If you get the Calmini kit for the longer A-arms and other suspension parts the spacers are fine on the struts.  There is so much unused uptravel on the stock struts, it's just silly.

If you get the Calmini kit for the longer A-arms and other suspension parts the spacers are fine on the struts.  There is so much unused uptravel on the stock struts, it's just silly.

Yep, that is one reason the screw on extensions work OK.  Gives you more down, and the up is still fine..  (my opinion)

Quote from: rkteckt on July 06, 2006, 02:08:37 PM

If you dont love Samurais then go mod a trackick, you can usually find a good one for sale in the projects or out at the mall. Just get rid of the sissy rims and sand the sea spray graphics off the side so we dont laugh at you.


BTW QUADDAWG..... I got sniped on that damn turbo diesel LWB on ebay, was typing in a higher bid with like 20 seconds left to go and it never went through.  That was a beautiful Samurai.  Was going to go 13k on it, lost it for 10600. Got to learn how to use those snipe sites.....lol

Oh lord, you are KIDDING me!!  I wish I had known you wanted it, cause I am CERTAIN Jeff would have sold it to you for $10K before the auction....

Yep, you had better get a sniping site.... if you can't beat'em join'em



I want a Sammy REAL bad, but I can figure out what role I want it to play.. DD?? nah...  Trail only? 

I think I might make one to be an around town truck, with good trail capabilties.. I just love the little things...  The looks are unbeatable..  Don't get me wrong, I love my Tracker, and it has proven itself an INCREDIBLE trail machine.. but they just aren't as neat as Sammys...

Well crap....  If the buyer doesnt come through let me know.  I only saw it about 12 hours before the close so I relly didnt have time to think it through carefully anyway. 

As far as a samurai around town goes, i have driven them as DD for years and they never let me down.  I always wanted a tracker, but they were always too expensive....and now im too old and grumpy and all i want is my sammy.....  or jeffs sammy.....either way.,... :-)

I'm looking around at different lifts for Trackicks - and - from what I'm reading there isn't a kit out there that has longer A-arms AND a long-travel front strut. Looks like EMU is the only one with a longer stroke, but there's no EMU kit with longer A-arms. 

I run the Calmini 3" with the strut spacers and OME struts 

Quote from: Jeremiah on July 06, 2006, 03:14:48 PM

I'm looking around at different lifts for Trackicks - and - from what I'm reading there isn't a kit out there that has longer A-arms AND a long-travel front strut. Looks like EMU is the only one with a longer stroke, but there's no EMU kit with longer A-arms.

I run the Calmini 3" with the strut spacers and OME struts 

How you like the Calmini 3"?

Good and bad but mainly good. I wish that they would offer a range of spring rate options to suit swb or lwb with or without a front bar and winch. Also it would be great if they used the OME struts. They could use something better than the heim joint they currently use in the rear. Also I had a problem with a broken front diff due to the movement caused by the use of 1/2" holes in the diff brackets for 12mm bolts. What's with that?  Too much play allowed movement to occur  Bang! Other than that it works and is strong. If you want the most out of it for offroad work with a bolt-on IFS kit then it is the way to go.

I don't think there is much unused travel in the stock suspension setup. I thought there was on my GV but when I took the old struts off I could tell they had gone through thier max travel up and down many times. I've managed to hit my front tires on the insides of my front fender flares with the sway bar on.. there is ALLOT of travel there I'd say. the calmini spacers, flipped strut mounts and extenders should mostly just put your travel in a better spot for the lift. I think the only way to truely get more travel out of the front of these things is to get ome struts. the only problem with them is that they are way overpriced and too freaking soft.. not adjustable either which they should be for the price I payed. the travel situation could be different on a 1st gen but I wouldn't imagine it being much different. with strut extenders or anything like that you might gain an inch of travel tops if you're really lucky.

if I were you I'd just get the calmini and run thier stock length struts till they blow out then add some coil spacers and ome struts to the lift

Yeah - I've noticed it doesn't seem like there's a good hands-down-winner kit out there (like the Trail Tough YJ SPOA kit for Sami's). I wonder how hard it would be to make one? I bet someone could make an aweful lot of money if they made a better all-around kit?

