Hey everyone... I have a couple of questions so please bare with me.... I have a 2wd 04 xterra and want to crank the torsion bars up and add shackles to the rear. If I do the 1.5 inches in the rear, will I be able to lift the front so that the xterra is level? What is the most you can crank the front up without over cranking the torsion bars? Also, with a 1.5 inch lift in the rear and up front, what would you consider the be the tallest and widest tires I can get in without having it tear my fender up when I turn or hit a bump. Also what would be the largest tire size I could fit if I left the back at stock height and jack the front up to level it? Last of all.. exactly how do you know how high you're lifting it up for every rotation of the torsion bar? I know it's alot of questions, but I'd appreciate the help alot... Thanks..

yes, cranking the torsion bars lifts the front, the torsion bar spring replaces convetional coil springs, as you'll notice you have none. dont lift the front more than 1.5" to match the rear, if you do you'll be asking for trouble unless you get longer UCA's(upper control arms) and ball joints. the way tomeasure is from the top of the wheel to the edge of the fender. measure it before and during the lift. the only parts you'll need are the shackles. the biggest tire you can put with a 1.5" is 32s, im runnin 31s with the same lift. you can go bigger but that will require shaving, i put 1.5" wheel spacers(if you are interested in some pm me) on mine to compensate for raising the center of gravity and it did wonders fo my handling and stability(hanles better than stock now). also very important to get an alignment done ASAP after the lift, dont drive it anywhere unles your goin to get an alignment. i actually just had goodyear lift it for me and do the alignment at the same time(i was being lazy). another thing to watch for is tire size(tires act like a gear in the transmission between the engine and pavement/dirt so bigger tires=higher gearing=less torque=inaccurate speedometer) i wouldnt normally suggest gearing down the differential with 32's but i dont know how the ka24de does in the x, may kill your power.

Im Running 32" Bfg A/t On An 01 Xterra. I Was Going To Do The Torsion Bar Adjustment But The Shop Said My Bolts Were Rusty And Couldnt Do It. So They Alligned My Front And Put The Tires On For Me. Well I Didnt Cut Any Plastic Before I Took It In. When I Drove It Of The Lot I Thought My Fenders Were Going To Be Tore Out. They Rubbed At About 10 Degree Turns. So Word From The Wise. Do Your Plastics Before You Take It In To Get The Tires Put On. This Job Is Easy. All You Need Is A Screw Driver And Some Box Cutters. A Steak Knife Will Work It Just Wont Look As Clean Cut As A Razor.

Step 1 Remove The Lower Extensions To Your Front Mud Flap. Theres About 4 Bolts That Hold Them On. There I Pain If You Have A Long Screw Driver.

Step 2 The Lip Of The Remaining Portion Of Your Front Mud Flap Must Be Cut. This Lip Is Where The Hole To The Bolts You Have Removed Were Located. Take The Box Cutter Or Knife And Cut That Lip Off. Dont Worry. Its Not Going To Change The Way Your X Looks At All.

Step 3 Take Your Tank To The Tire Shop And Put Those Bad Boys On.
The Biggest Size That You Can Go Is 32" Or 265/75/r16. You Have Gained About An Inch In Lift Just From Your Tires. My Tires Do Not Rub Unless There Compressed Realy Hard. The Rubbing Is Harmless And Rarly Happens. They Make The X Look Like A Differant Truck.
It Also Makes It Allot Easyer To Change The Oil. That One Inch Is The Differance Between Getting Burned On The Exhuast Pipes Or Not. Hope This Helps. When I Did My Research I Had To Look In Alot Of Differant Places Before I Was Comfortable With Spending That Much On Tires That I Was Not Sure If They Fit Or Not. They Fit Easily. The Whole Prep Job Take About 10 Minutes At The Most.

Hey all I am new here. I do not actually own the Xterra, my wife does. It is a 2001 and her tires are currently 265/70 R15. I have 32x11.5 R15 BFG AT TA KO's on my Jeep Cherokee XJ right now (don't flame me because I have a Jeep, thats not why I am here). I am about to get 33x12.5 R15 GY MT/R's and my wife wants to see (and so do I) if my 32's will fit on her Xterra. I read the above post but 265/75 R16 essentially is a 32x10.5 R16, so mine are an inch wider. So my question is, will the above trim job accomodate that extra inch? Keep in mind I am no stranger to trimming - I have trimmed much metal off of my Jeep. I would just need to make sure it still looks good or my wife would not want to do it. She has alloy wheels and I have no idea what the BS is. Are the wheels 15 X 7?

Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

Any input is much appreciated. Thanks:)

(Lumping answers...)

