I have been reading AF for some time now and I am still not understanding everything that people are saying about lifting Xterras. Some people are talking about 2'' body lifts and I get that but then what is all of this stuff about shackles and torsion bars and stuff. someone told me that I should go with a 2'' body lift and then a cheap shackle lift with a torsion bar crank in order to get about 3.5'' and that would be great but honestly I am bewildered by all of that. Does that mean I have to buy a 2'' body lift, a shackle lift, and new torsion bars or are torsion bars just something that I already have on my 2003 X that I can just "Crank" up to raise up my ride a little bit. If someone could set me straight I would really appreciate it because I am just lost. Also, what is the best (and cheapest) route i could take in lifting my XTerra. THanks

The Suspension section would be a better place to inquire.

The front suspension uses torsion bars to support the front end. New ones are NOT needed for a suspension lift, but are often included, and you can crank the stock ones an inch or so to get more height up front and still keep a proper alignment to some degree. The lifts include new upper control arms to provide a better ability to get a proper alignment at 2" or more.
The rear end can be lifted by add-a-leaves or shackles, the AALs are preferred and do not require longer shocks.
It really comes down to how high you want to go and what you're willing so spend. An inch or two can be had for free or under $100.

Do read up in the suspension section, it's all covered there one way or another.

Brent