Looking to Lift - Need Help - Please Help

Hello all you X owners. I'm glad to have found a forum where I can poll for ideas and then be able share our thoughts. Anyhow, pretty new to the board. I found myself looking for answers that no one could provide and I was hoping someone could help me out. I have a 2001 silver XE Xterra with about 31K milage. I was looking to install the BFG 31 /10.5 /15's however, I still have about 7k before I have to replace the originals stock tires. So it might be a good idea to install a lift kit before installing the above mentioned tires. Here's my confusion.... where do I start?? Can someone please explain how to go about lifting my X as if I was a 3 year old. Please include costs, pros and cons, how it will affect my gas milage, will I be able to get into parking lot garages, and any other question you might of asked before lifting your X. I would love to share and draw from your experiences. I will probably have to take it to a shop for installation since I do not have the time nor the tools. I would greatly appreciate anyone who could shed some light on this topic or point me to the right direction.

Thanks in advance,

Your inquiring X owner.

Just an FYI, you don't need a lift to slap 31's on..

Welcome to the board..

Body lift = cheap ($200) time comsuming ($$$?)
Suspension = some steering problems, $750+, cheaper install ($200-$300), better ride and articulation
If you don't 4wheel at all and still want to add the big tires go with the body lift and some Rancho or equivalent shock. Adjustable preferably. The stock tires on mine are about 30", just no tread.

Don't do the body lift... Too much is involved for that. Ths suspension is better. PLUS you get wheel travel (mostly)

Here's a price for doing it like most people here have-

$85 for Rancho Add-A-Leaf's
$65/shock (need longer shocks due to lifint the back)
Torsion Bar Tweak- Free
Alignment of front end- $65

Try www.extreme4x4parts.com Todd can help you round everything up.

All in all, you'll gain about 2-3 inches once everything has settled.

The $750 is for the more elaborate setups which it doesn't sound like you need.

Where do you live? Hook up with a local club, talk to people who have done each lift and get their first hand opinions. They can also help/teach you how to install it. Doing your own installations/service work is very rewarding, saves a lot of $$$. You'll also love your truck more since it is your sweat that built it, and you'll know how to fix it when you break it.

You need to know how far you want to go and plan accordingly, if not you will be wasting money.

good luck.

Thanks everyone for the great information. From the looks of it and after reviewing everyone's comments and talking with some local shop the body lift is the long-term solution I'm looking for. It seems to me that the body lift is cheap for a reason. You know what they say, "you get what you pay for." I have some direction now, I'm still not too clear where to go from here. I'm probably going to go with what you guys call, " adding a leaf" and upgrading my rear shocks. What brands do I go with? Is it better to get a new leaf system (like the SLR) or adding to the currect stock (Rancho)? What kind of rear shock do I go with? I get the logic for the rear for the most part... I'm really lost to the lifting the front end? Tweaking the torsion bar from what I've been able to gather will really stiffen(sp) your ride? What are some recommend ways to lift the front end of the X?

2-3 inches from a torsion bar tweak ?
More like an inch and a bit.

What I meant to say is, "the body lift is not my long-term solution." Okay as I was stating, I understand there are many ways to lift the rear end of an X. I understand for the most part how to but I'm still lost with what brand of shocks and whether to add a leaf or add a new complete leaf system? What are some other ways to lift the front end other than to tweak out the stock torsion bar. And from what I'm hearing doing this will stiffen your ride and cause extra stress? Parts? brands? cost? Thanks guys....

Ditto... You don't want to go more than 1.5" or so on the stock t-bars. Even with the SAW bars, 2.0" is about max - without needing new UCAs as well (an additional $350+). With the UCAs, you can go to 3" of lift altogether in the front.

I'm new to all of this, so can someone tell me what UCAs are? What are some other options in lift the front? Thanks

UCA = Upper Control Arms

Basically these things: WD22 Control Arms

as warmly , politely , gently and as kindly as possible:

This is a great time to acquaint yourself with the search feature in that upper right hand corner.

Lift options have been extensively covered here and all you need to do is type the words lift , lift kits and shocks for starters to get you going.

You need to spend some time and do a little research for yourself. The information is there , you just need to take the time to read it.

I would research like the fine people above me suggested. If you have more questions I am sure that there would be someone here that could answer them.

But as I have experianced... the Automotive Customizer UCA's have a bad habit of not working too well with the Xterra. I had to ditch the AC arms and go with the Calmini ones.

Guys...
He's got a 4x2...

Hmmm, okay - then lower it!

