Josh's 2014 Xterra Pro 4x - guided by necessity

[07BlackSpecV]

Question for you fellow ARB bumper owner. I wired up my combination lights this weekend and while the blinker work just fine the marker lights don't light up. I tied into the Red, Green, and Black on the blinker/marker light on the xterra like the instructions said but they aren't working. Did you run into issues? Maybe I need to take the markers apart and see if there are even bulbs in there.

 

[bijanjames]

You have to go with LED bulbs. I had the same problem.

 

[jhberria]

Sorry, just now seeing this. Yes, I had the same issue. I believe the LEDs will fix it, but it doesn't bother me enough to add them yet.

 

[jhberria]

I haven't really updated this thread in a while, despite taking multiple trips all over WA throughout the summer and early fall. Sadly, I've done a poor job of documenting my exploits via photograph.

I haven't done much to the X lately, as I've got it just about the way I want it (we'll see how long that lasts). I have been buying a couple things that aren't necessarily vehicle related. After thoroughly trashing my old Igloo cooler, I invested in a fancy new RTIC 45QT model. This thing will keep ice for three or four days, it's spectacular. I also bought a new Viair compressor to replace the cheap one I had been using for the past 18 months. Finally, I decided to get a set of BORA 1" wheel spacers. I was tired of my 285s rubbing the frame in the rear when I was flexed out, and these fixed the issue. The wider offset also improves the look of the truck, in my opinion.

BORA is one of only two companies that makes hub AND lug centric spacers for Nissans, and they are known for quality. I'm usually not a big fan of wheel spacers, but with the reputable nature of BORA and the fact that the 1 inch spacers only push the tires out a little past the fenders, I'm cool with it. Coincidently, the X also tracks much better on the highway now.

Anyways, here's a few pictures from my trip up to the Olympics for some "me time" today.




The views weren't bad....

 

[Jack Stilts]

"Not bad," he says. Seeing your trips has put the PNW high on my to-do list.

 

[07BlackSpecV]

Trips look awesome as always. I'd love to get out that way some time but I fear I will never have enough vacation built up to do so. RTIC cooler looks pretty cool and almost a spot on stand in for my Yeti 65. Love these deep freeze coolers.

 

[jhberria]

"Not bad," he says. Seeing your trips has put the PNW high on my to-do list.

"Not bad" is a relative assessment, considering the standard views available here in the PNW:ylsmoke:

Trips look awesome as always. I'd love to get out that way some time but I fear I will never have enough vacation built up to do so. RTIC cooler looks pretty cool and almost a spot on stand in for my Yeti 65. Love these deep freeze coolers.

I feel the same way about a trip to Colorado/Utah. I need to just buckle down and commit to planning my MOAB trip.

I'm loving the RTIC thus far. Not the same brand recognition as the Yeti, but very similar in style as you noted.

 

[Dmski]

Looks like a great time! I still have only just barely skimmed the surface of what is hidden out on the peninsula, and its usually just for hiking and not offroading. I feel like there are just hundreds of miles to explore. It would be fun to head to Port Townsend and then go in from the north as well.

 

[jhberria]

Another local Nissan guy (driving a yellow 1st Gen, El Bandito Amarillo) trekked out to the Olympic Peninsula on the 23rd and 24th to camp and do some high country snow exploration.

We made our way to our camp site on the shores of the Skokomish River in the darkness, narrowly avoiding a herd of elk in the trail on the way in. Apologies, no photos of the elk herd.

Camp site wasn't bad, though. Neither were the views waking up.




Packing the X up in the morning for some visually-stimulating snow rompage.

 

[jhberria]

On Christmas Eve, our goal was to reach Upper Elk Lake in the Olympics through Washington Pass from Lake Cushman. We made it about a mile up the mountain from the south, but the snow got too slick and the incline too steep. It would have been irresponsible to keep going. Instead, we pursued an alternate route to the lake from the north along Jefferson Creek. The snow was just as deep, but the climbs were more mild. Airing down, 4wd, and good tires carried us all the way to the our desired destination. This was immensely rewarding for two reasons. Firstly, we went further than anyone else had been in days, as evidenced by the lack of tire tracks in the snow for the last few miles of our journey. Secondly.....the scenery.





Taken by my buddy in El Bandito Amarillo...


After a few hours of joyous tribulations...Upper Elk Lake.


It was a fun Holiday trip.

 

[jhberria]

I haven't updated this thread very much in the past couple of months, as I've been out of town for work quite a bit. However, as the weather starts to improve here in the PNW, I'll begin repopulating this baby with trip reports.

My recent focus with the X has been regular maintenance. In the past month, I've swapped out the fluid in both differentials, flushed the transmission, transfer case, and power steering fluid, and replaced all four brake pads. Additionally, I added a set of Timbren Active Off-road bump stops to the rear and swapped the Duratracs out for a set of BFG KO2s in the 285 flavor. The duratracs had ~30k miles on them, and while there was still plenty of tread left, their highway handling characteristics were beginning to degrade. I got a screaming good deal on the KO2s, and was able to sell the duratracs to a guy wanting to throw them on his trail truck for half of what I paid for the KO2s. I haven't had the new tires on long, but immediate observations include much better handling characteristics, they're virtually silent compared to the old tires, and comparable traction to the Duratracs. Also, the KO2s are noticeably heavier than the worn duratracs (which I'll hopefully get used to).
Bump stops.

New rubber.


A random shot taken during a camping trip with the Mrs. while camping in the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula recently.


Thanks for looking!

 

[Trikebubble]

I love my KO2's, they've performed great everywhere so far. Question about your snorkel; yours seems to have a more rectangular inlet than others on X's I've seen that have larger oval inlets. Did you order that inlet separately or with the snorkel?

Sent from the Mountains

 

[jhberria]

I love my KO2's, they've performed great everywhere so far. Question about your snorkel; yours seems to have a more rectangular inlet than others on X's I've seen that have larger oval inlets. Did you order that inlet separately or with the snorkel?

Sent from the Mountains

Yeah, they seem like great tires thus far.

I picked up the rectangular snorkel head on eBay for $20 or something like that. I just wasn't a fan of the big oval that comes with the airflow snorkels. It was a cheap, easy swap.

 

[Dmski]

Man I need to get over to the hoh rainforest. My girlfriend has been bugging me about a trip over there for probably a year now but its crazy how difficult it is to get there from Seattle. Looks like its worth it though!

 

[jhberria]

Man I need to get over to the hoh rainforest. My girlfriend has been bugging me about a trip over there for probably a year now but its crazy how difficult it is to get there from Seattle. Looks like its worth it though!

Yeah, you have to do it. The Hall of Mosses is simply amazing, no other way to describe it. If you're going to head out there, you might as well hit Neah Bay at the same time (the most Northwestern point of the continental United States). Here's a couple photos from the cabin we rented at Neah on the same trip as the Hoh picture above.