OK -

1. A suspension lift does not let you fit bigger tires if you off road, as under compression, they rise up and hit what ever they would have hit w/o the lift. (On the Street Only, it does let bigger tires fit, as you rarely fully compress the tires on-road...)

2. To fit bigger tires under compression, you need a Body Lift (BL), not a suspension Lift (SL).

3. The SL (PML Counts as a SL) DOES improve the X's ground clearance for the frame on up...except the rear diff...which can only be lifted by a larger tire diameter. (See BL...) :D

4. I wheel with people with 32x11.5's w/o any lift at all...just a lot of trimming of the wells (All the plastic goes bye bye...).

5. The best way to get the correct front T-bar lift height is to pre-measure as described...but, to ALSO look at the bumpstop clearance as its cranked up...do not crank it past 1/2 - 3/4" clearance, less room than that, and you are too high/will have trouble aligning it, etc. (You may have sagged already...so your PRE-Measurement might not be a true baseline height.)

6. There is NO relationship between the number of turns on the t-bar bolts and the resultant height attained, NONE. (Too many variables...even the left and right bars are typically different in response, etc...)

7. X's come with a nose down rake from the factory...they are designed to run like that, mostly so when you have passengers/cargo, the headlights are not shining at The Big Dipper, etc. (Maintain balance when loaded...)

8. Jeep rim BS is close to X BS typically...around 5.25" or so, depending upon the model...close enough. The Bolt Pattern may be more of an issue though...the X is 6 bolt....most of the jeeps are 5 bolt with a smaller circle if I remember correctly....(obviously, you could remount the rubber if the rim diameters are the same). :D

9. I am running 305/70/16's on my '01, no rub problems...on the stock alloys. I have a 2" BL (Good up to 34's), and a 3" SL. With the BL, I had almost no trimming to do...ALL I cut off was the ledge that the front wells' mud flaps mounted to. (305/70/16's are like slightly taller, slightly wider treaded 33x12.5/15's in size.)


Here's some pics of what the 305/70/16's look like in/out of the wheel wells, and the plastic that was cut.


http://xterrafirma.com/albums/album104/X_Rausch_r_drooped_f_on_rock_ECXC_2006.jpg

http://xterrafirma.com/albums/TJs-X-Winch-Stuff/Tire_Clearance_Trimming.sized.jpg

http://xterrafirma.com/albums/TJs-X-Winch-Stuff/x_tip_toes_through_rocks_rc.jpg


Hope that helps!

:D

Yeah, I was going to mount the tires on her stock wheels because I know that the wheels are different bolt patterns. Well this has been informative, as I figured looks like I am going to do some trimming and stuff those 32's in there so I can go get some 33's. Thanks for the info.

As I have more questions I will post them.

TJ. My wife's Xterra looks just like yours, minus the BL and SL, and some other things....well the color is the same, haha ;)

My wife's did too, I got her X when she got the Mini Cooper.

:D

My wife's did too, I got her X when she got the Mini Cooper.

:D

Nice. I don't think I will be getting my wife's because I already have the Jeep and that is enough of a project for me at this time. I just got dropped off at work by my wife (my Jeep is in the shop get some work done) and mentioned we may have to cut more then I originally though to fit the 32's and she did not seemed to mind too much. So it looks like its on.

Quick question, with the 32's the speedo will be off. What tooth gear do I need to have it corrected. I am "assuming" it is the same as a Jeep where you just swap out the speedo gear in the TC for the correct tooth gear. Is this right?

To be honest, I don't know of a single person that has corrected their speedo for the larger tires.

sorry, no help from me :(

Im Sure Goodyear Or Some Similar Place Could Simply Recalibrate It For You

Does anyone know if it is just a gear or something more major under the dash that needs to be done. Anyone have access to a digital camera that could take a pic of thier transfer case both sides(or already has a pic I could see)?

"Back in the day" the speedo cable was cut and a gear box was inserted that recalibrated the speedo. I believe they use sensors and the speedo just needs reprogramming now, but I'm not confident in that, and don't know if it applies to the X.

Most off-roaders just calculate the difference in their head and know that indicated 58 is 65 (or whatever the difference is). It's better than a $200 gearbox. :)

And before modding any car, you should ask yourself what you want out of it. Raising a vehicle and putting bigger tires will result in a more unstable ride, and you need to know how to handle that. If you drive it like a sedan, you're opening yourself up to a rollover, followed by a denied insurance claim, followed by a lawsuit for hazardous modification of a vehicle. You're the only one who can say if it's worth all that.

I don't like it either, but this is the world we're living in. I'm not saying that a 1.5" lift and 32" tires will do all that. It probably won't, but it is something to keep in mind. (Also, I am not a lawyer, but I've seen too many lawsuits over far more ridiculous things.)

