Asking for some thoughts about what to do next. Made the front tortion bar adjustment for approx. 1 and 3/4 inch height increase with 5 turns on each side, and some smaller adjustments to lower it down to 1 and 3/4 inches. no pull. had the wheels alighned, then noticed a pull to the right. lowered the front to 1 and 1/2 inch above original height. took it back to the same alignment shop, they made a few wheel adjustments, said it was straight as an arrow, still pulls. took it back, they said, it must be the tires. had the tires rotated, balanced, tire pressure all set to 35psi. still pulls.
going to the dealer service to get an oil change and have them look at how far i might be off with maybe one side being "more torqued" than another.
Note: when I say some smaller adjustments to lower it down to 1 and 3/4 inches, that is b/c after I adjusted the drivers side, the passenger side was higher than its original measurement even before i made an adjustment. seems as though the pass. side went up secondary to drivers side going up.
what to do?


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C6H5OH

Due to the crown on most roads, a car will typically pull a bit to the right. If it didn't do it at all before and it does now, perhaps it was out of alignment before and now that it's in alignment it feels like it's pulling.

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Eric Konarske & Lara, my X
'01 Solar Yellow XE 3 Pk. 4x4

My does the same thing, it would pull to the right. I've had it aligned about 6 times now and finally I'm happy. The dealer was hopless because I had BFG AT's and they kept blaming the tires, I eventually found another place that got it right.

It still rolls off the crown of the road, but not as much. I jacked the front end up once and could move the tires about half an inch before the steering wheel started to move. I don't know if this is normal.

Richard Krenn

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I don't think it's even possible to get the alignment perfect with that much torsion bar adjustment. I believe once you go past about 1 inch, there is not enough camber adjustment available to get it right...or atleast that's what someone told me!

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ChuckH
2000 SE 4x4, Aztec Red

It is normal on a recirculating ball type steering system like the X has. If you had a car with rack & pinion steering that would not be normal.

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Eric Konarske & Lara, my X
'01 Solar Yellow XE 3 Pk. 4x4

I just put on 31" tires and had to crank the torsion bar bolts 13 times to get 1 1/2". Is this normal? It seems to pull a little, but to both directions. Will a steering stabilizer really make a big difference?
Any help is appreciated.

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2001 Alpine Green SE 4x4
Stock (so far)

You went too far. You should not use torsion lift more than 1" without making other adjustments to the front suspension. A steering stabilizer will not help with pulling, it is more to smooth out jerking and jarring on the steering (when you hit a bump, the steering jumps left or right). I recently changed from 31" ATKO's to 32" MT's. Steering is a lot more "squirrely". I fully expect the steering stabilizer to fix this. I, too, experienced the pull to the right. They tried to blame the tires. I got new tires, so that threw that out the window. They have an "alignment specialist" coming in on Saturday, they say he can fix it for sure.



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"Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
Join the Heartland Xterra Owners Club at www.hxoc.net

cool, Caver-X. Let us know what the doctor says. I am going to flip flop the front tires and see if it pulls the opposite direction. If that doesn't work, I must not be going to the alignment shop enough. Bought a three year agreement with Michael Tire for $115.00 that says I can come in practically every day for three years and they will align it every time. They recomend every six months.

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C6H5OH

Well, the pro helped some. The right front wheel had too much toe (or so they tell me). They also tweaked my camber and caster, they were a little off. It still pulls to the right, though not nearly as bad now. Next stop, check tire inflation all around, make sure it is perfect. If that doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do... Have 'em check wheels, brakes?!?

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"Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
Join the Heartland Xterra Owners Club at www.hxoc.net