Nissan Armada owners

[CanoeStream]

I have a Titan and the same rules apply as they would with other half-ton trucks. The 'Tow Capacities' are north of 9000# now but that is not a very real picture... I love that it uses regular gas!!

The 'F.M.V.S.S. Certification Label' on the driver's door corner post will list the GVWR. My Titan LE's GVWR is 6499#. Consider this number to be a firm top end. Forum members can't say enough about towing safety and vehicle durability by following this guideline.

In the 'Technical and consumer information' area of the owner's manual I can readily look up that my 'Vehicle Load Weight Capacity' is 1255#. This will be the maximum weight I can put in or on the empty truck without exceeding the GVWR. This includes people and gasoline (28 gal @ 6.3# each for my truck) and stuff in my truck (including topper, canoe or whatever) and goshdarnitall tongue weight. All that without going over your tow vehicles GVWR... oops! No space to return the fruitcake to Aunt Duanna!!

For a safe tow, tongue weight will be 10-15% of your gross trailer weight. There has been some back and forth discussion about what influence weight distribution equipment does to the GVWR equation (CAT scales, measuring each axle's weight, etc.). I don't have the answer on that. What I do know is that carrying a normal load in my 4000-pound-empty trailer will put me right at my Titan's GVWR with my wife & I, our 2 dogs, full gas, and either a canoe or two bikes (but not both canoe and bikes).

Do your math. Be honest. My opinion is that a heavier current day 25-footer is too heavy for a 1/2-ton truck type tow vehicle.

[maryszka]

Do we absolutely need to add those extending mirrors like the ones on the Titan to the Armada? Does anyone tow with the standard mirrors that come on the Armada. Are those Titan mirrors huge? Are there other alternatives?

[AirHog]

Originally Posted by maryszka

Thanks everybody! We are picking up our Armada LE today, and are very excited. Will let you know later towing experience!

Maryszka

CONGRADULATIONS!!!! Glad you bought it. We are just waiting to sell our Ford F-150, then we plan to make the purchase. We are sooooooo disgusted with Fords. Our F-150 has 56,000 miles and we now have to change the starter, changed the chrome bumper last month (completely rusted from inside out), had to service the air conditioner, which the fluid leaked out completely, the driver window works intermittently, soooooo we are very upset and will never purchase a Ford again. That's why a foreign SUV for towing is very appealing now. We have always owned Toyota's and never had these petty promblems. Our 1989 Toyota Camary has now 171,000 miles.

Just venting, had a horrible day with our truck.

Good luck Maryszka, I'm sure you'll love it. They have great reviews on the Nissan Armada. As a matter of fact, our neighbor just bought a black one 2 weeks ago!


Gail

[71_safari]

Those of you towing with the Armada or Titan be sure not to overload it and watch your tranny and rear axle fluid changes. As mentioned in a prior post, these vehicles have a lot of horsepower but are still based on 1/2 ton trucks, and there have been some problems with rear axle failures mentioned on RV.net. My understanding is that it uses a Dana 44 rear axle, not very large and normally found on the front of American 1/2 ton 4x4 trucks.

Just an FYI.

[maryszka]

We had a Ford van once, you know FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily!

It's a hot and miserable day to have all that car trouble.

Good luck.

Maryszka

[CanoeStream]

Yes, the Tow Package type mirrors are very nice -- and the convex mirrors are good for close alongside viewing with lane changes. Extendable mirrors of some sort are mandatory in some states? (or certainly when your trailer is as wide as 8' 6" as the new Airstreams are!) At the least I feel a lot safer being able to see a bit more around the sides of my trailer.

Tow capacity and pushing the limit are frequent subjects 'round these parts. Look at this link and follow some of the referenced threads. Silverback's 'Switching to Diesel' thread is interesting for pointing out the very fine Toyota Tundra's limits.

My experiences in January '04 of approaching transmission overheating in the W. Va. mountains while towing an empty 24' Argosy makes me very respectful about staying within specs -- of course it was the road from h***.

Take note of your Nissan's 500 mile break-in period before starting towing. Then the manual adds that you have a 2nd 500 mile do-not-exceed-speed when you do start towing.

[rtate]

I am thinking about buying a new Titan for towing a 22' as. Do I need to get the big tow package? The milage ratings on the standard rear end are 14 and 19 mpg. What is the mpg rating with the lower rear end on the big tow package?

