"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
richard310
pew pew
Quite an update for me in your thread Wreck! Just read both the Rally and Goose Lake. Excellent trip report and photos!
bijanjames
Adventurer
Excellent pictures! I know you've mentioned in your thread what camera you use, but can you remind me?
Blackdawg
Dr. Frankenstein
Probably from my SOS Trip Report. My dad was there in the Red truck. My truck, Frankenstein, was down on jack stands so i borrowed his. He is a cool dad like that
Tom, here are my photos of you!
Goose Lake 2015-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-26.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-27.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-29.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-31.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-33.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on FlickrI believe this is the first slider hit for Lola
Goose Lake 2015-34.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-35.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-39.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-50.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-51.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-53.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Goose Lake 2015-56.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
stioc
Expedition Leader
Probably from my SOS Trip Report. My dad was there in the Red truck. My truck, Frankenstein, was down on jack stands so i borrowed his. He is a cool dad like that
That's the one! Man that was a GREAT trip report and what an adventure.
Also what an amazing set of pictures you just posted Blackdawg, that's the kind of trails and terrain I enjoy where the difficulty level is just slight pushing you beyond your comfort zone. The terrain in those pics is quite similar to the terrain we have in the mountains out here. All in all I have to say I'm pretty impressed (but not surprised) that the Frontier with 265/75/16s hung with the big dogs (no pun intended Blackdawg lol). Having said that the lift you'll get from the 285/75/16 will be minimal, 1/2" to 3/4" ? With the 255/85/16 yep it'll be worth going up to that size but might notice tardy acceleration and strain on long uphill sections. The 285s will look better than the 255s...you win some you lose some so take your pick
Then again I went from 29" stock tires to 32" so it was a big jump and I definitely feel the difference when the truck is full loaded with family+gear for 3-4 day trips. In your case you'll be going from stock 32s to 33s so you might not notice a big difference. Either way though it sounds like there's only one place for you to go in regard to the tire size and that is up! :sombrero:
richard310
pew pew
Beautiful photos Blackdawg and just stunning scenary! Makes me want to just pack up and drive up there right now. You guys got it good up North.
Blackdawg
Dr. Frankenstein
That's the one! Man that was a GREAT trip report and what an adventure.
Also what an amazing set of pictures you just posted Blackdawg, that's the kind of trails and terrain I enjoy where the difficulty level is just slight pushing you beyond your comfort zone. The terrain in those pics is quite similar to the terrain we have in the mountains out here. All in all I have to say I'm pretty impressed (but not surprised) that the Frontier with 265/75/16s hung with the big dogs (no pun intended Blackdawg lol). Having said that the lift you'll get from the 285/75/16 will be minimal, 1/2" to 3/4" ? With the 255/85/16 yep it'll be worth going up to that size but might notice tardy acceleration and strain on long uphill sections. The 285s will look better than the 255s...you win some you lose some so take your pick
Thanks man! That was a great trip too.
It's a very fun trail. I knew his rig wouldn't have issues. But damn Nissans are low. My stock double cab 1st fen has almost the same ground clearance on 31s...lol but its a great mix. Tom handled it great. But the bigger tires help. If Marc and I had wanted to we could have left tom in the dust, not that we would cause we aren't like that. But you know what I mean.
Haha
Blackdawg
Dr. Frankenstein
Thanks man. Yea its amazing up here.
BIG-CHEESE
Putter Clutch
That we definitely did! I cant believe how we lucked out with weather and bugs. Just a bit of wind and rain during the day but all in all great evening for dinner an camp-fire!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Haha thanks man! I'm lucky to live in this part of the world.
Thank you sir! More coming ASAP!
I found you
Great meeting you two! We'll have to join forces again for some trail time
And woot, post one for me on EX-Portal is in your thread
Haha hey Marc! Yeah it was great meeting you guys as well. I had an absolute blast. You guys are top notch, can't wait for the next trail. I have the sneaking suspicion I'll be on 285s for the next one :sombrero:
Yessir, I was in the best of company. Couldn't ask for better guys to wheel with.
Thanks Richard! They have been awesome adventures. Can't wait for the next one.
Thanks man! No problem, I shoot with a Nikon D610 and a 24-120mm f/4. My next lens will be a 16-35mm f/4. I'm kind of jealous of the shots Monte was getting with his 10-18mm.
Probably from my SOS Trip Report. My dad was there in the Red truck. My truck, Frankenstein, was down on jack stands so i borrowed his. He is a cool dad like that
Tom, here are my photos of you!
I believe this is the first slider hit for Lola
Haha Frankenstein is under the knife rather a lot.
Great shots Monte! I'm gonna have to get some full res ones from you.
And yep, that was the first of about a dozen or so slider hits on this trip. She's only taken a handful before this. Getting my money's worth out of those things!
That's the one! Man that was a GREAT trip report and what an adventure.
Also what an amazing set of pictures you just posted Blackdawg, that's the kind of trails and terrain I enjoy where the difficulty level is just slight pushing you beyond your comfort zone. The terrain in those pics is quite similar to the terrain we have in the mountains out here. All in all I have to say I'm pretty impressed (but not surprised) that the Frontier with 265/75/16s hung with the big dogs (no pun intended Blackdawg lol). Having said that the lift you'll get from the 285/75/16 will be minimal, 1/2" to 3/4" ? With the 255/85/16 yep it'll be worth going up to that size but might notice tardy acceleration and strain on long uphill sections. The 285s will look better than the 255s...you win some you lose some so take your pick
I'm with you there stioc! Goose Lake is exactly that kind of trail, right where I like to be. Not a constant, tiring assault, but more exciting than most 1-3 level trails. Just enough challenge to make it interesting without being dangerous.
