Im about to have the rear calmini bumper, and tire mounted to the rear, and I know this will be adding a lot of additional weight to the rear, and cause the springs to sag even more. They are already sagging horribly as it is, and im woundering if the 3" AC or SLR spring packs will solve this problem? If so how long would those springs hold up before they to start to sag under that weight, and off roading abuse? $590 from AC shipped or the $650 from SLR shipped is a pocket buster and before I do it I would like some imput.

~Kevin

I don't think anyone who has, has ahd them long enough to give you a good answer? I think XOC has the SLR rear spring pack, but he has no CalMini rear tire carrier. Most people seem to be dropping in the AAL and getting by okay.

Sorry I was no help! :( Maybe someone has the National Spring pack?

I am having the SLR spring pack for stock X's installed tomorrow.
Will let you know the results.

When I checked with Mike V. at Automotive Customizers on their
National spring pack (for 3" lift only), he said it would carry 10 to 15
percent more weight. Their spring pack is 'hefty' - 12 leafs plus 2 load leafs. I think the SLR is 10 leafs (don't have access to it right now.)

Thanks both of you. And rrdstarr I am already running bot the shackles and the add a leaf in the rear and I have a bad amount of sag. If the spring packs can carry 10-30$ more weight then they should solve the problem.

SSR,
Are you running the 2" Shackles with the AAL or a 1" Shackle? Thanks

Dog

Pikachu has been running the 10 leaf National spring pack (bought from SLR, the ones they use in their kit except he got them rated for 6K lbs.) for a year now. He says they have only sagged about an inch at most. And he carries hundreds of lbs. of stuff in his truck ALL the time.

Kevin - get your stock springs replaced under warranty (if needed and if possible) and then re-install the AAL's and shackles. I did this before I installed them (AAL's and shackles) about a year ago and have seen almost no rear sagging at all - even with my rear tire carrier and with a couple hundred lbs. in my truck, it still doesn't sag.

Maddog,
I am running the 2" SLR Shackles with the AC aal's.

Philosopher,
I thought about doing that and was about to but I cant seem to find my damn loadleafs. My rear springs are also making all kinds of noise, so im gonna just go on and order the AC rear leaf pack. Run that and the 2" shackles and all should be good.

well since you already have the rancho AAL's you could also add the Fabtech AAL's into your spring pack for a temporary solution. the fabtech AAL's would go above your ranchos since they are longer then put the rancho one back on and leave the load leaf off. I think SLR also has a dual leaf AAL and a 1" shackle now available. just other options to look into.

This seems to work....
http://store4.yimg.com/I/lavieenrose-ca_1667_5797437

Damn, you beat me to it. I was going to say...

They make bras for the front of the vehicle, I suppose someone out there makes a girdle :D

Brent

This thread is gonna turn out like theone on XOC that is 30 pages long....nothing but booby girls!!!!

Ahem....that would be "nothing but boobie girls."

http://www.studentcenter.org/pictures/profile/nikki68128

BOOBIE!!!!

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/784470bath010.jpg

Wow! Hubba hubba! Rrrrrrrrrr! Whooo whooo! Rowwwwrrrrr! (pant pant pant) How you doin'?

Installed the SLR stock replacement rear leaf springs.

First impressions:

These are STOCK? Looks like the rear is at least 2" higher.

The ride is lot stiffer/harsher.

I purchased them because I wanted to carry more weight in the rear, especially on back country excursions.

I think they will work well for this.

Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two quick pictures. Not sure if they show the amount of rear lift.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/888109XterraWithNewSprings1.jpg

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/690704XterraWithNewSprings2.jpg

with the 3 AAL system from SLR. I was the first to have it installed several months ago and it has held up extremely well. Last time I was out wheeling I had 5 people and about 250lbs of gear in the back along with my hi-lift up top and it proved to perform excellent under load.

