- Location
- Carlisle, Iowa
If you haven't noticed yet the 1st gen xterra's are no powerhouse.. with the 3.3l bringing in 175ish hp and the vehicle weight being 4500+ pounds its no drag racing machine.. But there are a few things you can do the pep the motor up a bit.. And these will also help the mpg's
1. Swap out that flimsy paper filter for a K&N, they last for a long long time and are serviceable so they can actually save you some $$ in the long run.
2. Switch to Synthetic oils, Not just in your motor but your differentials and transmission, they will help reduce friction and keep heat down.
3. Exhaust, there are several different bolt on kits out there, or seek out your local muffler shop for something more free flowing, I have the flowmaster 40 series it added a nice deep tone.
4. I know this is beating a dead horse but seriously keep the tires inflated! Properly inflated tires will reduce rolling resistance.
5. Plugs and wires, How many miles do you have on the odometer? These should be changed out by 100,000 miles.
6. Timing belt. 2000-2004 Xterras have a timing belt, not a chain like newer models. These need to be Serviced every 105,000 miles if your getting close to this mileage this is something you need to look into it will keep your truck running right for a long time.
Now those are some basic things to help keep it running right and a few mods to do for little money. If you have a little extra dough you can look into things like Headers, and Electric fan swaps. These tasks may be a bit much for the beginner to tackle but will also increase power quite a bit... especially on the low end.
1. Swap out that flimsy paper filter for a K&N, they last for a long long time and are serviceable so they can actually save you some $$ in the long run.
2. Switch to Synthetic oils, Not just in your motor but your differentials and transmission, they will help reduce friction and keep heat down.
3. Exhaust, there are several different bolt on kits out there, or seek out your local muffler shop for something more free flowing, I have the flowmaster 40 series it added a nice deep tone.
4. I know this is beating a dead horse but seriously keep the tires inflated! Properly inflated tires will reduce rolling resistance.
5. Plugs and wires, How many miles do you have on the odometer? These should be changed out by 100,000 miles.
6. Timing belt. 2000-2004 Xterras have a timing belt, not a chain like newer models. These need to be Serviced every 105,000 miles if your getting close to this mileage this is something you need to look into it will keep your truck running right for a long time.
Now those are some basic things to help keep it running right and a few mods to do for little money. If you have a little extra dough you can look into things like Headers, and Electric fan swaps. These tasks may be a bit much for the beginner to tackle but will also increase power quite a bit... especially on the low end.
