Quick Xterra Questions (not a noobie!)

[93'Jag90'325ix98'QX4]

Hey all, strongly considering a 2002 Xterra. My mother has had a '98 QX4 that I found her a couple years ago. I love it to death.

Is it the exact same 3.3L motor in the Xterra as in her Q???

If so, is it as slow...lol. I'll be towing a 700 lb trailer for my business soon and the 3.3L in my mom's Q just feels like it would be straining big time. Can barely move itself compared to the later 3.5L motor.

Any input is appreciated. I have always wanted an Xterra. Been drivin 4.0 Jeeps and 4Runners for years... time for a change.

Oh, and do I have the option to add the factory supercharger to a non-supercharged Xterra model in the future??

Thanks!

[JC87HB]

yes the X's have the same 3.3 VG33 motor.. and i believe the QX4 is the infiniti equivalent to the pathy and i also believe that the X is heavier then those 98 QX4s.. but then again the gearing in the transmission/diff could be different but as i know the 02 X's have the 3.3l... as far as Super Charging.. well im sure it can be done.. but its going to cost you $$$. and if you happen to get one thats SC from factory, I hear that the SCs only last up to 100k or so..

hope this helps?JC

[Desert Rat]

Same motor.

The SC motors have lower compression than the NA ones. If you converted you'd be looking at an upgraded wiring harness, a different ECU, etc....it'd be cost prohibitive. If you want an SC truck, find one that's that way to begin with and you'll be money ahead.

The SCs are notorious for not lasting very long. The VG bottom end will go forever though. Keep up with the timing belt intervals.

And yes, it's the same slug that's in the '98Q, though the weight difference between the two trucks is negligible. The 2002+ Xterra has deeper 4.90 gearing compared to the 4.636 gearing found in the Q and in 2000-2001 Xterras, so that helps marginally. A 2002 -2004 can be awakened a bit by a CAI and by removing the secondary cats, provided your state doesn't do visual inspections. My secondary cats were removed and I still go through Arizona emissions testing just fine.

A 5 speed will have a lot more pep than an automatic. Nissan automatics redefine the word "slushbox"

[93'Jag90'325ix98'QX4]

Thanks guys. Yea the only thing I was concerned with was the Auto transmission. In my mom's QX4 with 115K miles I can feel the transmission starting to pull a little especially in 1st-2nd & 2nd-3rd along with that high rpm sometimes before it'll shift to 4th. The truck is meticulously maintained though.

It isn't necessarily slow. I just dont want to have issues with towing a 700 lb trailer if it'll strain the auto transmission more than it feels like it already is in the Q.