The setup is designed to add the 3 progressive leafs and remove your load leaf to prevent getting it hungup on obstacles. You can still use your stock U-bolts. You will gain about 2 inches of lift and can turn torsion bars up as your first steps. If you are looking for maximum lift then it gets coupled with a 1" shackle (which is the way I'm running it) for a total of 3" lift and an extra 1" of droop.

My ride height is currently 1" higher in the rear with 3/4" remaining between my a-arm and bumpstops in the front. When fully loaded as mentioned above, I still was running about 1/2" higher in the rear. I have never had it sag in the rear even with extreme loads and a lot of abuse.

The best part I like about this system is you get the best of both worlds. You get a much better ride without it being harsh, while accomplishing the lift. 1 thick aal will not ride as well as 3 progressive leafs. I could take some pics tomorrow, but I don't have a host anymore since photopoint went in the $hitter. If anyone is interested, I'll figure something out to get some pics up.

I did have to buy a drop hitch for pulling trailers as the spring/shackle combined with 32's was too much for the u-haul trailer. :eek:

Sorry I gave you more than my .02 but I'm wired tonite. :bloated:

I know everyone will be interested in how much, but you'll need to call SLR for that since I don't know how they will be packaging it with / without the rest of their lift.

You can post pictures to Automotive Forum by going to
A/F pictures (http://www.automotiveforums.com/upload/)

Size limit is 100K.

Be sure to copy the URL it displays after upload so you can paste it in your post.

Looks like maybe you did get a tiny amount of lift from those springs Toy Man, but not too much. Looks like you have the front Torsion bars tightened up a little bit too, so the front to rear rake looks good. I'm still interested in your stock springs if you have them. I'll email you later.

with the 3 AAL system from SLR.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/826056Full_Droop.jpg

Here is a full side view on our home made RTI ramp at West X 2001.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/979227RTI.jpg

And in Sedona at Broken Arrow Trail.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/140264tonkafun.jpg

This was my first attempt at posting pics so if it didn't turn out too good, hang in there while I keep trying. :D

Can you explain the SLR AAL a bit? Does it add onto the original leafs or replace them? I noticed you kept the shackles. How did the lift change with the AAL's? Do you have anything up front to compensate? I ended up going back to my Nissan shackles after putting in the Rancho AAL.

Also, what's up with the bumper? I thought that thing was a prototype? The wings aren't flush, and the metal (aluminum?) seems out of place on a black on paint truck. Not judging, just curious about some new stuff I haven't seen yet.

P.S. The photos posted fine. Thanks for the addition!

I was able to park next to a stock 2001 X. I was only a inch higher at the rear so my original springs were probably flatter than I realized.

I have Rancho 9116's that I have set to 3 in the past.

I tried setting them to 1 today. That lasted about 2 blocks.
The rear would 'pogo' when I went over the slighest bump.

Changed the setting to 2 and the X rides much better. Still stiff but softer if that makes sense.

Originally posted by Schludwiller
Can you explain the SLR AAL a bit? Does it add onto the original leafs or replace them?
Yes, all 3 AAL go on the bottom of your stock leaf pack and you leave off the load leveler as you won't need it. It's designed to be used in conjunction with a torsion lift to get a couple extra inches in the rear, or with the shackles to get maximum lift while having the best ride I've found.

I noticed you kept the shackles. How did the lift change with the AAL's?
Not exactly, the shackels are new 1" designed specifically to work in conjunction with the 3 AAL for maximum lift / droop, not the 2" H-gusseted SLR shackles I had previously.

Do you have anything up front to compensate? I ended up going back to my Nissan shackles after putting in the Rancho AAL.
I have The SLR lift with A-arms and diff lowering kit. I had to re-index my stock torsion bars to get enough lift to leave 3/4" between the bumpstop and the control arm. My stock torsion bars are toasted and I'm working on saving some $$$ to get torsion bars.