I suspect it will be less minimal than you think. My current 265s are measuring out, with no weight on them, at 30.75". My plan is to jump into the Grabber AT2s in a 285, which weigh 4.5lbs more than my Grabbers in a 265. I really don't think it's that huge of a jump to be honest, but enough to make a difference wheeling. Plus I've ridden on the AT2 for a while now so I know that I like it's handling characteristics on the road. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and make the jump. If I have to regear, then I guess that's what I'll do down the road, but from the number of guys running 285s on Frontiers and Xterras around, I think it will be a change I can live with.
Haha that we do. Montana and Wyoming ******! It's awesome up here. Come on out here man, I keep telling ya!
Haha yeah Nissans don't seem to tuck up as high as Yotas do. But I'll just a ****eload of armor and 285s and life will be good!
It was so awesome man! Such a fun trip. Can't wait to hit the trails with these guys again. Hey, we have to get together and do a run as well! I have Benobow Jeep Trail and Independence Mine in the plans for this summer too!
Haha yeah the weather was pretty great for the trip. I would have liked a bit more warmth, but it kept the worst of the mozzies away, so it was still good. That bit of rain added an extra layer of fun to the wheeling though, so I liked it. The weather was perfect for the campfire. As good as you can expect for 9800 feet. Next time, I'm not letting that damn obstacle stop me!
Blackdawg
Dr. Frankenstein
Yea next time your going all the way..no excuses. Especially if the 285s are on
Take any full res photos you want man.
Armor is worth its weight in gold. Which i will say that with the bigger tires and full skids the gears help handle the weight too. IDK if you knew this but the FRV was regeared to 4.56 and it helped a lot. Frank is on 5.29 so major overgeared haha wish you could have experienced his 1st gear 4 lo. Also next time.
He is under the knife a lot as a true rig should be....at least thats what i tell myself.....
Take any full res photos you want man.
Armor is worth its weight in gold. Which i will say that with the bigger tires and full skids the gears help handle the weight too. IDK if you knew this but the FRV was regeared to 4.56 and it helped a lot. Frank is on 5.29 so major overgeared haha wish you could have experienced his 1st gear 4 lo. Also next time.
He is under the knife a lot
as a true rig should be....at least thats what i tell myself.....
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Yea next time your going all the way..no excuses. Especially if the 285s are on
Take any full res photos you want man.
Armor is worth its weight in gold. Which i will say that with the bigger tires and full skids the gears help handle the weight too. IDK if you knew this but the FRV was regeared to 4.56 and it helped a lot. Frank is on 5.29 so major overgeared haha wish you could have experienced his 1st gear 4 lo. Also next time.
He is under the knife a lot
Haha will do man. I'm not gonna let a little rain stop me.
Yeah I did some research and found out the full cost of gears for me. One of the biggest problems fo our rigs is no one makes aftermarket gears for our front diff. So you're stuck picking from stock ratios. Turns out the trucks with the 6M trans have lower gears than the 5As do. So I can swap in those later if I needed to. But I think I'll wait and see how the 285s change the driving characteristics. From the reports I've read on these trucks, the difference should be very minimal. We'll see, but I'm not super worried about it.
Haha guess I'm okay with mine not being a "true rig" then.
stioc
Expedition Leader
If you're going to 285s that are C or D load range the difference might be negligible. Are your 265/75/16s E-load tires? I've been thinking about lighter C-load tires for my truck but I just love the current KM2s too much from the strength and looks perspective. Though at 54lbs per tire they're fairly heavy compared to the stock 30-ish lbs tires lol
Oh and how come you have the shell back on it instead of the RTT?
Oh and how come you have the shell back on it instead of the RTT?
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Yep, the 285s are load range D and my 265s are load range E. Which makes me think it would minimize the impact. Granted, it's still a larger diameter tire to turn, but I can't imagine just the extra diameter killing it that much. I guess I'll find out.
Geez stioc, pay attention!
just kidding. Okay, I decided to go with the shell for a number of reasons:1) Space problems. Currently, my dogs ride in the back seat, but in the future I will have company on my trips. People will be riding with me, and in addition to all their stuff, I have to move the dogs somewhere out of the way.
2) Dry storage. With the RTT on the low rack, I had such a small amount of dry, protected storage. All of my food and kitchen gear would have to be moved into the cab of the truck at night to minimize bear problems. That was really irritating. Plus, none of our sleeping stuff could really safely be put in the back for fear of getting wet.
3) The future. Someday, my fiancé will be pregnant. Having a pregnant woman crawl up a RTT ladder seems a bit iffy to me, but even worse is having that woman help hoist a 55lb Australian Shepherd into said tent. Someday, we will have kids. Being able to pack for possibly a family of 5 would be pretty difficult when your pickup bed is only 5'x4'x18".
4) Visibility. With my RTT on that low rack, I had pretty much zero visibility out my back window.
5) Mobility. With the RTT, anytime we wanted to leave camp, the tent had to be packed up. If we were staying in the same place multiple nights, that got irritating. If we found a campsite we wanted to save, we had to put up a ground tent to save it. And I think that kind of defeats the purpose of a RTT.
So, I sold my RTT to a friend of mine, bought a used cap, had it paint-matched, and bought an Oztent. The Oztent is a good compromise for a former RTT user. The tent isn't anchored to the truck while still being very fast to deploy, very sturdy, and very roomy. Blackdawg and I reckon the time it takes to deploy an Oztent with all the bedding and a RTT is about the same.
The cap has been a great addition to my truck. I don't have to move my food stuff at night, I have storage space coming out my ears, the dog kennel will fit in the back, and if I want to I can keep the back seat clear of extra clutter. Because of the cap, I've also been able to mount an awning. So overall it's been a big change, but a good one.