Steering Stabilizer

is a s.s. worth installing on a stock X?

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]00 BLK SE[

I think it is a all around good modification. It works great keeping your steering wheel stable when you hit ruts and holes when you off road. Another great safety feature, is if you have a blow out at higher speeds, it will keep your steering somewhat straight so you can easily manuver(s?) off the road to change your tire.

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Blenderheads Xterra Homepage

Greg Moultrie
00 Aztec Red XE 3-pak
4x4 Auto

does the front end need to be aligned after installing?

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]00 BLK SE[

I would say get one if you drive on sand/beaches. That's where I've found the wheel to pull the most. If you do a fair amount of trail/off roading then yeah, it's a good thing to have, but not numero uno on the mods list. If you just do highway/city driving then nah, waste of coin.

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01 SE 4x4
Silver Ice

No, you're not changing any of the geometry.

Brent

I have Steering Stabilizers on my X and i love them. They're great for city driving as well as off-roading. I works great when you drive thru high wind areas and when you get passed up by a speeding big rig. I find that your X doesn't get thrown around as much. I recommend them highly, even if you have a stock X.


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2000 Xterra Denim Blue, Dave. aka Medic
Take 2 tylenol and don't call 911.

Could someone please explain to me how an SS works? I have seen trucks and pictures with them but I would like to know more about them in general.

Thanks.

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Xavier
All your trail are belong to us

It's really nothing more than the equivalent of a wheel shock mounted between the steering system and the frame or some other fixed point. It dampens movements in the steering system so you don't get as much kickback in the steering wheel if you tweak a rock or the like on the trail, and it also helps hold the line when a wind gust trys to blow you to one side.

Brent

Where is a good place to purchase? Can it be done easily done at home, or is it better to have a shop install? Thanks!

After 40mph winds driving across Nebraska, this sounds like a very good thing... plus the benefit ON the trail.

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Dan.
Exploring the Rockies

SLR and www.4x4parts.com sell them. I have actually heard good things about the 4x4parts.com one.

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:wq!
Senior Member - Southeast Xterra Club
Tread Lightly!

the slr is a rancho s.s, what is the 4x4parts one? looked on the site couldn't find the info



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]00 BLK SE[

I bought my steering stabilizer from 4x4parts.com. I received a Rancho shock and all the necessary mounting components.

Dave

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2000 Xterra Denim Blue, Dave. aka Medic
Take 2 tylenol and don't call 911.

thanks for the info.... i assume it was an easy bolt on, nothing major?

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]00 BLK SE[

For on-road steering the stock setup is just fine IMO and most people most likely don’t need one.

For the type of off-roading I do a stabilizer is beneficial in certain situations. Helps and/or reduces: on-center steering, wandering, wheel shimmy and prevents getting pulled towards/into ruts/holes/ditches among other things.

If you're into off-roading, run larger tires, lifted, etc. than a stabilizer is generally a good idea IMO.

The installation of the stabilizer should be a breeze for anybody who can turn a wrench and shouldn't take longer than ~ 15 minutes total with the proper tools.

Click here for a picture of my steering stabilizer. Easily clears stock skid plate, but was off due to oil change, excuse the spill on the boot



[This message has been edited by Xtoolbox (edited 04-23-2001).]

Does the stabilizer fit under the stock skidplate?

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2001 Alpine Green SE 4x4
I guess it's got something to do with luck, but I waited my whole life for just one --- truck

SLR is currently in the R&D stages of a Bilstien-shock steering stabilizer. Should be out in another month. I'd wait for that.

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The Steering stabilizers from 4x4parts.com fit just perfectly with the stock skid plates without any problems. All the necessary parts were given and installation for me was only 15-30mins.

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2000 Xterra Denim Blue, Dave. aka Medic
Take 2 tylenol and don't call 911.

where did u hear that from? i e-mailed SLR... no response



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]00 BLK SE[

more than 2 months, and less than a year ago one of the 4x4 magazines commented on steering stabilizers. to them, this mechanism was good for hiding flaws in the suspension geometry and steering. in other words, they did not recomend it.

i believe the article was on 10 suspension myths. shame on me for not knowing which magazine i am paraphrasing. does anyone remember such an article?

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it's my wife's xterra; sometimes i get to drive...
accasbel@home.com

I remember the article, but what they failed to mention is that an IFS truck will inherently have much more bump steer than a solid axle truck.

If you have adjusted your torsion bars for a higher ride height, it will be even more noticable.

Look at the steering linkage on your Xterra, notice the tie rod angle between the steering knuckle and the pitman/idler arm.

As the suspension moves, that angle changes, and in doing so moves the steering back and forth, simply by the tire moving vertically (you don't have to hit something at an angle).

We bumped a large rock in Moab last week, and it spun the wheel 180 degrees and threw my forearm onto the horn. Leslie almost had a heart attack. There was no tie-rod damage, but a stabilizer would have absorbed some of the force, and put a little less stress on the steering components.

There are some very easy to break parts under there, and if you're running larger tires than stock, a stablizer (and an idler arm brace) will help in the long run.

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Regards,
Ian

Thanks. And you reminded me of a major slant of the 4x4 mag's, they prefer solid-axle platforms and a large portion of their hints should be viewed in this light, which I didn't.

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it's my wife's xterra; sometimes i get to drive...
accasbel@home.com

XterraMedic,

Did you have any problems getting those two bolts off of the steering unit? I was trying so hard that the entire truck was moving! I still can't get 'em off, I tried everything!!!

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'01 Silver Ice SE 4x4

Got my stabilizer on last night, just had to use a torque bar (thanks XterraMedic) to get those steering gear unit bolts off! I took it on a bumpy road by my house and I can definitely tell the difference!

It was funny, though, when I went to get the torque bar at the hardware store. The guy asked me what I needed it for, I told him it was to remove some big bolts on my steering gear unit to put a stabilizer on. He told me that I had to remove the ENTIRE steering unit, that I would need a steering wheel puller (?). I said no thanks.

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'01 Silver Ice SE 4x4

You cant blame the guy for trying to sell you something you dont need! I am usually pretty careful about which hardware guy advice I listen to.



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Xavier
All your trail are belong to us

I have my stabilzer installed for a few weeks now and I have noticed a big difference in the handling and such. It also took a little hard work to get those steering unit nuts off, but after that it went right in no problem. Good luck

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2000 Silver 5spd 3pak
"Reality is what you make of it."

One of the 'honorary guests' to one of the NCCX outings had one on his Frontier (yr 2000, I believe). It was from http://rough.roughcountry.com/ . I don't know if it fits the Xterra w/o modification but it just might be another option.

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Cheers!, -John
NCCX http://www.geocities.com/norcal_clubx