Seriously though, he can still lift it - he just wants to fit larger tires, not necessarily for off-roading with the truck, so...

I would stick with AALs and tweak the stock torsion bars, then. Don't get all fancy and go beyond what you really need to.

From what I'm hearing it a waste of time to invest by piecemealing. Even though the A.C.com looks pretty tempting because the 3" suspension lift with the arms runs for $400. I'm looking at the CALMINI lift kit for one xterraparts.com supports it and everyone on this topic seems to take a liking to it. Any idea how much it should cost to have it installed? Thanks for all the feedback.

It probably is cheaper in the long run to just buy a full kit... You do get some extra parts that you wouldn't normally, like the bump-stop spacers for the rear, or the diff lowering bushings in the SLR kit...

I went the piecemeal route because of cost and well, I wanted to start off small. I'm pretty much at the point now though, that I've installed a full kit, save for the UCAs.

One good thing about doing it piecemeal is that you can be very selective in your parts, and I think I've strived to get the best of everything, IMO. I've got the SAW t-bars, Bilsteins, and today I'm installing the SLR three-leaf AALs. I'm going to wrap it all up with Calmini UCAs and their steering system when it's out.

I can always make my own bump-stop spacer... :-D

It's not a question of what people like, It what works and won't add problems like improper tire wear for starters...

SLR 1" shackles and triple-leaf AALs installed!

Look for a post soon with bunches of photos, a review of sorts, etc.

Suffice it to say that now that the ass end is up higher (by a good bit!) I really want to drop in the Calmini UCAs now and crank up the t-bars another notch...

I'm drawing the line at a body lift though!

Okay, after examining all of my options, here what I'm leaning to as of right now. After figuring out all this new lingo, SLR, EOE, AC, and others, for my purpose I think I'm going to go with the www.automotivecustomerizers.com or AC. They seem to have all of the rancho suspension lift packages that fits my budget and needs. I'm going to go with the adding a leaf method instead of the shackels. Anyhow thanks for all of your input, hopefully I'll be able to post some before and after pictures for those who might be interested or just wanted to see a simple setup. Thanks guys...

My X before lift.... Hope to post X after lift soon.











MOD's so far: Front tinted windows, Yakima snowboard racks, Yakima Hitch mtn.bike rack.

Thanks guys for the info on posting pics...You guys are the greatest....

Pics have to be hosted somewhere on the internet (geocities and some others won't work). Type everything in just like this:

http://www.whatever.com/picname.jpg

Only replace "<" and ">" with "[" and "]".

Edit: Like this:

Look at the header to the "Pictures" forum:


If you need somewhere to host your pict...s for more info

I'm taking another poll:

>>>If you lift the truck and don't beef up the steering system, you will toast the center drag link and the idler arm. It won't matter if the truck never sees dirt either... it will still get worn. <<<<<<

I'm know there's truth in the above statement but why aren't lift kits sold with these parts? I'm changing my mind again, I'm going to go with the Calmini Kit instead seeing that the AC front suspension lift have some flaws.....

I think it's more accurate to say that if you keep your front-end lifting to a reasonable minimum, you probably won't have any issues.

Case in point, I have the SAW t-bars and SS... Cranked up the front - but only to within normal specs on the bumpstop gap. If you go too high, and put in UCAs, etc. then you're much more likely to see problems, IMO.

Unfortunately, this is the next step for me... So I'm going to wait until the Calmini steering system is out, too - and do it all in one shot.

Calmini has a system out check out:

Here is the steering kit that Calmini is offering...
http://www.purenissan.com/steering_system.htm

Right... But it won't be out until August.

New Game plan: Any comments or words of guidance?

PHASE I
Install new tires: BFG T/A KO 31/10.5/15 - $350 ( Have a friend that works for
Sears)

Purchase and and self install Rancho RS9000 Shocks. - $220? (You'll have to give me
some guidance with the self-install portion) Pretty easy to do?
______________________________________________________________________

PHASE II

Sway A Way torsion bars--$174.95
AC idler arm brace--$29.95 or Calmini ideler arm brace $34.95
Rear add-a-leaf w/anti-friction pads--$62.50
_______________________________________________________________________

PHASE III

Improve front end suspension by adding Upper Arm Controllers.
Cost: Not yet determined?

Looks good to me, but here are some of my personal opnions...

-I would go with the Bistein shocks over the ranchos
-Do the tires first only
-Do the shocks at the same time as the AAL and t-bar crank (no higher than 1 1/4") and get the longer rear shocks

Just my .02

I would avoid the Automotive Customizers Upper Control Arms like the plague.. But that is just my opinion..

