nissans At Woolys - xterra Drivers Front Three Quarter - Photo 33732887

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James Drake’s Xterra was one of a few factory supercharged ones at the event. Since the Xterra shares a lot of its DNA with the extremely popular Nissan 350z, we figure it’s only a matter of time before a 500hp twin-turbo X comes whistling over the dirt!

The Xterra meet is open to all generations and build types. With over 50 registered Nissan 4x4s at the event, the first annual National Xterra Meet was a huge success.

Given the spring outbreak of tornados in the south, the Xterra owners decided to use their meet to help out some of those affected by the storm. Ryan Davenport used his Xterra to pull an entire enclosed trailer filled with goods and supplies for the tornado victims in Alabama. After wheeling all day at Wooly’s, the crew left early Sunday morning and convoyed down to ’Bama to donate the supplies and lend a helping hand.

A popular conversion for hardcore Xterra enthusiasts is to swap in the front-end components from a Nissan Titan. Bryan Necomer’s ’07 was fitted with the Titan conversion, along with a host of other upgrades. Sporting 35-inch TreadWright Mud Terrains, the well-equipped Xterra tried some of the toughest obstacles the park had to offer.

James Drake’s Xterra was one of a few factory supercharged ones at the event. Since the Xterra shares a lot of its DNA with the extremely popular Nissan 350z, we figure it’s only a matter of time before a 500hp twin-turbo X comes whistling over the dirt!

Our trail leader for the day was Luke Pankow. With 11⁄2-inch suspension and 2-inch body lifts, Pankow’s ’04 Xterra cycled the 33-inch Dura Trac tires with ease and worked well over the dry and rocky Tennessee trails.

There are a few generations of the Xterra, and all were in attendance. Though we were surprised that we didn’t see any solid-axle conversions, the IFS front and leaf-sprung solid axle rear configuration seemed to work well for the Xterra.

What in the heck is a fullsize Toyota doing at a Nissan event? Carrying our camera gear and supplies, that’s what! This heavily modified Tundra belongs to Ultimate Adventure alumnus Jonathan Cooper. We are told that a few modified Nissan Titans wheel with the Xterra club from time to time, but on this weekend Cooper’s solid-axle Toy was the lone fullsize wheeling the park.

Kelly Martin was one of a few female pilots attending the meet. A representative for WeatherTech and an avid Xterra enthusiast, she was promoting the company’s new products while hammering down on the trail with her modified ’06 Xterra.

Jay Anderduren and his fiancée, Jessica, made the drive down from Portsmouth, Virginia. He did a great job of using his five-speed manual to control his ’02 Xterra SE during the many twisting downhill sections at the park. Equipped with a 2-inch body lift and 32-inch MTRs, Anderduren’s Xterra was a great example of how well a daily driven Xterra can perform off-road.

The National Xterra Meet welcomes all makes of Nissans. Morgan Staal drove his ’05 Frontier all the way up from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to attend. With his late-model pickup fitted with a Titan front-end conversion, Calmini 5-inch lift, and a selectable rear locker, the quad cab crawler had no trouble navigating the forest.