Thinking about getting an SLR Stage II lift

[ghankerson]

After getting stuck in the sand this weekend, and doing some research on various lifts, I think I want to get the SLR Stage 2 lift with the 3 pack add-a-leaf and 1" shackles. Nobody on the Frontier forum seems to have one, but they seem to be pretty popular with the Xterras. I've got plenty of power with my supercharger, just can't put it down on the ground. So the lift and some 32x11.5x15 tires should do the trick I think. But I have some questions:

Will the steering link wear out as quick since I have a 2wd instead of 4wd?

Will 32x11.5s rub or will I have to trim or remove the mud flap?

Should I get 31s instead?

About how long to install myself?

SLR says I should get a 5.25 offset on 15x8 rims, I found 5" and 5.5", which should I get?

Any rim recommendations?

Will I need to change the gear ratio? Anybody do this afterwards?

Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance!

[evergreen]

regardless of how much lift you have, you'll still get stuck since its a 2wd. you can fit 32x11.50's on a non-lifted xterra so it shouldn't be a prob on a fronty. your steering will wear out quicker because it changes the angles on most of the steering parts.
regearing would be good if you can afford it, i noticed a decent loss in power after i went with 32's. you will have to do some fender and plastic trimming but its easy, just get a good coping saw and some extra blades.
good luck

[ghankerson]

I know 2wd tend to get stuck a lot more, but I am looking for more traction. Once I get my lift and tires I'll smoke you up a hill! Right now my truck has all the power I need so a little power loss shouldn't be much of a problem. I want my truck to be more baja and jumpable, not a rock crawler.

[evergreen]

might want to start looking at traction bars. that should keep you from getting axle wrap.
how are you going to beat me up a hill if your stuck at the bottom:finger:

[ghankerson]

Hah! That's a good one! 250+ supercharged ponies and a lighter truck!

[rrdstarr]

Originally posted by ghankerson
I want my truck to be more baja and jumpable, not a rock crawler.

I want to be there and watch you destroy your $22,000 truck! Shhhheshh!

[Schludwiller]

I believe SLR is making a 2WD lift kit that has much more wheel travel than the stage II which might be more appropriate for your driving style.

Remember the 4-wd's have around 2:1 gearing in 4-lo (not to mention power at all 4 wheels), so your horsepower isn't all you think offroad unless you're driving on flatland.

[ghankerson]

There other kit is probably out of my price range. Are you talking out Stage 3 or 4?

Yah I know about 4wd, I was just talkin smack.:sun: My 2000 crewcab had 4wd but no power, so I traded it for a 2wd SC with no regrets.

[Schludwiller]

Originally posted by ghankerson
so I traded it for a 2wd SC with no regrets.

You also live in Phoenix. Not much of the snow or mud stuff there.

Remember larger tires will effect your gearing and also add more weight which will reduce your power/torque.

[evergreen]

if you're going to do baja type stuff, i would look into some long travel bilsteins with the remote res. the 7100 series i think.

[aero_steve]

I hope you have better luck with SLR than I did. I ended up replacing the SLR upper control arms with Calmini's after 5 months because I couldn't get it aligned and Spencer Jr. did nothing to help. I had his National Spring leaf pack that never provided enough lift to match the front and was sagging badly after 6 months. I added a AAL to an already big stack of leaves to get the height back up. His diff drop has twisted twice in the mounts so that the inner passenger CV joint rubs the frame. The SLR torsion bars have settled over a foot, it's my monthly chore to crank them back up. I'm not alone, after I came out on XOC with my problems I get an email or two a month from people that have problems with SLR.

[ghankerson]

With all the feedback I've gotten I'm leaning more towards Calmini or AC now. I would prefer the Bilstein shocks though, but I guess I could get them later. Anybody have experience with AC lifts from 4x4parts.com?

[aero_steve]

I personally know 2 people that had the AC kit. One switched to Calmini arms after I got mine and the other sold his truck 6 months after installing the AC kit. Both had alignment problems. The only complaints I've heard about the Calmini arms is they squeak if they aren't kept lubed and you have to disassemble them to lubed them, but Calmini is supposed to be changing their design to add zerks. With AC or SLR the A-arm the camber would look like this \ / with Calmini it's more / \ The big difference is the AC and SLR can't be cranked high enough to get rid of the problem where with Calmini it only shows up if you go too high.

[ChuckH]

It'll cost you a bit more but you can always do what I did and get your lift piece by piece. I got my front end lift componenets and steering system from Calmini and my rear AAL's and Bilstien shocks came from SLR. I also have Calmini shackles in the back because I carry a lot of weight and wanted a little extra height. The SLR shackles you normally get with their AAL's for the lift are shorter than Calmini's, which is probably good for most people. Anyway, I think the prices break down something like this:

Calmini UCA's.............$350
Calmini Torsion bars.... 220
Calmini shackles......... 60
SLR AAL's................... 175
Bilstien shocks............ 250

Total..........................$1,055

how much is the Stage II? Calmini? Actually, I think I'm right in there with the complete kits.

Optional Calmini steering system (highly recommended!)...$490

[ghankerson]

After all the input, I decided to buy a Calmini 3" lift and get some 15x8 rims with Bridgestone D673 M/T tires. Can't wait to install them! Thanks for all the help!