Finding Nismo
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:58 am
I flipped through some old photo archives that details my truck history fairly well.
Let’s see, there’s Truktor:
Dodgezilla:
And let’s not forget Turtle:
No, I don’t suffer from gigantophelia. Back then, trucks were more of an ideal, useful size. And off-road tires were born of necessity to deal with ankle-deep mud, thigh-deep snow, and 15-degree inclines back on the farm.
I literally drove to the mid-west and back at least a dozen times in the Turtle, in the exact configuration seen above. And at least a half-dozen trips between DC and the upstate farm in Truktor. Modified trucks used to be great daily drivers.
Today, full size pickups are nearly twice the weight as what we were driving. In addition to horrendous fuel economy, they suffered from worsening ground pressure (weight/contact patch). With every successive generation, you’d need bigger and bigger tires to achieve the same off-road ability. My step-brother kept on with the expansion plan. He has an F-350 Powerstroke that looks something like this:
I had a 2004 F-150 FX4 package in this interim period, and did not care for it. Handling and fuel economy were abysmal. Traded it in on a Red Legacy GT as it were.
I recently got a first-hand look at the new F-150 SVT Raptor, and despite all its suspension upgrades I'm afraid it has way too much junk in the trunk… or cab. It’s still a luxury SUV with an open bed, in my honest evaluation.
The factory off-road kits from TRD off-road and Nismo were really the best offerings. They are lighter than the FX4 packages from Ford (by a half ton) and stuff the fender wells with large all-terrains.
If these were pieces of military hardware, the mid-size trucks would be main battle tanks. The best of all worlds.
Enter Nimo (short for Nismo Frontier):
And now for something completely different; its not lifted. But I've been nothing but impressed with it, both on-road and off. Modification doesn't cross my mind, because I really can't think of a reason to do it.
After all the long hauls with the Quad on the back, towing trailers, driving across swamps to pull stranded vehicles from the mud, and the uprooting of medium-sized trees, this truck is tough. Chalk it up to the fully-boxed ladder frame. The same frame that goes on the Titan full-size, but on a smaller, lighter body.
My brother-in-law was shocked to discover that the Frontier had the same sized off-road rubber as his F-250 Powerstroke 4x4 wedged underneath. Ground pressure on the Nimo is likely in the neighborhood of where Truktor and Dodgezilla used to be. An everyday pickup that can go to work like a modified full-size? Un-possible!
The interior is Spartan, but functional. It’s a well-built interior the same way Tonka trucks are well built toys. Get ‘em dirty and treat ‘em rough, you can’t break them. I appreciate the lack of any dinky knobs to come off in your work gloves. It’s an interior that you could tap around with a rubber mallet in, and not cause irreparable damage.
Add a set of cloth buckets that don’t cause complaints on a 7 hour drive, very low body-roll, decent fuel economy, and a 6-speed manual tranny, and what more could you ask for?
Oh right, power. Honestly, out of all the VQ’s, the 4.0 is by far the best. If they used this in the G or the Z, I’d be sold. It’s like having 2 engines. The 290lb-ft comes on at very low RPMs. You can drive all day under 3000rpms and keep up with traffic……except it revs to 7000 and 270hp. Feels like the older LS1 V8’s, no joke!
In all, I can’t remember a single time I’ve gotten frustrated and said, “darn it, I hate this truck!” It just does what it’s supposed to. Its a shame it is widely overlooked by 'real' truck users. Though the overwhelmingly positive experience did help me take a closer look at Nissan for my DD...
Let’s see, there’s Truktor:
Dodgezilla:
And let’s not forget Turtle:
No, I don’t suffer from gigantophelia. Back then, trucks were more of an ideal, useful size. And off-road tires were born of necessity to deal with ankle-deep mud, thigh-deep snow, and 15-degree inclines back on the farm.
I literally drove to the mid-west and back at least a dozen times in the Turtle, in the exact configuration seen above. And at least a half-dozen trips between DC and the upstate farm in Truktor. Modified trucks used to be great daily drivers.
Today, full size pickups are nearly twice the weight as what we were driving. In addition to horrendous fuel economy, they suffered from worsening ground pressure (weight/contact patch). With every successive generation, you’d need bigger and bigger tires to achieve the same off-road ability. My step-brother kept on with the expansion plan. He has an F-350 Powerstroke that looks something like this:
I had a 2004 F-150 FX4 package in this interim period, and did not care for it. Handling and fuel economy were abysmal. Traded it in on a Red Legacy GT as it were.
I recently got a first-hand look at the new F-150 SVT Raptor, and despite all its suspension upgrades I'm afraid it has way too much junk in the trunk… or cab. It’s still a luxury SUV with an open bed, in my honest evaluation.
The factory off-road kits from TRD off-road and Nismo were really the best offerings. They are lighter than the FX4 packages from Ford (by a half ton) and stuff the fender wells with large all-terrains.
If these were pieces of military hardware, the mid-size trucks would be main battle tanks. The best of all worlds.
Enter Nimo (short for Nismo Frontier):
And now for something completely different; its not lifted. But I've been nothing but impressed with it, both on-road and off. Modification doesn't cross my mind, because I really can't think of a reason to do it.
After all the long hauls with the Quad on the back, towing trailers, driving across swamps to pull stranded vehicles from the mud, and the uprooting of medium-sized trees, this truck is tough. Chalk it up to the fully-boxed ladder frame. The same frame that goes on the Titan full-size, but on a smaller, lighter body.
My brother-in-law was shocked to discover that the Frontier had the same sized off-road rubber as his F-250 Powerstroke 4x4 wedged underneath. Ground pressure on the Nimo is likely in the neighborhood of where Truktor and Dodgezilla used to be. An everyday pickup that can go to work like a modified full-size? Un-possible!
The interior is Spartan, but functional. It’s a well-built interior the same way Tonka trucks are well built toys. Get ‘em dirty and treat ‘em rough, you can’t break them. I appreciate the lack of any dinky knobs to come off in your work gloves. It’s an interior that you could tap around with a rubber mallet in, and not cause irreparable damage.
Add a set of cloth buckets that don’t cause complaints on a 7 hour drive, very low body-roll, decent fuel economy, and a 6-speed manual tranny, and what more could you ask for?
Oh right, power. Honestly, out of all the VQ’s, the 4.0 is by far the best. If they used this in the G or the Z, I’d be sold. It’s like having 2 engines. The 290lb-ft comes on at very low RPMs. You can drive all day under 3000rpms and keep up with traffic……except it revs to 7000 and 270hp. Feels like the older LS1 V8’s, no joke!
In all, I can’t remember a single time I’ve gotten frustrated and said, “darn it, I hate this truck!” It just does what it’s supposed to. Its a shame it is widely overlooked by 'real' truck users. Though the overwhelmingly positive experience did help me take a closer look at Nissan for my DD...
Automobiles have gotten bigger. If you used to drive a Maxima, you're in an Altima now. 