Samurai vs sidkick/tracker
- Thread starter wingysataday
- Start date
I went with the cheap harbor freight tow bar.. so far in my experience the samurai is extremely easy to work on, it would appear there are many Sammy junk yard guys... I have bought many parts for the guy local to me here in Dayton oh. He always has the part I need extra hardware incase I strip mine and good knowledge of the mini beasts.
aaron.guelzo
New member
I had a 99 chevy tracker and that was an awesome little trail truck. I do miss it all time but michigan winters destroyed it :-(
Tumbleweed
Adventurer
Just went through this myself, wound up with a Sammy tin top. Watch the modded ones for ability to smog in our area; some will be hard to get back to smog.
Tracker will be more comfy and a better rig on the highway. My Sammy is a 50-55mph vehicle after mods and 31's. Most rigs I found were in the 350-450 mile from Boise range, quite a few on the Oregon coast and Portland areas; and some around Tri cities in Washington. Use searchtempest.com and put in the mileage you are willing to go to. Putting a tow bar on a tracker could be spendy if you just buy what is out there. Building a set up should not be bad. Less aftermarket stuff for the Trackers available. Think about the removeable hard top for a Tracker if you choose a Tracker. Many of those were two piece and the roof over the front seats could be removed leaving the rest of the hardtop on.
Tracker will be more comfy and a better rig on the highway. My Sammy is a 50-55mph vehicle after mods and 31's. Most rigs I found were in the 350-450 mile from Boise range, quite a few on the Oregon coast and Portland areas; and some around Tri cities in Washington. Use searchtempest.com and put in the mileage you are willing to go to. Putting a tow bar on a tracker could be spendy if you just buy what is out there. Building a set up should not be bad. Less aftermarket stuff for the Trackers available. Think about the removeable hard top for a Tracker if you choose a Tracker. Many of those were two piece and the roof over the front seats could be removed leaving the rest of the hardtop on.
Having owned both a Sammy tintop and a tintop Sidekick, it would be tough to go back to a Samurai. Sure the Sammy is cooler looking (if that is your thing) and upgrades are more plentiful, but the Sidekick is just more practical. That is unless your aim is a rock crawler.
With a Sammy you will be beat off the line by every minivan and bicyclists out there -- it will wear on you after a while. Not to mention the suspension will wear on your back. My 16v Sidekick on 29's can cruise at 75 all day and I've had it up to 95 on a few occasions.
Don't worry about the IFS. With my truck's roughly 2.5" of lift, you'd be amazed where it can go. I wheel with solid axle Land Rovers and I usually lead the pack.
The key is to keep it simple and light weight. Don't go overboard on the tires or lift. You'll definitely enjoy the truck much more and you'll find you can still go everywhere. Both are dead reliable and easy to work on.
With a Sammy you will be beat off the line by every minivan and bicyclists out there -- it will wear on you after a while. Not to mention the suspension will wear on your back. My 16v Sidekick on 29's can cruise at 75 all day and I've had it up to 95 on a few occasions.
Don't worry about the IFS. With my truck's roughly 2.5" of lift, you'd be amazed where it can go. I wheel with solid axle Land Rovers and I usually lead the pack.
The key is to keep it simple and light weight. Don't go overboard on the tires or lift. You'll definitely enjoy the truck much more and you'll find you can still go everywhere. Both are dead reliable and easy to work on.
Thirty-Nine
Explorer
This. Exactly. I have a 2" lift and 29s on my Sidekick. I also have a rear locker. And while it's not a boulder crawler, it does amazingly well.
wingysataday
Adventurer
well peeps I purchased a 1996 geo tracker from washington last night and drove it 200+ miles back to boise. Power was fine Ride was good. It has 191k on the odo but was towed for years behind a motorhome so no way in knowing how many real miles are on it. 2in suspension spacer kit. 5spd, manual hubs, came with towbar and light hook up already done! Brand new soft top. AC/heat fan is hooked to a on/off toggle switch (which I will replace with a dial switch). Clutch feels good. $2200.
wingysataday
Adventurer
The problem when driving it home is that it is all over the road. I dropped it off at les schwab today and they said front end is solid everything was in good shape. They said it's probably the tire/wheel set up. It has 275/60 r15's on it with all season type tires. They said they are hot rod tires and the rims are very wide like 8-10"(guess). CV boots are recently cracked on both axles. The mechanic said they probably last year but would need attention when they start clicking. I also need to replace all the brakes. What tire set up ya'll running?
Somecallmetimm
Adventurer
Congrats on the new toy!
Pikeman
Adventurer
I put 235/75/ 15 BFG AT's on my 02 tracker and it is fine. Those are a 29" tire on factory rims. You will see cruising the Suzuki forums that 235/75 is one of the most common sizes to upsize to at stock or 2.5" lift. Can also run 30x 9.5 or if you want to go big 2.5 lift and 2" body with minor fender trimming 31x10.5 15.
Like Pikeman, I'm on 235/75r15 but with stock rims running AT3's.
Check the tie rods (inner and outer) and the toe settings. I'd also recommend reducing the tire pressure down to 25psi. These things are so light that they don't need much pressure -- especially if you are bunching up the tires on a narrow rim.
Towing is hard on the front end parts and I bet they are probably toast.
Check the tie rods (inner and outer) and the toe settings. I'd also recommend reducing the tire pressure down to 25psi. These things are so light that they don't need much pressure -- especially if you are bunching up the tires on a narrow rim.
Towing is hard on the front end parts and I bet they are probably toast.
MicroOverland
Observer
yeah, 275's will wander all over the place on a small light rig. I have had samurai's and a 96 2 door tracker, and like driving the tracker better. It starts easier (fuel injected) and runs all day. A/c, heat and raintight... why buy a side by side? We have wheeled it on/off road for about 150k miles, and no break downs (just sunk it in a river once, but that was my bad...) Calmini lift, custom bumpers, and off we went. Flat towed, or driven, its always got us where we wanted to go, even keeping up with Discos and jeeps. You are going to love yours.
