ASD Dad

Chris - the commercial manager at Nissan of Greer I can 100% promise knows none of that... He barely new the options of my NVP SL let alone any of that info. I asked about roof racks and ladders. Blank stare. I asked about running boards. Blank stare. He told me he would get back to me and he did but it was all just Google search stuff I found. If he couldnt answer those questions I highly doubt he could do any of what you are doing. A lot of what you are doing should or could be handled by others in the dealership. I am guessing they dont have the budget and/or man power to do that so you are taking on way more than I think most would. When I was a manager I handled sales, marketing and some finance stuff. I also knew who to goto if they wanted aftermarket parts or something done like tint. BTW, the guy at Greer had been there over a year... so like I said - Laziness!

Quick update - Bully Dog came through and got the new files ready for me. I had to sit on hold for 30 minutes last night due to them being swamped with calls but once with them it was quick and painless to get the new files downloaded and ready to install in the NVP. Installation went hiccup free even without the recommended battery charger (you have to make sure the battery stays over 12V otherwise it aborts install and can corrupt the vehicle ECU). I only took it for a quick drive last night with basic settings - lowest HP tune, throttle restriction off, +2* timing advance. Definitely made a difference. Off the line difference is huge with the throttle opened up fully now. I plan on trying out a couple more tunes over the next day or two and then we are towing our camper back to the mountains this weekend. I am curious if there is any measurable difference when hit that long climb where my NV drops speed. I'll update more after the trip.

I have no clue why the Commercial Mangers are clueless. You have two vehicles to memorize - the NV large series (1500, 2500, 3500) and the small guys (NV200). That is it! Low to high roof doesnt make much difference and there are only 3 trim levels. I think it is laziness honestly. I sold cars for several years in the early 90's. Worked my way to management. Granted I was a car geek before getting the job and that is what helped me land the job but I WANTED to know everything about every car we sold. There were the occasional things that were missed but 95% of what the vehicle did or had equipped I knew about. That may also be why I was top sales person every month/year and I worked to management after only 2 years on the floor. Still, there is no excuse for a Commercial specialist to not know the vehicle when the line is as limited as it is. Same thing with an NV tech. If he is their master NV tech and he told me the sonar beeps were from the vehicle idling I would have a huge issue with that! Now service managers and advisers, their only job is to upsell you into extras - cabin filters, wiper blades, alignments, etc. Very few of them know a camshaft from a wheel bearing. Now the manager should know where to get correct answers but most of the time they just spew nonsense. Things I have heard said while waiting at a dealership on service have made my head spin. The biggest issue with buying a dealership with the Commercial line is that there are not many dealers around. I tend to buy by service. I could care less about the sales experience, I'll deal with them one time. We keep vehicles a while so I will deal with the service dept many times. We couldnt do that with the NVP because we have ONE dealer locally. Even they are an hour away. Next closest is two hours away. I wasnt about to drive 4 hours round trip every time I needed to go to a dealer. If we really wanted the NVP we had to learn to live with the dealer we have. Thankfully the new service manager is great. The two techs seem to know what they are doing. The sales and finance team they have are not the best but I got the deal I wanted so it worked out.

Funny, I just heard from BD this morning. They said my compiled file should be added to the 2015 Nissan master file this afternoon and I can download it this evening. She didnt mention what, if anything, needed to be changed just that their engineers went over the code and were going to add it to the master list. Should that happen I will install it this evening or tomorrow morning. BD highly recommends you dont install when they are not open in case any trouble pops up and you cant call in to get help. The phone tech has been very helpful. The sales people - not so much! If I had to guess I would think that Nissan NV sales for a BD unit are less than a single percent of their overall sales and not their main demographic. While they have supported the Nissan 5.6 motor for many years across platforms the tech told me that there must be something slightly off in the 2015 code that shut down the install. The tuner actually reads the full ECU engine code before proceeding, took about 15 minutes or so of it scanning. That is when it threw the initial error that the ECU was not able to be flashed with the current Nissan files loaded. If it works then future BD owners should have a working 2015 file to use...

