What I have learned about my Nissan Xterra Stock R180A

The Nissan Xterra R180A (often referred to as the R180) is the front carrier assembly or differential case. The R180A is shared between the 2005-2015 Nissan Xterra, 2004+ Nissan Frontier, 2005-2012 Nissan Pathfinder, and the 2008-2012 Suzuki Equator. The stock gearing comes in 3.13, 3.36, 3.54 and 3.69. There are also aftermarket 4.10 gears available from some vendors (note: the 4.10 gears are compatible with the 3.54 and down carriers)

There have been a number of consumers having issues with the spider gears breaking or stripping. In some circumstances, this will crack or punch a hole in the differential itself. I was lucky enough that my differential stayed intact. My gears did strip and leave some good chunks and a metallic slurry in the gear oil.

a metallic slurry in the gear oil

Spider gears

The general consensus as to why this happens is wheel spin and then gaining sudden traction. Trying to get out of snow banks, loose gravel, or offroad trails seem to be common themes. I am not 100% when it happened to me, but since I am on offroad trails as often as I can be, I assume it was somewhere out there.

offroad trails as often as I can be

Since I was out of warranty and not ready to Titan swap (mostly due to funding), I opted to put in a Lokka locker instead of replacing the stock one. This replaced the spider gears without having to fix anything else. Easily the best $300 I spent on the truck. There are some concerns driving the locked front differential in the snow. However, I think the gains are worth the snow hassle. And in my opinion, the snow really isn't a problem as long as you drive it below 40 mph. It will go above 40 mph but the steering becomes quirky. It will be very, very hard to become stuck!

Lokka installed

The lokka has quite a few benefits on the install side of the equation too. Most owners that are mechanically inclined and have the right tools can install it themselves. You may need shims to get it in spec. Apparently these shims (http://amzn.to/2kKVQv8) at amazon work. Mine was in spec with the stock shims. The hardest part of the whole install was getting the differential case out of the truck.

The Adventure of my Xterra Tires

BFG Rugged Trail

I have owned 5 sets of tires on my Xterra so far. The first set was the stock 265/75r60 BFG Rugged Trail all terrain (AT) passenger tire. I honestly don't remember much about them except that I know I wanted something more rugged to go offroad with. I put about 10,000 miles on them before I switched.

I am sure if you wanted a picture I could find one. They a decent tires but not really meant of the rough stuff.

Goodyear Duratracs

My next set was a set of LT265/75r16 C rated Goodyear Duratracs. They were definitely a step up from the rugged trails. However, if you are on the fence on 32s (or 31.5s in this case) vs. 33s, step up to 33s. I can go in more detail on 32s vs. 33s, and maybe I will in another post but the minor MPG, and weight difference is not worth stressing about. Just do it. The Duratracs were great except around 20,000 miles they started to get very loud. This seems to be 32 C issue as I don't hear the complaint from 33 E (LT285/75r16) owners.

LT265/75r16 C rated Goodyear Duratracs

BFG KM2s

Since I felt I was missing out on some height and traction, I decided to purchase an offroad set of tires. After a bit of convincing myself that I would like skinny tires, I purchased LT255/80r17 E rated BFG KM2s. Now, these tires are not what I would call beefy. They are an oddball size. The look ok. They absolutely 100% work. No issue. Tough as nails. I just couldn't get over how they looked.

LT255/80r17 E rated BFG KM2s

Ok. You are right. The KM2s don't look so bad in that shot. But look at them next to my current on road set.

Skinny vs. Fat

They just don't don't give it the same vibe. Great tires. I just wasn't digging the skinny. I wasn't overly fond of them on the highway, and I had some balancing issues to boot. I still have them if anyone is thinking about buying an offroad set.

General Grabber AT2s

Now, LT285/75r17 load D General Grabber AT2s are some very nice AT tires. They tend to be priced very well. I have run them offroad and on the road. They have performed well in both. They serve mainly as my street tires. As they have aged their snow performance has lessened. I think that is par for the course. 

General Gabber ATs in the snow

I don't have an exact count of mileage because obviously I switch tries a lot, but I do know that the were purchased in December of 2013.  After 3 good years of use, they are getting close to the wear bar. Since I put on around 18,000+ miles a year, I think they have done pretty well. Especially considering that stock width lifted Xterra's have issues with the outside edge wearing quickly. 