Really ? I had no idea you felt that way. Can you tell us why you feel so strongly about that ?

As far as the shocks. Don't buy them for the stock length now if you plan on installing any type of lift later on. As someone else up there said , buy them when you do the lift otherwise it's quite possible that you would have to replace them anyways.

That was a lame attempt at being a smart ass..

Back from my vacation and back on my mission, in finding a suitable lift kit that is designed to near perfectation (without any harmful flaws) . The more I read and hear from you guys I keep building my storage of knowledge. And I'm pleased to say I'm very close to my decision making point. I just ordered a OEM cargo rubber liner and scheduled for my BFG TA KO 31/10.5/15 install. I ran across a suspension lift kit that hasn't been mentioned on this board. FABTECH SUSPENSION SYSTEM. You can take a look at truckperformance.com under suspention & Chassis. Any thoughts or comments? I called them and they say they would be willing to give a group discount if I can gather some people to purchase this kit? Comments? Thoughts? Concerns?

check this site out

http://www.truckperformance.com/products/?searchtype=d&sortorder=&urlsubcategory=Suspension+%26+Chassis&productcategory=Lift+Kits-Suspension&sf1=NISSAN&sf2=2001&sf3=XTERRA&sf4=2WD

That is interesting. It seems Fabtech has designed a set of UCA's that seem to be a cross between SLR and Calmini's.

Historically, I recall quite a few guys breaking thier Fabtech AAL's. The UCA's seem pretty beefy.

Intersting development here:

That kit has been arround forever. It's the same one that they used for hardbody trucks. I have seen it on Frontiers all over the place and there is an ugly attempt at an orange prerunner in this months Off-Road that has the Fabtech kit.

Unfortunately it is Fabtech and since the company is local here in O.C. I've been hearing about them breaking on guys on all kinds of trucks for years. I don't know of anyone personally that has had problems with a Nissan specifically but I would bolt them on with a great ammount of trepidation and a grain of salt.

BTW: That Frontier that was in Off-Road was the same one that I was talking about last year that had the wrong offset wheels and blew off its fenders when it landed from a jump at that photo shoot. Pretty funny , they don't mention that in the article.

I'm looking into purchasing the 3.5 inch FABTECH suspension life performance system. In regards this suspension lift is it required to add new wheels (rims) so that the new upper controller arm do not hit any parts of the lift kit or tire? Does this apply to every lift kit? I hear that the OEM wheels don't don't mix well with after market UCA's..Any thoughts?

Gezz, finally some good news. I installed the BFG TA KO 31/10.5/15 on my OEM wheels and just had the Fabtech 3 1/2 inch suspension lift kits. Purchased the lift kit and had it installed for a little over $1000. The tires cost me $350 and another $40 for mounting and balancing. The UCA's did not interfer with the OEM wheels. It was once brought to my attention that after markets wheel were need to install any kit with after market UCA's. I'm totally happy with this kit. Now my only question is what type of service should I keep on my radar. I'm getting everything checked after 500 to 1000 miles. Something about greasing parts and replacing the tie-rods? bah bah? Any truth to all of this? How about an idler arm do I need to replace the OEM one? I'll post new pictures as soon as I'm able.

My old truck was an 84 toyota 2wd with a fabtech 3" lift, 3" body lift and fiberglass fenders. It had 32" tires and I never had any problems. What a fun truck to drive....

Lift Installed... Thanks guys

Will the 31's fit the stock 15" rims?

As long as you purchase a 15" tire. The 31" dimension is the O.D.

Yes they will. I'm running 32's on my stock 2000 SE rims.

There's even a guy that's running 33s on the stock rims. (Tons of T-bar tweaking) and if I remember correctly, Pikachu is running 36s on stock rims (lots of Sawzall action)

Comparison pictures....

Fabtech Pictures

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!"
I see step rails and mud flaps!!!!!
Whats the point?!?!

I'm taking of the mud flaps and tweaking the torsion bar to another half or a full inch. I'm just very excited about the new setup and wanted to help others with the process or be able to show visually step by step.

...just ribbin' ya!
The truck looks really good. I spoke with three people over the weekend with the Fabtech lift, and they love it.
Keep up the good work, and let us know how it holds up!

Pictures without mud flaps, I'm taking the X to Yosemite next weekend, should stop in the middle to do some light off roading and some gun shooting....

for your enjoyment...