Newbie here so try not to flame.

I just purchased a 2002 SE S/C (4x2) auto. My reason was for the room and IMO the X is the best looking SUV in its price range. I did not purchase it for off-roading.

That being said, I would like to get some suggestions on how I can improve my X's city driving; i.e. how can I "soften" the ride quality for daily driving.

I would also like to change the tires and wheels but I'm concerned that may exaggerate the roughness of the daily driving.

For example, I'm thinking about getting 18x8.5 rims with 285/50R-18 tires. (Factory: 17x8 with 265/65R-17). With that set up, my speedo will be 3 mph too fast but I can live with that. However, will that even fit in the wheel well and it probably will make the roughness more noticeable, right? (Lower profile tire.)

Thanks for any suggestions.

2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

Welcome. We don't flame here, so you're safe

The lo pro tires will very likely stiffen up the ride due to less sidewall flex to absorb bumps. Xterras come with pretty mushy shocks from the start. As for the stiffness, most of it is in the rear leafs. Someone on the classifieds thread was trying to sell a set of Tokico composite leafs - they're made of some type of composite material (I don't know much about them) that apparently have a softter spring rate and improve the ride. You may want to research those. As for the front, I don't think you have many options. That somewhat taller tire should fit as long as you use rims that are close to the factory specs in backspacing and width. If not, you can do what the wheelers do and trim the mudflaps a bit in the front for more tire clearance.


1998 Frontier 4x4 seriously built
2002 Xterra 4x4 still stock

Welcome to the board! Dont worry, there is no flaming allowed in the regular forums. We are trying to make the place as helpful as possible without being intimidating.

One thing I'd add to what DR said.. You can also use some of the shocks that us offroaders use. Like the Rancho 9000 series for example. They allow 5 different ride adjustments with a knob on the shock, so you can custom tailor your suspension to your driving style and to the road surface. They arent too expensive either.. So, if you notice that the ride is too harsh for you with the lower profile tires, you can adjust the shocks to be a little softer to help compensate. On setting 1, the truck rides like a cadillac. On setting 5, it'll bust your kidneys. Around town, I keep mine on 3, which behaves well over bumps and whatnot without being too stiff.

These shocks are also GREAT if you routinely have 4-5 ppl in the truck, you can adjust them up a notch and the truck will handle and behave much better over bumps with the load on it. This is one thing i've noticed about my coworker's X.. when we go out to lunch in it, with the truck fully loaded, speedbumps tend to make the backend bottom out.. some adjustable shocks would fix this.

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Thanks for the replies!

I'm also hoping that by changing the type of tire, i.e. more "street" use than off-roading, it will help the ride quality. I'm thinking about Pirelli Scorpion Zero's.

Admittedly, I haven't tried a search on this but what are "leafs"?


2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

If you look at your rear axle.. the leafs run under the axle on each side and are used to support the weight of the truck. They are just arched flat peices of metal that are stacked to form a "spring pack". Adding or taking away leaves both changes ride height and the stiffness of the spring.

You are right, the ride quality should be better with good street tires. The Pirelli Scorpions are decent tires for the street from what I've heard.

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I drove an X that had Blistien shocks, and they are CUSH. Not too good off road, but they rode nice on the street.

Thanks again for the replies.

One quick question:

I'm looking at some rims that are 18x8.5 with 285/55-18 tires.

What fitment issues, if any, would I have with this set up.

Thanks.

2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

That seems pretty wide. You'd probably be OK if they were a bit shorter in overall height than stock tires. Also, backspacing will be critical. Do you know the back spacing on those rims?


1998 Frontier 4x4 seriously built
2002 Xterra 4x4 still stock

Okay, here's what I'm looking at from Discount Tires:



I called them and they told me the backspacing on this wheel is 4.75"

He also said that the factory backspacing is 5.5"

BTW, why do you think it is "wide"? Factory rims are 17x8...


My *only* concern is it may rub in the front while turning. Yes?

2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

Are the SC rims 8 inchers? the 15 and 16 inch rims that are stock are 7" wide.

That backspacing will move the tires outward a little bit. Where you may get rubbing is in the back of the front fenderwell when you turn. Again, some trimming can be done to the mudflaps to increase that clearance. So be cognizant of your overall tire height. If it's no taller than the stock tire (or a little shorter), you'll probably be OK. Tire fitment is one of those case by case items - sometimes you just gotta try it to see.


1998 Frontier 4x4 seriously built
2002 Xterra 4x4 still stock

Tire comparison

Specification --> 265/65-17 285/55-18
Sidewall --> 6.8in 6.2in
Radius --> 15.3in 15.2in
Diameter --> 30.6in 30.3in
Circumference --> 96.0in 95.3in
Revs/Mile --> 660 665
Difference --> 0.0% 0.7%

2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

quote:

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Originally posted by Desert Rat:
Are the SC rims 8 inchers?

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Yes.

2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

Does anyone know if this size tire:

265/60-18

Will fit on a wheel that's 18x8.5 ???

I can't find a tire "calculator" that will tell me if this tire will fit on this wheel.

I don't think I want to go with a 285 set-up on my wheels.

Thanks for any info. Please post links to a calculator that'll tell me what I've asked.



2002 Xterra SE S/C (4x2) auto.
Silver Ice.

When I've had fitment questions before I've found the operators at TireRack.com the be extremely helpful. I order all of my tires (three pairs this year) thru them. May be worth your time to give them a call. Love those rims, something I'm looking at doing myself.

Brap On!