ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: AndrewK on November 10, 2009, 11:16:05 AM
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Hi everyone, Still cant get over this place.. Just awesome.
I have a 97 4 door 4x4 tracker, and I just bought 235/75/15's for it. In a few weeks, it's going 2" up in the air.
I've heard some nasty rumors that these things are tippy stock, nevermind modified. Should i be worried about it? Maybe get some large offset rims? (which by the way, isnt easy im finding...)
Cheers.
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They are pretty stable vehicles. On my two door I found that it liked to cut/change lanes quicker then I liked. With the 4 door it's not as bad with the 2 door since you have the longer wheelbase. Proper shocks/struts help it behave better, I installed wheel spacers and a rear anti-sway bar in mins. It's tuned to the point that the rear end will kick out before I see any body roll, but I wanted it to handle like a sports car.
As long as you don't try out your Mario Andretti impersonation you should be fine. :)
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I agree, overall as compact SUV's go they're pretty stable. You just have to realize what your driving & adjust your habits accordingly... it's not a sportscar. I put 235/75 at's with a 15x7" rim on mine, widened it out a bit & it does feel better now than it did on stock tires & rims. (Pic of mine on top of page 44 of the pic thread.) Rims aren't hard to find, check online like Summit Racing & JCWhitney etc. Personally I like wider rims over wheel spacers both for tire seating & 'less parts is better' factor. A 7" rim will work well for your 235/75's & most are 3.75" backspaced, which will set them out enough to avoid most rubbing... I get a tiny scrub on the plastic inner front fender liner at full lock & that's at stock height, no lift yet. Just be sure to get 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern & a 4.25" center bore on the rims & you're good to go. Hth.
Fuzz
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you can roll any vehicle if you want to....I've seen videos of hummers on the side.
About 10 years back I was on the way back from the mechanic with my 92 samurai, SOA, 31" boggers, more mods. I had just left and passed the yearly safety inspection. The mechanic told me to check the bearings on the passenger side, they were not tight enough but still passed.
So I'm on the way home at 80km/h and all of a sudden I hear this squeak and then the truck pulls to the left so I yank to the right. Well the drivers side wheel bearings had just seized solid. I slammed the brakes and trued to control the truck. We skidded about 30' SIDEWAYS until we stopped. Me and the passenger were 100% sure that we were going over. I'm pretty sure the only thing that saved us were the softness of the boggers....grippy tires would have ended up totally different.
There was a cube van behind me and he ditched his truck to avoid me...he was pissed but even if he hit me it would still be his fault.
They are tippy but they aren't tippy....Every time you work on the truck and change things you should take your time and re-adjust to the new drive...and tell your wife if she drives it too.
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Many people are confused (and dare I say - Misled?) by the overall stability of the Suzuki SidekickTracker.
One of the reasons why the Sidekick has IFS is because Suzuki wanted a product with a lower stance that is perceived as being stable.
People somehow confuse it with the Samurai, which Consumer Reports chose to destroy in order to promote themselves and pay for a new headquarters building.
No, I am not a conspiracy theorist.
Check out the Discovery video that Suzuki USA was going to present into evidence when they filed their lawsuit against Consumer's Union:
http://www.acksfaq.com/videos/suzukivsconsumerreports.wmv (http://www.acksfaq.com/videos/suzukivsconsumerreports.wmv)
Understand that the video in this presentation was actually made by Consumer's Union - NOT Suzuki USA. It was made available to Suzuki USA as part of the Discovery period when each side in a case gets to access the other sides's relevant records before the trial goes to court.
I have both a samurai and two trackers - one two door and one 4-door. All have fairly normal driving manners - the Samurai slightly less-so as it has 4.5 inches of lift. Most of that instability is cancelled by the BFG AT/KOs that give the truck a wider stance and a larger tire footprint. Oh and they look pretty bada**. You get the idea..
I hope that you find this informative!
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im running a 2dr om 235's and ive never had it feel like its going over onroad, offroad on the other hand...
its slide sideways, its pulled a wheel off the ground, i corner harder then most guys driving sports cars around here. girlfriend has been driving behind me and keeps telling me its leaning to much but i dont notice it, it feels fine. but she doesnt drive the truck very often, and daily drives a corolla sport (that corners nice and level, with bearly any body roll) so i think its just she doesnt know how far it can go.
i dont see them as tippy, but ive driven several STOCK jeeps and they feel alot tippier then my kick.
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you want tippy? get an old Toyota Previa and load in 7 adults into it and then go up to 110km/h......that is tippy.
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Thanks for the wisdom..I think this is a good discussion to have lying around on the forum.
I've had..well about every person thats ever seen my tracker, say those things are death traps. In fact, i got in an argument with the nob at can tire, because he wouldnt mount my tires on, he said its "Suicidal". I've had it on some pretty tough situations, and never felt like i was in danger of rolling.