Also, what's up with the bumper? I thought that thing was a prototype? The wings aren't flush, and the metal (aluminum?) seems out of place on a black on paint truck.
It was a "prototype".
1 : an original model on which something is patterned : ARCHETYPE
2 : an individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type
3 : a standard or typical example
4 : a first full-scale and usually functional form of a new type or design of a construction (as an airplane)
That's why it had numerous things that needed changing as well as the top end was not designed yet, but Spencer wanted the approach angle and mountings tested early before the cosmetics were implemented and other changes were made. It wasn't painted or anything. The aluminum is to keep weight down while the steel tubing is for strength. The bumper shown there is much different than what will hit the producion line, but you'll just need to wait for the release of the real thing. You see, it appears that people don't like to see things in testing without all the fit and finish done. :rolleyes: ;)

Thanks for the info!

BTW if your girlfriend likes offroading, she's a keeper. :D

Originally posted by Toy Man
I was able to park next to a stock 2001 X. I was only a inch higher at the rear so my original springs were probably flatter than I realized.


Toy Man, just a couple comments. The 3 AAL was not designed to "repair" flattened out stock springs. If they were, you wouldn't be able to put them on a new set of springs as the lift would be extreme. My suggestion to people that have flattened springs would be to replace them (as I did) prior to installing the 3 AAL.

I can tell you that the ride is greatly improved not only for overall ride, but for fully loaded and wheeling as well. One side note, I am running the Bilsteins that come with SLR's lift. I had Rancho 9000's on previously and I can honestly say that it's an noticeable difference. It seems as though the shocks are matched with the springs and weight of the vehicle very well.

One last thing, your measurements of the stock 2001 are irrelevant. Once that thing is wheeled hard, loaded heavy and articulated the stock springs will break down and sag just like everyone elses. The progressive leafs will assist in the weight carrying and reduce / eliminate the stock springs from deteriorating as quickly.

Originally posted by Schludwiller
BTW if your girlfriend likes offroading, she's a keeper. :D

THAT'S MY DAUGHTER:mad: :eek: :finger:

Cool! Is she single! ;)

Originally posted by Schludwiller
Cool! Is she single! ;)

Single and 13.
:eek: :devil:

Originally posted by Craigs_Tonka


Single and 13.
:eek: :devil:

Well, best of luck then. Might I suggest a dual-barrel shotgun? :D

Toy Man, just a couple comments. The 3 AAL was not designed to "repair" flattened out stock springs. If they were, you wouldn't be able to put them on a new set of springs as the lift would be extreme. My suggestion to people that have flattened springs would be to replace them (as I did) prior to installing the 3 AAL.

Craig - slight mis-understanding. I installed the SLR stock replacement spring pack, not the AAL's. I may have to try the Bilstein's instead of the Rancho's.

Thanks for the input.

That would explain a few things. It didn't seem we were talking the same talk. I guess thats because we weren't. :bloated:

So you got the replacement leaf pack, and I got the 3 AAL system that got added to my stock leaf pack. That makes sense now, Thanks. :p

Originally posted by Craigs_Tonka


My suggestion to people that have flattened springs would be to replace them (as I did) prior to installing the 3 AAL.


For the inquiring minds what/where/how did you replace your stock leaf pack...under warranty or do you have a secret stash of new spring packs ;)

Toy Man,

I've noticed that the X's are extremely inconsistent from the factory. I've seen some brand new ones that were riding as high or higher than yours is now in back and looked like they were trying to plow the road in front with the bumper, since the front was down so low from the factory. On the other end of the scale, mine came off the lot probably 1-1/2" to 2" lower than yours is sitting now. It's hard to tell from the picture, but I think the tops of my factory tires were at about the top of my frame rails or a little higher when I bought mine. I saw one a few months ago that was brand new and the tops of the tires were toward the bottom of the frame rails. It had a serious Starsky and Hutch thing going on! :D

Originally posted by FSRBIKER
For the inquiring minds what/where/how did you replace your stock leaf pack...under warranty or do you have a secret stash of new spring packs ;)

Gotta love the Nissan Security Plus extended warranty. :D

Once I heard about the multiple aal's, I warrantied out the springs, put the aal on with the 1" shackle and have been smiling ever since. ;)