can someone fill me in?

1299 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by loufish, Sep 4, 2007

2008Titan

Discussion Starter · Sep 2, 2007 (Edited)

Hello, I am new to the truck world. Just bought an 08 titan SE Crew Cab. I just got a class 3 receiver installed. The only thing i haul is cars on my 16ft trailer and hopefully get an enclosed car trailer some day. My questions is:

*What is my tow compacity on my SE?

*What is an equilizer hitch? do i need it?

*What is a weight distribution hitch?

*What is a sway bar? do i need it?

*What is a brake controller? does my SE have the plug for it if i get a controller?

*How do you downshift on an auto tranny? i see this mentioned alot, but can't figure it out.

*anything else i need to know?, to safely tow up to 6000lbs.

I just want to get an idea what these are and if i need any of this for my car trailer, and the biggest trailer i may get is up to 26ft enclosed car trailer. Thanks for any help and replies.

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loufish

· #2 · Sep 2, 2007

First off, congrats to your new Titan, now tell me you bought one with the tow package, right?
The owners manual will have the tow spec's for you 08'

With the T/Package you should be in the 9000 lbs towing range.
You will need an brake controller and my fav is the Prodigy.
http://www.tekonsha.com/prodig.html

Google for best prices, and buy the Prodigy Titan harness for Plug n Play hook-up.

Here's a quik primer on WD hitches:
http://www.drawtite-hitches.com/WD/about_wd_hitches.htm

For anything over 500 lbs tongue weight or 5000 lbs total weight you should be running a WD hitch.

If you have the center console shifter then it's easy to downshift youself when needed, just move the lever!
The owners manual has a section on this...Also, when towing heavier loads, say over 4000 lbs, keep it out of 5th gear(OD) unless you are on flat ground, this will help keep the trans cool. That's what the trans temp gauge is for...

Good luck!

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2008Titan

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 2, 2007

I did not buy the BT package. What am i limited to now?

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BuckyBadger

· #4 · Sep 2, 2007

2008Titan said:
I did not buy the BT package. What am i limited to now?

Without Tow Package
SE
4x2 7,400
4X4 7,300
With Tow Package
4x2 9,400
4x4 9,300
Long Bed
Without Tow Package
4x2 7,100
4X4 7,000

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Z-Hauler

· #5 · Sep 2, 2007

Towing 6000lbs is no sweat. Since you already installed a hitch, you will need to install a wire harness for the trailer lights, and an electric brake controller for the trailers brakes. I have an XE so my shift selector is on the column. I just press the manual shift button on the end and then use the toggle paddle to select a gear. I never needed to do that while towing though. I just put into tow mode and press on.

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2008Titan

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 3, 2007

thanks for all the info. My hitch is installed with a 7 pin connector. I have a 4x2. So im good to go. thanks again!

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loufish

· #7 · Sep 3, 2007

Man, I just got to ask, why in the world would you buy any new truck without the factory tow package when you already know that you'll be towing?

This is not a flame, but I see this so often and can't get my head around it, it make no sense to me...BTW when I bought my Titan I was a little over budget, another reason for mine being a 2wd, but it HAD to have the T/P, that was a deal breaker.
I still love driving my truck!!

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2008Titan

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 3, 2007 (Edited)

loufish said:
Man, I just got to ask, why in the world would you buy any new truck without the factory tow package when you already know that you'll be towing?

This is not a flame, but I see this so often and can't get my head around it, it make no sense to me...BTW when I bought my Titan I was a little over budget, another reason for mine being a 2wd, but it HAD to have the T/P, that was a deal breaker.
I still love driving my truck!!

I under stand what you mean. Like i said, I am new to the truck world, and didnt know what to look for when I went out one day and bought my truck. I just thought that 5.6L would be enough to tow stuff if i added a hitch. I guess this is a learning lesson for me as this is my first truck to own. Its so much more to towing than how big the truck is. lol. Wished i had joined the site first, but still, i didnt know if i was getting a titan that day. I was out and almost got a F150 untill i seen a titan down the street that caught my eye.

