Well when JD Power asks you what you DONT like about your truck the things that come to mind are "I have to fill it up every 4 days". It is a hastle but we accept it but when asked what we dont like its something we dont like.

Sounds like Titan is on its way...

We'd love to hear from your wife on this forum!

I would love to get a Titan, but Fords are much cheaper. I know everyone hates Fords around here, but I had fewer problems with the Explorer I had than with my X which I replaced it with. Those new F-150's look pretty nice.

Good idea SDMF, if you wanna race your X then put a Vette engine in it and it may haul ass. Better not give Nissan that idea, they may try to get better MPG out of it by replacing the current engine with a lawn mower engine.

I think the Excursion gets,what,about 10 MPG? I don't know what the hell the Hummer gets. I think they rate that one by gallons per mile. the oil companies must wet their pants knowing all the profit they'll make off Hummer owners.

Xterra Owners Club.
This is your wife's car right?
"'Nuff said"

In response to the "does turning the O/D off actually increase acceleration" question:

The answer is yes, and not just for an Xterra, but pretty much any vehicle with an automatic tranny and overdrive. Same thing as driving in "D", as compared to "O/D". By driving with the O/D off the transmission allows the engine to rev higher before shifting gears up. OD is great for the highway when you're at a fairly constant speed as it keeps the RPM's lower and thus conserves fuel usage.

Disclaimer: I'm fairly new here so feel free to correct any of the above incorrect information.

My guess is that the people who own Hummers have very few things to complain about in life, so they picked gas mileage. No offfense to any H2 owners, I really like the "Jack" commericial.

Even more than that, actually. Acceleration is aided by turning the A/C off in any vehicle, regardless of tranny; the A/C draws HP from the engine - that HP is available for acceleration when it is turned off -
Just don't open the windows instead; the air drag will cause more HP drain than the A/C at higher speeds.

Terry

LOL! Yeah, I won't tell Nissan! But I don't race, especially on streets. Too dangerous and too costly if you get caught.

We'd love to hear from your wife on this forum![/QUOTE]

I highly doubt you'll see her here. She's a stay-at-home mother, so she doesn't have time to get on-line and chat. Me, on the other hand.....I get to do this at work all day when I'm not working.

I agree. No problems with my wifes 2003 Explorer so far (knock on wood), and I too think the new F150 is sweet. If the redesigned Explorer is any indication of what the new F150 is like, Ford will have another big winner. One just has to look around to see how many 2002-2004 Ford Explorers are on the road these days.

This year I drove from Cleveland OH to NY city, and I have to say driving the Explore was a complete joy, definitely the smoothest/quitest/easy to drive SUV I've ever drove (8 1/2 hours of driving with NO back pain!). I've stated before, I hope the Titan sells well, then Ford will have to bring back those rebates/low interest rates. They were practically giving away the Explorer 3 months ago. Even back in Feburary when we bought the 2003 XLT 4x4, I had no problem getting it at invoice, top dollar for our 2001 Honda CR-V trade, $2500 cash back, free third row seat, AND 3.9% interest for 5 yr.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my Xterra, but I'm glad we took the Explorer when we went to Ohio. I'm sure the Titan will be a solid truck and all, but I have a feeling they're going to want too much for it. In these days of a shaky economy and increasing layoffs, Nissan better not get too cocky when it comes to their vehicles.

If Gas Mileage is the problem then from investigating these forums closely and a few other sites I see that the following is reccomended by some folks to ease the gas bill:

1. The K&N Air Intake - Get rid of the restrictive old box, should set you back around $220.

2. Get a Good set of spark plugs, don't skimp.

3. Tornado Fuel Saver - Available on Ebay for $40 or $50.

This not only saves on Gas mileage but will add a little more power, then for the ultimate power gain and another increase add a less restrictive Exhaust system and you should be laughing all the way to the Gas station with 3 or 4 mpg better.

Now has anyone tried any of these mods and seen an improvement? As I plan to add these to my 2000 5 speed shortly.

You're kidding, right?



1) I've seen NO increase in mpg since installing my K&N drop in filter and modifing my air box. More responsive yes, better mileage no.

2) How will changing your already good stock plugs help (unless they're old)? I've installed iridium plugs in my truck, better starting and a smoother idle, but again no change in mpg.

