2005 Nissan Frontier

In an article that inspired our Fantastic Four series, we showed readers how a Nissan Titan can become a totally different beast after a couple of days of wrenching. This time around, Nissan's mid-sized offering will be the lucky recipient, as a 2WD V-6 Frontier will get Calmini's newest 5-inch lift, JBA's latest exhaust system, an Advanced Flow Engineering (AFE) intake, BFGoodrich tires, and American Racing wheels. A few years ago, the Frontier was practically an also-ran as far as compact pickups went, but since the redesigned '05 model hit the streets with its increased size and bigger V-6 engine, aftermarket companies have given it the attention it deserves. Calmini has been providing lift kits for Nissan's mini trucks for years, but the addition of the 4.0L VQ40DE engine allowed the Frontier to power the extra mass of larger tires without a compromise. Read along as the Frontier began at JBA's Performance Center in San Diego, where its VQ engine got the breathing it needed. Then, the Frontier moved on to Wheel and Tire Connection in Lake Forest, California, where it was given a new stance for the final transformation.