Post your comments, suggestions, experience on the Nissan Motorsports Heavy Duty Torsion Bar install. Pictures welcome!
(If you don't know what this is about visit www.xterra4x4.com under Mods)

Very nice work, Ian, er, Schludwiller. We linked from our site to your install.

Steve@XterraParts.com

Thanks. I'm going to post an update as I found an easier way to get the splines to line up on the front.

Yes please advise on the new steps. This will be my next upgrade, so I will keep my eye on this post.:smoker2:

Originally posted by blenderhead
Yes please advise on the new steps. This will be my next upgrade, so I will keep my eye on this post.:smoker2:

The short story is to remove the two inner (small) bolts on the front anchors. Then after loosening the large bolt you can pivot the anchor down for easier alignment of the torsion bar splines.

Once in, you can pivot the bar back up and lock it all down.

Much easier to go this route, and you don't have to use the magic "hammer of force". :)

:D

Thanks.

:smoker2:

Hey T.

I just realised the board has a spellchecker. Should reduce some of your pain reading the posts.
Now if I just remember to use it on the web page......... :cyclops:

damn that install sucked. after all the shit i have done to my truck that was by far the WORST time i have had installing anything. probably more my unsuredness of having it right than anything, but it took for F@#%ing ever to get it where I think its right!!! and i am still not sure about it.

no clue if i have enough splines in either anchor. i think I have about 1/4" or so sticking out on the front and rear anchors. is that right?

<insert all the curse words you know here>

Yes you'll have about 1/4" sticking out in the front splines (there is a picture in the install that shows that the replacement splines are bigger.

The splines are hard to get in if you don't have the bars lined up well. Best advice I can give is to take out the two small bolts on the front anchor so you can pivot it down about 70 degrees towards the ground. At this angle you should be able to slide the bar right in (no pounding).

So what areas were difficult? Anything that can be clearer in the instructions or was it just hard to do.

well, i have a 1/4" sticking out in the front and the back anchors. was your back one like that as well or was it flush? the pics you have in the instructions only talk show the front one clearly, the back one is covered by the boot.

speaking of the boot, you need to add in your howto, to add the boot before greasing the splines. I almost forgot to put it on. kennedy reminded me of it. also you make almost no mention of the brass washer in there, where it goes and things like that. that might be valuable to add in there cause when i was having troubles, i thought for a bit that it was becuase of the washer, but it wasn't.

Heh. Sounds like my first install. I would finally get everything in place and then Chuck would say "hey you forgot to put the washer on" Doh! Plus it's a pain in the ass after you get grease all over the bar to pull it out an put it back in.

I'll check to see how much is sticking out in the rear, but I expect it would be the same as the front. 1/4 inch.

Where did you add the washer when you put it back in?

The biggest problem is trying to do it fast and forcing things. Frustration is your biggest enemy. Now that I found how to adjust the front anchor for easier installation I could probably do both bars in about 40 minutes.

exactly. now that i know how to do it and have confidence that i did it correctly, it should take me no time at all. i need to reindex one of them when i get a chance, but it isn't critical right now. if i need to adjust them up more if they sag (which i am hoping they won't cause they are stronger) then i will need to reindex.

overall i am VERY pleased with the ride change. nice and cadillac like. ssssmmmmooootttthhhh. just need time to go get that front end alignment. :)

Hey guys I need some advice.

I installed the new Heavy duty torsion bars that I got from Xterraparts and man does the truck ride rough. I knew that it would be a little stiffer and I am planning on adding an ARB bar and winch shortly but is there anything that I could have done differently to make it a little softer in the short term. I tightened the torsions bars so now I have a ground to frame height of 15" in the front and 15.5" in the back ( SLR 2" shackles). Will loosening the torsion adjustment down to 14.25 inches or so change the ride quality?

Thanks
Brendan

Hi Brendan,

Sounds like you have WAY overtightened your torsion bars! :eek:

The height of my A-arm bolt (the one the A-arm pivots on) is 11.5" with my 31.5" tires. Frame height is probably around 12".

If you have your frame at 15" in front you've removed virtually any flex that your torsion bars would provide. Not to mention putting serious stress on your CV joints.

Torsion bar adjustment and shackles is not a replacement for a quality suspension lift. You are actually degrading the performance and increasing the wear on your truck the way you are going about this.

I'm not trying to lecture here, just steering people away from doing things the wrong way. If you have more questions after reducing the tension of your bars, please feel free to ask.

