Our project Titan BEFORE our new lift

Welcome. I look forward to entertaining Nissan Titan enthusiasts to another avenue. For those who wish to improve their Titans, from cosmetic to competent. With some research and a small budget, creating a formidable offroader that still takes you from A to B on the street, is my dream. Combining quality bolt-on aftermarket products with a little shopping savvy, a unique 4x4 platform for modifying, field testing, and review summaries, I will use my very own 2004 Nissan Titan 4x4.

New ProComp spindle	Our old coilover shock sitting beside the new ProComp Coil-Over

First and foremost, I decided that suspension and ground clearance should be first priority. A 6 inch lift became the object of my obsession. There are other options. 2.5 inch replacement coilovers shocks up to 8” suspension lifts are available. Also, a 12” lift, but I was in search for function over looks. Knowing that, deep inside, I desired to opt for the ProComp Stage 2 suspension lift for the Titan. It is the unanimous Nissan dealers choice for the “No Fear” Titan package. I did some shopping around and found an incredible deal with Mike Lillard from the Sportztrailers store on eBay. Sportztrailers had a high feedback rating, which was proven with great service and speedy delivery.

Once the kit was received, I phoned my friend Mori at UR Motorwerks, who made room between his busy schedule. The first thing we noticed is the significant differance in size between the stock to new coilovers and spindles. The install proved true not have any drilling, cutting, or custom modifications. We were both novices, and took a little longer than expected. I know now that knowledge of suspension, steering geometry, and brake systems out weigh just being able to follow instructions. A couple phone calls were made during a few head scratching moments during the install. Jeff Blakely(ProComp) and Greg Gagnon(United Prerunners) were extremely appreciated for their quick service and advanced knowledge of this actual kit. We discovered upon completion that the tie-rod ends were rubbing the inner lip of my current rims. Luckily, I had a set of AR Mojave Teflons sitting in my garage just waiting to be used. Took the rims to a local tire shop to have the Goodyear MT/R’s (285/70/17) switched over, and got an alignment. I still have plenty of tread on these tires tha I had bought when the truck was first purchased, and for the price of tires, I would like to get every penny out of them before switching to some 35’s.

Finally with the new wheel/tire combo on, I couldn’t wait to see the street performance of the new lift before the offroad test on the upcoming weekend. The coilovers seemed to absorb different characteristics of inconsistent city streets. The rear MX6 adjustable shocks also were responsive without being too bouncy. However, being the rear sits on 3 inch billet aluminum blocks, signs of axle wrap were starting to become evident.

I make another call to Greg Gagnon at United Prerunners. When searching for information on forums such as TitanTalk.com, Greg has become the Obi Won of suspension, in the Titan community. Everyone has been raving over the new traction bars he created for Titans(On/Offroad). These fully welded steel tubes are mounted to u-bolt brackets at the rear axle.[photo4:tractionbars] The front hiem joints connected to brackets that are welded to the frame rail, recommended. I also decided to purchase a set of custom swaybar end links with hiem joints at each end for more articulate range of motion for the front suspension.The tractions bars were phenomenal. Even stock, the Titan never had the sturdy takeoff as with this product. The rear buckling and vibration was completely eliminated. The front actually raises a little at full throttle. YEEE-HAA!!! Mark at Performance Muffler, also was a great attribute for welding on my TB brackets and giving me a tutorial on stitch welding, even when I showed up an hour late and 30 minutes before he closed up shop.

You can easily see the quality in these beefy and well constructed PRG Traction Bars
The precisely spaced stitch welding, by Performance Muffler, adds strength on the bracket. A fully welded seam going all around could compromise the integrity of frame
Heim joints for the bars and end links offer improved articulation throught the full range of the suspension and durablity above rubber bushings
The ability of the suspension to adhere to the uneven mountain terrain made for more confident wheeling
I was most impressed on how the traction bars contained all the horsepower at the rear. I would strongly recommend this modification, even without a lift, for it's differance over stock is absolutely noticeable

Sunday morning, the day I have been waiting for. Mother nature throws in some late winter fun for the Las Vegas Valley residents with some rain and a little snow in some areas. So of course, I knew the local mountain ranges should have ample amounts of the white stuff. An offroading we will go!

It was a beautiful day to do a payoff on this month's modifications. Fresh snow and clean air, a vegas rarety

Mt. Charleston was a perfect choice. It offered great scenery and a wide variety of terrain. From gravel roads to creep along pine forest trails. The ProComp Suspension lift was exceptional. Soaking up the rough terrain like a Cadillac on the Vegas Strip. A few whoops also offered to be moments of fun and those custom end links helped maneuver through some deep ruts and woodland obstacles. I was very pleased again with the traction bar’s ability to just plant those rear tires and kick up the rain soaked dirt and rocks on those backcountry roads. Now I’m really dreaming of those 35’s I’ve always wanted!

Two notable products I would like to mention:

Staun Tire Deflators: the convenience of these four little babies are immeasurable. It literally took seconds for the tires to air down to the preset of 18 psi. Get a set. Your knees will love you for it.

Viair Portable Air Kit: airing back up to a safe tire pressure after wheeling and prior to hitting the pavement provides peace of mind. Takes about 3 minutes per tire(285/70/17). Be careful, after airing all four tires, the motor is very hot when putting the compressor back in it’s handy and weatherproof bag. It also has room inside for me to store a tire repair kit.

That is all for this month, but stay tuned. The build up has only begun on its journey to offroading adventures.

Special Thanks to:
Greg Gagnon at www.titanspecialist.com
Mike Lillard at www.sportztrailers.com
Jeff Blakely at ProComp Suspensions
Mori at Uehara Racing Motorwerks(Las Vegas, NV)
Mark at Performance Muffler(Las Vegas, NV)
Titan Owners at www.TitanTalk.com