wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Excellent choice! I really love the AT3. I think its a good looking tire with great performance in most scenarios. Plus it's really hard to beat for the price. I'm sure you'll really like them. Let's see some pics!
DMSKI's 2006 Xterra
- Thread starter Dmski
- Start date
Dmski
Adventurer
Thanks wreckdiver! I am extremely pleased after having owned them for two weeks now. Great on road manners and offroad they have served me well so far. I usually run them at 37PSI cold and have aired them down to 25PSI cold so far and they seem to be doing well at those spots.
I did a recent overnight trip off I90 near Snoqualmie pass/Tinkham road. We were mostly exploring the area and did everything that wasn't blocked by a gate from exit 38 to exit 60. Since it is winter, quite a lot was blocked off either by snow or gate, but we managed to find some fun. Went with my two brothers and friend. Two jeep TJ's and me reping Nissan!
Rocket box and OEM sidesteps definitely make it look like a wheeling rig
NW pinstriping... Got a little tight in spots. One section we should have just turned around.
Not photo shopped, this was the actual lighting which looked awesome!
I managed to rip off one of my homemade rear fenders backing out of a mud hole which wasn't really a surprise, but I figured the pliable rubber would have withstood the beating a little better. Oh well, I am impressed with how much they keep crap off of my car, so I put it back on. Not as bad as our buddies jeep who's 4Lo cable seemingly slackened, keeping him out of 4Lo. Not a huge deal but in some spots I know he was wishing he had that lower crawl ratio.
And the sliders came in a week ago! I'm planning on sanding, cleaning with acetone/brake cleaner and then using and etching primer before finishing off with a couple coats of Rustoleum Bed Liner. I've had mixed feelings on how this will go, but since I'm not bouncing off rocks all the time, I think the grip and protection of bedliner will be a good cheap solution. Anyone have input?
I did a recent overnight trip off I90 near Snoqualmie pass/Tinkham road. We were mostly exploring the area and did everything that wasn't blocked by a gate from exit 38 to exit 60. Since it is winter, quite a lot was blocked off either by snow or gate, but we managed to find some fun. Went with my two brothers and friend. Two jeep TJ's and me reping Nissan!
Rocket box and OEM sidesteps definitely make it look like a wheeling rig
NW pinstriping... Got a little tight in spots. One section we should have just turned around.
Not photo shopped, this was the actual lighting which looked awesome!
I managed to rip off one of my homemade rear fenders backing out of a mud hole which wasn't really a surprise, but I figured the pliable rubber would have withstood the beating a little better. Oh well, I am impressed with how much they keep crap off of my car, so I put it back on. Not as bad as our buddies jeep who's 4Lo cable seemingly slackened, keeping him out of 4Lo. Not a huge deal but in some spots I know he was wishing he had that lower crawl ratio.
And the sliders came in a week ago! I'm planning on sanding, cleaning with acetone/brake cleaner and then using and etching primer before finishing off with a couple coats of Rustoleum Bed Liner. I've had mixed feelings on how this will go, but since I'm not bouncing off rocks all the time, I think the grip and protection of bedliner will be a good cheap solution. Anyone have input?
Dmski
Adventurer
Thanks! It is sad how little snow there is. I've been able to get up just about every weekend, but its pretty bad. I'm getting better at park though so that's one way to look at it but I'm missing me some steep n deep.
How have your sliders held up to just standard driving abuse? Do gravel roads just sand blast the underside? I'm liking the spray on liner since it would essentially do the same thing as spray paint for touch ups, but provide some grip.
Haven't gotten them yet, but just ordered AT/3's in a similar diameter (285/75R16). Do you have the full size spare under the truck? Any trouble fitting it up in there?
I have the same sliders and ended up powder coating them. They look great and the wrinkle finish that I had them use has really good grip. I have no idea how they'll hold up and do have concerns about touch up down the road. But for now, I'm happy with them.
Dmski
Adventurer
Haven't gotten them yet, but just ordered AT/3's in a similar diameter (285/75R16). Do you have the full size spare under the truck? Any trouble fitting it up in there?
I have the same sliders and ended up powder coating them. They look great and the wrinkle finish that I had them use has really good grip. I have no idea how they'll hold up and do have concerns about touch up down the road. But for now, I'm happy with them.
Those look great! Out of curiosity about how much was it for your textured powder coating? Touch up shouldn't be too big of an issue since any satin spray would probably blend right in.
As for the tires, I have now put over 1000 miles on them and they are fantastic! Quiet and well mannered on road, and perfect offroad. I do notice a 1-2 mpg drop (expected with that much tire) and with my 3.13 gears it seems to hunt for gears more going up the passes, but I rectify that with throwing it in O/D off when doing steep grades to keep it sitting in one gear. With a full car, you can barely notice power loss, but MPG hit is a real thing now.
I now have the stupid TPMS light issue but that's because I think my spare didn't have a TPMS sensor and went one of the main four. It is not pressure related that's for sure. The spare does fit perfectly under the rear which was a huge bonus. I had to do the slight melt mod, but it really depends from car to car. You don't have to take your tire off to do the melt mod either so that makes it super easy.
Was it worth it? For me, yes! If I were to put a mud tire or a heavier many plied walled tire, I think I would stick with 32's, but a nice AT tire like this one makes sense. My biggest fear is the front diff, but I don't drive like a maniac offroad so wheel spin and the front diff blowing is less likely (although still a possibility for sure).
