To Torque or not to torque the torsion bars?

Aloha Friends, I just ordered my new rear shackles for my X, and was planning on raising the front end as well by cranking the torsion bars a bit.. If I do this will my front end suspenion feel ANY different?--
I did this to my old 84 nissan 4x4 xcab and seemed like it made feal real stiff up front, Felt too solid... Speed bumps and minor road holes didnt feel to good!!
Also long term damage to my X to expect??
Any input from Y'all would be greatly appreciated..


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It will make for a stiffer ride, and increase tire wear over time. Your front track (distance between wheels) will also be decreased, but you won't notice it behind the wheel. Bump steer will be increased too due to the increased angle of the steering tie-rods.
You'll probably need an alignment afterwards too.

If you're putting longer shackles on the back, then you better raise the front, or you will have a very odd looking Xterra.

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Regards,
Ian

[This message has been edited by xoc (edited 03-09-2001).]

That would be a serious rake angle if you don't raise the front... Hehehe.

If you don't raise it all that much, I don't think you'll notice any harsh side effects. If you near the limit of the torsion bars adjustment range though, you more than likely will - and preloading them that much isn't a good idea.

Keep it within reason and you should be just fine.

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2001 Solar Yellow SE 4x4 V6 5spd

Sigh...sorry to ask but where do I measure the distance from the ground to the frame before I start? I want to make sure I am doing this correctly and the MAXC howto doesnt really specify where measurements should be taken.

Thanks,

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Xavier
"I said, Reading is GOOD, can we start the story now?"

I assume you can identify the frame rails. Just pick a point on the frame rail near or even ahead of the front suspension and you'll be OK.

Brent

Thank you brent the smart ass.

I know WHAT to measure from; just wondering if there was a better place to measure from than another.

Thanks for your help...

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Xavier
"I said, Reading is GOOD, can we start the story now?"

Actually this time I was just being matter-of-fact, but you don't seem too miffed about it either way, so no prob.

Brent

After I finished cranking my bars 1-1/2" I also measured from ground to the top of both wheel wells. The front measured at 35" but my back measured at 34 1/4" even after taking it for a drive to test the ride. Should I equal out both front and back to the same heighth or can I leave it as is without any major problems?

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2001 SE SILVER ICE.
"American beer is alot like making love in a rowboat- it's f**king close to water."

I doubt they're even supposed to be even in the first place, don't sweat it.

Be sure and bounce the front end a bit between adjustments to be sure it has settled properly.

Brent

That's what I thought too but just wanted to make sure...Thanks for the reply!

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2001 SE SILVER ICE.
"American beer is alot like making love in a rowboat- it's f**king close to water."

The front and back don't have to match up. Just make sure the left and right are the same (mine weren't from the factory). I measured to the front-lowest part of the wheel well, and increased from 29.5 to 31 inches. The left side took 5 turns, right was 7 in order to even them out.

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Caver-X
"He who dies with the most toys ...WINS!"
Join the Heartland Xterra Owners Club www.hxoc.net

Don't measure to the body, measure to the frame.

The body is bolted to the frame, and the fender panels are bolted to the body, which adds up tolerances. You could be dead level and the left and right fenders could be off by an inch.

The only accurate place to measure is to the frame where the lower a-arm attaches.

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Regards,
Ian

Hey, I recently cranked the torsion bars and i measured it from the body instead of the frame. What could go wrong if it's been overcranked??? I think i'm going drop in back down tomorrow.

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2000 Xterra Denim Blue, Dave. aka Medic

Adjusting your suspension settings without knowing what you are doing is not wise. I would suggest a little more research to anyone thinking that this is just a "cool thing" to do to their truck.

This is not a flame, but rather a concern. If you don't know what you are doing, consider getting help from a professional or someone who has some mechanical knowledge.

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:wq!
wqbang@southeastxterraclub.org

I re-measured mine to the frame, and got the same results as I did to the body, so mine worked out alright. In hindsight, I think measuring to the frame is a much better way to do though.

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Chris McCracken
"He who dies with the most toys ...WINS!"
Join the Heartland Xterra Owners Club www.hxoc.net

I have upgraded from the stock 15" tires to
255-55-17. These are the same over all size as my stock tires, but the after market rims are wider so it rubs when backing up.
My question is, how hard is it to adjust the torsion bars to get about an 1 inch lift out of them?
Thanks,
Chad

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Chad
2K yellow X

Chad, go here:
http://www.maxc.org/mods/torsionbarHOWTO.htm

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"Tell a person that you're the Metatron and they stare at you blankly. Mention something out of a Charlton Heston movie and suddenly everybody is a theology scholar."