Woody

The Old Grand Prix Commercials Hadf It Right....
Wider Is Better!

To be honest, I don't know of a single person that has corrected their speedo for the larger tires.

sorry, no help from me :(

I did, on my 1997 Nissan truck. Easy job. I had bigger tires, then i had a new ring gear installed. finally i adjusted my speedo after all the calculations.

ok, so i have to question to all of the above...can i add shackles to the rear of my 06 and crank the torsion bars a little to a little extra height out of it. right now, i just dont have the $, for a sl or bl right now...not to mention it seems like there isnt too much available for my generation X ,, i know Rancho is working on something as i saw an article where they came up with something for a magazine... moral is i just want to poor man lift for now.. i want to put either 265/75 r16 bfg mt's or ltb swampers 31/11.50 on it... will the poor nam lift accomodate for this right now... ???

ok, so i have to question to all of the above...can i add shackles to the rear of my 06 and crank the torsion bars a little to a little extra height out of it. right now, i just dont have the $, for a sl or bl right now...not to mention it seems like there isnt too much available for my generation X ,, i know Rancho is working on something as i saw an article where they came up with something for a magazine... moral is i just want to poor man lift for now.. i want to put either 265/75 r16 bfg mt's or ltb swampers 31/11.50 on it... will the poor nam lift accomodate for this right now... ???

sigh.

1. OK, you have an '06....so you have front coils, not t-bars...so there's nothing to crank.

So that's out.

:D

2. The '06 can fit 33's, stock...so 31's, 32's, etc...you don't need a lift for anyway...hell, 32's are the stock size on the OR.

:D

So that's easy...sure, you can fit smaller tires w/o a lift.

I did, on my 1997 Nissan truck. Easy job. I had bigger tires, then i had a new ring gear installed. finally i adjusted my speedo after all the calculations.

Sorry.. I meant to specify I don't know anyone that's done this on an XTERRA.

awesome...I already got rid of the mud flaps. Now, I need to change the tires and also get rid of the side steps and replace with sliders. Some many things and so little money..lol...

thanks for the info on this,,very helpful.

You also want to throw the rear sway bar into the trash, or the garage, etc...(Get it off the truck...)....It does nothing for you On Road, and hurts you Off Road.

The Front sway bar should stay, it DOES help On Road at least.

:D

Another good thing to do on the X, and a bunch of other trucks, is to spray the alternator thoroughly with silicone spray, inside and out, to saturate the internal workings, and then continue to hit the wires and electric from start to finish (Spark plugs, distributer, etc too...)...as it will improve water survivability HUGELY.

:D

Are there rear sway bar disconnects available for the 05-07 X? I found the Calmini for earlier models.

Oh, and I'm not the bitter old man that earlier post may make me seem. I've just seen a lot of stupidity when it comes to vehicles, and don't want to have my new toy branded a hazard.

Woody

4x4parts.com has rear swaybar disconnects for the 05+ X's. They are not on their site, so you have to call.

Its not worth it....the disco's rattle and make you crazy...and, you don't need the rear sway bar...so its like buying a leprechaun repellant.

:D

Just ditch the rear sway bar...its worthless....keep the front one, it has value...and improves the handling.

So essentially nobody here has tried to get their speedo adjusted to compensate for larger tires? The reason I ask is because my wife drives an 120 Minutes to work and 120 back and I do not want her getting a speeding ticket.

Man it has to be something easy. Heck I just got my 33's Monday and went and got a 39 tooth speedo gear (to go with the 4.56 gears) and will install it tonight, biggity bam, its done and the speedo adjusted in 5 minutes.

So essentially nobody here has tried to get their speedo adjusted to compensate for larger tires? The reason I ask is because my wife drives an 120 Minutes to work and 120 back and I do not want her getting a speeding ticket.

Man it has to be something easy. Heck I just got my 33's Monday and went and got a 39 tooth speedo gear (to go with the 4.56 gears) and will install it tonight, biggity bam, its done and the speedo adjusted in 5 minutes.


(RE: New Speedo gears...)

On your jeep?

Yeah - Jeeps are easy.

I don't know anyone who found an equivalent easy fix for the X though...unless YOU ARE THE "ONE".

:D

Sort of on topic.. I had a 1997 Nissan pickup 2WD. I went to 30" tires on it after a Fabtech 3" susp. lift. Then my speedo was way slow, not to mention the power was terrible with huge tires. So I bought a Nissan ring gear which was the perfect range to bring my speedo back 100% accurate. Not to mention it restored my powerband and my truck as as fast as stock. But I'd done speedo gear on a few old cars, not much on new ones.

