Originally posted by Cyclemut:
Ooooooohhhhhhh Baaaaaaabbbbbbbbyyyyyy!

Official review from an outsider (well, me, but I didn't design it):

I was able to inspect the pre-production unit that was installed on DesertHB's Xterra by taking it on several different, Southern California, trails.

The quality is (of course) excellent. The new crossmembers bolt in nicely, with zero modification for the old torsion bar crossmember mounts, the transmission crossmember mounts and the old front diff crossmember mounts. These all bolt up nicely.

The brace that ties the front frame together (between the two upper coilover hoops) is an excellent idea as well. This does two things. Helping to keep the front portion of the frame rigid, and keeping the hoops stable at the bottom of the mounts. The mount for the track bar is more solid than I expected. I was extremely impressed with that as well.

The integrated skid plates are a nice touch. Very sturdy. Although we didn't end up touching them, I had all the confidence in their durability and strength. Awesome combination, SAS and skids.

Looking at the steering, the drag link goes from behind the crossover link (tie rod link bar) to in front of it. I originally thought that it might touch, especially during full crank steering to the right, under full droop. But, zero witness marks after wheeling, full droop [b]and stuff, with no touching. Good to go!

I'm told that a Caster Angle adjustment is going to be included in the actual production units. Although it's not needed for DesertHB's truck at the height that it's at now, some folks may decide to go higher (myself included) and will need it.

The steering effort is also very nice. The amount of steering effort is different (easier, due to the tie rods being further in distance from the center of the ball joint pivot than the OEM steering was), but is still quite responsive. It'll just take a little bit of getting used to, and you're back in the saddle, no problem.

The front control arms are very stout. With Johnny Joints at the back, very beefy. Smooth operation of both arms, during all obstacles. Won't be worrying about those on my truck, that's for sure. Installation is going to be critical at that point of the install however, as getting the joint body straight (with the vehicle static) will be key. The joint articulates beautifully with the control arm, but if the joint is tightened off center, it could contact the mount. Definately a place to take your time.

The only additions that I would personally suggest, would be the addition of steering stabilizer mounts. Bigger tires (33's plus), with the different steering geometry of the solid axle, make for some different steering feedback that a stabilizer would take care of. The other might be a manually adjustable brake proportioning valve. But that could be an add on, as the bigger front calipers (over OEM) just take a little bit more travel to engage (got used to it fairly quickly though). It would all depend on the axle and what brakes you ended up with.

We were able to really put the strenght of the SAS swap to the test this past weekend. Standing the truck on it's front axle (back wheel off the ground, doing a severe dropoff) and the vehicle was still solid. The articulation that was allowed, vs. the OEM IFS, is phenomenal. At the point of dropping off, the movement allowed was probably the difference between an endo down the obstacle, and driving it home that night. That's no exageration.

The kit's quality is a testimonial to Calmini's efforts to continue to give it's customer's the best it possibly can. My hat's off to Steve and the crew on a job well done.

I'll be in line for one of the kits, don't doubt that.

Although a 'formal review' was not asked for from me personally, I thought that I would go ahead and give my personal opinion on the SAS, as I percieved it. I really do love it. I'm not getting paid for my opinion. Although, DesertHB's hospitality is awesome. I don't think I've drank that much beer in a long time. I'd go with him anywhere, any time. He's a true wheeler and a gentlemen, no doubt.[/b]