2011 Xterra low lift w35s build and adventures

[Smileyshaun]

After going through way to many vehicles over the year the process of buying something cheap , fixing and modifying it and then selling it after a while for a profit has been fun in some ways but I have came to a point in my life where I just don’t have the time , space and extra funds to dump into projects anymore . After a lot of test driving and going back and forth on vehicles I settled on a nice clean 1 owner 2011 Nissan Xterra with the pro 4x package with a nice low 109k on the odometer and a six speed for rowing gears . For me it’s new enough for time to not of done damage to the electrical and old enough that it’s not Overridden with electrical Nannies. Large enough to fit the family but small enough to fit places I want to go . Not really much planned for it first things first it needs a clutch but after that might mount a winch behind the factory bumper and depending on how the tires work that are on it might require a 1 inch lift and step up and tire size.
Considering the fact my last two vehicles were Subaru Forrester’s this is already miles and miles ahead of what I’ve been exploring with.

 

[trikebubble]

Congrats. I loved my old Xterra. Best suv I ever had, and extremely capable.

 

[tjZ06]

Rear diff-lock and 4LO - like you said you'll be way ahead of where you were in the Subis before. Looks clean too, congrats.

-TJ

 

[TerryD]

Looks like a great find! They make a great family rig. We do a lot of our family traveling in ours. I envy your 3.69 gears, those were the lowest you could get in a 2nd Gen.

Also, you can fit a 285/75/16 at OE ride height with just the "melt mod". Search for it on XN.

 

[Smileyshaun]

For the effort of 285s I think I would just go straight to 35s , bit of fender trimming and tubbing of the firewall will usually allow 35s to fit on a lot of rigs ( at least it’s worked on 4runners and chevys in the past ).
But for now unless I blow a tire it’s just gonna stay stock until the fiancé and I are done paying off all our debts ( other than the cars)

 

[TerryD]

For the effort of 285s I think I would just go straight to 35s , bit of fender trimming and tubbing of the firewall will usually allow 35s to fit on a lot of rigs ( at least it’s worked on 4runners and chevys in the past ).
But for now unless I blow a tire it’s just gonna stay stock until the fiancé and I are done paying off all our debts ( other than the cars)

35s generally require a Titan swap, 2" body lift (because of front up travel) and fender trimming. There's no body mount trimming like Toyota but the melt mod is literally taking a heat gun and heating a small section of fender liner behind the front tires and pushing it back flush and 285s will fit at the OE ride height.

265/70/16 @ factory height



285/75/16 @ factory ride height



Only melt mod required.

 

[The other Sean]

Yea, 35's is going to open up a whole can of worms. 285s, install an XTP intake spacer and call it good.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Well I guess I should list things in a hopeful order of completion.

*Clutch
*Change All fluids to synthetic
*Hoses and belts
*Tune up ..... plugs
*Any maintenance items that need attention
*winch
*Get the fiancé Volkswagen cabriolet road ready
*Front air locker
*make some sliders
*rear tire carrier
*lift if needed ,tires .

 

[Smileyshaun]

I haven’t looked into it really yet but I was also told on a 3rd gen 4 runner you need at least 5 inch of lift and trimming to fit 35s but with trimming , the right wheels and tubbing the firewall they fit with no rubbing with 2” of lift.
A lot of it comes down to wheel and tire selection , not all 315/75r16 are the same size some are a lot fatter then others causeing a lot of rubbing . I really wish there was more options in a 35x10.50 it would really save a lot of headaches .

I’m really far away from tires but I may pick up 1 tire/wheel and spare fender and do some experimenting , I like a challenge :)

 

[Smileyshaun]

My first repair all the stitching came off my shifter knob do i sloppily re-did it.

 

[tjZ06]

I haven’t looked into it really yet but I was also told on a 3rd gen 4 runner you need at least 5 inch of lift and trimming to fit 35s but with trimming , the right wheels and tubbing the firewall they fit with no rubbing with 2” of lift.
A lot of it comes down to wheel and tire selection , not all 315/75r16 are the same size some are a lot fatter then others causeing a lot of rubbing . I really wish there was more options in a 35x10.50 it would really save a lot of headaches .

I’m really far away from tires but I may pick up 1 tire/wheel and spare fender and do some experimenting , I like a challenge :)

I understand the point you're making, but I think you might be coming at this a bit off. Read TerryD's post and look at the pics, people have it figured out already. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.

-TJ

 

[The other Sean]

I'm not sure why you are putting a winch, locker and sliders ahead of tires. The tires in the pic look to not really be up to the task.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Winch because even with better tires it’s still possible to get stuck,down trees , other stuck rigs

Sliders because it should only take me a afternoon to fab up and cheap insurance to protect the body

Locker to strengthen the front diff , extra traction ,more ability to drive slow and controlled lessening strain on the drivetrain . Most drivetrain breakage happens when things are moving and then all of a sudden they stop moving putting a shock load through the drivetrain .

A bigger tire will not do as much good if it’s spinning with no grip .

 

[Smileyshaun]

Here is my point on tires I jotted down a quick chart of a couple different tires and their actual diameters and weights if you look there’s quite a few 285/75 that are nearly as wide as some of the skinnier 315 /75 .


So with a set of wheels with the right offset you can get that taller skinnier 315 to squeeze in where the 285 fits


Like I said it will take some experimenting and trail and error and in the end I could be completely wrong but we will see in the future what’s possible

 

[tjZ06]

Winch because even with better tires it’s still possible to get stuck,down trees , other stuck rigs

Sliders because it should only take me a afternoon to fab up and cheap insurance to protect the body

Locker to strengthen the front diff , extra traction ,more ability to drive slow and controlled lessening strain on the drivetrain . Most drivetrain breakage happens when things are moving and then all of a sudden they stop moving putting a shark load through the drivetrain .

