Well I wasn't planning on getting a new bumper for a while but thanks to a jackass cutting me off and responding to my horn with his brakes I had to get it replaced anyway. I figured why put on $400 dollars worth of stock bumper if I'm going to take it off later. Why not just put on a new bumper now?
I knew what I wanted in a bumper, it had to be capable of holding a winch but I didn't want one that stuck out too far, it also had to be pretty tough, I had seen a few bumpers get twisted because the tires grabbed the "wings" when stuffed. I liked the profile of the Shrockworks bumper but the 2000 version wasn't ready yet, I liked the look of the TJM T15 but they weren't available for another three months, the ARB was nice but on back order, and the Calmini stuck out too far. Finally I decided to get the TJM T17, it didn't have the headlight guard but that was ok, I could weld some on later.
Simply put, the stock tow hook sucks. If it doesn't get bent down on the trail it will get broken off by the trail. Do yourself a favor and buy two forged tow hooks at the nearest 4x4 shop. You want the three hole hooks instead of the two hole ones. Use one to replace the stock hook, you'll need some grade 8 bolts and nuts to put the other one on the opposite side. It's hard to get the bolts to drop down out of the frame so tie a string to the bolt in case you lose it while trying to get it in the hole you can pull it back out. Once you have the bolts through, put the hook on, put the nuts on while trying to hold the bolt heads in the frame and tighten them as much as you can by hand. Finally torque the nuts on tight, if you have an impact wrench you won't have to worry about holding the bolts, the impact will tighten the nuts without the bolts slipping to much. Without the impact wrench you might get lucky and the bolts will hold till they're tight enough not to spin. Otherwise do the best you can with your finger in the frame hole.
The first thing to do before you take the Xterra offroad is to remove the stock step rails. They're strong enough to stand on but as soon as a rock hits them they'll bend. They're worth nothing on the trail, so take them off before you hit the trail. Plus if you take them off early you can sell them in mint condition on eBay for $150-$200. The use that money to buy you some real rock sliders.
Which kind you get is totally your preference but I recommend the Shrockworks or Calmini, I got the Shrockworks because I like how the stick out a little farther from the sides for easier jacking with the Hi-Lift. A word of caution when jacking with the Hi-Lift on a slider, make sure the jack wont slip but also remember to open your door so that if the jack leans in it won't dent the door.
