Topic: New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

[fourxfunk]

Hey guys, as of yesterday I'm the owner of an Xterra! I found a deal on a beautiful blue 2012 4x4 with an AT. Growing up we spent lots of time on Mojave Road, Big Bear, etc. and those are things I want to do with my family. Admittedly I started out looking for an FJ but soon realized it had some drawbacks that I knew would drive me nuts in the long run (goofy side doors, goofy cave in the back that the little one wouldn't be able to see out of, and the ridiculous price on a used one). I gladly gave up my 06 WRX wagon for this beast. I don't want to mod too much at first. I'm thinking this'll be more an overland/ expedition rig than rock crawler. What'd be a good first mod? Maybe OEM skidplates off a Pro4-X? Thanks for your time, I've got a lot to learn!

[GreenGoon]

Welcome, from the High Desert.

I, like you and was not interested in an Xterra when I was looking for a 4x4. I wanted a truck with a full bed. I bought my 2000 Xterra and fell in love. My rig still impresses me to this day and my friends that bought an FJ the year after me, wish they had bought an Xterra.

You came to the right place to learn about mods. We have a lot of overland folks here.

[RikRong]

Nice color, and welcome.  I'll trade you my chrome trim headlights for your black trimmed ones.

Sent from my Nexus 5

[Toro]

Welcome from Pasadena.
     Of course, your going to get a bias opinion around here. I started out on the rocks and have moved onto the overlanding.
     Opinions differ but I believe step 1 to getting out is to reasonably maximize ground clearance. A good set of 33" AT tires and a small lift.
     Have fun, take a loan out.

[fourxfunk]

Thanks for the kind welcome guys.  I'm in the Riverside/ Moreno Valley area. Just bought my first mod... OEM rubber floor mats! Exciting I know,
 but with a two year old I'm going to need them.

[Jayrat]

Welcome from San Diego , my 2.5 year old likes to come along on a good overland ,
I agree with Toro, Suspension and Tires, also consider skid plates

[PainRoller]

What'd be a good first mod? Maybe OEM skidplates off a Pro4-X? Thanks for your time, I've got a lot to learn!

Welcome from Anaheim!

I'm still pretty new to OffRoading, but what I've learned is: the answer depends on what you plan to do with it.....
My personal opinion is:
1. Rock sliders - check out White Knuckle
2. Skidplates - I'll let the experts discuss OEM vs. Custom Fab
3. Rear Diff Skid

Most of these guys have a ridiculous amount of experience and knowledge - and luckily are willing to share it!  

[JFanaselle]

Welcome! I'm right down the road from you in Murrieta. You're going to love your rig, and as already stated, you'll get a wealth of knowledge from the folks on this site. I couldn't believe how eager everyone was to help me with even the most major things once I rolled up my sleeves and started to make some mods. If you've been lurking around the FJ or Jeep forums, you'll be BLOWN AWAY at how everyone here isn't like everyone there.

I'm not sure what your budget is for your first few mods, but as others have said, increasing your ground clearance and/or protecting your underside are pretty important. You can sometimes find good deals on used OEM skid plates from Off Road/Pro-4X models when people upgrade, but it's hit or miss. If you can't find someone selling some locally and you end up having to have them shipped, it's usually not much of a savings over big nice heavy aftermarket ones at that point. And they're not all that strong unless you can get multiple sets and stack them on top of each other, which does make a pretty big difference in the strength. When it comes to rock sliders - there aren't really any inexpensive options. Almost all of them out there are very sturdy and will do what they're supposed to. As PainRoller mentioned, the White Knuckle ones are awesome and feature a "kick out" toward the rear which helps rear seat passengers in and out of the small door, and also prevents damage to your rear fender if you drop down onto something like a rock or a huge rut. There are several people who are running various other brands of sliders and still end up with damage in that spot, so the kick-out is great.

As for an inexpensive way to increase your ground clearance - most of us start out with what is affectionately referred to as the "poor man's lift" (or PML), which consists of a lift spacer on top of the front shocks and either a lift shackle or add-a-leaf spring in the rear. If you keep it around 2" of lift or less, you'll avoid the issues that require you to start swapping other components (such as adding angle shims to the rear axle, installing new upper control arms to prevent what is known as "coil bucket contact," installing longer brake lines, etc). I started out with a $200 no-name kit from ebay and it gave me 2" of lift, which made a huge difference on the trails. From there, I just kept my eyes open and I eventually picked up a used set of Bilstein 5100 shocks for a great deal from another member to increase the ride quality over the OEM shocks. That setup got me through some pretty good overland-style wheeling in the Mojave Desert for about a year with no issues, and I could keep up with the "big boys" who were running with thousands of dollars worth of suspension mods.  

Anyway, welcome go the group and hope to see you around! Just beware - you may have intentions of keeping it low-key, but that mod-bug is real infectious and once it bites you, it spreads quickly like a bad disease! To quote the infamous GeoYota:

BEFORE:

New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

AFTER:

New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

 

[Ghost65]

Welcome from Oceanside!

I'll echo what others have said above, and simply state the "more with less" route until you figure out what trails you really enjoy.

As Toro stated above, a few of us started on the "rock crawler Xterra" route and then detoured back to "overlanding/expedition Xterras".  

Armoring up for off roading is good advice, because a $200 gas tank skid can save you from a $1,200 tank remove & replacement.  

Speaking personally, I wanted to run Moab...bad...back in 2009 when I bought my Xterra.  

So I equipped it with a 2" PRG PML (spacers and shackles), bolted on a set of sliders, mounted up some BFG A/T KO's in the 285/75/65 variety, and headed east...several times.  

New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

Proper spotting and picking the correct trails saved me from any serious undercarriage damage, but it did render the Ghost as unsellable with the "never off road" line in the Craigslist ad.

New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

The Ghost...Titan swapped and its final outing to Moab in 2013...

New owner of blue 2012 4X4!

My point with all of this long winded QWERTY wording is...figure out the trails/fire roads/interstate highway destinations you want to travel to, and equip your vehicle appropriately.  Take your time...and most importantly...have fun!!!



Just be aware that the more serious your mods become in equipping your rig for off road travel, the more it will compromise the on road manners in the opposite direction...as in decreased mileage, acceleration, and day to day reliability.  

Hope to see you on the trail soon....John/the infamous GeoYota  

[Alex]

Oh hey neighbor! I live in Moreno Valley, and work in Riverside. You might have seen a yellow lifted Xterra on the 60 or 215, that would be me.
In addition to all the excellent info everyone has given, I would recommend getting a CB radio installed fairly soon, as it's a requirement for the main trail runs. I have a 2002 1st Gen Xterra, but if you need any help with installations, I can gladly offer to help with what I can since you're local.

And John, that last photo of the Ghost in Moab is great!

[Toro]

......and I could keep up with the "big boys" who were running with thousands of dollars worth of suspension mods.  

Sorry.... but not even close

[JFanaselle]

Sorry.... but not even close

Haha... I kept up with you and Christiaan through at least a few segments! It was REALLY hard on my rig, but I did it! I also kept up with GhostTacoJohnGeoSenseYota on the last segment of the Bradshaw Trail when he was going like 80 mph. 

[FrankB]

Welcome, from San Diego.

[Toro]

As you can tell...we're all family here.
  We'll be wrenching at my place in Pasadena this weekend. Your welcome....or anyone is welcome to swing by.

[CAWoody]

As you can tell...we're all family here.
  We'll be wrenching at my place in Pasadena this weekend. Your welcome....or anyone is welcome to swing by.

Saturday or sunday?