What kind of milage are you getting towing and what are you towing? What kind of milage are you getting in everyday driving when not towing? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[maryszka]

By the way, our Overlander is a '71, so I guess it is not as heavy as the new ones. We live on Long Island (very flat!) and like to drive slow and safely.

We do want to load up the trailer with EVERYTHING and get it weighed.
Where do you go to have it weighed?

Maryszka

[CanoeStream]

The 'Big Tow' package is very useful for any towing situation. The extendable mirrors, tranny temp gauge, Class IV hitch, and the 7-pin plug on rear bumper are essential and the package costs less than just these items purchased separately and installed. Then comes the brake controller pre-wiring -- this would absorb unbelievable time figuring it out for yourself.

I'm commuting 3-4 miles a day and getting 15mpg in town. The Nav package suggests I get about 10.5mpg towing with overdrive turned off. That's my recall from a long trip earlier this year. My 24' Argosy is currently laid up (banana wrap off, minor frame welding, and new flooring, upholstery and curtains coming).

A Titan would pull a 22-footer very nicely. Side air bags were available only with the off-road option or the Nav package. I haven't regretted choosing the latter -- really nice in urban areas on long trips! And it gives the driver security when a traveling companion sleeps -- already paid for in rewards as far as I'm concerned.

[CanoeStream]

Maryszka -- You'll need to find a CAT scale. Look at http://www.airforums.com/forum...&threadid=8871

I've learned a lot reading most anything RoadKingMoe has to write (that's an I-didn't-think-you'd-notice Minnesota thanks, Maurice!).

[Davydd]

The Nissan Titan/Armada seems to have the proof of pull especially in climbing situations. Two articles (read post purchase of my Titan) give me a bit of comfort. First was TRAILER BOATS magazine's March 2004 issue that clearly gives the Titan the towing nod by a wide margin over Ford and Chevy in actual pull test performance tests pulling a 7,840 lb. boat. They dropped Dodge and Toyota from this test because base engine configs were deemed not up to it. Then TRAILER LIFE magazine August 2004 pretty much corroborates the same pulling a 6,535 lb. trailer testing Ford, Chevy and Tundra against the Titan. Dodge was a no show. Obviously these magazines don't seem to share the conservative views of members of this forum on trailer weights.

TRAILER LIFE left the trailer on the Titan for the cover and article pics because it was the only one with capable mirrors. I guess they didn't want to show the add-on mirrors in photos of the other trucks. They even mentioned that in the article. The factory ordered extendable mirrors are worth it. I know Ford and Chevy can be had with similar telescoping mirrors but they may be after market additions.

Maryszka,

Congratulations on your decision. I hope you enjoy. The Armada is pretty much the same as the Titan it seems. It comes down to a choice of having a truck bed or having inside storage and more people capacity. The Armada/Titans appear small to me from a distance but up close they are monsters! It must be in the proportions that give that appearance. I'm getting about 15-16 mpg in everyday and commuter driving. I got about 17 on an extended highway trip. I have no towing stats yet.

[neil.ervin]

'71 Safari,

What are the change points for the Armada transmission and rear axle fluids?

Thanks,

[neil.ervin]

Maryszka,

I consider it a crime that Nissan doesn't put extendable mirrors on the Armada. Apparently they do include them in the Titan tow package. Check out McKesh mirrors at www.hensleymfg.com

I've been told they are the best tho they are not totally stable as would be extendable mirrors. And yes, you do need wider mirrors. I needed them with my Bambi and it was only 8' rather than 8.5' wide.

To other statements on this thread:
-- I think the tow package is a very important buy even if towing lighter trailers. For, like with boats, one will always want a bigger trailer in the future.
-- I am told that the Armadas were designed and assembled in the USA. But yes, I too have more faith in Japanese auto quality than in US quality.

My new 25' Safari (twin beds) should be at the Tucson dealer tomorrow. I expect to pick it up 8/11. We have been waiting for it for 3.5 months.

