ok, i've read seemily hours worth of your experiences.  it seems that there are many differing opinions as to wether or not 33's with stock gearing is tolerable.  I've seen people who've went to 31's because they didn't have enough power, and others that say they have no problems.
My intentions...  I've got an 89 sidekick with the 1.6 8v and manual tranny, I want to eventually regear to 5.83's and possibly t-case gears as well.  however I don't really have many rocks up here in Northwestern, Ontario, Canada.  Offroading mostly consists of mud, some sand and hills.  This vehicle isn't a daily driver, just a toy and i have yet to put any real money into it aside from some sheet metal, some cans of paint and  some exhaust parts.  I will only be driving it on the streets and highways to get from trail to trail and mud hole to mud hole.
so with that said, do you think i should go with 33's?  will i lose the ability to climb and toss mud?  or should I compromise the extra bit of clearance and flotation and go with 31's but retain a bit more power to twist the tires with?
your opinions and experiences are greatly appreciated.

I didn't even care for the 31's with stock gearing... but I like a bit lower of a gear.

I truly think you should get the gearing first, then go ahead and get the 33's..  BUT, I am wishing I had TC gears, even with 5.62's and 31's. 

31's are a great tire size for these little buggies, you won't gain a lot with 33's.. and you will lose considerable power from 31 to 33..


Yeah, hard decision isn't it.

Good luck

I agree with Quaddawg, 33s on stock gearing sucks. If its primarily for off road use then I'd get the tcase gears first.

i do eventually plan on going to 33's and re-gearing... but for now it on 205's so tires are number one on the agenda.  I'm just looking to see if it will be offroadable with the 33's and stock gearing as a temporary decision.  I want to play with this thing, but i'm also buying my first house this summer so i want to spend minimally. i just don't want to have to buy two sets of tires.
quaddawg, I also noticed in your re-gearing thread that you used the 5.62's because the 5.83's were unavailable (on back order).  Is this recent?  Calmini still shows them available, and so does boondox (rear ones only).  I'd be scared to buy a set of r&p's that weren't replacable, and i think that when regearing it should be done at the axles first then the t-case.  If you re-gear the t-case first then all the torque moves to the already weak link... the r&p's.  and with the t-case gears don't you only get the reduction in 4low?  a samurai gearset reduces the 2hi and 4hi as well, ideal for regearing, but i feel as though i've read that the sidekick gears don't.

whoa!hehehe, how do my posts always end up so long... i guess that's just proof of how my friends say I mumble and ramble on!   I better not ever show them this forum! 

with the t-case gears don't you only get the reduction in 4low?

I don't know about trackicks, but in samurai, when we change out the t-case gears, it changes the gearing in hi and low.

~J~

I'd be scared to buy a set of r&p's that weren't replacable, and i think that when regearing it should be done at the axles first then the t-case.  If you re-gear the t-case first then all the torque moves to the already weak link... the r&p's.  and with the t-case gears don't you only get the reduction in 4low? 

Usually I'd agree with the diffs first, tcase 2nd but low ratio R&Ps are pretty scarce at the moment. Do a search back through the forum and you'll see a lot of posts about this. You are correct that tcase gears for a Track/Kick only reduce low ratio, for offroad only this isn't a problem. If you're going to do a lot of miles on the road then R&Ps are the way to go, you just have to find some.

I still have 33"s with stock gearing, it's driveable but not much fun though  I'm hoping to put in a sammy t-case which would give me 20% too much reduction overall (40% from the t-case minus 20% bigger tyres).
But as I said driving with 33"s is doable but not advisable 

I am going to get looking around but somewhere I saw T-Case gears for trackick with 20% high reduction, perfect for 31's but I can't remember where, can someone help me out?

High range reduction gears are not available
for Track/Kicks, you saw a Sammy gear advert.

Sorry

I am going to get looking around but somewhere I saw T-Case gears for trackick with 20% high reduction, perfect for 31's but I can't remember where, can someone help me out?

The only way this will work is if you install a Samurai Transfercase on your Tracker.  By my calculations, if you run a Samurai Transfercase and 4.30 gearing, it works for 31s.  If add Rockcrawler Grears to it, you then would be geared for 33s.

Hello,

I have a 90 model,5speed stock gears and 33's. It was a dog...then I rebuilt the motor with new valves,new rings,added a DT header,2 1/4"exhaust with flowmaster,MSD Coil and K&N. Now it runs great,I can run 75 mph uphill in 4th gear,85 in 5th on flat ground.It will turn the 33" AT's and that's with a locker...Now the MT's it acts like its trys to pull the wheels off the ground!! So If your motor is weak,no 33's it will be a dog. I bet if I put 31's on mine it would fly. May-be I'll put the 205's back on for some burn outs!!!!!

Later Tom K.

Hey Hobgoblin, What brand tires and rims sizes are you using? I'd like to go to 33's also. I have an auto, with manual gears( 5.125) and it runs great also. I think I can pull 33's wo a problem too. ( tuned motor w/ some mods)