blackflame
03-28-2009, 10:37 AM
Hey guys whats going on. My name is Steevo and I'm from St. Louis, MO. I'm a huge car nut that recently back in November got his hands on an 02 Xterra SE Supercharged. I decided to pick up a new daily driver as my previous car wasn't cutting it anymore. I knew that I wanted something larger, 4x4, 4 doors, preferably with around 50-70k miles, DEAD Reliable, descent mpg, Auto, rugged enough to take off road but comfortable enough to drive in the city, and won't kill my wallet. After scouring Autotrader, Craigslist, and visiting a lot of dealerships I had my sights set on a Jeep Liberty Renegade. While test driving one I noticed an 03 Xterra XE sitting on the lot. The outside of it had a very aggressive look and stance that I was immediately attracted to. The big roof rack was an attention grabber and said "XTERRA" down the side of it. The interior was very comfortable and nicely laid out. Everything was easy to operate, and the leather seats were nice. I decided to do a little research on these trucks. I scoured through a couple Xterra forums and found out that they made a Supercharged version that was harder to find. Well I was immediately sold on it. Honestly, how many SUV's/Trucks have a supercharger on them? I started reading reviews for days straight on the truck and nearly all said the exact same thing, "This vehicle is the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned, other than basic maintenance you will never have to turn a wrench on this truck". It also had great ratings from people that had been in wrecks in them and had come out unharmed, this was great for me because my gf would also be driving this vehicle. The VG33 under the hood was a good selling point as the whole VG motor line up is a solid foundation for boost. The fact that the crankcase only holds 3.5 quarts of oil astonished me, so Nissan must be proud of their engines that you won't have any oil burning/leaking issues.
I once again jumped on the net and looked everywhere for the Xterra I wanted. I only found 1 listing in the area that fit the bill. An 2002 Xterra SE Supercharged, 4x4, Auto, Just Blue, Viper alarm w/remote start, and 69k miles for only 13k. I went down and test drove it and was immediately surprised at how loud the whine was on the stock Eaton blower. The handling on the truck was unbelievable, it has a better turning radius than anything I've ever driven. It seems to nearly pivot on the rear tire when I make a hard turn in a parking lot or something. I drove off the lot with my new Xterra for only 11.5k.
So far the truck has treated me well. 7.5k miles on it and its never had an issue. A few things I had noticed after having it for a month, their is a slight vibration in the rear end at highway speeds. I'm thinking out of balance tire as the tires appear to be nearly new. I found a small exhaust leak on the muffler also. The paint on the arm rests on the door (where the handle is) is coming off. It looks like someone cheaply painted them the factory silver color and it just scratches right off. A friend of mine said that dealerships do that sometimes if they can't get something completely clean so they have someone come in a cheaply repaint someone to mask its defects.
I plan to keep this thing basically stock. It is my daily driver so it must get me around with no issues. I do want to do some sort of aftermarket intake though to free up some horsepower. I know that supercharged vehicles respond very well to aftermarket intakes. Anybody recommend a certain one? I also thought about doing some sort of exhaust work, as long as it remains very quiet. I figure since my muffler needs replaced anyway, is there some sort of catback that I can purchase that has a good throaty sound, but doesn't have a goofy tip on back? I also want to do a PML and maybe stuff a larger tire underneath. I was thinking like a 31 inch tire thats a little more aggressive? What size can I safely get by with without rubbing?
Is there somewhere where I can check out dyno results before and after mods on these trucks? And is there anything any of you can recommend for me to do to the truck?
I've included a few pics of the truck and of my play toy (98 GSX).
Xterra
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686021_237099491_IM1_04_565x421.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686017_237099491_IM1_03_565x421.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686016_237099491_IM1_09_565x421.jpg
My toy, 98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, Manual, 6 bolt swap, DSMLink, FMIC, Holset HX35, 1600cc injectors, Straight E85, 3 in TBE, plus tons more. Built and tuned by me.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/053.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/DSC02692.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/DSC02695.jpg
And me, Lol.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/110.jpg
I once again jumped on the net and looked everywhere for the Xterra I wanted. I only found 1 listing in the area that fit the bill. An 2002 Xterra SE Supercharged, 4x4, Auto, Just Blue, Viper alarm w/remote start, and 69k miles for only 13k. I went down and test drove it and was immediately surprised at how loud the whine was on the stock Eaton blower. The handling on the truck was unbelievable, it has a better turning radius than anything I've ever driven. It seems to nearly pivot on the rear tire when I make a hard turn in a parking lot or something. I drove off the lot with my new Xterra for only 11.5k.
So far the truck has treated me well. 7.5k miles on it and its never had an issue. A few things I had noticed after having it for a month, their is a slight vibration in the rear end at highway speeds. I'm thinking out of balance tire as the tires appear to be nearly new. I found a small exhaust leak on the muffler also. The paint on the arm rests on the door (where the handle is) is coming off. It looks like someone cheaply painted them the factory silver color and it just scratches right off. A friend of mine said that dealerships do that sometimes if they can't get something completely clean so they have someone come in a cheaply repaint someone to mask its defects.
I plan to keep this thing basically stock. It is my daily driver so it must get me around with no issues. I do want to do some sort of aftermarket intake though to free up some horsepower. I know that supercharged vehicles respond very well to aftermarket intakes. Anybody recommend a certain one? I also thought about doing some sort of exhaust work, as long as it remains very quiet. I figure since my muffler needs replaced anyway, is there some sort of catback that I can purchase that has a good throaty sound, but doesn't have a goofy tip on back? I also want to do a PML and maybe stuff a larger tire underneath. I was thinking like a 31 inch tire thats a little more aggressive? What size can I safely get by with without rubbing?
Is there somewhere where I can check out dyno results before and after mods on these trucks? And is there anything any of you can recommend for me to do to the truck?
I've included a few pics of the truck and of my play toy (98 GSX).
Xterra
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686021_237099491_IM1_04_565x421.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686017_237099491_IM1_03_565x421.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/9037686016_237099491_IM1_09_565x421.jpg
My toy, 98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, Manual, 6 bolt swap, DSMLink, FMIC, Holset HX35, 1600cc injectors, Straight E85, 3 in TBE, plus tons more. Built and tuned by me.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/053.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/DSC02692.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/DSC02695.jpg
And me, Lol.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/rampriderslocal/110.jpg