[71_safari]

Neil,

I have no idea what Nissan recommends on fluid change intervals but regardless of brand, if the truck is a 1/2 ton chassis and I were towing, I would change trans and rear end fluids annually, or 15k. On a 3/4 ton, with a similar load as these 1/2 tons are pulling, the 30k interval seems appropriate since the truck is less stressed.

john

[M&M CAPECOD]

Originally Posted by rtate

I am thinking about buying a new Titan for towing a 22' as. Do I need to get the big tow package? ....What kind of milage are you getting towing and what are you towing? What kind of milage are you getting in everyday driving when not towing? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi rtate,

I'm not sure if you've already purchased your titan or not but I thought I'd tell you our experience towing 900 miles with our Titan Crew Cab. But first to answer some of your questions. Yes, a tow package is a must, it took all the headaches out of after market plus nissan told us you get a better transmission with the tow package. We were getting high teens driving out to Michigan to pick up our AS but we were cruising along, I'm sure it would be better if you dropped the speed some. On the way back we averaged 10 mpg, which included flat driving through Ohio and the Allegheny and Pocono Mtns. We didn't push it coming back since it was our break in period for towing. We were towing a 2002 28' Classic (6800 dry) which had maybe 700 pds of gear and water. We we're very pleased with the vehicle but could see where we may be asking a little too much of the Titan in the future. On some of the long climbs the transmission temp gauge did climb up to but not into the red zone. Because we were still in the break-in period we were sometimes driving in the top end of gear rather than dropping down to a lower gear with more rpms. I'm not sure if this was the right thing to do or not but we were nervous about overtaxing the engine. Our vehicle had only 1500 miles on it at the time. We seem to be getting pretty good around town driving, higher than their estimates. I think a lot of this has to do with who and how it is being driven. I hope this helps you oranyone else that is looking at the Titan. It is a nasty looking truck and made my brother's F150 look tiny (especially the 150's 16" tires) when they were parked next to each other, both black.

Enjoy, Mary

[mum@home]

Hi

Just purchased a 2009 Nissan Armada LE.
Upgraded from our 2006 Nissan Pathfinder.
Towing a 2008 19ft Safari SE Bambi.

VK56DE — 5.6-litre DOHC 32-valve V8
engineHorsepower — 317 HP @ 5200 rpm
Torque — 385 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm
5-speed automatic transmission with Tow/Haul Mode
All-Mode 4WD® system with 2-speed transfer case
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
4-wheel Limited Slip (ABLS)
Traction Control System (TCS)

Overall width - mm (inches)2001 (78.8)
Overall height - mm (inches)1998 (78.7)
Overall length - mm (inches)5255 (206.9)
Track width - mm (inches)1715 (67.5)
Minimum ground clearance - mm (inches)270 (10.6)
Wheelbase - mm (inches)3130 (123.2)


LE has tow Package.
9,100 lbs. (4WD) maximum towing capacity
Tow receiver hitch
Lower final gear ratio (3.357:1)
7-pin wiring harness
Trailer brake pre-wiring
Transmission temperature gauge
Heavy-duty battery
Auto-leveling rear suspension


Mirrors are after market.
CourtesyParts :: Nissan Extendable Tow Mirror Kit - Armada / Titan (w/ Power, Heat)&
Nissan Extendable Tow Mirror Kit.
$365.75


Now we are looking for a bigger trailer. Maybe a 28ft safari SE or a 25ft Classic.

[mum@home]

Tow mode does the following.

1.Reduces transmissions shifts when pulling a trailer.
2.Provides similar shift feel to the driver when the vehicle is towing.

Tow mode should be used when the trailer wieght is at least 75% of the vehicles GCWR.(15,100lbs)

It is most useful for
1.Rolling terrain.
2.Stop and go.
3.Busy parking lots.

ps
20 inch tires.

[pilgrim]

Sometimes it truely is better to be lucky than to be good. We started out as "babes in the woods" trailer fans. Didn't know one pick-up from another - one SUV from another. Knew we would purchase an AS once we found what we wanted (didn't know what we wanted for quite some time.) Stumbled across a 2004 Armada with tow pkg. on the local Nissan used car lot. Figured it would pull whatever we ended up with. Six months later we purchased our Airstream 25' International Ocean Breeze. Now our initial year of ownership is over - we pulled our new AS nearly 2,000 miles through six states spending 30 nights on her. The Armada couldn't have done a better job - nothing could have done a better job. It was so easy to forget the AS was behind us. Only thing we learned was to give her a wider turning radius to keep away from those gas pumps, etc...Had not problems with them at all! Pulled it through the Penna. mountains, down through West Virginia and through nearly all of Virginia. We can't wait for next summer. What a package!! We got lucky with our TV - I can't imagine ever owning anything else to pull our AS. We run 17-19 mpg without the AS and around 12-13 pulling the AS. I was hoping for double figures and was thrilled with the numbers. See you down the road - happy 'streamin.