Just looking to see how many owners run ether a standard or automatic transmission in there sidekick & why they like it that way.  I notice that when people post comments that some of them will list there car & what they have done to it, but I never see were they say what tranny they are running.  Everyone will tell you that they get X number of MPG or there top highway speed is, or there running 33" tires, but with no tranny info it's kinda hard to compare your performance with there's..... any comments

95 Tracker, 1.6 16V 32" tires 3 speed auto with 5.12 gears. 22mpg average. Auto works great especially off road. On the highway it could use another gear. 65MPH cruise at about 3800.

1990 sidekick 2dr 1.6 8V stock 5spd and gears running 235/75r15's with 2 inches of lift runs 65 (105kmh) at about 3800-4000 give or take. got my 31's to put on this next weekend and we will see what she runs on the highway for cruising rpms.

i cant stand autos... there to boring for me. i love running through the gears to get somewhere. plus, no body asks to borrow my truck cause no one anymore can drive stick!

ive driven a sidekick with a 3spd auto and it runs around nicely. up in the hills it would be nice when i would like to go into things a bit slower no hill rollback.

but then again, when the truck wont start (out of gas) or the clutch cable breaks, just run it on the starter. pretty hard to do in an auto. ive driven 45 minutes in the city with no clutch cable, thats a pretty major thing broken and it will still get you home.

With the 3-sped auto, you have relative easy/economical gearing available for larger tires.  Notably the 5.12 R&P sets from the 5-speed.  Then you can sell your 4.625 diffs to the Samurai guys. 

If I was going to set up a Tracker for offroad duty, I would probably choose an auto for that reason, plus it would be nice to have something different (an auto) than my Samurai setup.

I have 5speed but would prefer a 3spd auto. I dont care to zip around like johnny road rocket any longer, LOL, I am the guy out sunday driving everywheres he goes, not in a hurry for nothing, LOL And when out wheeling I prefer a slow crawl and finesse my way over and around obstacles. When this clutch goes I will pull the 5spd and slide a 3spd auto under her inplace of it. 

Im new to zukis,  but Im defanatly going to get a 3 speed ayto for my Samurai with the 1.6 16v.   shifting gets verry old in bumper to bumper trafic!  & no more fryed clutches to replace

But yah the down side is there is no way to push start it if your battery goes dead or starter goes out.

thanks for all the replies..... I have a 98 tracker 4dr 5 speed 2wd ( for now ) 29.87 MPG in town, no highway speed yet because the stock tires are really shot, getting new bigger ones ASAP, General Grabbers AT2 still working on the size.  The MPG is great, ( which you don't get with a auto ) but in the past I have always had an auto for 4 wheeling, I think it's  better for the slow & steady crawl then working the clutch, less things going on & more time to watch the trail ahead so thinking of a 4 speed auto... I like the O/D for the highway w/ 5.12's when I change to a 4 X 4.