Nissan Xterra & Toyota FJ take on Moab | Poison Spider - Kane Creek Canyon

We take our rigs to Moab for a week of wheeling and camping with an awesome crew.
Titan Swapped Xterra IG
@juliomadriz
FJ Cruiser IG
@chichoper
Dirtbikes IG
@constant_pursuit_co
@metalmanscott

[@marcosalguero6676]

Nissan Xterra forever

[@juliomadriz]

you know it!

[@guillermosalazar4791]

Always good to see xterra, pathfinder, and frontier doing this kind of offroading. It really shows how capable they really are. Could you make a walk around video of your xterra? It's a really nice setup.

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! and yes I've been meaning to a put a walkaround video of X together. I'll try to shoot one next time I'm out camping. Cheers!

[@Mall_Crawling_X]

yeah more and more nissan videos are coming out, love it!

[@lazerrred]

@@juliomadriz new sub here. It would be so awesome to see a detailed walk around of your Xterra sitting in the driveway or yard 😎. She sure looked sweet and sneaky capable on the Spider’s rocks & ledges, and looked well mannered and planted on the “dirt/sand” trail road sections too. Is she on 33’s? Oh, and the exhaust note is sweet. Did you gut the cats?

[@juliomadriz]

@@lazerrred thanks! I will put together a walk-around of the X in the near future. In the process of buying a house right now, but once I get this out of the way I'll have more time and space to shoot and edit. Yes, it is on 33's and no, I still have the factory cats with a Magnaflow two in one out cat-back exhaust. Cheers!

[@lazerrred]

@@juliomadriz Thank you.👍

[@OrdnanceTV]

This is the good stuff. Thank you for not ruining the entire video with non-stop irritating, way too loud music over the entire g*d damn video like 90% of other off road youtubers.

[@juliomadriz]

thanks man! yeah I'm not a huge fan of just constant music over off road clips. I like listening to the sounds on the trail! I usually only add music to drone shots just because there is no sound on drone clips. Cheers!

[@kenferraro7900]

I want to like his comment 2x

[@ko6jay681]

Very nice! I have a 2012 Xterra PRO4X. Not Titan swapped but pretty capable. Great video! Always good to see another Xterra out on the trails

[@juliomadriz]

thanks man! these things are way more capable than most people realize, even in stock form. Cheers!

[@HardEnduro8]

Good solid wheeling here. Nice work, Nissan did well. 👍🏼

[@juliomadriz]

Thanks! we had blast!

[@tjsalka]

huge fan of that X. I recently acquired a 2012 Pro-4x and have been looking at doing some overlanding modifications to it.

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! and congrats man. have a blast modifying and using that X!

[@KGX470]

No wonder it sounds different and goes up rocks with ease…the Xterra is Titan swapped! 🤩

[@juliomadriz]

Yes it is! But only suspension swapped. It’s all 100% Xterra factory under the hood. Cheers!

[@KGX470]

@@juliomadriz oh that’s even better! I’m getting excited to buy my future X

[@rebeccam2836]

Found your channel last night and I am enjoying it so much! I have a stock 2008 Xterra and have just been beginning over the last couple months to take it on true 4X4 trails after soft roading with it for years. I'm starting to think about an upgrade path (both to my skills and my X) to take the fun further, so its nice to watch others that have done just that. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@juliomadriz]

Awesome! thanks for watching!

[@joeduckworth7343]

I'll be honest I was watching because of the FJ but that Xterra is no joke great video and keep Wheeling

[@juliomadriz]

Just trying to keep up! thanks for watching. cheers!

[@DIY_AUTO_PHOTO]

This looks awesome ! I love both of those trucks ! and I love my Xterra eventho I just did Titan Swap but I feel so bad for taking it to that extrema haha ))) perhaps I need to learn how to better off road and do it smart.. I just went for small solo off road and it was fun )

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! And I get it, you just have to get the first scratch or two out of the way and you'll be more relaxed haha...jokes aside, it definitely pays to go with people that are more experience and can help with spotting and navigating the terrain. Cheers!