They did turn out well. I do like the appearance and they have good grip when standing on them, even when wet. There were a couple of bubbles that were the result of pinholes in the welds of the sliders. When the parts are heated in the oven, it generates pressure in the tube and this air escaping through the pinholes makes a bubble in the powdercoat. Hard to say if other sets of these will do that or just mine. I will have to keep an eye on those spots and periodically apply something to touch those up. I'm not worried about touchups blending in so much as how well other paint will adhere, but that's something that time will tell.
My buddy gets some stuff done at this shop and knows the owner, so I don't know how my price compares to if I had just walked in off the street, but it was $80 for the pair. The place is literally 5 minutes away from my work so it was very convenient.
Allof75
Pathfinder
Must have missed the post, but welcome to the AT3 family haha. I really do love mine. :sombrero:
As far as the rustoleum bedliner, I've had mixed results. I used it on my skidplates about a year ago now, and they definitely haven't rusted, but that said the durability is really suspect. I definitely applied correctly and yet it flakes off at even the hint of a rock. So in some senses, it might be more expensive, but if you had a shop spray the sliders, or even if you got a roll-on kit, I think you'd have much better results. I don't mind it because my skidplates obviously aren't exposed that often, but with something like sliders, I know it would bother me to see it flaking off, plus install/removal is a total PITA just to repaint them. I also sprayed my front fender wells with it, and likewise it's flaked, and damn near impossible to remove some dirt/mud stains.
As far as the rustoleum bedliner, I've had mixed results. I used it on my skidplates about a year ago now, and they definitely haven't rusted, but that said the durability is really suspect. I definitely applied correctly and yet it flakes off at even the hint of a rock. So in some senses, it might be more expensive, but if you had a shop spray the sliders, or even if you got a roll-on kit, I think you'd have much better results. I don't mind it because my skidplates obviously aren't exposed that often, but with something like sliders, I know it would bother me to see it flaking off, plus install/removal is a total PITA just to repaint them. I also sprayed my front fender wells with it, and likewise it's flaked, and damn near impossible to remove some dirt/mud stains.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Great photos, that looks like a really fun trip.
That's a cool looking slider! Can't wait to see them on the truck!
I would recommend against using bedliner on them though. The problem with bedliner is it's impossible to keep clean after your first trip into the dirt. I had bedlined bumpers on an old fullsize truck and after the first couple weeks they just started to look ugly because of all the stains. Plus they would peel in big strips even after properly prepped.
That's a cool looking slider! Can't wait to see them on the truck!
I would recommend against using bedliner on them though. The problem with bedliner is it's impossible to keep clean after your first trip into the dirt. I had bedlined bumpers on an old fullsize truck and after the first couple weeks they just started to look ugly because of all the stains. Plus they would peel in big strips even after properly prepped.
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richard310
pew pew
There's no one great solution as sliders see a lot of debris and rock contact. Find the path of least resistance (and not too hard on the wallet).
Dmski
Adventurer
Good info from all, thanks guys! Finally got them prepped with primer, and now starting the bedliner process. I'm willing to try it out and see how it does. I've also heard mixed things, but after all they are sliders that will see some abuse and dirt so I'm hoping this will be an easier way to touch up with a little more resistance than the spray paint.
Rant coming: One gripe I had was with the primer spray cans by rustoleum. The new spray nozzles are flawless and spray very well when they work (or if they work in my case). First can got about halfway through (never used before) and it just cut out. Thought I'd clogged it even after shaking for a couple of minutes before and periodically throughout the process but it just seemingly ran out of compression. Cleaned with mineral spirits and tried again. Nothing. Swapped spray nozzles, nothing. Weird. I know it is a thicker paint so shook the second can for longer, put in a cup of warm water to thin the paint out and it clogged/stopped after 30 seconds. So back to home depot I went and ended up getting two new cans for free and an ego hurting how to lesson on the 101 basics of spray paint by an employee who thought I was full of it. I'm willing to claim idiocy, but I felt the cans were the culprit. The rest of the cans did fine but I was sure to clean it well before storing in my paint bin. Anyone else have this issue with the new nozzles?
Rant coming: One gripe I had was with the primer spray cans by rustoleum. The new spray nozzles are flawless and spray very well when they work (or if they work in my case). First can got about halfway through (never used before) and it just cut out. Thought I'd clogged it even after shaking for a couple of minutes before and periodically throughout the process but it just seemingly ran out of compression. Cleaned with mineral spirits and tried again. Nothing. Swapped spray nozzles, nothing. Weird. I know it is a thicker paint so shook the second can for longer, put in a cup of warm water to thin the paint out and it clogged/stopped after 30 seconds. So back to home depot I went and ended up getting two new cans for free and an ego hurting how to lesson on the 101 basics of spray paint by an employee who thought I was full of it. I'm willing to claim idiocy, but I felt the cans were the culprit. The rest of the cans did fine but I was sure to clean it well before storing in my paint bin. Anyone else have this issue with the new nozzles?
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Those look pretty good! I like those tread plate steps a lot. The X is definitely coming along.
seekerbeta
Observer
Ive got the General AT2 on my Xterra and i find the same thing, good howl at 70MPH. I love the look of the blue!
Dmski
Adventurer
Thanks guys! slow progress what with all the other fun hobbies but so far its doing everything I want. Recently the rear leafs seem to be going even more flat, and it literally takes a bike on the rack or one person in the car to now hit the bumpstops... Suspension is going to be the next upgrade and at 70k miles I don't blame the leafs all that much. Likely what will happen is I'll sell the motorcycle and put part of the profits towards the suspension funds. I don't see any way to do suspension properly for less than a grand.