Tow Package Or No Tow Thats The ?

[mkelee]

I am looking at a se 2x4 king , it has what I want + the tow package which I dont want because.......
The tow package changes to what equates on a 4:10 on a 4 spd setup.
With no tow package the gearing equates to 3:73 . I have been known to drive long distances and I dont tow much...... jet skis ,dirt bikes etc.
3:73 is excellent all around.4:10 has more nuts ... and uses more gas .
any opinions out there ????? THANKS

[phillipyang]

Your choice entirely depends on what the dealer has in stock. Just try to find the SE 2x4 king cab somewhere else if you have that choice. I live near 4 nissan dealers and I had plenty of choices in my truck. Just don't get pressured by them to purchase that tow package worth hundreds.

[trucknewbie]

I don't have the tow package either, thought it costs too much and is overkill for what little towing I will do. Have no clue as to impact on gas mileage or performance, but would be interested in hearing from anyone who does. However, for the light towing needs, I have yet to purchase a hitch and ball - any suggestions out there as to outfitting a Titan without the big tow package to do some basic towing? Don't think you need the big mirrors, temp gauge, or big battery for basic needs. Have heard that all Titan's come pre-wired regardless. Dealer has vested interest in selling Nissan add-ons, so just curious about other options.

[Titan4x4Aggie]

you get worse gas milage if you get it. and teh mirrors are ugly.

you can get the nissan hitch receiver for $190. just buy that and a class IV ball/hitch and you will be good to go.

[morpheoussc400]

If you're not gonna tow much don't get it, but see if the dealer will work you a killer deal if you take the one he has.... The one I got is 4X4 with the offroad package which I did'nt want (my truck will probably never see dirt, or back roads) but it had everything else I did (DVD, NAV, side Air Bags, sunroof, and the right color) so he made me a deal I couldn't refuse. Also go online (if you haven't done so already) and check the pricing against dealers outside your area, you might be surprised....

Mike

[Burleybutt]

I'm looking at aftermarket hitches on my new Titan. You can get a Valley hitch and T1 wiring harness for about $150 with free shipping at etrailer.com. Says you can install in 30 minutes. My local hitch place wants $300 for the same thing. I'm not electrically inclined but supposedly the Titan T1 harness is easy to do.

[KYDeepwater]

If you buy the hitch and harness from etrailers, you will have to go to the dealer and buy two relays to make the running lights work on the trailer. I bought mine from etrailers, they were very quick and I was satisfied with them, but didn't know about the relays until after I installed the hitch and harness. Only took me about 30 minutes to install the hitch and harness. The two relays cost $50.00. They go in the electrical box right behind the battery. The relays are different and there is only one place for each, so it is an easy install. The brake and turn signals will work without the relays, you just won't have any night running lights.

[QWIKWHIP]

Sounds to me like the Nissan hitch is the better deal then. It comes with the 7-pin that plugs right into the harness taped behind the bumper and it also comes with the relays. All for under $200.00. Or have them work a deal and have them throw it in at no charge like I did!

[Zardoz]

The tow mirrors may be ugly to some but they are extremely funtional. No blind spots
and on a big truck this is a big deal. I love the big mirrors but than I have a butt ugly
3 mast AM antennae with coil also installed and other ugly stuff. Also if you want vent
visors on your windows the standard mirrors and ventvisors create wind noise. I hear
none of that on the big tow mirrors. The hitch on the back adds strength to the frame
which is good and the automatic temperature gauge is a nice thing to have also.

Zardoz

[SupraTitan]

I think nissan really made a mistake the way they explained the gear ratio of the titan. Yes the 3.36 is similer to a 4.10, but only in the first 3 gears, considering 3rd gear in a typical auto is 1:1 gear you have final drive ratio of 4.1 to 1, with the titan 4th gear is your 1:1 gear so you have a final drive of 3.36 to 1, you can bet that when both transmissions hit OD the true 5 spd auto in the titan will have a better ratio on the highway. The Titans auto is geared like a typical 5spd manual transmission, in comparison the dodge 5 spd is geared like a typical 4pd auto with an extra overdrive gear.
IMHO VDC is worth the price of the big tow pkg all by itself. I like the looks of the regular mirrors better but they can not compete with the function of the BT mirrors, I perfer function over looks. I get slightly over 17mpg on the highway so I don't believe the bigger rear end gear makes all that much of a difference in economy.

[Titan Critter]

you might not get the vdc though, if you have the locking diff. so there's no guarantee on that. visually inspect the sticker and the button to verify.

[bwalkertitan]

Originally Posted by Titan4x4Aggie

you get worse gas milage if you get it. and teh mirrors are ugly.

The mirrors are awesome for detecting cars in your blind spot. Tranny temp gauge is nice too.

I believe that gas mileage does suffer if you like to drive at around 80 mph (2500 rpm vs 2000 rpm with no big tow).

Brake controller pre-wiring (with no hassle and maybe a 10-15 minute do-it-yourself install) made life easy.

Lots of pros, only one con (gas mileage).

[QWIKWHIP]

I'm pretty sure all Titan's are prewired for the hitch and the brake controller. Mine is and I do not have the big tow pkg. It just doesn't come with the harness and the relays. However, the nissan hitch comes with the relay's. The only other thing you need to buy is the brake controller harness which is about $15 at the dealer. Just FYI.

[bwalkertitan]

yeah, it seems as though they are all prewired, but I didn't have to cut into the harness bundle to find the connector or go buy relays and the controler harness. Just took the harness connector out of the glove box, ooked at the instructions and wired up my prodigy. 15 minutes max.