The Grabbers have performed well offroad when I have used them. They aren't the best in thick mud, and when they get filled up, they have issues but so do many other AT tires. My only real complaint about them is they aren't aggressive looking from the side. 

General Grabber ATs in the mud

Goodyear MTRs

These bad boys are just plain mean. They look great. They aren't loud. I really only use them for the dirt so even though I had them for almost 2 years, they still have a ton of tread. I have beat on them hard. 

LT285/75r16 Load E Goodyear MTR

I believe the LT285/75r16 Load E Goodyear MTR run big. They are listed at 33.1" but I am convinced the are more of a 33.5" Here is a shot of them compared to the Grabbers. The General Grabbers are supposed to run big as well. Of course, the Generals have quite a few more miles on them in this picture. 

Goodyear MTRs vs. General Grabber ATs

So far the MTRs are my favorite by a good lead. They look good. They drive nice (although the General Grabbers drive better) and they just keep on taking punishment offroad. I do think they are a bit soft so I have no doubt that the would last as long as the General Grabbers. They are also on the expensive side. It is great being able to have 2 sets of tires. It does get a bit tiresome changing them.

Lessons learned so far

These are a few things I have learned along the way. I am still learning.

1. "Go as slow as possible, but as fast as necessary." Still working on that one. The funny thing is that might be a life lesson, not just an off-road lesson.

2. Do not join thenewx.org because it will make you spend money.

3. 4 low is your friend when you drive a manual.

4. You will kick yourself for not getting 33s. Nothing wrong with the 32s.... they just are not 33s.

5. Sliders are way cool. They will do their job. They will pay for themselves. They should be mod #1.

6. Clutch cancel can be used for hills but after reading some horror stories about shifting in deep mud I found it is very important to use if your transmission is covered in mud or water.

7. Only use Nissan trans fluid!

8. Magnetic antennas suck.

9. Watch out for the trees! They are sneaky bastards.

10. Check your skid bolts! I lost two and a third was on the way out!

11. Check to make sure your sliders are not rotting your frame...

12. In case you missed it the first time: Do not join thenewx.org because it will make you spend money.

13. Re-spool your winch under load. It is embarrassing when you can't pull a Subaru out of a ditch in the snow because the line is slipping.

14. Powdercoat does not like North East winters.

15. LCA mounts do not like rocks.

16. Replace your rear springs when then are worn. Preferably a few thousand miles before you need it. My helwigs held up ok, but I think they eventually lead to my pinion angle issues. If I had replaced my springs they would have saved me the cost of another drive shaft.

17. Pay attention to your pinion angle. The boot on the drive shaft can only take so much abuse.

18. Stuck CVs are no fun.

19. I loathe rust.

You have to start somewhere

This is where my journey began. January 7th, 2011. The Northern Exposure event at Rausch Creek offroad park. It is hosted every year by the NEXterra offroad club. Great group of people. Check them out here: http://www.nexterra.org/nexterra/

I imagine it was cold out. I don't remember. My adrenaline was pumping. I had researched the Xterra and knew it was capable of doing things like this, but I had never done anything close to this before, and I had no idea what to expect.

NEXterra Northern Exposure 2011

Before this, I was into sporty cars. I had owned a Xterra earlier, but it was a lease, and my wife drove it most of the time. I did enjoy driving it when I did drive. I had always imagined I was track one of my cars but the expense and the fear of wrapping it around something always held me back.  Plus, I never quite felt like I belonged in that crowd.

I had purchased Goodyear Duratrac tires (size 265/75r16 aka 32s) and sliders, but otherwise, the truck was stock. I thought it would be fun a few times. Not this offroad addiction that it has developed into. I started following around this beast of a Xterra, and we did some normal looking trails with some water crossings.

Beast of a Xterra

All was going well. Then this happened. What did I get myself into?? And did I really have to follow him down there?

What did I get myself into?

And it continued to get worse!

Tippy!

The thing was, I was having a ball. It was a great time. My sons and I were out enjoying the wilderness in the middle of January. I had found my new passion.

Ready for another adventure! Follow along!