The front tires must look something like this \\ // when looking head on at that X!:eek:

Brendan,

I responded to your post at XOC too. My truck sits about the same as Schlud's up front after raising the torsion bars. You've given your truck a 3 inch + lift without actually having a 3 inch lift, which is very bad for your suspension and driveline...not to mention how your truck drives and handles.

Based on all of your advice I readjusted everything and now with a frame to ground height of 13.8 inches - stock was 12.5 where I measured - the truck rides beautifully. My wife thinks that is even smoother than stock! I am replacing the front shocks with Bilstiens since they seem to be favored by most people over the RS9000's that I have in the rear. Once again thanks for the quick reply preventing me being a big idiot and doing damage to the drive-train. :alien:

It goes in tomorrow for new tires and an alignment

Hey cdnav8tr,
Any comments on the torsion bar(s) install? Did you reference Schludwiller's installation how-to?
I'm planning this change soon & am currently in the information gathering phase :).

Thanks,
jim.

Yes I did follow his install for the most part. I found it easier to completely remove all three bolts from the from anchor after I had removed the adjustment bolt from the rear anchor. When installing the new bars I would install the front anchor on the shop bench then under the truck I was able to align the rear anchor and slide the bar into it. Then there is enough clearance to lift the front of the bar and remount the front anchor. I was able to complete the whole job in about an hour but I had the benefit of air tools. Good luck and do not over tighten the torsion bars!

A totally off topic question can 32x10.50 swampers clear the stock front bumper. I am planning to go to an ARB but I was going to do the tires first. Looking at the truck this afternoon I am concerned about clearance between the tire and the front bumper.

What kind of swampers? Most 32's are 11.5" wide.

We have two members with 32" TSL's in our club. They have problems with the front bumper flare. One removes his when he goes offroading.

You'll probably have problems with the ARB too, and need to trim the inside of your wing back a bit more.

Gothamist is a good one to ask. He has 32x11.5 SSR's.

P.S. Thanks for the T-bar feedback.

I decided to go with the 32x10.50 TSL radials for a couple of reasons. The first one is cost - I paid $120 per tire includding shipping and the 32X11.50 SSRs are $165 each. I also have been talking to Vikram over at 4x4lo.com and he is getting rubbing in the front and rear under compression with his 11.50s and I want to avoid that if I can by going with a slightly smaller tire. Lastly I live in Texas now (originally from Canada - where I bought my X) and most of my wheeling is in mud where a narrow tire is better anyway.

Vikram = Gothamist. (so good you're already talking with him).

I think the 10.5 is a good choice if you're going with the 32's. Have you looked into getting the center tread siped? That will give you good pavement traction, and better rock crawling performance for about $5-10 a tire.

I have heard that it can reduce tread life...any truth to that?

Well....

In theory that seems like it might have some effect. But I have also heard that if done right it doesn't shorten the tire life. You'll find the tires chunk up with offroad use anyway, and I saw a Jeep with TSL's siped and the tires looked like they could handle anything.

Guess we'll just have to wait for some real life experiences.

Originally posted by cdnav8tr

A totally off topic question can 32x10.50 swampers clear the stock front bumper. I am planning to go to an ARB but I was going to do the tires first. Looking at the truck this afternoon I am concerned about clearance between the tire and the front bumper.


Trim some of the plastic from the front bumper and they will fit. BTW I assume you are talking about TSL's?

I somehow missed this thread earlier, but anyway...one of the MAXC members who has lots of mods just siped the center chevrons on his 32x10.50 TSLs (Will), and said if you can pay someone to do it, do so...apparently it was a very arduous and filthy procedure. He said he did notice a bit of a difference, and he certainly kicked ass at ECXC!

Will had to trim back his ARB as well to clear them.

cdnav8tr
What part of Canada did you move from?
I'm live in Toronto.

Originally posted by gothamist


Will had to trim back his ARB as well to clear them.

You might have done this before, but if you get a chance could you post a picture of the ARB trimming you guys are doing?

below is a picture of what vikram cut.

http://www.beatdriven.com/xterra/arb_trim.jpg

i cut a little more than he did. the person to call on how much and how to cut is Eric at Skid Row. he cut both mine and vikram's.

the cut on mine started from the top of the wing and sliced straight down to the bottom with the bottom piece pulling out an 1.5 inches. basically a pie shaped piece cut out. and then the wheel well piece welded back to the freshly cut part to make it looked finished. vikrams cut as you can see started at the bottom sheet break. mine jsut extended that to the top of the wing.

I use to live in Calgary Alberta...really good wheeling out there!

It looks like this is a job I should go to a welding shop with before I install the bumper. Did you trim it while it was on the truck?

