Hello. I can't remember who it was in the NCCX but someone here owns a new Nissan Titan and actually used it off road I thought. My wife and I are interested in getting a Titan to go along witht he Xterra.....but I was curious as to how it does off road compared to the Xterra? We are also planning on buying a used trailer. So on some vacations where we would take the trailer obviously we would use the Titan (because it pulls better)......but once there I would want to do some off roading.

I know all the obviousl stuff with the Titan like it has great approach angles......10+ inches of ground clearence......locker in the rear.......but real world what has your experience been with something like that on the trail that is obviously bigger (wider) than the X? I would think one must be willing to get more custom pinstripping from our old friend Mr. Manzanita.

Thanks

I have a Titan. Great truck. The only problem is the front brakes and there is a fix coming out in march or april. Off road my wife would kill me if I took it on trails, thats why I have my hardbody. I tow my hardbody with my titan and have no power complaints. Personnaly I dont know of many trails that I would take my titan on, unless they are fire roads. I have used it on dirt roads and it handles awesome. And as for the first scratch on the truck, it came via a black bear one night trying to get to my ice chest.

How soon do you plan to buy a Titan? I wonder when Titan w/ diesel motor come out..???
Where was that encounter? I want to know where...so that I can stay away from there!

Little further up the road from peligreen jeep trail . As for diesel the v8 has more then enough power to tow a trailer.

See the size of the thing is my only concern. THe problem is my wife wants a bigger trailer.....I personally don't need one. But if were to have one some of the light 17' and 18' ones the Xterra can pull just fine. And then when I unhitch take the X out on the trails with out issue.

Your right though the size of the Titan really keeps it off the narrower single track trails....and usually that is where all the good stuff is.

You wont be pulling that size trailer for long in the xterra. I dont recommend it if you plan on going into the mountains. I pulled my sisters small car home one day and to say the least its not meant for towing trailers. Not on a regular basis. The V6 just is up to the duty, if it was a tent trailer then you might be able to get by. Dont forget to add all the weight of the equipment you will be hauling to the weight of the trailer.

There is no way I wanted to wheel a Titan, hence the 2wd...as far as towing goes, you wouldn't have a problem pulling both (the trailer with the X behind it) I barely know I have something behind me pulling 5K+ #'s--The X pulled the same trailer without *too many problems (didn't like hills much).

Problems with wheeling a Titan:

expensive vehicle, poor approach and departure angles, thin sheet metal (it dents if you breath wrong near the truck), lack of *functional* off-road equipment for Sierra type terrain (though some lifts are fine for Baja type running), too wide/long of a vehicle, depending on configuration good luck getting suitable tires, etc...

It's a great pickup, just not what I would consider purchasing for offroad use beyond dirt roads and gravel travelling to improved camp locations.

What about getting a new Fronteer or Tacoma?

taco? that shouldnt even be mentioned here. Titan all the way, I still wouldnt tow with a mid size pickup.

I am just gonna stick with the X towing the trailer. I am not buying a trailer move then 4000 Gross vehicle weight so it should be able to pull that just fine (with some coaxing on hills). It will be great to pull a trailer somewhere....unhook.....and then go out and wheel.....then come back...hook up...and go home.

Frontier has the same pull rating (5000 lbs) so it wont pull any better than the x. And your right I would break out in a rash if I had to sit down in a Taco.

Normally, Id say Tacoma, but I dont care for the new one.

Frontier would be good for wheeling in. Seems like it has the right gear, but not sure about durability since I dont own one.

i dont care for titans... typical weekend warrior truck. i see them up here all the time with people who dont know how to drive them, all from the bay area!

Besides, 90% of the time youll probably be driving from apple street to millbury lane, do you really need such a big truck?? Your money, but think about it...

Don't just look at the dry weight of the trailer. My 22ft tahoe with trailer was 2950 lbs dry, but I know that thing was at least 4k without loading up any gear. My fronty wouldn't do more than 60 on flat ground, but with the Titan I don't even feel the trailer... 75+ going up to cisco grove last summer. BTW, my trailer's for sale

Yeah that Tahoe sounds a little to big for the Frontier. If you say its 2900 DVW...you can add about 400 pounds for options....then another 300 lbs for water..................then add about 400 on average for all the gear your pile into it.....but sounds like you may have some other things going on there if you are already up over 4000 without any gear. The tow rating on the X is 5000 pounds.....so I am looking to keep the Gross weight after all the above at or below 4000 lbs to give the V6 a fighting chance going up the Sierras.

