with a group. Only thing worse is Pritchetts, getting out in 12hrs is a dream sometimes

Its true as well that drivers make a huge difference, and thats a HUGE variable. I have been so tired on the COn that I was ready to drop after 18hrs of missery getting to Spider Lake,(Hiking every inch of the trail to spot 10 or 12 rigs, over and over) then on other trips with similarly equipped rigs the trip to Spider Lake seemed like nothing.

I really want to get into the Nissan thing, but I have alot to learn. And to run the Rubicon as a trail leader in my 05X would require about a 7K investment by next summer

I believe our solution to get over that rock was to just bust out the winch cable. We'd long since abandoned any hope of getting up Cadillac Hill unassisted. Sure, we could have spent an hour stacking rocks, but winching was just more efficient.

Lloyd- As you "break in" your new X, you'll learn its strengths and weaknesses for rock-crawling. Its size may turn out to be a hindrance on the 'con, unless you don't mind rock rash.

Lloyd- a small group of equipped trucks (3 Nissan WD22s, 1 Nissan R50, 1 Jeep ZJ) drove in-and-out from Tahoma to Observation Point this last weekend. Including a break for lunch, it was about a 6-hour [total]* round trip, with everyone self-spotting.

*We camped partway along the trail for one night.

The section of trail we traversed is arguably the easiest part of the Rubicon, but is challenging nonetheless.

If you're serious about getting Nissan to sponsor a run on the 'con, you might consider this idea:

Nissan has never sponsored a multiday off-road event on a 4+ rated trail that requires extreme support to make it as successful as a Jeep Jamboree, whose organizers have decades of experience. And I don't need to remind you that Nissans aren't Jeeps, either. Most Nissans are also daily drivers whose owners actually care a lot about body damage.

To pull off a successful first-time event, my opinion is for Nissan to sponsor a 2 or 3-day "Rubicon" event in which participants start from Tahoma and drive down to Rubicon Springs and back out (and up Cadillac Hill).

Using Rubicon Springs as a "base camp", there could be organized day-runs back up Cadillac Hill and through Barker Pass OHV Route or, for the well-equipped and adventurous participants, runs up Big Sluice to Buck Island Lake and back. There could be festitivities, entertainment, etc. at Rubicon Springs. Charge participants a nominal fee ($50-$100 per person) to cover event expenses (i.e. food, camping, cleanup, entertainment, spotters, raffle prizes, etc.) and I think it could be fun (and not exaperating).

This kind of event would give Nissan a taste of the what the 'con is about without getting in over their heads on a first-time event. And, it wouldn't take $7000 of mods to a stock truck to do this.

Depending on the success of the event, the organizers could plan something more agressive or advanced for future events.

What do you think?

Interesting. Tahoma to Observation point never seemed like much challenge to me, but maybe thats because of the rig I drove. I much prefer Barker Pass acess, less crowded, more scenic and more challenging.

Another option could be to have 2 seperate groups, coming from each end, and meet in Rubicon Springs. Obviously the main entrance group would start a day earlier. The entire group could leave together, out Cadilac Hill. I have to admit, I would have a larger tire, lift, bumpers, winch, and skids before I lead the entire trail in my 05X. Ours is a daily driver for a few years as well, but that never stopped me in the past

I would like to go to watch and see what xs can do.Vehicles might suprise us.I have no experiance in that type of off road trail,plus my vehicle is nowhere near ready for that.

I agree with Dean on this one. It will insure that more people will come. A stock X with good tires and sliders should have no problem getting to the top of Cadilac Hill, but not much farther. Still a great place to camp.
All the sas trucks and other well equipped trucks that want to start at Loon can.
More people is definitely better even if they only get a taste of the trail!

Lets nail down the date… 7/14-16

The jamboree [cough] stackers come in 7/27 and the trail isn’t the same after that IMO. Big jeep group in 7/7 and the 1st workday is 7/21 so that’s why I’m proposing 7/14/-16. Not that many summer days when events are'nt going on.

I’m all for starting together as a group but I’m be going to at least to Loon or maybe all the way to Wentworth if time permits. I know the SAS trucks and the group I went with to Deer Valley last year can run the trail to there.

1. Xtoolbox
2. Twitch
3. ?

Come awn now, who’s in?

Brian

Will this be a "Nissan-sponsored" thing like Lloyd has suggested, or just a Rubicon run for those interested?

Starting from where?

Starting from Tahoe side/Tahoma; Staging Area just before McKinney like you guys suggested.

For those that want to continue past the Observation Pt; Cadillac should be easier going down then up. Although I’ve been up it twice now /wo any problems/winching, nobody in the group (1st time; IFS X 33’s, Frontier with 31’s, factory rear LSD) did either for that matter.

Another option now is to start at Loon since the Gatekeeper has been blown up and camp at Buck Island Lake. For the less equipped rigs the can head back up & out the next day via the slabs while the rest continue on and take on the Big Sluice and camp at the Springs for some R&R after a part day of wheelin’

Hope Nissan gets involved and I know of a couple of vendor’s interested also. I’m sure we will have some sort of vendor presence be it BBQ night at Buck Island and/or more as long as we plan ahead.

Brian

Any thoughts on how a non-SAS rig is gonna make it up Big Sluice? (That's my least favorite part of the trail.)

The other part that might be a serious challenge is the steep hill immediately after Spider Lake (if traveling from west to east). I remember that one being about all brakes and holding on.