hi i have an 03 xterra and ive been getting stuck a lot lately in mud and not bottoming out but my back 2 tires and i lose all my power... i realize that i need lockers ..does anyone know a good brand/type/website were i can find some really good ones to help get a true 4x4 and get that power to those wheels ....id prefer to spend under $350 ..also is it a pain to install? thanks alot guys!!!

ARB is it for right now, as far as the $350,,,,,,,,, well it just aint gonna happen. triple it and you are in the ball park.

The only way to get a locker for under $350 is to weld the diff. I suggest against that. Especially if it is your everyday driver.

YA ARB is the only thing available as of now. Welding your gears will make you permanently locked and as a daily driver its not fun. I drove my buddies Cherokee around with a welded rear and it was a pain.

Yep ARB is the only option for the Nissan Xterra Axles.

Aussie, Detroit, Spartan, Yukon, Richmond, Powertrax.... none of these companies make a locker for the Nissan Xterra.

Or......

you could swap out the rear diff and drop in a different axle that would come with an inexpensive locker.

You'd lose ABS but gain a great start towards an SAS. ;)

Just saying... there's another option.

But for your stocker front diff, there's an option...

Front LSD (http://www.purenissan.com/limited_slip1.htm)

I had it in my Xterra before I did the SAS. It rocked!

Welding spider gears takes about 15-30 min with a welder sucks for a daily driver but if its a weekend wheeler or trailer queen it rocks my socks.

At that point though I'd superpack the LSD so it can be reversed.

hi i have an 03 xterra and ive been getting stuck a lot lately in mud and not bottoming out but my back 2 tires and i lose all my power... i realize that i need lockers ..does anyone know a good brand/type/website were i can find some really good ones to help get a true 4x4 and get that power to those wheels ....id prefer to spend under $350 ..also is it a pain to install? thanks alot guys!!!

Yeah....for $350, not too many options that are not a PITA.

Typically, the fronts lose traction worse than the rears, as Cyclemutt mentioned, an LSD up FRONT kicks ass, and the guys who did get lockers up front (only) also reported huge benefits, etc.

The things you can try for less $ than tend to help:

1) Remove the rear sway bar, it allows the tires to press down on the ground better.

2) Remove the overload leaf (It acts as a road grader under there, and lowers the leaf pack, etc...hurting clearance)

3) If the mud is deep enough to muddy the bottom mount of the brush guard, remove the brush guard (They also act like a road grader down there)

4) Upgrade to as aggressive a mud tire as possible at least for the rear (if its the rear that's the problem)...say boggers or LTBs depending upon the size you're at at the OTHER axle, etc.

(You can swap street tires on when not playing off road for example)

I paid $160/tire for 33 x 13.5/16 LTB's for example, and they grip in mud really well, with giant paddlewheel side lugs, etc.

If the tires don't slip, you don't need a locker.

:wink-big:

that is a great idea about LSD for the front of the X. Thanks...another mod to add to my list.
Was thinking of getting this some time down the road
https://www.4x4parts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=165_303&products_id=293

what do ya think?

that is a great idea about LSD for the front of the X. Thanks...another mod to add to my list.
Was thinking of getting this some time down the road
https://www.4x4parts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=165_303&products_id=293

what do ya think?

That would work...or just get a used one from a Z

:D

cool thanks!! what years Z am I looking for?

was thinking of getting a the front locked but think the front axle just really can't handle the extra stress and also don't want to deal w/ CV breaking. So maybe the LSD for the front be little better then an open front diff like I have now.

If you're not one of those skinny pedal crazies, the front's seem to last with the ARB locker upfront just fine.

And you can leave it off if worried anyway.

:D

well this won't happen till next year...so I will ask then. That is if my wife doesn't kill me after I tell her that there is more stuff I want to do to BlueX :D

Thanks for the info TJ and everyone else :)

IIRC, the LSD from a 1987 to 1989 Turbo 300ZX is the same R200A set.

:D

2) Remove the overload leaf (It acts as a road grader under there, and lowers the leaf pack, etc...hurting clearance)

Is this what you are talking about? (I undercurved it in green. Is that the curved equivalent of an underline?) I've not yet heard about removing this and its pros and cons, but you have now piqued my interest. Care to elaborate?