On another note I was looking at the specs of your trailer. That is a little longer then I would pull with the X or Frontier as well. Did you ever run into any "sway" control issues? A number of trailer people I have talked to said they wouldn't dare pull over 21' with the Xterra/Frontier...but I think yours is 23'....24'? Just curious to see if you had any big problems in high winds or making advasive manuvers for safety reasons. None of the trailers I am considering are over 21' long "total" length (that includes the length of the tongue).

Your gear will way alot more then 400lbs. Think about pots pans and everyday goodies that you will need, theres 200lbs +. Chairs, sleeping bags, barbacue, ice chest, propane, food, etc. You would be close to a 1000lbs extra weight. Word of advice dont fill up with water at home if you can prevent it.

I had problems towing my trailer without any gear or water... just straight off the dealer lot it was too much trailer for the frontier. The trailer is fully loaded and is 23.5 ft from hitch to spare tire. I had no problems with control since I had the wieght distribution hitch and sway control device, but with the Titan I don't use the dist. hitch. I did literally crack my front pads on the fronty from overheating them with the trailer, even with the trailer brake. Just to let you know my trailer weighs the same as the tahoe lite's that were 17-18 ft hybrid models dry. Mine has more max weight though... 5600lbs. I really don't know of a full size trailer that is lighter than 2950 lbs dry unless it's a tent trailer, but even some of those were close to 3k. Let me know what you get!

No you are right my choices are VERY limited if you want a fully hard walled trailer. I am looking at the following for the X:

http://www.jayco.com/html/catalog/floorplans.php?prod_id=73

It has a dry weight of 2700 lbs with a GROSS weight of 3600 lbs............right where I want to be. It has all the functions of a larger trailer in just obviously a much smaller package. Also....its total length including toungue is 17'11".......not bad. Price.............$13,000. A little expensive for a trailer that size but you have the fiberglass siding and aluminum frame. Also....it has good holding tanks for something that small.............30 fresh........and 30 grey. 11 black is not so good but you got to give and take a bit.

There are a few others we are considering as well. Of course the one option I really don't want to think of is trading in the X for a Titan..............but that almost brings a tear to my eye thinking about getting rid of the X. At this point I just don't have the want to do it......love that thing to much and it has WAY to much life and good times left in it.

That trailer should be ok for you to tow... nice little setup in a small package. Definatley get the anti sway control for that though since it's a single axle It's almost the same layout as my trailer,just a little smaller. I've got pics of it here

Yeah that is a NICE trailer. I like the Tahoes. We looked at them alot at Pan Pacific......but the weight is the only thing that concerned me. I really like your floorplan and I wish we could get a dinette....couch...and bed all in one like that but we have to give up one of those three in a smaller unit and it looks like the couch will be it.

We are still shopping around but hopefully will buy in the next month. Looking used as well so if you know of any small light weight models you know where to reach me.

I have a Sportsman 18-20' that the Xterra did okay with...~4800#'s loaded/wet. I never had overheating problems it was just a little boggy on steep hills--on the freeway it would run 75+ if that is what you wanted to do. I was also towing it lifted with 33" tires (and all the other armor) and that generally doesn't give you good results. Compared to the F150 I used to pull this trailer with, the Xterra did far better performance wise.

You would want a brake controller (an absolute must for safety!), load distributing hitch and possibly a generator/inverter for using things like the a/c or microwave or recharging.

I personally would not tow a single axle travel trailer...they are just too freaky. I'd rather get a larger one with twin axles, they are a lot more stable, regardless of the wheelbase of the tow vehicle. This size would be the limit of what I would want to tow, but it's very do-able. There are a lot of used units that fit within this size at far better prices than a new one, with better equipment and amenities. That way you wouldn't be too concerned about those dirt and gravel roads getting to the good spots. I would suggest hitting a used RV place and seeing if you could pull a couple of used ones around for a bit to get the feel of them. That would give you the best idea of what was within your comfort range. Good luck.

