ok everyone... another 10K and I will be out of the warranty and after I graduate I will be moving out west to join a real Xterra club which does not exist in the very flat state of Ohio.

So, my question is...

Is the X adequately prepared to do major off roading without major modifications? I would like to buy a winch and bumper, rock guards, and new tires. Would these be enough? I dont much about torsion bars, locking hubs and other such things - although Im willing to learn if necessary...and I bought a automatic which most off- roading types might cringe at. I dont want to rock crawl and stuff like that, just get up into the mountains to camp and mountain bike....things like that. So, is the stock X good enough to get me up the mountain without getting stuck? or do I have to sink major bucks into underbody modifications?

If you're talking about the camping and occasional trail (light to moderate) then I'd think a nice bumper, skid plates (all of 'em) and tires would be a good decision. Crank the t-bars, better shocks all around (longer ones in the rear) and shackles in the back will get you where you want, with the minimum of risk of damage.

Winch is overkill, rocker skids (included in the above [get 'em all] from above) a must and the tires would be a nice A/T version of your favorite brand.

I don't cringe at the auto, I prefer them. But I'm a crawler, not a bogger.

Yep camping and light trails no problem, for moderate trails I would get the Rocker Skids and some skid plates.

And regardless get tires.

I been pretty happy with my "Little Offroad Setup"...got the Shrockwork Sliders, A/T BFG's, Rear Shackles, and Some cranked T-Bars...Good enough for some Moderate to Semi-advanced Trails...I don't do nothing too Extreme or Crazy...
My X

Not me. Automatic's rule for any sort of rock crawling..

Only drawback is long/steep downhills.

Toy Man

Get a steering kit for it. Will drastically improve durability.

Oh very kewl ... was going to ask same question ... i have my X 2000 stocked Auto and im not an extreme offroader but wanted to know same type of question: I would like to be able to just go a bit on offroad trails (nothing extreme) just for sight seeing, camping and bbq's in nice secluded places...guess ill follow the advice here and get new A/T tires, Bumper (hmmm) what type? and skid plates? ...
this may sound like dumb questions but the truth is im bearly gettin into the offroading addiction so really starting bearly to read about improvements and mod's required etc

I would go on some runs with a local Xterra club before spending a lot of money on accessories.

Toy Man

Bumper is questionable unless you plan on getting a winch at some point. Unless you are very serious about serious protection.

No such thing as a required mod except maybe the AT tires if you still have the stock ones. It will make a world of difference.

Have you looked into our club???? (MXO)MidwestXterraOwners.com

what parts of ohio are you in, there is a few good places just across the state lines in Kentucky and in Indiana. I am livng in Indiana right on the ohio line, I have been on a few runs with MXO since moving here in July, we have a few hard core wheeler in the group. I plan to get a lot more runs going for us in the east half of the club come this spring!

Buy shocks and tires, ditch the step rails....you'll be fine 95% of the time!

I second the idea of wheeling stock, maybe with AT's instead of the rim protectors they ship from the factory...

After you've seen what limits you, if anything...you'll know what needs to be improved.

When you know what NEEDS to be improved, you can focus your resources on the items that matter where YOU wheel....and not waste time/$ on stuff that won't really do anything for you.



Hooking up with a group of X's that know the terrain/what works, etc...really streamlines the process....and provides what changes fix what short commings, etc.....plus, you learn to DRIVE the terrain a bit at a time, upgrading the difficulty as you upgrade your abilities.



If you are looking for ideas/wish list stuff, check out:

Shrockworks
TJM
ARB
Calmini
SLR
Warn

(There are a lot, these are pretty popular)

I would say regardles get the Calmini Idler Arm brace. The tires are a must, because lets face it if your tires wont hook up your stuck. Those two alone will get you buy for a bit. In my Opinion the rock sliders and front bumper would be next. The sliders will greatly decrease your chances of body damage (not good for resale). A good bumper is a good idea on these trucks, the plastic 5mph bumper is a joke. A good bumper will give you 2 shackles, a winch mount, a place to use a Hi lift jack, better aproach and departure angles, and last but not least a lot more protection from bumps and bruises. Pretty good mod if you ask me! The skids sell them selves, of course If you need them and how soon is dictated by the terrain you are traversing.

One thing to consider though is a heavy duty torsion bar set up to help hold the weight up without sagging. The 300m material is the superior material to look for. 300m is based off the 4340 material and resists fatigue better.

Hope you find out all you need to know. This site is a gold mine of information.

First, idler arm brace.. calmini or ac.. whichever floats your boat. Both FRONT & REAR tow points. reguardless how good your tires are, you can still get stuck.. third would be tires, this will reduce the frequency you will need #2.. If you notice you are draging / scraping the bottom of your rig, aal or shackles for the rear, and a tbar crank up front would be next. If you are going to play in anything other then mud or sand, skids & sliders are worth thinking about.. you can drive over a log, causing it to spin and send chunks of wood where Nissan never intended then to go, and rocks like oil pans & rocker panels..

I agree....I went with tires and idler arm first, then tbars and bumper....the shrockworks is awesome I was not sure until I got it on my truck, but now I love it and wouldn't have any other. I my plans are full armor before I lift, and when I lift it Im going to stay at 3"(sup. no body) to keep my center of gravity low, (off-camber=yum)

i would also suggest going out with a local X group, i just did and my truck is an 01 se 5spd, and it was one of the few stockers around,and i can honestly say this truck impressed me and my friends that we're with us, i NEVER would have thought that a stock truck could have gone through the trails and hill climbs that we went through,nissan did a good job with the X, and for what your talking about such as basic trailblazin and campin it'll do it, if your gonna go rocky trails i would get sliders and some skid plate, thats all im gonna do to mine for now, you can see some of the stuff we did in the pics section under 05 nexterra run

Snake - The SL raises your center of gravity measurably....the BL does not raise your center of gravity measureably.

I did the BL first, no change in handling/off camber feel...it was the same as stock...the body is light compared to the frame and frame mounted stuff.

I then did the 3" SL...noticeable difference in limits of lateral acceleration/off camber feel...it was a bit tippier (Not too bad, but I could notice it)...but the responsiveness and ride was improved along with the ground clearance, so overall, I love it.



So - If you want to keep the CG low, do the BL, NOT the SL!

If you want the SL, don't worry about the BL, it won't change your off camber performance. (And it will allow more uptravel/articulation/larger tires)

If you plan on getting sliders & a body lift, do the body lift first, then get the sliders to go with it..

Thanks guys..(do any women drive xterras?)...good advice...I think I will concentrate on the t-bars, and new tires.

When I purchased my xterra, I included the cheesy brush guard by WAAG (I think).....At the time, I thought it was cool but now Im kind of regretting it....After I bought it I was all excited until I got online and found out what was really available for the X. Anybody want to buy a brush guard or trade it up on a calmini bumper?

Also, I checked out the MXO website (which needs some major work btw) and thought about checking out an event this summer. Notice that the events still take place outside of Ohio because of its lack of elevation.

Lots of women on this board and on the trails.

(Hard to tell from screen names...)

Most people seem to E-Bay the stuff they don't want...if you need to de-waag yer dog.

(For sale topic here too, etc...)

Good Luck!

Chicago has even less elevation. But we do wheel! Badlands in Ind. and The Cliffs near Joliet. When you say the site needs work please give some details.
If Ohio isn't cutting it for you change it, make it happen! ask someone to go on a run. I think We are putting at least a run a month together. Yes it is outside Ohio but maybe you could step up into a leadership roll.