hey everyone i have owned my 2001 xterra se 4x4 (Gold) for about a year now and i recently came across this site and i have been thinking about doing a calamini solid axel conversion im shure someone here should know a little about this. what are the pros and cons if any. i do have a stock x but want to make it trail worthy and is my daily driver. will this affect handling on the street. im not planing on running a bigger tire at the moment just looking for capability for now thanks all. dave!

Most people that have done the solid axle conversion say that the truck is no longer useful as a daily driver. It completely changes the way the truck handles.

In my opinion, there is no need to do a SAS on an Xterra unless you live in the western states where there is a lot of major rock crawling.

FIRST OFF
welcome to the club
2nd, will you be rock crawling?
what kind fo terrain will you be wheeling in

beat me to it

yes, unless you are rock crawling you dont need(nor should you even have) a solid front axle
its unnecessary.
it benefits you zero unless you are major rock crawling
its not cost effective at all

get a locker
a suspension lift
a body lift
and good tires
done

I could be wrong on this. It may only be applicable when doing a SAS from other vehicles instead of a new setup, but I think Ive heard it costs an un-Godly amount to do it right. Somewhere around $10000. I COULD BE WRONG , so don't quote me;) .

Either way, just go with what Anthony and Ricer said.

Also, not sure on the price, but a long travel system from TC might be good for you. Maybe.

Oh, and WELCOME!!!

Pros- the sky is the limit when doing a SAS, You get alot of lift, much better articulation on rocky and unlevel terrain. New axles can be use which gives you the choice of running what you want. And if you pick the right axles, alot of aftermarket companies are available for replacement parts, upgraded gears, lockers, etc.

Cons- the cost of the basic kit is just that... basic. When doing a sas you rarely see anyone (if ever) with basic components. They always have much better coilovers/shocks, most have front and rear lockers with different gear sets. And also installation of these parts. Add all that stuff up and the cost of the build is much much more than the price you see the SAS kit selling for. Another con is you lose the IFS, which is a much better suspension set up for on road driving. Dont get me wrong there are still SFA vehicles being produced (heavy duty trucks) so they will still be drivable, but the ride will be much different.


I am surprised that you said you want to do a SAS, but you dont want to run a larger tire. In my opinion, you should not do a SAS if that is the case.

I have just covered this briefly... so i didnt express every point there is, but you get the idea. why dont you talk with some guys who have acutally done a SAS to a first gen X? if there arent any here then you will find some over at www.xterraownersclub.com

Budget is another point, you should expect to pay a minimum of $5k for a SAS.

yes a sas is very expensive...... but like they said earlier after you do it wont be your DD... so its somthing to consider.....

I dont know about the first gens.... but there are at least two SASed second gens that are used as daily drivers. Also.... when I went to Moab, there were probably five SASed first gens and they all drove them many highway miles to get there.... So its not impossible to keep it as a daily driver, but it might be a little impractical.

hey everyone thanks for the response. i basicly should say i want a better trail rig my x is stock and i do trail ride mostly but it seems limited at times i ride rocky and muddy terrain mostly atv trails on the mountain with some water holes.i try to avoid most of them but most have to be gone thru. hey ricer-x what suspension lift do you and everyone else reccomend for me ? and a body lift i thought this was done for looks and tire clearance this could be done when i change tire size? i guess it would help in the water holes keeping dry. oh and front or rear locker. anyone has any helpful ideas please post im open to any ideas ill have more questions later im shure. id like to buy like a kit if possible instead of buying peices but whatever works right ? also i live near paragon adventure park atv/suv playground oh as for the daily driver situation i dont drive more than 30 miles a day so let me know what my options are thanks Dave....

well if you only want one. i believe the rear locker is more effective

most of us run the 3" suspension lift from www.4x4parts.com
i have the bilstien hd shocks

the body lift can be piebed together for less than $70
theres a thread about it in the DIY section

you are right, the only function of a BL is to clear larger tires, larger tires are the only way to get your axle higher off the ground, if you have a bigger footprint the more traction you have and the less likely you are to sink in mud

i have two sets of wheels and tires, my road tires on my factory wheels
and some very aggressive mud tires on a cheap set of good looking steel wheels(rockcrawler brand from www.4wheelparts.com ) that way, i dont have to worry about the poor daily performance of my mud tires on the road, they go on when i go wheelin, just something to consider

hope ive been helpful
any other questions feel free to ask

Also, Paragon is closed. So you'll have to make the drive up to Rausch Creek.

I'm going to post up a welcome after this,

If you want to be able to hit the trails. this is what you need to do.
Step #1 Get better tires, All terrain tires. recommended BFG All terrain KO's or Bridgestone Duerler A/T revo's.
Step #2 Sliders, and skid plates
#3 suspension lift.

Suspension lift,, you have a few choices. You can do a body lift. This is only good for giving you space for bigger tires, but for what u want to do, this is impractical. You could lift it cheaply using spacer and shackles(or Add a leaf). If your on a budget this is the way to go. Other option is replacing shocks up front, installing total chaos uca. and installing add a leaf in the rear to give you the lift. I wouldn't go over 2inch. I dunno since its a first gen1.

Good luck.

Anyone who can add to this feel free.

LOL you cant do a spacer lift on the 1st gen cause there is no coils in the front....... and you have 2 options you can do a pml to get 1.5" or a full SL and get 3-4".. now rancho has a 2.5" lift but it is said to kill your flex....