I have a 2005 Xterra S model and would like to know how much off roading I can do on it. It doesn't have all the feautures of the Off Road version so I am curious what and how much the S can handle. Any advice/warnings/suggestions?

Is it 4x4 or 4x2?

If it's a 4x4, you'll have no problems at all, just stick to trails that are safe for stock to mildly modified trucks. You'll probably be ok on the majority of trails you'll encounter, unless you're looking for harder stuff.

If it's 2wd, then you're obviously more limited. Some people do wheel 2wd trucks pretty hard, but mostly you're limited to fire roads, and light trails, etc.

Have you ever been offroad before?

Oh, and Welcome to ClubX!

if its a 4x2, look at the general sams threads in trail talk, mine is 4x2 and theres plenty of pics of what ive gone thru, i think i wheel it pretty hard considering

It's a 4x4 S. I've gone on some rocky trails and over very shallow creeks and it responded great. I wish I had that hill decent control but otherwise it's been good. I'm just hoping I don't do too much damage too it. I believe all 3 models are built the same and that it's a very solid structure.

Make sure you take the steprails off (if you have them) along with the mudflaps. You should definitely think about upgrading to an Allterrain tire as well. Other than the, the Xterra is very capable off road in stock form.

Also take off the rear sway bar, you don't need it.

Leave on the front...the handling is sloppy w/o the front bar....the rear bar makes so little difference that pretty much everyone says they can't tell the difference on road.

Off road, the rear tires can stay on the ground much better w/o the sway bar, which is important if you don't have the rear locker that came in the OR model.



:D

There have been many people wheel an S model. Really the only thing you are missing that is a big advantage is the rear locker.

If you plan on wheeling I suggest at bare minimum a set of rock sliders. Without them the chanced of dinging up the rocker panels is pretty good.

From there the mod bug will bite and you'll be spending every bit of extra income on mods and every weekend on the trails. :)

What is it that's different about the rear locker on the S? Are you talking about the newer ones like I have? Everything I read is that the Off Road is the only one with a slightly different diff. As far as mine is concerned, it locks up just fine, actually it locks almost instantly. I like to goose it a little on the local dirt roads, and I leave torn up dirt on both sides.

The only model (new X) with a rear locker is the Off Road model. It's an electronic locker that you must flip a switch to engage.

The difference between an open diff and a locked diff is that with an open diff, if one wheel is in the air (or loosing traction) that wheel will will get all the power and just spin. The wheel on the ground gets hardly any power and just sits there.

The reasons for an "open" diff. While on the street when you go around a bend the wheels on the outside of the bend have to travel further than the wheels on the inside of the bend. An open diff allows the outside wheels to spin at a faster rate to make up for this difference.

There are some diffs called "Limited Slip" (LSD) that uses clutches in the diff that as one wheel spins much faster than the other the clutches engage and transfers some of the power to the wheel getting traction.

Locked Diffs. Both wheels turn at the same rate no matter what. The reason this is not good for street driving is that the wheels will only turn as fast as the slowest wheels (inside wheels in a bend). There for to make up for the difference in distance that they have to travel, the outside wheels will be pulled through the turn and skid. In the rear this is not too bad (though not good for the tires), in the front it’s down right scary as your vehicle doesn’t want to turn.

The new X’s have a form of Limited Slip called “ABLS” (Active Brake Limited Slip). What this does is use the ABS sensors to detect a wheel that is spinning much faster than the other and apply the brakes to just that wheel to transfer some of the power to the other wheel. I have found that this system works pretty well, but doesn’t work too good if you are heavy on the gas. It works best when slow and steady gas is applied. I can only assume that it’s because the brakes are less effective with a wheel that is spinning really fast.

So for off-road it’s nice to be locked but you usually like to be able to turn them off for street driving.

Oh, and there are differences in Diffs on the new X's.

the X, SE and S (automatic) models have the Nissan C200 rear diff

the Off-Road and S (manual) have a Dana 44 variant M226

I purchased the x version with the electronics package and something else I can't remember, plus it was the only way I could get the steel rims. The added packages equalled the s version according to the sales booklet. I don't recall seeing anything about the diffs in the sales book, aside from mentioning that the off road had an electronic locker. Is there some quality difference between the two you mentioned? I specifically stated to the dealer that I wanted a limited slip diff, and 4-wheel drive, along with the other stuff. Is mine ok, or did I get something not up to snuff. I don't off road, but durability is everything, and I don't want to get stuck in 4 feet of snow.

The C200 which as long as you have an Auto tranny is what is in your X is a proven axle. It's rumored that the M226 is heavier duty as it's the same axle they use in the Titan's, but I still think it's too new to tell.

If your X has ABLS then it has Nissan's version of limited slip (ABLS = Active Bracking Limited Slip). It uses the ABS sensors to detect wheel spin and uses the brakes to stop the slipping wheel from spinning and transfering the power to the other wheel. It works well, but you have to be easy on the skinny peddle.

I did some researce on this matter and found that the manual equiped X's at least for 06, come in a 5 and 6 speed. If you purchase the the X or S version with the manual 6 which is what I have, it comes standard with the Dana backend. So I'm good on this one now. Thanks for all the info though, I'm liking my X more and more as I add the miles on and beat it up. It certainly does take a licking. Being I have 30k on it though, I've only got 6k left to make up my mind if I want to purchase the extended warrenty or not.

Correct.

X, S, SE (Auto) has the C200
X, S, (Manual) and Off Road have the M226 (Dana 44)

There is some debate on which is tougher. The M226 has not been around long. Yes it's "based" on a D44, but it is far from a traditional D44 (just like most D44's out there today).