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/mattdocs40/CopyofP1230068.jpg

Is this what you are talking about? (I undercurved it in green. Is that the curved equivalent of an underline?) I've not yet heard about removing this and its pros and cons, but you have now piqued my interest. Care to elaborate?

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/mattdocs40/CopyofP1230068.jpg

Yup, that's the load leaf.

Notice how its sticking straight forward and back?

That rams and gets stuck on things like crazy...plus, its about an inch thick, which spaces the leaf pad and lower shock mount down by about an inch, further reducing your clearance.

The PURPOSE of the over load leaf is to provide extra support if you overload the X....as the pack will lay down flat on it...and be supported.

Without it, you lose a bit of that over load protection, but improve the ground clearance.

The ride is about the same, as that leaf is ONLY involved when the X is so loaded the suspension has sagged all the way down.

(Adding AAL gets back the overload strength and lifts the rear too, but puts the leaf pad and lower shock mount back down low again.)

Someone else mentioned a stupid obvious thing I hadnt thought to say tires. That is a hellofa point when I was rocking my stockish ranger putting ltbs on helped a bunch with keeping traction and power to the ground. If you would be willing to drop some more cash for rear tires only swapping to a Bogger,LTB, or if you are really crazy some tractor tires will keep traction amazingly and help. It doesnt take long to throw on some other tires although if you chose v treads you have to tote them with you to the trail and toss them on there which is a bit of a buzzkil but boggers and ltbs can be ran down the highway just a bit loud no real problem.

Hello, Air lockers is the way to go...especially if you get struck alot...

Why? Two limit slips will NEVER equal one locker in the rear....for traction...

Research this futher....you will find...air lockers is best because you can drive it everywhere and engaged it only when you need it...consider the air pump addition too..

Aloha, wish had the money too ..to get one air locker!

Hello, Air lockers is the way to go...especially if you get struck alot...

Why? Two limit slips will NEVER equal one locker in the rear....for traction...

Research this futher....you will find...air lockers is best because you can drive it everywhere and engaged it only when you need it...consider the air pump addition too..

Aloha, wish had the money too ..to get one air locker!

He does too, considering he was asking for solutions that cost less than $350.

:D

And 2 LSDS can be better than one rear locker.

The locker doesn't add traction....it merely provides motive force to the tire WITH potential traction....so that if one tire is slipping, the other one keeps you going.

If both tires are slipping and you can't move, your traction with a locker is effectively exactly the same as without.

As slippage is typically on one side or the other, even if one axle is slipping, the other axle can keep you moving....so as long as one tire, somewhere, has traction, you have a chance to keep moving.

:wink-big:

Does anyone suggest manual lockers maybe?

Unfortunately Kris, there aren't any manual lockers available for these axles.

I had an Ox locker in the front of my X, loved it! But it is strictly for the Domestic axles.

alright thanks alot guys.. also does anyone know if a body lift will force me to take off my front brush guard? and also whats a reasonable labor time it would take to install a 2 inch BL

unless you modify the mounts you will need to take it off.

Most people can do a body lift in well under a day, assuming that you are talking about a 2inch and not a three inch.

From what I've read here, if you have two guys who've done an X 2" BL before, they'll bang it out in 3 hours. If you're doing one alone by yourself, expect 8 hours. Like granitex said, the 3" BL is a crazy animal for crazies, as you get into things that need to be extended. In general, everything on an X will give you 2" but not 3" without a fight.

If you're asking how much a shop will charge in labor, that's harder to estimate.

Your brush guard is probably mounted to the frame at the bottom, and tied into the bumper about halfway up. Consider everything except the frame moving up 2", and you'll have your answer. You'll lose those middle mounting points. If the guard curves over the bumper and follows the grille back towards the rear of the X as it goes up toward the hood, when you lift the body, it will likely hit the curved part of the brush guard, necessitating the guard's removal.

I have a brush guard because it was on there when I bought my X. It originally had headlight side parts bolted on. I took those off. It also had a crossmember which I assumed was structural, or at least doing something... I was wrong! I was pulled out of some snow and I chose that to hook to, and it buckled and came right off. Long story short, don't expect the brush guard to guard against anything more than brush. Don't you think the truck is made of metal for a reason? It's brush-resistant already...