[@chechubelo]

Such a nice video ! Loving the xterra

[@minutemenapparel]

Love how the Xterra is taking it no problems. And then there's the dirt bikes just zipping up the same obstacles lol

[@xlthumper]

i have done both, and i prefer the dirtbike route, i just don't have the patience to go slowly. now trophy trucks get me tingling

[@beardumaw24]

That FJ has a long arm travel kit, pretty expensive mod and adds a ton of travel to the FJs limited travel stock suspension. I tried to like the FJs but don't like the front seating drivers positing feels very awkward. I do however really like my Xterra very comfortable and very capable off road after some minor suspension mods.

[@juliomadriz]

I agree. thanks for watching!

[@wreckitsaj]

Where did you find that bumper ?

[@thishtns]

This looks like so much fun!

[@juliomadriz]

it's a blast! cheers!

[@sidroniorodriguez3540]

What did you do to the xterra like any special parts to make sure it could overcome all those narly obstacle. I am looking into getting one and want mine to be just as good as yours.

[@coordenadasca]

Jeje... Buenísimo el video primo, y el escenario un espectáculo 👍🏻👌🏻 jeje... Me tenían nervioso, usa más el winche, así trabajas más seguro 💪🏻. Saludos desde Cumaná, Buenísimo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@juliomadriz]

Jajaj gracias! Créeme, estábamos nerviosos manejando también! Saludos!

[@4x4adventure_pl]

Awesome footage.

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! hopefully more coming this summer. Cheers!

[@kyawhtike2282]

nice drive nice trip

[@juliomadriz]

it was a blast. thanks for watching!

[@jameschilton20]

Two vehicles I wish they'd bring back. Maybe since Ford brought back the Bronco Toyota and Nissan will follow suit!

[@juliomadriz]

fingers crossed!

[@Mr.Quibble]

Nissan is bringing back the Xterra in 2024.

[@xortxtreamoffroadtrucks5652]

I am surprised how well the Xterra did the FJ has way more clearance and Xterra right on his tail lol 😂 badass Titan Swap I have one on my 12 frontier.

[@juliomadriz]

Haha thanks! old silver X just trying to keep up! Yeah the FJ is on 35, body lift…more clearance for sure. The X went everywhere the FJ went, just had to rely on the skid plates a little more 😂. Cheers!

[@xortxtreamoffroadtrucks5652]

@@juliomadrizHell yeah man it's crazy how many people don't appreciate Nissan lol we need keep making videos so the aftermarket companies can catch on and make more parts for Nissans.

[@juliomadriz]

@@xortxtreamoffroadtrucks5652 100% agree! Im trying to film a walk-around of my X and maybe some more snow wheeling in the near future!

[@rachelmori4297]

Thanks for sharing this great video! I love the Xterra !!!! Where did you purchase the bumper? I’m looking for the same one for my 15 pro4-x

[@juliomadriz]

Thanks! I got the bumper from Hefty Fabworks down in Colorado Springs here in Colorado. Cheers!

[@H.A..]

What's this, the Duratrac club or something? They seem a bit out of place on the rocks to me, we run them in mud and snow mostly. what do you guys think about their performance on the rocks? Any good? Nice adventure btw.

[@juliomadriz]

Both these trucks were from Colorado and a lot of snow driving.

[@chengchang7932]

How about you wheel size bro

[@danielrhodes8287]

Looking for advise on the build. I have a 2015 XTerra and I would love to get 35's under it. Any suggestions?

[@juliomadriz]

I know it definitely takes some work to fit 35s under an X the proper way. I run 33s and pretty happy with that for now. If I were to go up to 35s I would start by upgrading to the m205 front diff from a Titan and re-gearing to 4.10s before even buying the tires. I know some people run factory 3.36 and 3.69 gear ratios on 35s, but for the stuff I like to get into that would probably not cut it....and there is always the fun of cutting fenders or doing bodylifts to clear 35s. Super fun project though. Plenty of info on TheNewX forums on this. Cheers!

[@Flying_Dollar_Motorsports]

I have 35s on my Titan swap. In running the M205, with a 2 inch body lift, 2.5 in remote reservoir coilovers up front and 4in lift leaf springs in back. I had to trim the back of the front fender and use an aftermarket front bumper. Check it out on my channel

[@alexwhite942]

Is the xterra running 3.13 gearing with the locker and t swap? Wondering because I was kind of looking at going that route as well

[@juliomadriz]

Yes, 3.13 gears and ARB locker in the back. Cheers!