Originally posted by cdnav8tr
I use to live in Calgary Alberta...really good wheeling out there!

It looks like this is a job I should go to a welding shop with before I install the bumper. Did you trim it while it was on the truck?



Yep, all trimming can be done while the bumper is on the truck. It actually may be easier to see how much to trim that way.

Does anyone know for sure the swayaway part number for their Xterra PowerBarz torsion bars?
The swayaway website shows part number 1448.
Just want to make sure....

Thanks.

You might want to check Xterraparts.com or 4x4parts.com they both sell them and could probably help you.:bandit:

Thanks...I called xterraparts.com & was told there were 2 in stock so I went ahead and sent in my order :D; the price seems a bit high but I wanted to be done with the whole thing & I've been happy with my dealings w/them in the past.
I called my local 4Wheel Parts (a distributor for swayaway) & was told they couldn't order them for me because they didn't have a P/N in their computer database...typical BS I usually get from them :devil:.
Anyways, I'm hoping to get the install done this Sunday so PLEASE everybody peruse this board & look for my frantically posted questions :).
Actually, I think with Schlud's install procedure & the ensuing feedback on this board it shouldn't be too bad.
Oh yah, I also have the KYB Monomax shocks on order.

Wish me luck :smoker2:

Well, I just finished the install; took about 1.5 hrs.
I didn't remove the front t-bar anchor, however I loosened the three bolts for the anchor & this seemed to make it easier to slide the t-bar out.
My biggest concern: installing the new t-bars, I used a mallet on the back t-bar anchor to drive the t-bar into the front anchor. What I noticed after the fact was that the back splines were driven all the way into the back anchor whereas the front splines had about 3/8" visible out of the anchor. I figure I have almost 3/4" of spline inserted in the front anchors so *hopefully* that's enough....
Also, when I removed the old t-bars, the metal ring didn't come out. The ring stayed sandwiched between the frame cross member and the anchor; this is how I knew when to stop hammering the back of the rear anchor -- when there was no play in the metal ring (i.e. it was completely sandwiched), there was no sense in hammering anymore.

Congrats!

If you look at the picture on my install you'll see how much of the splines still stick out of the anchor.

You wouldn't have needed the mallet if you had removed the two small bolts on the front anchor. The bar will slide right in both anchors with the angle pivoting the front anchor allows. But I used the BIG hammer technique the first time too. :D

Nothing better than a few hours working on the truck and then that awesome feeling of getting something done afterwards.

Glad that the install went ok :)

Well, I finally got those damn things out of the closet and onto my truck. I have been so busy saving the world one mold at a time, I haven't had a chance to get around to it.

Anyway, I thought I would make a couple of notes on the install. They may not be as good as Schlud's but I think it's good information that could be helpful as well.

Go here,
http://communities.msn.com/AquamandersXterraPage/xterratorsionbarinstall.msnw?Page=1

Come on guy's don't hold back. Tell me what you think.
:D

Kinda wimpy pics...don't you think? Hey how bout those add-a-leafs?

Originally posted by LoganvilleX
Kinda wimpy pics...
Well, um, you did ask for it, right Aquamander???

LOL...Well, I tried to get some good shots but my hand model was demanding better pay and beni's Hell, I gave him a beer! But it's all good. T-bars are on and FSR put my AAL's in the mail today....Damn, L'villeX I guess it's time to visit the ol' proving grounds again.

:D

Actually, they were excellent pics..ESPECIALLY the hand model ones. Oh and the beer. Excellent. Payment in FULL!
Yes, its time for the proving grounds again.

I was hung up for a long time on trying to remove the bars after removing the anchor arm bolts. I finally removed all 3 bolts in the front torque arm and used a tire iron to pry the torque arm towards the back of the truck. This looseded everything up so the bar could be removed. When I installed the new bars, I first cleaned and degreased the torque arm then regreased it along with the torsion bar. The bar slipped into the torque arm with one little tap on the floor. Thanks to Schudwiller and Aquamander without your how to's I wouldn't have attempted this. Also this thread was a life saver when I was frustrated durring the install. I am very pleased with the results!

Some of us have had to go back in a couple of weeks remeasure and adjust. I think the bars settle a little. Seems to be normal.

Glad you like the end results. Your comments may help another X owner in the future!
:D

Ughh! I'll have to have Schlud follow up this thread with a picture of where you want to have the rear anchor on so you don't over-tighten the torsion bar! I had mine clocked down to far the first time! It gave the truck a 3" lift! reindexed and it rides very nice with the Bilstien's that I have had on for a year!

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/650885JackedX.jpg