I've never tried but what happens if you disconnect the sensors? I thought I read you make the ECU mad and get error codes thrown or idiot lights will go on. Wish the NV had more circulation out there, I am sure an electrical guy could come up with some resistors or diodes we could wire in place of the sensor (maybe) to fool the ECU into thinking everything is good. Either that or rig the switch inside the van to always be active but I would guess that is just a momentary switch that sends a signal to the ECU to turn them off.

If I am on flat land or gentle rollers then it tows fantastic. Ride is great, body control is great and it never seems to struggle. In the hills it's a totally different ball game. Maybe I am just spoiled, all my past tow vehicles had way more power than needed for the load being towed. I just dont like putting my foot to the floor and seeing the speedo go backwards! Fortunately the pros outweigh the cons for the NVP so I'll just live with the power issues. Either that or I have a dud of a motor but I doubt it.

Wow, yours is way worse than mine! Mine randomly beeps but just once, maybe twice. Dry, wet, doesnt matter but it will beep. That would drive me insane! I assume if you turn them off with the switch it stops the beeps?!

Still have it but it doesnt sound like mine happens nearly as often as yours. The sensors are utter crap honestly. They beep when you dont want them to beep and then Dont beep when they are supposed to beep. There is a restaurant we stop at somewhat regularly and they have a huge retaining wall since it's set down a bit. We're talking 30+ feet tall of solid stone that is maybe a couple feet away from the parking surface curbing. I can pull right up until my bumper nearly touches, stop the van and get ready to put it into park and Then it beeps! Once. That happens at other times as well but this is a huge wall. So it wont beep then but does beep when I pull up to a stop and there is not a single person or vehicle around me... I'd love to disable them permanently but nobody has been able to figure it out.

Wanted to do a review of the Bully Dog GT and initial impressions... Problem is I cant! Got the tuner in Friday morning and did all the software updates for 2015 Nissan/Infiniti models. Went to install it and got an error code that the engine ECU is changed and it couldnt flash my ECU. I had to call tech support and they needed to download the files off the tuner and send it off to engineering who need to figure out what is different from my ECU vs. others. Bad part is I called BD prior to ordering one and was told there are no issues at all with running it on the 2015 models. Wrong. Bad part part 2 - I bought it for our upcoming trip again this weekend back up into the NC and TN mountains. If you're read my other posts you know I am looking for some more power out of the 5.6 motor. The BD is really supposed to help even if it's the simple removal of the throttle restriction when starting off. BD tech support told me it can take up to 2 weeks to get the files compiled and ready for try #2. I told them if I dont have them for the trip the unit is going back and they need to waive the restock fees that the retailer may want to add! So as it stands I've got a nice fancy paperweight. Tech didnt know why the 2015 files wont work on my made in March 2015 NV but they need to figure it out. I didnt think there were any changes at all between model years but guess I was definitely wrong. Should an update happen I'll do a full review. Otherwise I'll update that I sent it back. I can say that if you have a 2015 NV 5.6 - do NOT buy a Bully Dog GT tuner! At least not yet...

I have no clue how you guys claim to tow those beasts so easily. You're pulling a flipping triple slide, 36', 7600 pound DRY camper up 7% grades with Seven people in your van?!? My NVP is pulling a 7600 pound LOADED camper with what could count as seven with two large dogs along with the 5 of us and we struggle up 5-7% grades in NC and TN. My last trip I had it floored going up the Eastern Divide and I started off at 65mpg in 3rd and when we crested I was pulling about 55mph. My MPG was about 8.5 over two tanks. Plus you're out West with high altitude!! I've only got high heat and humidity to deal with to sap HP. I really dont get it... Have you ever weighed your rig and your NV fully loaded with family for camping? I'd wager you're pushing close to 9000 pounds in the camper. Figure specs at 7600, add in propane and batteries plus most families throw in 1000 pounds of stuff (especially with a fam of 7) and I'd guess you're around 8700-8900 pounds. I'd be curious what your NVP is scaling at with a full family loaded and stuff for the trip. I'd be curious how close you are to maxing the 16000 combined weight rating we have. You've got the best hitch made for a bumper pull and I bet you need it with 36 feet of sail behind you! Going down steep grades I normally use 3rd and brakes. The brakes on the NVP are pretty stout and if your brake controller for the camper is setup correctly they should be taking care of their own duties. If you just have drums on the camper you can and will smoke them on long descents so you can either upgrade to discs on the camper or drop another gear on the NV. You just need to decide where you want the wear and tear - camper and NV brakes or NV engine. Most say modern engines are designed to spin that high RPM and it can feel weird but there doesnt seem to be issues.