[@OrdnanceTV]

@@juliomadriz Holy shit! And here I thought I absolutely MUST re-gear down from 3.13 to 3.69 if I wanted to "properly" run 33's. I replaced my UCA's with some used SPC's off TheNewX and added 3" lift shackles in the back, waiting to pull the trigger on a Dobinsons front and rear coilover+struts+leaf packs assembly but do you think I would have to swap out the R180 and C200K stock diffs for the M205 and M226 if I wanted to re-gear and run 35's? I CAN'T DECIDE IF I SHOULD JUST RUN 35'S!!

[@juliomadriz]

@@OrdnanceTV Yeah 3.13s do just fine for me and have never had an issue...and I wheel this thing. The gears were never a limiting factor when it came to what I could do off roading. That said I am SUPER mindful when it comes to weight. I keep the X as light as possible with a very simple camping set up, aluminum armor where possible and light wheels. The biggest improvement in offroad capability was increasing suspension travel and adding the diff locker. The titan swap set to about 3 inches of lift made a huge difference with about doubling suspension travel/articulation. I personally like 33s. again, much lighter so less need for regering. Still can do a lot off road as you can see in this videos...and this is probably as hard as I would want to wheel this X, this is my daily driver. 35 do look awesome, but all the extra money in mods required to fit them and run them well are not worth the gains you get from it to me. I would say yes, you probably want to swap the diffs to run 4.10s gear if you run 35s. At least that's what I would do if I wanted to run 35s. Cheers!

[@gibrigg]

Great job on the video! Do you have locker/s on the Xterra?

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! I have an ARB in the rear diff. No locker up front . Cheers

[@UncleFjester]

That does it, I'm getting a YZ 250

[@juliomadriz]

Nice! those are fun for sure. Cheers!

[@jburdick1969]

what antenna mount do you have on the xterra?

[@brackeng1294]

I love to see nissans in the trail. Fj’s too. Did you swap the r180 out for a m205 when you titan swapped?

[@juliomadriz]

I did not. Still rocking the r180. Using extended CV axles. No issues running that setup so far...with plenty of wheeling on it. Cheers!

[@brackeng1294]

@@juliomadriz awesome. I’m looking to do the same on my Frontier. Trying to see how everyone sets theirs up before I plan out my build.

[@juliomadriz]

@@brackeng1294 Nice! You're going to love it. Huge improvement in performance.

[@KGX470]

I’m looking to get the X with a 2” lift with 33s similar to yours. With that be enough to do some of what you’re doing? Or is it better to do a 3” lift? And which do you recommend? I like the Nismo lift kits coming out

[@juliomadriz]

I probably wouldn’t go more than 2 inches with the Xterra suspension geometry. I did go to 3 inches on X geometry and it killed down travel, which meant more wheel lifts while wheeling, so less traction. I did some of the trails in this video on a 2 inch lift and 32s though. Just had to be more careful about picking the right lines and had to rely on the skinny pedal a little more. Xterras are very capable in basically stock form. If you want to go up to 3 inches I would 100% recommend the suspension Titan Swap. It basically doubles your wheel travel. Articulation is so much better with Titan geometry. It keeps your wheels on the ground longer as you go over obstacles which means more traction and stability. I would give a call to the guys at Nisstec and they can help you decide which route to go. They are great guys and super knowledgeable. Cheers.

[@KGX470]

Great! Thanks! Did u have to change out upper control arms too?

[@juliomadriz]

@@KGX470 you definitely have to for a Titan swap. And if you’re going with an Xterra lift you will need to if you go with 2 inches or more. You don’t really have to change UCAs if you stay below 2 inches. If you off road often you might wear out the UCA ball joint faster. I had a 1.5” lift with factory UCAs for a while. Performance is just limited since the ball joints have less range of motion and it could also get coil bucket contact depending of what setup you go with

[@rizenoff-road179]

Go Xterra! Did you carry a spare tire?

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! yes, I had a full size spare strapped down in the cargo space in the back. Cheers!

[@thomascarpenter5536]

Does that FJ have a long arm lift kit and 35s? The titan swapped X looks awesome too. I am hoping to Titan swap this winter. Did you have to cut the fenders?

[@juliomadriz]

yes the FJ has a long travel kit and 35. the Titan swap makes a massive difference! I had to trim the pinch weld in the back/inner part of the front fenders, but no trimming on the outside of the fender for me on 33s.

