Hello everyone!

So I have had a 2004 Xterra for almost a year now and have taken it out on a couple of trails so far (Sycamore creek 201A, and Box Canyon) completely stock. All I did was remove the fake nerf bars and the mud flaps, and I did really well. The one thing I had issue with was the stairstep at Box Canyon - I really needed something to keep my wheels from slipping.

So here is where I am at:

1. I need a little bit of lift. I am interested in something less than 2" of lift - is there something inexpensive in the 1" - 1.5" range?

2. I want better tires - I still have my factory tires and I need some all terrains or some such. Looking at my vehicle, it doesn't look like I can put any bigger tire on it without rubbing like crazy. Will a 1 - 1.5" lift allow me to use larger tires? Perhaps a 1" lift + larger tires would be an option. . .

3. I am thinking of getting some quick disconnects for the rear sway assembly - is there a good quality inexpensive option for this?

4. Perhaps most importantly, I want to learn about limited slip options (I don't want detroit lockers, and ARB lockers are just too expensive imho). It looked like Calmini had only a front limited slip differential available, and I was hoping for a rear limited slip diff. I found a limited slip rear diff from 4x4parts.com, but I have no clue of the quality. It is a clutch style limited slip, and I am curious if it will wear out from just normal street driving. . .

Any help along these lines would be GREATLY appreciated. My wife saw the video from our Box Canyon run and she is on board with doing some upgrades, but I sure can't spend billions of bux on it. I am looking to get the most bang for the buck - if a 1" lift + quick disconnects will make a massive difference for me, then that is probably where I will go.

-Verxion

A poor mans lift is all I have with my X. The shackles are an 1.5" lift for about $50, and then you just turn your T-bars abit to lift the front. I have 265/75/16 under mine and all I had to do was shave the plastic from the front flap area.

#3- remove the rear sway completely and installed quick disconnects on the front.

Totally agree with the last two posts. Most people will tell you the biggest off roading improvement you can make is better tires.

Throw on some shackles for the lift and get rid of the rear sway bar, and you're well on your way.

Mark

My understanding was that the sway bar was there specifically to help prevent you from rolling when making rapid manuvers on the road.

I thought they were for stability. . .

What changes if I remove the rear sway bars completely? Also, someone said something about disconnects for the front - the front has sway bars as well?

I ask because I tow with this vehicle, and I have a wife that uses it as a kid taxi. I don't want to compromise safety just to save a few bucks.

-Verxion

I used to have the Calmini Quick Disco's and I just ended up removing the sway bars. Like yourself, I did not want to do so, but the like others said I really did not notice much of a difference (though I do not drive crazy).

Here is why I ended up removing my Quick Disco's.
1) They make a ton of noise. Every little bump you'll hear them. There are others who have modified their Quick Disco's so that they do not make so much noise, so that might be an option for you.
2) Even with them disconnected, part of the sway bar will hang when you are off roading and you will need to be careful not get them caught up on anything. The part of the sway bar still connected can also dent your rear passanger side shock.
3) No matter how tight I had them, the bolts kept coming loose. I tried lock washers and that helped a little, but still did not do the trick.

My advice if you want to keep the sway bar connected as you drive around town, keep it connected and then remove it on the trips you take the X off roading. It will take some extra time to do so (half hour max I'd guess), but IMHO it is a much better solution than the Quick Disco's.

XterrAZ:
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Could you please comment - does the front have sway bars as well?

Also, is there some type of quick disconnects the does NOT yield the problems that Yzerman listed below?

Thanks,

-Verxion

There are two sway bars, anti-sway bars actually. One in the front and one in the rear. The front is a much larger diameter than the rear and handles most of the anti-sway action.

The sway bars are used to control body roll when turning. Body roll is not the same as "rolling a vehicle", it is the lean of a vehicle when corning, the larger the sway bar the less the lean.

Most everyone in the club for the first few years took their rear bar completely off and added quick disconnects to the front bar. You don't want to drive the vehicle on the street without the front bar connected. Trust me on this one, I removed it before a back road to Crown King run one time and about shiat myself driving it to the meeting place. Very tippy and very unstable feeling going down the hiway. You won't even notice taking the rear bar off.

The disconnects most people were using for the front bar were either Calmini or ones made by Craig, an ex member of the club. Both were basically bolts with wing nuts for ease of removal. You will need to tie up or secure the front bar or the possibility does exist of hitting or banging the bar around.