3) A Tornado Fuel Saver? absolutely useless for a fuel injected motor. Big waste of money (i.e. "snake oil").

In addition, I've also installed a Gibson S.S. exhaust system, and I never get a chuckle when filling my gas tank. To make a long story short, after adding/modifing my Xterra, my truck is more responsive than it was stock, but I get the same gas mileage (average 15 - 16 mpg).

I agree that Tornado Fuel Saver does not help one bit.

So you drive a road barge. Which one is it? I'm sure it gets great milage. :rolleyes:
Oh, I see from later posts that it's a Caprice station wagon. That's a great street racing machine in my book.

To each his own. You don't like the handling, milage or the horsepower. I find those attributes to be quite acceptable and suitable for the vehicle. When we want to drive fast and take the twisties, we choose a sports car. When we want to go somewhere, haul stuff, tow a trailer, go off the beaten path, etc. we take the Xterra.

I hope you and your wife don't spend too much time bashing each other's ride... that's not too healthy in a marriage.

Have a nice day.

Yeah, I've heard the "snake oil" rumors, too. If it were that great, it would be advertised on TV during "Freinds." :rolleyes:

So you drive a road barge. Which one is it? I'm sure it gets great milage. :rolleyes:
Oh, I see from later posts that it's a Caprice station wagon. That's a great street racing machine in my book.

To each his own. You don't like the handling, milage or the horsepower. [/QUOTE]

You don't read too well. First of all, it's a Roadmaster Wagon, not a Caprice. And, as I also stated before, it gets VERY good mileage for a 4400-pound, 5.7-liter V-8. As I stated in my original post, it gets better mileage than a V-6 Xterra. I get around 24 on the highway and 20-21 in the city.

I also said I LIKED the Xterra's handling. For a high COG vehicle, it corners very well, and I'm impressed.

And, finally, I also said that I do not street race, another point you apparently missed. Anything else, or do you wish to make up more B.S. to try and bash me with? :rolleyes:

EDIT: Did you actually read this entire thread before replying, or are you one of those people that just reads the first page and then decides to jump in, assuming your ideas are the only ones that are original? :p

Mensa Troll.

Yeah, I'm having trouble with the whole quoting thing. The board I frequent only quotes what the last person said, not all the quotes they may have quoted. So when I try to clean up the posts, I end up screwing it up! Meh, no biggie, I may waste my whole work-day on the internet, but at least I'm not paid for my performance! :p

1. An Xterra is shaped has aerodynamics of a doghouse. It is not sleek.

2. The Xterra has 4.63 or 4.90 gears, Not 3.70s.

3. It's a 4000 pound vehicle empty. put 4 adults and your added an easy 600 pounds to it. Then the gear and mods you can do. An easy 5000 vehicle your driving now

I am getting sick and tired up of the bitching about gas mileage! I guess you should have bought a Honda Civic.
Food for thought, I tow a small pop-up camper, I get from 12-13 MPH loaded with my family and gear and dead winds. I get 17.5 MPH with my family of 4, an automatic, misc drag options on the roof and 31s. Next year it will drop again due to pulling a small boat behind the camper. I use my X for what it is made for. One of them is not being a Honda Civic!
Dan

I wish my Roadmaster had 3.73's. It came with 2.93's as part of the "tow package." :rolleyes: I think the X is geared a bit too high, though. 3.70's would have been a much better choice for gears, IMO.

3.70 is a higher gear. 4.63 and 4.90 is much lower.

Go earn some automotive knowledge.

You're right, of course. I naturally end up saying "higher" for the higher numbers out of bad habit. I also say "turn up the air conditioning" when I mean lower the temperature. Semantics.

And how do you suggest I earn some automotive knowledge?

I'm not quite sure if turning the overdrive off changes the shift points and I'm not inclined to root through the service manual to check, but it may be the case. However, it's more the fact that by turning the overdrive off and forcing the engine to kick down to third gear vs. asking it to strain against fourth gear, you'll get better punch. Otherwise it will simply unlock the torque converter in 4th gear and while the engine will rev harder, much of the output and gas is going towards stirring the fluid in the torque converter. Eventually it will build power to the wheels, but not nearly as efficiently or as effectively as it will in third where the TC does not unlock except in a few rare conditions.

Brent