What do you think of....

[naladude911]

"offroaderizing" the QX4 like Empty V has. After this huge snow storm I just had, driving through 12 inches of snow and over trees, Im beginning to think of the QX4 as more of an offroading vehicle then a street truck. How do you think the QX4 will look like with; a 2 inch lift, light bar with 4 PIAA or Hella lights, full black brush guard with 2 PIAA or Hella lights and winch, black tail light guards, safari rack with two rear piaa or hella lights? I might also put bed liner on the side steps.

[Natedogg1701]

u cant put a winch on a brush guard, u need an arb bumper or something similar that can handle the weight, winches are very heavy.

[KyooX4]

Or you can do this:http://npora.ipbhost.com//inde...mount

[alexf20c]

"offroaderizing" the QX4 like Empty V has. After this huge snow storm I just had, driving through 12 inches of snow and over trees, Im beginning to think of the QX4 as more of an offroading vehicle then a street truck. How do you think the QX4 will look like with; a 2 inch lift, light bar with 4 PIAA or Hella lights, full black brush guard with 2 PIAA or Hella lights and winch, black tail light guards, safari rack with two rear piaa or hella lights? I might also put bed liner on the side steps.

are you actually going to take it off road? if not, that sure is a lot of money just for looks.

the brush guard is going to do more damage than good on the trails. what the hell is the point of tail light guards? to protect your taillights in case you reverse into a tree? do you have any use for a safari rack?

i used to have roof lights and they're worthless. i have 2 airplane landing lights in my bumper and they're more than adequate to light up the highway/trails/beach (they're also brighter than 4x Hella 500s), and they only cost $65 for the pair.

[KyooX4]

First of all I don't mean to thread jack, but..

Alex, I'm not questioning that brush guards may do more damage than good, but could you explain how/why that is? Are there any alternatives for front end protection besides ARB/TJM/custom metal bumpers?

[naladude911]

When I was driving through bushes the other day, a brushguard would have been useful to prevent scratches but thankfully these bushes were small.

No I wont go offroading, but it would be nice to have something that can get through almost anything.

[Innovazn]

if you like the idea, have the time and money to do it, then do it. dont like it? then sell the parts and do it again >= D

[alexf20c]

the brush guard sticks out even further than just the bumper, so you will scrape/dig/hit it more often. the mounts are weak comparatively and when they bend, will be difficult to bend back. in man situations, the plastic bumper will just bend a little then regain its shape, whereas the brush guard will stay bent.

also, in a minor front end collision, i've seen the brush guards bend all the way back, damaging the hood and fenders. if the brush guard were not there, damage would've been confined to just the bumper itself.

they do offer protection for mowing over things, but the things that we're realistically going to be driving through, can be done with just the factory plastic bumper.

IMO, of course.

[naladude911]

hmm. Im thinking now of just doing the 2 inch lift, painting the stock rims black, and add some spacers. I think that will look sick. kind of like:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...c8fc4

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Personally, I think this is a bad idea. The QX4 was really more meant for luxury than utility. I don't think it will look bad, but I just don't like the idea of a QX4 with a lift and big tires.

[JonathanPrem]

There someone on the forum that has Black on black QX4 that is lifted,Snorkel, manual locking hubs and i think ARB front bumper. I'll try getting the link.

[K03sport]

Personally, I think this is a bad idea. The QX4 was really more meant for luxury than utility. I don't think it will look bad, but I just don't like the idea of a QX4 with a lift and big tires.

He doesn't have to get "big" tires...the stock size should do just fine and if nothing else, he can keep the same width and just increase the aspect ratio by 5 (i.e 60 --> 65 or 65 --> 70)

To the OP - the key to "offroaderizing" is not to waste time and money on painting your wheels black as that does nothing to increase your ability to "off road". I've never heard anyone say they were able to off road better because their wheels were black and that the gunmetal ones kept getting stuck. Adding skid plates would be much more benefitial, but of course no one would really see them so, style points you gain not. Also, adding some sort of rocker panel guard could help too. Not step up bars, actual rocker panel guards.

The 2" lift is a start, but worthless IMO unless you really plan on using it. Also, the only thing a 2" lift will do is move the body further away from the tires and maybe give you a bit more clearance under the middle of the truck. Your rear axle is still the same distance from the ground and your LCA only raise slightly in the middle. 12" of snow hardly calls for a 2" lift and even mild trail wheelin' doesn't require a lift, just good tires.

Aux lighting is alway a pluss, but roof mouted ones aren't as effective as bumper mounted ones. Sure, the ones on the roof are less likely to get damaged in a front bump, but they scream Jeep TJ or K-5 Blazer, not QX4. Plus they will create a bit of drag and then you have to get up there and remove the covers before you use them because you don't want them to get damaged by debris. Also, Aux lights aren't really necessary for off roading, but they can help you see better at night outside of the city and or electrical grid.