Thanks for your input I appreciate it. It is nice to hear that the Xterra pulled aroundn 4800#'s without too much issue. I have been stressing over whether I should use my 2000 X to pull a trailer....or buy something like a new Frontier or Xterra and use the new 265 horse power to pull it. Then sell my current Xterra and then use that money to buy a nice used one? Either way I get in debt just one more then the other.

My only against buying a new Xterra is it is still rated to only pull 5000 lbs (I guess it is the size of the pull vehicle that is the limiting factor not the size of the power plant so much since my current Xterra is rated for 5000 lbs). Now if the new 2005 Xterra was rated to pull 6100 lbs like the new 2005 Frontier crew cab 4x4 then I probably wouldn't hesitate to buy a new Xterra. But like I said it is hard to give up on my current Xterra especially knowing where it has been, knowing it is in great shape, and technically still pulls the same as the new 2005 although it almost has 100 horsepower less and 82 ft/lbs of torque less.

I guess then my only argument for buying the new Xterra is that with the xtra ponies is should pull up to the full 5000lbs limit rather easily I would think?

I don't know.........I think I need to take a nap and think it over. LOL

As ar as used versus new....I agree with you used is the way to go. But staying light and going used has been a problem. I can't find anything.

Drove by Turner Nissan on the way home yesterday to see if they have any of the new Xterra's in. Surprisingly they had one right out front....silver no less. I was surprised to see it since I talked to the internet sales rep for Roseville Nissan yesterday and they told me all their Xterra's coming in this month and early next have already been pre sold or are special orders. The claim they wont have an unspoken for shipment till end of March or early April. Wow.

Anyway......after looking at the new 2005 in person I wasn't all that impressed. Don't get me wrong it still has the basic Xterra shape which I like....but for some reason it just looks "heavier" to me for some reason. I guess after seeing it and thinking that it still wont pull more than my 2000 I will make due with my 2000 and see how long and how well it winds up pulling the trailer I get.

Hopefully all the reports I keep hearing that the 2000 X pulls better then I would think turn out to be true.

Well if you are going to be in the Reno area I'll tie mine onto your X and let you take it out--IMO that is the only way to know for sure BTW my trailer is a 96, so there should be a few similar ones out there...

Good idea charlie... you can even try mine out if you like, unless I sell it soon It goes back in the paper next weekend. If it doesn't sell this time I'm just going to trade it in for this one.

Thanks to both of you for the offer to test pull. I have test pulled my bosses 4000lb 21ft ski boat and it actually did pretty good I was surprised. WOW very nice floorplan there on the Fleetwood. If only I could pull that!

Well I did it .....I finally pulled the trigger on a travel trailer. here is a link to used one we bought this weekend. THey were asking $9995 and I got it for $7850. It is in real clean shape and only needs some minor adjustmemt here and there but hey its 5 years old. Real good shape for its age. The Xterra should be able to pull it ok too. It is 2780lbs WITH OPTIONS.....so that means add about 290 lbs for its 31 gallon water tank and then about another 500 lbs max for our crap and I am look at around 3500lbs pull weight. It is also the more narrow trailer at 7'1" ont the 8' like normal trailers (helps with the weight)Not bad!! Here it is:

http://www.rvtraderonline.com/addetaildriver.html?77478342

I am having a electronic trailer brake system installed.....along with buying an equilizer hitch and sway control. Any other advice on things I should do? How do you guys think the X wlil pull this thing.

What amp does the stock X alternator put out. I am thinking about getting the Mean Green Alternator at 180 amps but that seems like overkill. My bog down the engine and piss on my gas mileage even more?

Also thikning about switching the transmission fluid to synthetic? If you think that is worth it to keep opreating temp down is there a certain brand you guys suggest? I have heard alot ot pepole on here use Mobile 1?

Anyway.....thakns for the advice....hope it all pays off.

You dont need a bigger alternator. Just charge your batteries before you leave home and you will be fine.