"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread

Allof75

Pathfinder
Nice write up. And on the tires, how loud are the generals at highway speeds? They're a very strong contender for my next purchase.
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
Nice write up. And on the tires, how loud are the generals at highway speeds? They're a very strong contender for my next purchase.

They're not loud at all, but then nothing is in this truck. I don't notice much tire noise, if any at all. They are way quieter than the Hercules tires Nancy had. I would imagine that they are a little noisier than your Toyos (larger voids, deeper tread), but they are not excessively loud by any stretch. They handle well on and off road, and are very tough. From all I've read and experienced, they are an excellent choice.
 

Allof75

Pathfinder
They're not loud at all, but then nothing is in this truck. I don't notice much tire noise, if any at all. They are way quieter than the Hercules tires Nancy had. I would imagine that they are a little noisier than your Toyos (larger voids, deeper tread), but they are not excessively loud by any stretch. They handle well on and off road, and are very tough. From all I've read and experienced, they are an excellent choice.

Hmm that sounds like a good choice. My main reason for not looking for more toyos is that they're freakin loud ~60. And I've been in rigs with duratracs, KM2s- both reasonably loud, but these have a hum I can't get rid of. The generals look great, and hopefully I can buy a set at the end of summer. Thank you for the review :)
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
Hmm that sounds like a good choice. My main reason for not looking for more toyos is that they're freakin loud ~60. And I've been in rigs with duratracs, KM2s- both reasonably loud, but these have a hum I can't get rid of. The generals look great, and hopefully I can buy a set at the end of summer. Thank you for the review :)

That's surprising to me, given the tread pattern. Well I can say with certainty that the Grabber AT2 is a quiet and well mannered tire. I'd venture to say it's better than the well loved BFG AT. A little quieter, better in mud, and MUCH cheaper. I don't think you can go wrong.
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
Agreed! Except I'm peanut butter ;)

Looks good, sir. Awesome to see her in her element.

Thanks Brian! I get the feeling she enjoys it as much as I do :)

On a side note... Anyone know how stout a set of Yakima Control Towers are by chance? Online I'm seeing a weight limit of 165lbs. I wonder if that is the limit of the bars, each tower, both towers, or they are just trying to set a general guideline about roof loads? I'd just be bolting them onto the bed of the truck and attaching the RTT to the crossbars. I could make my own bars if necessary. I think the system would be ideal, because it would allow me to quickly and easily remove the tent when I wanted while keeping it low and out of the wind. The RTT, even full of bedding, would make for a dynamic load under 200 lbs. Static loads would be more, obviously. Thoughts?
 
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stioc

Expedition Leader
Can't answer the weight question directly but you'll be distributing the weight over four mounts, and you could get a third pair to beef it up even more.

The RTT, even full of bedding, would make for a dynamic load under 200 lbs. Static loads would be more, obviously

Hmm, I think you mean the other way around? static load is typically less than the dynamic load.
 

skibum315

Explorer
Here's how I'm reading what wreckdiver is referring to: Static - when it's parked, unfolded and full of two people plus sleeping gear (RTT + occupants + gear). Dynamic - when it's all buttoned up and on the road (RTT + minimal 'always in the tent' gear). But of course, stoic is right that for a given set of equipment/capacity, static load will be less than dynamic excursions.

Where are you seeing the 165lb limit from Yakima ... if it's specified on a particular product page (like a set of towers, for example ... or a single bar) I'd assume that's how it applies. I've also always thought that the weight limits on factory (and aftermarket) racks tended to be driven by dynamic capacity ... that static could be pushed a *bit* higher, but a call to their customer (or technical if they have separate) help line should clear up the confusion.

Also: great pics and trip report, thanks for sharing.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
I have two Yakima bars attached to my ARE camper top with the control towers in a track system and two Yakima bars over the cab on my stock roof rack. I can say that I've had my ARE topper fail before and never had the Yakima bars or towers fail. I think Yakima just has to put these low numbers out there to satisfy the lawyers. Yes different forces on the ARE and Yakima, but what did my cap in was washboard roads and a load on the camper caused the fiberglass to delaminate where it was c-clamped to the bed rails. I have also bent Yakima bars with a load but there bars are prone to rusting from the inside out and that is what happened to my bent bars. Now I treat my Yakima bars with a sealant to keep the corrosion at bay and I've not had a problem since. Multiple boats, and other gear, timbers, ladders and the random mattress during a move and no problems on my current set up. I do have four bars total and eight attachment point to distribute the weight, so if I were you I would get as many bars as you can fit under that RTT. Three seams like you would not have a problem at all but two would most likely work just fine.

BTW I'm loving the truck.
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
Can't answer the weight question directly but you'll be distributing the weight over four mounts, and you could get a third pair to beef it up even more.