Some states (provinces) may require Aux lights to be covered when on public roads and also there may be a limit to the number of forward facing lights you can have on at even given time. The limit is usually 4 (2 headlights and 2 fog lights). Having 6 or 8 forward lights blazing can draw unnecessary attention from the local po-po.

If you really want to protect your rig from brush scrapes, the clear bra stuff if your best bet. A brush guard doesn't really keep the brush off the paint, it just help push the brush down. It really doean't "guard" against anything. Also, what about the brushes along the side of the vehicle? There is no brush guard there. So you can either clear bra from the middle of the door down or you can bed line from the middle of the door down. Either one is a better "brush guard" than a brush guard.

Please don't take my statements as being against your endeavor, in fact, more power to you. I just don't want to see you spend money on items that don't get you any further than you currently sit.

Function over form (looks).

[fueler]

Personally, I think this is a bad idea. The QX4 was really more meant for luxury than utility.

Oh! Its so clear to me now! So thats why Nissan made this commercial for the QX4. Because it was "meant" for luxury and not utility.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_7pXD_-DTw

Just ignore the fact that it's the same thing as a pathfinder with different headlights.

[TheReplay]

He doesn't have to get "big" tires...the stock size should do just fine and if nothing else, he can keep the same width and just increase the aspect ratio by 5 (i.e 60 --> 65 or 65 --> 70)

To the OP - the key to "offroaderizing" is not to waste time and money on painting your wheels black as that does nothing to increase your ability to "off road". I've never heard anyone say they were able to off road better because their wheels were black and that the gunmetal ones kept getting stuck. Adding skid plates would be much more benefitial, but of course no one would really see them so, style points you gain not. Also, adding some sort of rocker panel guard could help too. Not step up bars, actual rocker panel guards.

The 2" lift is a start, but worthless IMO unless you really plan on using it. Also, the only thing a 2" lift will do is move the body further away from the tires and maybe give you a bit more clearance under the middle of the truck. Your rear axle is still the same distance from the ground and your LCA only raise slightly in the middle. 12" of snow hardly calls for a 2" lift and even mild trail wheelin' doesn't require a lift, just good tires.

Aux lighting is alway a pluss, but roof mouted ones aren't as effective as bumper mounted ones. Sure, the ones on the roof are less likely to get damaged in a front bump, but they scream Jeep TJ or K-5 Blazer, not QX4. Plus they will create a bit of drag and then you have to get up there and remove the covers before you use them because you don't want them to get damaged by debris. Also, Aux lights aren't really necessary for off roading, but they can help you see better at night outside of the city and or electrical grid.

Some states (provinces) may require Aux lights to be covered when on public roads and also there may be a limit to the number of forward facing lights you can have on at even given time. The limit is usually 4 (2 headlights and 2 fog lights). Having 6 or 8 forward lights blazing can draw unnecessary attention from the local po-po.

If you really want to protect your rig from brush scrapes, the clear bra stuff if your best bet. A brush guard doesn't really keep the brush off the paint, it just help push the brush down. It really doean't "guard" against anything. Also, what about the brushes along the side of the vehicle? There is no brush guard there. So you can either clear bra from the middle of the door down or you can bed line from the middle of the door down. Either one is a better "brush guard" than a brush guard.

Please don't take my statements as being against your endeavor, in fact, more power to you. I just don't want to see you spend money on items that don't get you any further than you currently sit.

Function over form (looks).

YYYEEESSS !!!

If you just wanna go for the look, thats fine. But be advised that adding a body lift and bigger tires doesnt do much for "stop at nothing" capability.

If you really want that power, your going to sacrifice the street ride that you will be on 99.99 percent of the time.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Because it was "meant" for luxury and not utility.

I didn't say not for utility, I said it was meant MORE for luxury than utility. To me it's like lifting a BMW X5 and putting huge tires on it. This is just my opinion, I'm not trying to discourage Nala. I say do whatever you want, it's your car. I made some bad decisions about my car and it took my hardheadedness to figure this out.

[KyooX4]

Personally, I'd try to go for the best of both worlds. Have a sharp luxury SUV, that's also a capable trail rig. Form and function!

To whoever was refering to the Q with the snorkel. It belongs to 02infinity.zerothread?id=429828

[fueler]

ya the qx4 isnt a jeep but it isn't an escalade either. I think its on the level of 4runners (as long as they dont tuck their ding dongs between their legs and engage the lockers like typical female yota owners like to do)