Congrats! Looks great.

Fred, I highly recommend the Blue Ox Sway Pro. Very easy to setup and the ride and control is excellent. Only downsides are twofold. One is the weight, the head and shank weighs about 65 pounds! Second is the powder coating likes to flake off the latches and rust can form. I've had a few hitches and the Ox is by far my favorite. Great sway control, quiet, and no grease exposed for kids!

My buddy is restoring an old Bronco, those are nice rides. A local shop here - Tumblin Automotive - just made national magazines for doing a full Raptor swap into an old Bronco. Chopped the chassis to length to fit and even transplanted the entire Raptor interior to the old Bronco! It turned out pretty incredible. I think the software part can be handled by the driver using the manual mode switch for towing. Not ideal but it works and would work well. Fred just needs a hitch heavy enough to carry the load and be able to see behind him and he should be OK. We definitely dont have much aftermarket unless it's commercial duty stuff. Thankfully the motor has been around over a decade and there are plenty of owners of the Titan/Armadas. Suspension I've found Supersprings, Timbren, etc. for less bounce with heavy loads. I am guessing there are airbags as well. Then again, I dont know if any full size van has much aftermarket besides commercial!

Fred seems to have gone quiet... You bring up a good point radin2son about prior damage. I suspected damage on my brand new, 6 mile old, van when I got it home. The whole passenger side trim was loose inside - a pillar, handle, kick panel, etc. I looked quite extensively and saw nothing so chalked it up to a lazy line worker on that day. It all just popped back into place with minimal effort. Chris - I didnt know you were a mechanic (not for Nissan). Maybe you're saying things based on your position as a manager but as a fellow wrencher I fail to see the difficulty of bolting on a hitch and adding a set of mirrors! I am sort of curious about that tow button and if the harness is back there. On a Tundra base model and some other trims there are no "info buttons" They will scroll your display for MPG, miles till empty, etc. Well ALL Tundra's have the harness back there and the blank switch plates to mount the buttons. You just simply need to buy the buttons from a dealer, pop out the blank panels and install the buttons and Bingo, you have the higher level trim models Info Button system. I wonder if the same thing could happen on the NV...

Oops, thanks for correcting that! I am indeed going with that AEM. I had an AFE dry in my Tundra. The AFE is twice as much as the AEM and they're both respected brands so I am going with the AEM. Amazon does carry both along with the old standby K&N, but all K&N are oiled. I would recommend staying away from Spectre. They are a cheap copy of K&N and people have had quality issues.

rad - I am going with the AFE Dry filter. It is currently $38 on Amazon. I was a bit surprised how dirty my stock filter was after 5000 miles and we dont live or drive on dirt roads or anything. The AFE dry is a simple synthetic high flow filter that is easy to wash with a garden hose or in the sink (if your significant other isnt home!). Let air dry and you're good until the next cleaning. Figure I can clean it more often and be ahead after a few cleanings vs. buying more stock filters. Some of the oiled filters claim to flow more and some really do. The issue is the cleaning and re-oiling every time. If you under oil you arent getting max filtration. Over oil and you are clogging the filter too fast. Plus you have to add in the expense of the cleaning and oiling kit. Dry filter - wash with soap and water, air dry, reinstall, you're done! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00861FQU4 That's the filter.

Chris, you're saying the top dog of the engineering department told you that the Tow Package cant be added. What about it cant be added? The only thing that appears to be not easily installed would be reflashing the ECU for tow mode. I am sure the switch could be added, I am willing to wager there is a unused plug for it behind the panel that is just taped up. That's if the ECU even needs a reflash. Everything else should be easy to bolt on - a hitch and mirrors...

