Topic: What have you done for your Rig lately.

[steve c]

While true, they get very expensive since they don't have harder to find fittings so you have to buy 2 or 3 pieces that eventually get to what you need.

I can personally attest to this.  To the extent it's possible (which it isn't) pre-plan everything you need and buy the correct parts.  Like Jordan said, you can make it work, but using 3 fittings at $4-$6 a fitting (HD pricing) to accomplish what one $3 part would have done from say Amazon, it really adds up quick! 

[Celt]

Using 3 fittings at $4-$6 a fitting (HD pricing) to accomplish what one $3 part would have done from say Amazon, it really adds up quick! 

 So to put it in more understandable terms it's the difference between having to drink PBR or Hop Stoopid on a trip?

[GreenAcres]

So, I think I'm the only one on there that doesn't have on-board air. I know what I'm asking the wife for Christmas.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Maybe I'll stir the pot a little......

I don't have OBA and it's not on my wish list. I agree its pretty cool to plug into your bumper and air up FAST, but at what cost? I'm not just talking about the hardware cost, what with tank, plumbing and all, not to mention labor, which if you can't DIY can all add up fast. The main reason I am not doing this is because I lose my spare.

I believe that the number one tire failure type, or at least a leading cause, is sidewall damage. Not something you can just plug with a repair kit. In fact this happened to my son just the other day. I know there are hard core methods of stitching your sidewall together, but that doesn't seem practical for the average off-roader, to me. Point is I see my spare as a critical requirement.

Maybe you have a spare on a tire swing. So do I (brand new, will post pics soon). I still want a spare underneath. If I use my one spare "on the job", that leaves me one more to get to safety. When I think of doing weeks at a time in the middle of nowhere (admittedly, still more fantasy than reality, but we'll get there), I'm all about safety. I see OBA as a nice to have, not a have to have.

Lastly is the performance advantage of OBA. My new ARB compressor airs up my 33" from 20psi to 40psi at the rate of about 1psi/5sec. 20lbs, 100sec, I can live with that. If I need to go faster than that then maybe I need to slow down

I don't have any comment about the air tool advantage. It's not something I'm planning on enabling, so it's not been a factor in my thinking.

In summary, two full size spares, and a high quality compressor that can do the business just as fast as I need, that's the solution for me. My 2 cents.

[knightrider]

I agree OBA is not a have to have, everyone has their own priorities for wants and needs. 

For me the factory spare location and cubby under the cargo area were completely unused space so it seemed like a perfect location for an air setup and probably some house batteries in the future.   A similar setup to SteveC's could be done with a smaller (or no) tank, still have the ports on the bumper and retain the factory spare if needed. 

For some people it's more about convenience than overall speed, there's no reason you couldn't mount your current compressor somewhere and have an air coupler in the bumper or other convenient place.  It would save you the hassle of having to pop the hood, attach power cables to the battery, then having to handle the burning hot compressor/hose into the little carry bag with not a whole lot of extra parts to buy.  Still get all the ease of use/cool factor without all the cost and loss of space.

[JFanaselle]

I agree OBA is not a have to have, everyone has their own priorities for wants and needs. 

For me the factory spare location and cubby under the cargo area were completely unused space so it seemed like a perfect location for an air setup and probably some house batteries in the future.   A similar setup to SteveC's could be done with a smaller (or no) tank, still have the ports on the bumper and retain the factory spare if needed. 

For some people it's more about convenience than overall speed, there's no reason you couldn't mount your current compressor somewhere and have an air coupler in the bumper or other convenient place.  It would save you the hassle of having to pop the hood, attach power cables to the battery, then having to handle the burning hot compressor/hose into the little carry bag with not a whole lot of extra parts to buy.  Still get all the ease of use/cool factor without all the cost and loss of space.

This is exactly what I'm doing, and what I've seen many others running as well. I have an ARB twin compressor mounted behind my grill. It has a t-fitting plumbed right into the manifold, with one air line running to the front bumper and one to the rear bumper. Because the ARB units have a built-in pressure switch, It's literally an entire OBA setup without a tank. In addition to not having to pop the hood and fumble with the wires like Jordan mentioned, I also don't have to keep the compressor in a "handy" place within my tightly-packed Xterra on camping trips. I keep my air hose and inflator in a small tool box that I have mounted to my roof rack, so I always have it ready to go. After two or three nights of camping in different spots, my stuff ends up all over the damn place inside my rig. Before this setup, there was more than one occasion that I had to practically unpack my entire truck on the side of the road to find/get to my compressor to air back up.

[GreenAcres]

Heh, hey. That's paints a good visual, Joe, one I think most of us can relate to!

Indeed, we all decide what's right for our rig. And I'm totally onboard with making airing up as easy/convenient as possible. In any case if you run =>35" then I think it becomes a moot point (to fit a spare underneath, won't fit). But for everyone else I just wanted to prompt some extra thought around the safety/redundancy of an extra spare vs convenience of OBA.

Like Joe I've got the ARB, but mounted over the tunnel behind the center console. For additional convenience I'm thinking about running plumbing left and right, to both rear passenger doors, enabling filling up both tires on a given side together.

[JeffBett]

Over the last or three weekends I  have done a bunch of small projects on my X. 
I replaced a crummy switch I had for my tranny cooling fan and added a blue LED light on that switch as well.  Mounted it in the Nissan emblem so I am easy to spot in traffic at night when traveling in a group. 
I finalized my spare key hiding technique. 
Moved my trailer hitch wiring into the bumper as it took a hit in Moab in July. (found out there was body putty in a dent I did not know about) 
Added fog lights from Ebay ($35) with a turn signal stalk I got at the Junk yard. 
I permanently wired my dash cam so I don't have any wires hanging down. 
Finally finished wiring the roof light bar. (always fun drilling through your roof)  I also ran my antenna wire at the same time. 
I drilled the hole to be able to open the rear hatch from inside. 
I replaced the hose for my rear diff breather extension to something a little stiffer then the aquarium tube I had.
I completed cutting out my window privacy blocks
Finally fixed the stupid "spring" thing in the gas door
Installed a ABS kill switch

[RBduffer]

Excellent work Jeff, you're an inspiration

All those PITA jobs that don't show much, but need to be done. 

If everyone can't see how cool my mod is, I just won't do it!

BTW, can you show me a picture of where the hole goes for the inside hatch release?

Thanks

[JeffBett]

http://www.thenewx.org/forum/13-interior/27129-how-rear-hatch-exit-inside-xterra-quick-easy-free.html

[occupantX]

I permanently wired my dash cam so I don't have any wires hanging down. 

Did you wire from fuse box or from the power on the mirror?

Installed a ABS kill switch

Prey tell my dear JeffBett, what is this ABS killer you're talking about?

[JeffBett]

I used the little vampire fuse connectors and wired from the fuse box next to the glove box.  I think I use an unused spot for the heated seats.

The ABS kill switch allows me to turn off ABS while off road.  Having ABS kick in on loose rock/gravel can make it worse to stop.
http://www.thenewx.org/forum/15-how-tos/231530-how-abs-off-version-3-a.html

[RBduffer]

Already did the Hatch Hole mod.  You're dimensions were spot on (I did not remove the panel). 

I can also reach the locking bar from there, way cool.

I really lucked out as the hole is right in between my shovel and ax that I mounted last year

[JFanaselle]

Prey tell my dear JeffBett, what is this ABS killer you're talking about?

Leave it to the former San Diego CA "KLR" to ask about killers 

[richie]

just changed the rotors and pads up front and did NGK spark plugs, during the fire and heat of socal i legit almost fainted in the engine bay.

[Jayrat]

Finally removed front sway bar