I think I'll avoid spacers - I hear they actually make things stiffer, and HURT artriculation. Since I'll be running the Rubicon - I'll need all the artriculation I can get. Maybe I'll get the Calmini setup (looks like it beats everything else out there for wheel travel?) and spend the $$$ for OME's *ouch*.

Well - time to put all this stuff in a spreadsheet and see how much it's going to be to build a Trackick vs Samurai.

coil spacers help you be able to run bigger struts and shocks without unseating the coils.. they help articulation if you run longer stuff. my spacers didn't seem to stiffen the ride at all. I think the only significant factor for stiffness was the new shocks and struts and the ome struts are pretty soft. calmini's kit's are heard to be really stiff but flexy like crazy. remember, it's not like leaf springs. if you have non-progressive coils which most avaliable for that are they will just keep on compressing until you hit the shock or bump stop. for the down travel you go down until the shock limits it. my coils unseat a little on the down travel with full flex.. it's funny

coil spacers may be a little harder on the coils because in most cases you'll probably end up compressing it a bit more when you fully flex but those calmini coils are way stiff from what I hear and are definately much more substantial than stock and will definately take more of a beating before sagging than stock

a friend of mine has a pro comp 3 inch lift on his grand cherokee and did spacers and longer shocks on top of it and it's doing great.. has a ton of flex... freaking unbelievable flex shock and strut length are key to good flex

ill be honest.... i read what u said u wanted to do... and read the first few replies.... and all im gonna say is... GO WITH THE SAMI!!!!! sooooo much cooler.... yes i like vitaras or kicks or whatever.... but a sami is soo much more capable as standard. they are just better, look alot more 4x4... just better...

i havent really read anyone elses replies... so sorry if someone has written that already... anyways...




SAMI!!!

.... but a sami is soo much more capable as standard. they are just better, ... just better...

I don't want to start an argument, cause I LOVE Sammys.. but the statement above is about as far from the truth as anything I have ever heard. LOL..

I wheeled with MOSTLY Sammys today... (and many times in the past)  and they are NOT more capable.

There is something inherently stable and capable about trackicks...   I am not sure WHAT it is.. but I think part of it is the IFS.. I really really do.

ANYWAY... for what J says he wants... a Trackick is much better suited to provide it.

Compared to Trackicks, Sammy's are tippy as hell too.. anyone that doubts that has never been wheeling with a Trackick and a Sammy on the same trails...


That being said, once again, I am not bashing, cause I WANT A SAMMY!!!

quaddawg.. I agree. I've flexed my GV allot stock. I've seen pics of stock sami's flexing and it seems like nothing.

sami's and 1st and 2nd gen trackers have huge potential, don't get me wrong

You know.. Flex is overated too... with lockers, flex is less important than you think...

I have seen super flexy vehicles be very very unstable too...


Man, it's all up to person taste, driving style, etc.. all I know is that I keep up with Sammys at most modification levels, and the honest truth is, I can usually make hills and off cambers that most Sammys have a hard time with.. I ain't bragging on my little truck, cause there is a lot it can't do.. and there are WAY more capable rigs out there that are Sammys (several here this weekend)  BUT... take Hagen and his cohorts... they have modified thier Trackicks to the degree that many Sammy owners have... and those things are just unreal.... I am seeing it first hand this weekend.   And Hagen doesn't have all that much cash wrapped up in his.. tons of time, don't get me wrong.. but from what I have seen,  not all that much (relatively speaking)  But now we are way off topic... LOL...

Daily Driver? with the qualities that Jer.  states in his post??? That is the definition of Track/Kick.

i see your point, your tracker is pretty modestly modified and to hear that it does so well makes me feel great about my GV with coil spacers, ome struts, and 2 inch lift pro comp shocks. I don't have lockers so flex is not overrated for me yet. my friend got his audi way up our RTI pile of dirt with a tire way off the ground because he has a center diff and rear diff locker (awd car) lockers are great and I wish I had a front and rear one.. at least I have a center locker unlike most 06 "GV's" as they call those imposters.... getting off topic but oh well