OK, so I have had the Airaid on for about a month now and wanted to do a short write up on the intake. This intake is by far the top rated intake for the 5.6 motors. The Titan and Armada owners have been using it for a very long time now and ever since it came out it's been the highest dynoed "stock" intake made. You can only get higher gains with a custom 4" full intake and then you need an Uprev tuner to recalibrate the MAF. The intake is huge at 4" in diameter for most of the tubing and the filter looks like it would flow enough for a big block motor or giant turbo. Way more air than the 5.6 could ever use. Installation is very straight forward if you have ever done an intake. It took me about 45 minutes and that was with my 7 year old helping. This will NOT fit right out of the box, the engine bay of the NV is wider than the Titan/Armada. All you need is a $6 4" rubber coupling available from Home Depot/Lowes/etc. The stock coupling between the tube and the intake box is about 1" too short. I bought it for more towing power. The 5.6 always felt a little underwhelming to me and my DIY airbox mod made a promising gain in MPG. This intake has been on the dyno by many owners and it does produce real world gains. Most of the gains seem to be from about 3000-3500rpm and up which isnt ideal for towing but with this van and a heavy load you'll be in those ranges often. So does it work? Yes and no. Yes, there is definitely more power. It isnt just noise either (all intakes are loud), but you can honestly feel a strong surge of extra power once the motor gets wound up. As I said earlier, the power is in the upper RPM range. It doesnt help that stock the Nissan ECU restricts the throttle from opening 100% until about 30mph or so. Does it help towing? Well, 20hp gains on an empty van are one thing. 20hp towing 7000# doesnt seem to do much. I've been on the same trip twice with a short gap through the mountains and I honestly didnt notice the gains when towing. The motor still struggled up the long grades I dealt with each time. The second and third problem: Noise! I will be the first to admit I dont mind engine noise. I used to race an IT car that was fairly obnoxious on the track. I also owned a few rotary's with near open exhausts and if you've ever heard a turbo RX motor at 9000rpm you know it's a wee bit noisy! That being said, the Airaid definitely sounds like an aftermarket intake. It is deep, throaty and when you're on it hard it can be heard. When driving with no load, as in 99% of day to day driving, it is Very civil and you cant even hear it. You only hear it when accelerating hard. All good - BUT - when towing you are always in the throttle and it gets quite loud at times. Enough so that my whole family and even myself was getting tired of it. The main noise issue is that around 2000rpm there is a certain resonance and it sounds like you've got a boat motor going. It happens to be that 2000rpm is right where you would be towing on flat ground most of time at 60-65mph. You get this guttural drone going on that just sort of gets annoying after a while. Third: MPG. It went Down. I went from around a 14.5 average to a 13.5 average. This has been documented on the Titan forums and nobody can figure it out. Some owners it goes up, some stay the same, some lose MPG. They have been data logging, testing, all sorts of stuff and it just doesnt have a rhyme or reason to it. My motor happens to be one where it went down as well. My last tank I tried to even baby it and it was still 13.7. So strike one is noise, strike two is MPG. The upside is definitely more power. The first two strikes are too big for me so in the end - the intake is coming off. I will be going back to my modded stock filter with a drop in AFE or other better flowing filter. There are other mods that can be done to the stock box I may look into as well. I would recommend if you are purely looking for more power and dont care about noise. Fit and finish is perfect. Next on my list in the quest to open up this 5.6 motor - Bully Dog GT ecu flasher. It will be here tomorrow... Supposedly the GT and the intake together really make some gains but the noise when towing is something I dont want to try and mess with. We take some trips that are 10+ hours on the road and I think 10 hours of droning would drive us all nutty.

Fred - according to vanguy and Nissan you should be good to go if you install the HD hitch. You can handle shifting duties on your own. Mirrors are not "Required", I know people who tow with normal mirrors, but seeing as this is your first TT and it sounds like it will be a good sized trailer I would highly recommend them. I also recommend visiting sites like RV.net prior to your first tow. There are a lot of very opinionated people there that can come off harsh but if you can read between the lines and filter out the trolls you can get a ton of info from the site. Everything from basic maintenance, to dealer PDI when you pick up the camper, to setup tricks and towing tips are all there to be found. Towing a 7000 pound house on wheels is not something you just want to "wing" and hope for the best! Lastly - I HIGHLY recommend you pick a good Weight Distribution Hitch for your setup. Especially if you will be towing towards the max which it sounds like you will be. There are many to chose from - Reese, Husky, Blue Ox, Equal-I-zer, etc. Will the cheap $300 hitch work that they normally "thrown in the deal"? Yes, but for your camper length you should have two friction bars, not just the one it comes with. The advantages of the better hitches is that most have sway control built in and they can be easier to hook up. Once you pick out your hitch, Read the Manual! I have never encountered a dealer who installed one correctly the first time, they want to set you up and get you out the door. The only dead on way to know if you're correct is to get the whole setup weighed 3 times (that's all detailed on RV.net and other sites) but you can also guess if at the dealership by measuring wheel well heights (again detailed on RV). Basically, take your time and do your research. If you were getting a Pop Up or small hybrid then a lot of things can be masked due to the low weight of the camper. Take your time, read and be patient and you'll have a much more enjoyable first trip. BTW - if you dont like RV.net there are plenty of other camper sites out there. Most all brands have their own forums as well, Forest River has a huge forum site and Forest River actually has techs that help people out as well as official company reps.