They are just awful highway cars if there's a crosswind though.
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When my cousin saw my Tracker he said "You don't see too many of those anymore. They all rolled over!" Ignorance abounds.
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If I might be allowed - the early Suzuki 4x4's - which I don't think were ever marketed stateside - were notoriously tippy as were the "Carry" vans - which I also don't think were marketed stateside.
The first Suzuki jeep I drove was an LJ50 - a 3cyl, 2 stroke - they would go over at the slightest provocation and we would just climb out which ever side was upper most, flip it back upright and climb back in. I've also spun a "Carry" pickup on wet pavement and when the rear tire hit the kerb, it just fell over on the side.
Our Police force has several of the Carry vans or micro buses, and it is not uncommon to see them come around a turn in a pursuit, flip over, the cops jump out, flip it back up right, and carry on - of course if that happens whoever they were pursuing is either long gone or rolling on the ground with laughter.
I've not driven the Samurais - but the two door & four door Vitaras are pretty stable - as is the four door Grand Vitara, which is my DD right now.
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If I might be allowed - the early Suzuki 4x4's - which I don't think were ever marketed stateside - were notoriously tippy as were the "Carry" vans - which I also don't think were marketed stateside.
While I can definitely see how a LJ50 "Carry" design would be an example of a "tippy" vehicle, I - along with nearly everyone who owns an LJ10 or LJ20 - might take exception to LJ10 and LJ20 trucks being categorized as "tippy". ;D The SJ series is an improved version of the older LJ10/20s. Your saving loophole in the above "tippy" comment is the fact that LJ10/20s were sold in limited quantites in the US mostly around 1972.
For more info on the LJ series, take a peek at http://www.lj10.com (http://www.lj10.com)
You CAN buy Carrys (and variants manufactured by other Japanese and Korean auto companies) as offroad-only vehicles. For a while folks were importing used units marketing them to large factories and for farm use. Last December, the US Governement stepped in and stopped further imports of these vehicles into the US. There are still a few unsold units in dealerships around the country - mostly in rural locations.
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We have Carry vans over here as well as most of the other small vans. They are exremely popular and I've never heard of any problems with them being tippy. Maybe we're just used to driving smaller vehicles, they are designed for city driving and not the race track.
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they are bringing the carrys here and I've seen a few on the roads....I'd believe that they would be tippy. I've got an LJ80 and I know it's not a 20/30/50 but I find it very stable. IT don't go fast enough to tip.
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There was a carry on a recent episode of Top Gear on BBC America. It was competeing against two versions of the Ford Transport in a test of moving vehicles.
Guess what the little guy did to the Suzuki Carry:
HE ROLLED IT!
It also failed the load capacity contest but Killed them on the accelleration contest.
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I hear people who dont know trackers, samaurais say this all the time. I have wheeled and ran on road trackers, samurais both lifted and stock and never have come close to rolling or tipping. I think in extreme situations its possible, and does happen but almost any suv in the right situation will tip or roll. If your doing something that extreme ya I see, it but its probally not going to be the case.
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I currently own 2 95 Sidekicks, a 97 Sidekick Sport and a 99 Grand Vitara.
My daily commute is a snake of a road, known as Golden Gate Canyon, from Golden, Colorado to Colorago Highway 119 in Gilpin County, where I live. In addition to dozens of hairpin curves, you go through a net of almost 4,000 feet of elevation change.
The Gnewt, a 95 2-door with the Calmini 6" lift package has a lot of body roll (at 5 to 15 MPH OVER the speed limit). Well, it's supposed to - that nice soft suspension that makes 4-wheeling so easy, makes cornering at highway speeds more...interesting.
My 95 4-door takes the canyon at 15 mph over without problems, as does Caprica (my sixth Sidekick) the 97 Sidekick Sport.
The 99 Grand Vitara corners like a GAZELLE, and Mrs. Bobzooki slams that poor girl up and down the canyon at insane speeds.
Tip? How about 4-wheel drifts?
Wheeling in the Gnewt, even in insane off-camber situations, she's never come close to rolling.
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This is about the limit before it will flop over.
(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5003/chutelakeapril1st045.jpg) (http://img80.imageshack.us/i/chutelakeapril1st045.jpg/)
(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7148/chutelakeapril1st048.jpg) (http://img80.imageshack.us/i/chutelakeapril1st048.jpg/)
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Game, Set, and match to Mud Child. Thats a good picture.
So bottom line, everyone THINKS these vehicles are unstable, but they are just ill informed.
I took my 4-door out last night into the concrete field, and tried my best to get it to tip, but just managed to get it to full suspension extension. but i'm currently running reeeeeallly small tires. PLUS, i have a 60lb roof rack on top.
My bottom line is, i'm not worried.
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Let's see...