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Hey all! Never too late to be new ;)

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x4dblduty:
So I've had my 06 OR for about 3 yrs now and most of the time (or almost all the time) have my Thule T2 stuck on the back since mtb and XC racing are my thing around here in So CA  ;D

Anyway lately been introduced to Rattlesnake Cyn and White Mountain (this one didn't make the west to east route, not nuff articulation being stock, ugh!).  At least I went with most preps I can in recovery gear - straps, boards, shackle, air comp, etc etc - since I believe this is key (I also do track days in my M3 and 240Z and have always stressed on safety gear, yah)

Then this happened, so been scouring posts in TNX and here, and too many youtube vids on beaut overlanding...I'm hooked!!

OK, since I'm trying to keep lightness on my OR for now, have one question.  First of all, the only mods I have so far are Shrockworks sliders and wow, did I get my $$ worth on that, beaut product, takes bashing! Also 285 33" KO2s.  Since ground clearance is needed I also ordered the PRG SPC Radflo Advanced kit as next 'steps'  :)   

BTW, knightrider, shift_x, maxterra's posts have been so much help!  Others too.   I'm keeping my X for a while.....and also looking for another OR or P4X for my son.

So, on to my first question, what options do I have to protect the front end WITHOUT full armor, i.e. keeping my front bumper, and yet still have options to mount a Warn winch? 

Many Thanks, guys!

JFanaselle:
Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you've been bitten by the same "bug" that got all of us. :) Be careful, it's addicting and expensive  ;)

It sounds like you're off to a great start in terms of modifications. Recovery/safety gear and a set of good tires should always be first. Ground clearance is usually second, and armor is a good third (some will argue armor before clearance, but it really could go either way). You won't be disappointed with that PRG kit - did you do the extended travel one? If so, you'll end up with about 2 to 2.5 inches of extra height, which is perfect in my opinion.

To answer your questions about protection - there isn't really an option to "protect" the front end unless you swap out to an aftermarket bumper. There are a few good options out there (shrockworks, hefty fab, hardcore, ARB, and a few tube bumper manufacturers), but they're all unfortunately pretty expensive and usually have some significant lead time between when you order it and when you'll receive it, as they're all built to order. There are many advantages to an aftermarket front bumper (better approach angle, winch mounting, recovery points, protection in an accident, etc.), but the truth is that the front end doesn't really need much "protecting." So you really have to think about which of those features are most important to you, and if it's only the winch mounting capability, there is (was?) an aftermarket solution out there that attached to the original bumper mounting points and provided a location for a factory winch to mount. It retained your factory plastic front bumper cover with some slight cutting and modifications, and retained the factory look. The guy who was making this solution stopped producing them a few years ago, but every now and then one will pop up for sale on the Xterra forums.

I would honestly suggest a good set of skid plates before you start considering things like bumpers and winches. The hefty fabworks skids or the shrockworks ones are a great investment that will protect the areas most likely to be damaged, even with light to moderate wheeling. I will also say to stay away from the bull bars and brush guards. While they look cool and may give the illusion of more protection, it has been widely proven that they are just "damage multipliers" and will almost always turn minor damage into major damage based on the way they are mounted, and the way they transfer energy and impacts across a much larger area (for example, a small bump into a vehicle in front of you will push a brush guard back into your grill and your hood, as well as tweak/bend your radiator support and likely break your radiator, where it would have only maybe cracked or dented your plastic bumper cover without a brush guard).

steve c:
^^^  I agree with Joe.  Good points there.

And, welcome to the forum! 

0317:
Welcome from Hemet

Gunslinger2N:
Welcome from Gunslinger and The Terracon!!!!!

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