I never said software had any bearing on load carrying capacity, I simply asked if the Tow Package was simply a hitch and software logic for the transmission. The second part answers my question, there are no structural differences between a 3500 tow vs. non-tow that are not user replaceable - namely a heavy duty hitch. I'm sure you can buy the tow mirrors if you really wanted them, I did for my Tundra for only $350 from the dealer. There are add on options as well from the aftermarket. The shifting can be handled by the driver.

Has anyone figured out a way to disable the sensors permanently? Mine are terrible. They'll beep randomly on their own and then wont beep as I pull within a foot of a wall! I know you can hit the switch every time but that isnt ideal.

I am curious, how did you get in touch with Nissan Commercial Engineering? I know with many vehicles it is a numbers game. Take the popular Ford F250. There are many sites where people have gone part number to part number and found ZERO difference in any major components between the F250 and F350. One is simply marketed for a 3/4T market and the other a 1T market. The one main difference was an additional leaf added to the rear pack. Easily added after the fact. To stick with Ford - the F150 Max PAYLOAD package is a totally different frame from the stock F150, even with Max Tow. Max Payload has to be ordered as such so they can put the beefier frame under it. That changed somewhere down the line where all the Max Tow SuperCrews got the bigger frame I think but in the beginning that wasnt the case. You simply couldnt throw some parts at it and get the additional payload capacity. The Payload upgrade then I believe turned out to be E rated tires and some other small bits. I used Ford as an example since they're the #1 seller of trucks and we almost ordered a Max Payload truck in the past. If an engineer at Nissan really said there is no difference other than software logic and a hitch I'd like to see the reference just for grins. Otherwise you'd need a master parts manual and patience long enough to go part to part between a tow vs. non tow...

Chris, what all is different other than the "Tow Mode" button? If it is strictly tranny shift point logic programmed in he should be OK using manual mode on the column. This is assuming he adds on the HD hitch as well.

I'd PM Chris or another dealership rep here and see if they cant shed some light on the whole "tow mode" issue. I'd be curious what all parts are different. radin2son - he lists a family of 7, they're not fitting in a Pop Up! We had one and it worked well for two, even three. Add in kid #2 and we moved up to a trailer. I have seen large families in tents as well or even multiple tents but I assume they want a nice camper. Fred - look up my old camper - Forest River Surveyor Sport 295 or its twin the 294. The 295 has triple bunks in the back, a large (queen sized almost) dinette/bed area and a fold out couch/bed that is really only good for a kid around 7 or younger at most. Queen bed up front for you and the wife. The 295 has 3 bunks with a full outside kitchen - stove, sink and a dorm sized fridge. The 294 had 4 bunks out back and no kitchen outside. I mention those two since they were the lightest bunkhouses we found and we looked a long time - mine only weighed in at 5500# dry from the factory. They both have a small slide for the inside kitchen and sofa area. My only cautions are two fold - 1) for a first camper they are long at about 33 feet with the tongue. 2) the stock tires are horrible and they are only 14" so it makes it hard to find good replacements. Other than that it worked out well for us. Your other light weight option would be something like a Roo Hybrid. The largest have 3 flip out beds but that could be snug and they really arent all that much lighter than an ultralight bunkhouse.

Fred - have you tried contacting your local NV dealer? There are a few dealers on here but a quick phone call to one or two local NV places may be quicker. I would still verify what they are telling you - some dont exactly know what they are talking about! Chris Commercial on here is pretty helpful and located in Charlotte, NC at a large dealer.