I have been considering getting a third set of control towers to go with it.

Here's how I'm reading what wreckdiver is referring to: Static - when it's parked, unfolded and full of two people plus sleeping gear (RTT + occupants + gear). Dynamic - when it's all buttoned up and on the road (RTT + minimal 'always in the tent' gear). But of course, stoic is right that for a given set of equipment/capacity, static load will be less than dynamic excursions.

Where are you seeing the 165lb limit from Yakima ... if it's specified on a particular product page (like a set of towers, for example ... or a single bar) I'd assume that's how it applies. I've also always thought that the weight limits on factory (and aftermarket) racks tended to be driven by dynamic capacity ... that static could be pushed a *bit* higher, but a call to their customer (or technical if they have separate) help line should clear up the confusion.

Also: great pics and trip report, thanks for sharing.

That is exactly how I was trying to describe it!

I saw that limit on a few different websites. I couldn't find any hard and fast numbers on Yakima's site, but that's because they require you to select a vehicle first. I've seen people mount their RTT to the Yakima racks before. I'm not putting the tent on the roof, so I'm not worried about the stress on the truck itself. The bed sides are built like a brick *******house, so I don't really have any concerns about them being able to handle the weight, especially if it's spread over four to six mounting points. Based on what I'm hearing, I don't have much concern about it.

I have two Yakima bars attached to my ARE camper top with the control towers in a track system and two Yakima bars over the cab on my stock roof rack. I can say that I've had my ARE topper fail before and never had the Yakima bars or towers fail. I think Yakima just has to put these low numbers out there to satisfy the lawyers. Yes different forces on the ARE and Yakima, but what did my cap in was washboard roads and a load on the camper caused the fiberglass to delaminate where it was c-clamped to the bed rails. I have also bent Yakima bars with a load but there bars are prone to rusting from the inside out and that is what happened to my bent bars. Now I treat my Yakima bars with a sealant to keep the corrosion at bay and I've not had a problem since. Multiple boats, and other gear, timbers, ladders and the random mattress during a move and no problems on my current set up. I do have four bars total and eight attachment point to distribute the weight, so if I were you I would get as many bars as you can fit under that RTT. Three seams like you would not have a problem at all but two would most likely work just fine.

BTW I'm loving the truck.

And this is why I'm not concerned about their strength. When the truck is moving, there realistically won't be over 140 pounds supported by the racks. My concern would be when it is set up in camp, but from what I'm reading it sounds like I don't have much at all to worry about. Especially after reading your results. Thanks for the heads up on the potential corrosion issues, I'll keep that in mind!

I would hope two would work, but I think three might be the way to go just to be sure.

Thanks! I was wondering when you were going to chime in.
 

Allof75

Pathfinder
That's surprising to me, given the tread pattern. Well I can say with certainty that the Grabber AT2 is a quiet and well mannered tire. I'd venture to say it's better than the well loved BFG AT. A little quieter, better in mud, and MUCH cheaper. I don't think you can go wrong.

That's what I like to hear! I think I might be another customer-to-be :)
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
That's what I like to hear! I think I might be another customer-to-be :)

Awesome!

Alright, now to try to get a Yakima rack setup. I'm scouring eBay and CL to find something cheap, since they charge a fair bit brand new. It'd be nice to get set up for under $250, even if it's just temporarily a two crossbar setup. We'll see what I can come up with.
 
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duckhunter71

Adventurer
Awesome!

Alright, now to try to get a Yakima rack setup. I'm scouring eBay and CL to find something cheap, since they charge a fair bit brand new. It'd be nice to get set up for under $250, even if it's just temporarily a two crossbar setup. We'll see what I can come up with.

You wouldn't be interested in a Thule rack would you? I've got one from my 4Runner and would happily make you a deal on any of the components that you might want/need.
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
You wouldn't be interested in a Thule rack would you? I've got one from my 4Runner and would happily make you a deal on any of the components that you might want/need.

Is it similar to the Yakima Control Tower system? If it is, I may be. I would like something that would be easily removable when I need to, but have a base that stays bolted to the truck.
 

duckhunter71

Adventurer
Is it similar to the Yakima Control Tower system? If it is, I may be. I would like something that would be easily removable when I need to, but have a base that stays bolted to the truck.

That I'm not 100% sure about, but if you'd like to research it my setup consists of the Thule Rapid Aero 43" load bars with Thule Rapid Podium 460R towers. I also have the Fit Kit 3101 to go with the stock rack tracks that my 4Runner had. I'm sure there are options for how to attach this to your truck similar to what Yakima offers. The crossbars are actually similar in color to your stock roof rack, as well.
 

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