(RE: New Speedo gears...)

On your jeep?

Yeah - Jeeps are easy.

I don't know anyone who found an equivalent easy fix for the X though...unless YOU ARE THE "ONE".

:D

Unfortunately (as of right now) I am not "The One". I even called Nissan and the Tech guy did not even know...apparently he was not too techy.

I am going to keep looking around and if I do find out I will let you all know.


Just to refresh my memory since it has been ahwile since I have had an off speedo. With the 32s my wife speedo will register about 55 when she is actually going 60 or is it vice versa? I know it is actually a petrcentage its off but I wanted to use 55 as an example. Anyone?

all i need is the old tire size and new tire size to determine the percentage.

putting bigger tires (in diameter) will make your speedo read slower.

all i need is the old tire size and new tire size to determine the percentage.

putting bigger tires (in diameter) will make your speedo read slower.

Her old ones were 265/70/15 or 30x10.5 R15 and the new ones are 32x11.5 R15s.:thumbup:

PS, does anyone actually use half those smilies...I mean holly wow Batman there are some random ones in there.

mine was 255 stock and i put a 285 which is a 32" tire and i got about a 9% difference and get this i now have better gas mileage than stock....... i use the scanguage to tell me the correct speed i will check to see how much difference it is between speeds.... the book that comes with the scanguage tells you the formula to figure out the %.....

Her old ones were 265/70/15 or 30x10.5 R15 and the new ones are 32x11.5 R15s.:thumbup:

PS, does anyone actually use half those smilies...I mean holly wow Batman there are some random ones in there.

Ok - the 265's would be around 29.5" or so depending on psi, model, etc...

The 32's might be less than 32", but lets call them 32" in diameter.

:D

32" - 29.5" = 2.5" larger diameter, or you're increasing the diameter by about 8%.

On the old tires, assuming 55 mph reads as 55 mph....swapping on the 32's means the speedometer is off by that percentage.

As each tire revolution is taking you further than the speedometer thinks, when the speedo says 55 mph, you are going about 8% faster than that...or, about 59.4 mph (55 mph times 1.08 = 59.4 mph)

If you try to figure it the other way..., and multiply the reading by 0.92, you get 59.4 times 0.92 = 54.6 mph, a bit faster than true, because you can't add and subtract the same percentage, as the same percentage of the larger number and the smaller number, are different, etc.

So - anyway, if the speedo says 60 mph, you're going about 65 mph.

If you WANT to go 55 mph, you have to drive the speeo at about 50 mph.

If the speedo says 65 mph, you're really going at about 70 mph.

If the speedo says you're going 100 mph, you're really going about 108 mph, etc...

:D

At slower speeds, the percentage off is minor enough that your speedo probably can't tell the differnce anyway...

So 25 mph on the speedo is only 27 mph actual, close enough to avoid a ticket.

:D

Now, remember that the ODOMETER is now off 8% as well...so that exit you wanted at 60 miles from the last turn...it was about 5 miles back.

And - when you get gas, and your odometer says you only went 250 miles on that last tank...well, you really went about 270 miles, and you were probably going faster than normal, because you drove at the old speedometer readings like normal....so you got worse mileage from speeding, but went further than you thought, at a higher rate of speed.

:D

true tj good write up.... i will write down the diffrences on mine and post it

That is great. Thanks, TJ.

Well we got them put on last night and the tire guys called and said "these tires are too big and will not fit, they are rubbing", to which I said "I guess I need to trim more, slap those bad boys on and don't think about it, I will be there in 30 minutes to pick it up".

So we trimmed more on one side last night and will hit the other after work tonight. The one thing that surprised me was when it locks full to the left there is a pop that happens. I think it may be the steering stops that need to be adjusted or something. Does that sounds right?

If the noise is at full lock, its probably the steeing stops...there's two per hub, one front, one back...if its just noise, a dab of Mobil1 synthetic grease seems to be the hot ticket.

If the tire is also hitting something...the stops can be turned out a bit to limit the tire swing/prevent hit/rub.

:D

hey tjtj i just reread your post earlier, the 255's are a hair under 30" and my 285's are i think right at 32" i will remeasure and let you know.... i also have one of my old tires that i was going to use as a spare, but the rim on my spare is a 15" i still cant figure out how i have 16" stock rims and a 15" spare.......

If the noise is at full lock, its probably the steeing stops...there's two per hub, one front, one back...if its just noise, a dab of Mobil1 synthetic grease seems to be the hot ticket.

If the tire is also hitting something...the stops can be turned out a bit to limit the tire swing/prevent hit/rub.

:D

That is what I kind of suspected. Thanks.