[@hsandv70]

I want to be a Nissan fan. I drive a pathfinder now and want to upgrade possibly to a new Frontier 2022 Pro4X. Is it just me or does the FJ just hande those sections smoother? Is it a higher lift or better gearing ? They both did great though. More than what I have ever done. Just curious what the differences are.

[@juliomadriz]

Well there are a few differences. First my buddy has way more experience 4wdriving than me (the Xterra guy). This FJ has two more inches of lift as well as a longer travel suspension setup than what the Xterra has. He is also running 35in tires while the Xterra is on 33s. I think the FJ has lower gears as well. But, honestly, driver experience is the biggest factor. if we switched cars I bet he would make the Xterra look smother and I would make it look harder on the FJ. Both super capable fun trucks to drive. And pretty much all the upgrades and improvements the FJ has could be done to the Xterra. I just don't feel like I need to for what I mainly use it for.

[@hsandv70]

@@juliomadriz Thank you for that detailed answer, I thought it was slightly higher with bigger tires but it is hard to see it on the computer screen, not side to side. Also, let me ask you this.... What do you know about the new transmission on the Frontier ProX4? I have a 2011 Pathfinder and the treansmission was a POS. Have they fixed those problems? Do you think it is reliable still being made by Jatco ? Is this the same from the titan but smaller or same one? Any info would help. Thank you in advance !

[@hsandv70]

Subcribed. I like that you guys are real offroaders. I am just now trying to get into it !

[@juliomadriz]

@@hsandv70 I actually have no idea. I haven't heard anything bad about the new trans though. sorry I'm not much help here.

[@juliomadriz]

@@hsandv70 thanks for the subscribe! We just like to get out there and have a good time and do our best to not break anything haha. I'm working on a walkaround video of the Xterra and hopefully more adventure content this spring and summer. cheers!

[@chengchang7932]

Can you give me a list of modifications bro thanks

[@shadowswordairsofteast]

I don't see any extra gas tanks how do you not run out of gas? My Xterra is not the best on gas and you look like you are nowhere near a gas station there.

[@alberteinstein3078]

It has a Xterra one in the back!

[@EricJohnson-tb9sj]

Open diffs are a NO GO!!

[@juliomadriz]

both these trucks had open fronts and locked rears on this trip

[@TrayJayRecords]

did you have to get the different front diff for the titan swap

[@juliomadriz]

Nope. I kept the factory R180 with extended CV axles

[@killermed95]

The FJ made this look way too easy

[@juliomadriz]

that thing is a beast for sure!

[@jmar3011]

Good stuff man! Does it even have a locker?

[@juliomadriz]

thanks man! I actually installed an ARB air locker in the rear diff right before that trip!

[@andrewbryant8841]

What’s the tire set up on the xterra and what lift does it have

[@juliomadriz]

33’s and titan swapped suspension

[@cfrustrado]

Brutal! El sitio se ve de película!

[@juliomadriz]

Si el dia que llegamos al borde del ridge el drone no quiso grabar por alguna razon, pero ese tercer dia fue mucho mas de película todavía

[@scott8238]

Is the FJ running 35s and is it twin locked?

[@juliomadriz]

35s but real locker only. Cheers!

[@rbb69]

which front bumper is on the xterra?

[@juliomadriz]

Hefty Fabworks aluminum bumper

[@Flying_Dollar_Motorsports]

Excellent video. Is that an S or X model? Are you running an open rear diff?

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! this is an X model. I have an ARB air locker in the rear diff.

[@Flying_Dollar_Motorsports]

@@juliomadriz Sooo jealous I haven't gotten down to Moab yet. Wheeled mine from Alabama to Alaska so far but I finally got stationed in Colorado so hopefully I can get there soon!

[@juliomadriz]

@@Flying_Dollar_Motorsports Moab it’s awesome for sure. Tons to do. I usually make my way there a couple of times a year for camping, wheeling and mountain biking. Cheers.

[@locknload4x468]

What rock sliders do you have?

[@juliomadriz]

White Knuckle Off Road

[@Mall_Crawling_X]

what bumper do you have?

[@juliomadriz]

Hefty Fabworks aluminum bumper

[@jamesmeyer7146]

Nice video and nice rigs. Guessing the X is titan swapped?

[@juliomadriz]

thanks! yes the X is T-swapped. cheers!

[@dss155i]

What year is your xterra?

[@juliomadriz]

2007.

[@spf4x4]

Go the Nissan Pathfinders @spf4x4