A bigger tire will not do as much good if it’s spinning with no grip .

I fully agree with winch, sliders, etc. right off the bat. Sliders were about the first thing I did on my WJ, though I still need to get a winch. The front locker will help you get that much further too, but I totally disagree on the "strength" aspect. Talk to anybody who's wheeled for a long time, an open front diff (or LSD) lets lesser front ends live. For example, my D30 with stock axle shafts and "just" the Vari-Lok LSD is pretty solid for the tire size I have (31.6"). However, the instant I put a real locker in I need to go chromo-axles for sure, and things like gussets/trusses/sleeves are recommended because of the higher loads it's dealing with. Yes, going more slowly and staying controlled is far easier on parts. And yes, in general a locker will allow for that, but the CVs, axle shafts, R&P etc. are all experiencing higher loads as the tires have different amounts of traction across the axle or are traveling different distances (any sort of turning at all). By the very nature of when you use a locker it's going to be in the hardest situations. I know nothing about the Xterra diffs, CVs. etc. so maybe it's not an issue. But my point is you don't add a locker "to strengthen the front diff."

-TJ

 

[tjZ06]

Here is my point on tires I jotted down a quick chart of a couple different tires and their actual diameters and weights if you look there’s quite a few 285/75 that are nearly as wide as some of the skinnier 315 /75 . View attachment 120475


So with a set of wheels with the right offset you can get that taller skinnier 315 to squeeze in where the 285 fits View attachment 120477View attachment 120476


Like I said it will take some experimenting and trail and error and in the end I could be completely wrong but we will see in the future what’s possible

That's a lot of research, and I totally dig that! You're right, tire sizes vary wildly by brand. There's no set standard on rim-size or tire pressure for measurements which obviously impacts width measurements a lot. With metric tires height is a function of width so that will vary a lot too. For tires measured in inches you'd think the height would be consistent, but it's not. I suppose that comes from the tire pressure it's measured at. If you want to put in the time and risk buying tires that don't work you could well find the "magic" tire that absolutely maximizes tire size to the last fraction of an inch. Otherwise, I'd learn from all the trial and error the community has already put in and run what is proven.

-TJ

 

[Smileyshaun]

The ARB will make front diff stronger because It uses 4 spider gears so the forces are distributed on more gears/teeth. The ARB can pretty much take double the force. which means it is no longer the weakest link. I would guess after the ARB is installed the next weakest link is the CV on the axle shaft itself. Which is a way easier and cheaper fix then doing a front diff ....unless it snaps off in the diff and not at the cv lol.
From what I’ve gathered usually what breaks the front Diff on a Xterra is one of the spider gears snaps a tooth dropping it down into the ring and pinion and then forcing the ring and pinion apart and cracking the case .

Who knows I may never even get to that point and just leave it stock or I might go crazy and straight axle it and skip all the hassle of the independent suspension . In all honesty I am a good year away from any of this stuff so this is just wishful dreaming at this point .

 

[Smileyshaun]

I see what you guys are saying and I’m not discounting other peoples trial and error with fitting tires and I do appreciate the advice and warnings .
But I will use my little Subaru Forrester has a really good example. If you read anywhere online you will be told time And time again the only way that you can fit a 235/75r15 On one is some major trimming at least a 2 inch lift if not more and subframe spacers ect ect ect . With the right set of wheels no metal trimming , some fender flaring a little heating and hammering of the firewall And some remolding of the plastic fender liner I got them to fit with no rubbing even off-road ........ well as Offroad as you can get in a Subaru I swear I spent 50% of my time with two tires off the ground LOL . Sure it took a lot of time in the driveway bending a little metal re-mounting the tire , cycling the suspension but in the end they fit perfectly .

 

[tjZ06]

The ARB will make front diff stronger because It uses 4 spider gears so the forces are distributed on more gears/teeth. The ARB can pretty much take double the force. which means it is no longer the weakest link. I would guess after the ARB is installed the next weakest link is the CV on the axle shaft itself. Which is a way easier and cheaper fix then doing a front diff ....unless it snaps off in the diff and not at the cv lol.
From what I’ve gathered usually what breaks the front Diff on a Xterra is one of the spider gears snaps a tooth dropping it down into the ring and pinion and then forcing the ring and pinion apart and cracking the case .

Who knows I may never even get to that point and just leave it stock or I might go crazy and straight axle it and skip all the hassle of the independent suspension . In all honesty I am a good year away from any of this stuff so this is just wishful dreaming at this point .

Fair 'nough, and good info on the spiders, I hadn't considered that aspect. Like I said, I don't know anything about Xterra diffs!

-TJ

 

[tjZ06]

I see what you guys are saying and I’m not discounting other peoples trial and error with fitting tires and I do appreciate the advice and warnings .
But I will use my little Subaru Forrester has a really good example. If you read anywhere online you will be told time And time again the only way that you can fit a 235/75r15 On one is some major trimming at least a 2 inch lift if not more and subframe spacers ect ect ect . With the right set of wheels no metal trimming , some fender flaring a little heating and hammering of the firewall And some remolding of the plastic fender liner I got them to fit with no rubbing even off-road ........ well as Offroad as you can get in a Subaru I swear I spent 50% of my time with two tires off the ground LOL . Sure it took a lot of time in the driveway bending a little metal re-mounting the tire , cycling the suspension but in the end they fit perfectly .
View attachment 120479

Very cool, and it seems you're well-versed in the trial and error and method to absolutely max-out a wheel/tire package.

-TJ