Rule #1 Never let them see you sweatWhoops. Ya wheel ya learn. My failed comment was more aimed at the comical side.Wifey wheels a 4Runner so it’s a constant back and forth in our household. Sad part is the 4Runner is probably a little more capable than the Gladiator in its current form.
When I see videos like that I can't help but wonder if it was staged... They did it because they KNOW the reaction the Gladiator owners will have and the more views, the more money the creator gets.
Will stage for mods!
Need to get one of those collapsing snow shovels. I took a buddy down a trail for the utility companies, been down it several times. This time the place I usually come out (a street) was plowed in about 3' high. My stock Willys on MTs got high sided...for about 5 minutes until I cleared some snow in front/behind the front tires, maybe a 6" around them. I rocked it forward/backward about 4-5 times and BOOM, backed out of the pile into the foot of snow we just drove through.
It’s not really open though. The brake actuated limited slip does a pretty good job. It’s not a locker, but it gets the job done.
Only thing worse than this is lockers in both differentials and no air supply to run em!! I’m working on it. As soon as that damned fridge is paid off I’m putting in a compressor and hooking them up!!!
Except when off-roading, you don't use TC which kicks in unless you're in 4L. I was in 4L the whole time I was near the stuck spot because I wanted control, not speed. Speed causes wheel hop, which can break axles. Until that point I was in 4H with TC "off". We all know pushing the TC button doesn't actually kill TC, just puts it in a "sport" mode in 2/4H.
Have you seen the video where a guy takes a compressor from a fridge and turns it into a compact and QUIET air compressor? Worked really well and you could barely hear it running. Granted AC power but still.
I agree with all of that. I wish they had it tuned like Nissan had their ABLS in the later Xterras. It worked so much better than on Jeeps without a front locker. It's one of the reasons I was able to do so many trails when I lived in CO. I bought it after Jeep bought back my JKU Rubicon. I thought I’d be cooked going to IFS and losing a front locker, but I really wasn’t. It was surprisingly capable.
Except the current revisions are WORSE than Jeeps now. I demoed a 2023 Titan Pro-4X (their off-road/desert truck) and I shit you not, I almost got stuck in 3" of dirt/sand in the desert traversing a miniscule rut from drainage. I had to slam on the brakes, back up as much as I was willing to wait for the system to LET ME backup, then floored it for about 30 seconds to get over a 8" rut that was only 4-6" deep and surrounded by 3" of loose dirt sand. After that I said "fuck this truck" and drove back to work, and NEVER recommended it to any buyer looking for an off-road truck, "unless you enjoy getting stuck/unstuck".
Yeah. I have no idea what Nissan is doing now. Everything is ugly and they’ve ruined almost their whole line up. That’s a completely different conversation that I could go on and on about. I used to be a big Nissan fan. I was happy to see that they’re bringing the Xterra back. I was excited to see body on frame, but then I saw that it’s hybrid only. I guess I’ll reserve final
The VCT engine is actually pretty good, I drove one and was impressed. They seem to be pretty reliable considering every manufacturer with the recalls in the last 5 years and the new design never before used in production cars.
That is cool about the parts and I think it’s smart that they made the 400Z order only. I respect and like all of them from the R32-R35. I also have a soft spot for Z32s. I just hate working on them. I just bought this one from my mom. 38k original car. Getting a manual swap as soon as I locate all the parts and finish up a few other projects. It was her daily for years and never got many miles on it.