There is a front and rear sway bar on the X.

Most people feel the rear sway bar adds about 20% of the stability, and the front about 80%.

I removed my rear bar completely. I do notice a slight difference, but nothing that feels remotely unsafe. Maybe at highway speeds and making a sharp cut to dodge something in the road it might come into play. But since I've never encountered that situation, and I think its pretty unlikely, I am willing to take the chance. Many of us have our rear bars completely off. My other car is a little sports car, so I tend to corner aggresively, even in the Xterra. Never come close to feeling like I was going to tip over.

There is a front sway bar and I have driven on the highway with it disconnected and I don't recommend it You can buy quick disconnects, but as previously posted, they might be noisy? You can also make your own with about $15 in parts or so that are tight and not noisy. Although I am in need a couple new rubber bushings and am having trouble finding them now. If you're at the meeting on Friday, I can pull one of mine off to show you what it takes.

Mark

Removing the front sway bar is noticeable, but removing the rear is not. That said, depending on your driving style, you may be able to tolerate removing the front one as well. I ran without one for about 3 years on my Frontier when it was IFS without issue, however the frontier isn't quite as top heavy as an Xterra.

I'm assuming you have the stock 16" rims. Upgrading tires to a LT265/75/16 with more agressive tread can be done with little or no trimming with a torsion bar crank. Doing the PML as others have suggested works for moderate lift...about 1-1.5" is all you can get and still get the front end to align. Also, any lift in the front will accelerate wear on the stock steering centerlink and could lead to tierod failures on hillclimbs. With any lift, I'd strongly recommend an aftermarket steering solution, of which there are several to choose from. There's dozens of topics on the site about which is better and for which reasons.

For tires....what do you want? BFG All Terrains offer good highway performance and moderate trail performance with considerably more durability than the stock tires. A BFG mud has a more agressive tread and will grip even better in loose conditions. Goodyear MTR's are the ultimate in an offroad radial tire that still offers decent highway performance. They're also the most durable against sidewall cuts in my experience.

Ok, time to get down to some specific details.

1. It looks like Calmini makes some shackles for $50 - part number NP12639. Are these ok, or are there some better ones to be had?

2. It looks like the sway bar disconnects that Calmini makes are for the rear sway bars ONLY. Assuming I remove the rear sway bars entirely, who should I be getting front sway bar disconnects from? Also, is there a manufacturer that makes something to assist in securing the sway bars while they are disconnected?

3. Assuming that I do the shackle + torsion bar lift, and then purchase some 265/75/16 tires - will my only rub issue be from turning, or will it also be from wheel travel? Anyone have a picture of what they did in terms of grinding plastic away or whatever for the larger tires?

Thanks for your help!

-Verxion

P.S. I hope to see you all on Friday!

Calmini shackles will work fine.

If you do the torsion crank, you will need an alignment when you're done because the tires will be toed in, and the camber may be out a bit as well..

Where are you? Would be easier to show you what might need trimmed. If you run stock rims, the only rub potential will be from turning.

At your next AZXC meeting have the guys show you what you need to do for the PML.

I should be able to make it on Friday, so hopefully someone can show me a few pointers.

I live in Gilbert - near Williams Field and Higley.

Anyone have some input on the disconnects?

-Verxion

the discos are a waste, IMO. Take off your rear sway, leave it off, and we'll build you a aset of front sway quick discos if you think you'll relaly need them. How often do you go out wheeling?

I agree. I have the quick disco's in the front, but I mean, if you're only out wheeling every couple of months, its not like the extra 3 mins that it takes to pull out some wrenches to take them off really matter.

Glad you're coming out to the meeting, all your questions will be answered there. The trimming isn't much and is unnoticable unless you stick your head down in the wheel well.

Mark

I'm not a dues paying member of AZXC, but I live up in Mesa near Val Vista and Broadway, and if you wanted to stop by some evening, I can spend some time walking you through all the components on your truck. I've installed several lifts on Xterras and have worked on a few SAS swaps as well.

Andy's like a doctor..

Desert Rat - do you have the front disconnects? I would like to install some for a run this weekend, and was wondering if I could look at yours.

Thanks,

-Verxion

We don't have disconnects on my X but we only have a front sway bar - rear one has been completely off for years.

I tow a trailer fairly often, so I only intend to remove the rear sway bar for 4wd runs, and to put it back on afterwards. Sounds like it is a roughly 5 minute task, so I am not too worried about it.

-Verxion