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Z-Hauler

· #9 · Sep 3, 2007

loufish said:
Man, I just got to ask, why in the world would you buy any new truck without the factory tow package when you already know that you'll be towing?

This is not a flame, but I see this so often and can't get my head around it, it make no sense to me...BTW when I bought my Titan I was a little over budget, another reason for mine being a 2wd, but it HAD to have the T/P, that was a deal breaker.
I still love driving my truck!!

I bought my Titan because I needed something that could tow my car easily across country, but all the Titans at the dealership that had the BT package also had a lot of crap I didn't want (leather, chrome, bucket seats etc.). Those had 37-39K price tags and I couldn't afford that. It made more sense to buy one I could afford and install the hitch and wiring after. I never had any issues with my truck while towing 6500+ lbs at highway speeds or over in some cases, or up mountains. It might not tow bigger trailers like the BT equipped trucks can, but hey, if I want it to be able to, I can just upgrade and it would be cheaper overall.

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bighitter

· #10 · Sep 3, 2007

I actually had no plans for real towing just throwing my tools in the back under a topper. Now that I am going through the process of adding everything the BT package had I really wish I would have gotten it originally. But no big deal it is always fun to mess with the truck.

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loufish

· #11 · Sep 3, 2007

I under stand what you mean. Like i said, I am new to the truck world, and didnt know what to look for when I went out one day and bought my truck. I just thought that 5.6L would be enough to tow stuff if i added a hitch. I guess this is a learning lesson for me as this is my first truck to own. Its so much more to towing than how big the truck is. lol. Wished i had joined the site first, but still, i didnt know if i was getting a titan that day. I was out and almost got a F150 untill i seen a titan down the street that caught my eye.

Thanks for taking the time to reply!
I cheated, I was lurking around here for awhile before buying my Titan.
I have heard comments before about trucks on the lot with way more junk then needed, and too much to get the stuff you actually need.
BTW it's the salemans fault for not asking if you need a truck with a tow package, and he can check other dealer inventories for a model closer to what's needed.

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ericgst

· #12 · Sep 4, 2007

I think you big tow package promoters only feel that they are superior because Nissan says so. In reality there is little real difference in the amount of weight a non tow package vs a tow package truck can haul. The difference is that it is easier for a tow package truck to start towing a larger load due to the lower gearing. Once moving there really isn’t much difference as long as you control your spend accordingly. I really don’t think that a slightly smaller gear is going to yield 2000lbs. The other major part of the combination is the transmission temp gauge. It will not keep your transmission cooler but will warn you if you are overheating it before failure.

Essentially if you put a class IV hitch and a trans temp gauge and start off slower there is no reason to worry about hauling 9,000lbs. Only you will get better gas mileage than the tow package trucks. Don’t get me wrong the lower gear will yield heavier loads to be carried as the transmission will not need to slip as much during take offs, but I really don’t think a good transmission in our trucks will have any problems below 10,000lbs, big tow or not unless the driver is an idiot and punches it from a dead stop every time.

You have to remember the ratings are designed to be dummy proof and it is slightly easier to screw up a truck with larger gearing when towing heavy loads.

Keep your transmission and rear end oil changed regularly if you are towing a lot on any truck as these are the weak links.

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bighitter

· #13 · Sep 4, 2007

Here in Fl I would agree with that but start going up and down mountains and such and the need for BT would become evident pretty quickly. I still don't have the gears yet and my truck tows my Toy hauler which is close to 9000lbs when fully loaded without any issue.

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loufish

· #14 · Sep 4, 2007

I think you big tow package promoters only feel that they are superior because Nissan says so. In reality there is little real difference in the amount of weight a non tow package vs a tow package truck can haul.

You're missing the point...It's not about the max weight rating, it's about towing!
With the right tow package you get just that, the package of items the makes for a much better tow experience.

If you have ever towed with the tow mirrors then you would know what I'm talking about, and the Titan has too tall a gear even with the T/P, so I can't even think about towing with a higher gear. The correct hitch AND relays are already installed.
Finally, many people here tow and do use the trans temp gauge as a great guideline for proper speed and gear selection. I wouldn't buy any truck without the factory tow package.

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