Ok, I bought some "new" retread tires from a guy who said they were 31's.  Turns out when we go to mount them they're more like 32.5ish!!! After some very serious Makita grinder work there was at least enough room to "rub" my way home...  I need a lift and am getting no definate lifts locked down as "the way to go"  Of course I want it as cheap as possible (ha), but don't know  whether to just do a 2 inch suspension lift with a 2 inch body lift or the much more invasive 3-4 inch suspension lifts that require a lot more wrenching... I want just enough lift to handle any offroading I do, but not to overdo it and look like a stomper... Any and all help/advice much appriciated.  Thanks!

Just so that you're aware of it - the Sidekick Sport runs a wider frame that the base model Sidekick so don't expect suspension lift kits for the base model to fit it.

Your basic lift kit with coil spacers and longer struts/shocks should be fine - but verify before purchasing any kit with control arms, etc., that it can be used on the Sidekick Sport.

Ya thanks I shoulda stated such...  I'm thinking just the standard 2 inch coil spacers and some aftermarket struts along with the 2 inch body lift and I'll be set...Mostly!  Thanks

I ran my 2" coil/strut spacer lift and a 3" body lift on my Sport. Everything fit great and worked fine. If you are needing a coil spacer lift PM me. Here is a picture of it with the lift/s.

If you have access to a shop you can do the A-arm cut and widen setup. 

http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/project-white-rabbit/msg272790/#msg272790

With the front and back of the fenders trimmed we figure this would give you room to fit 32" tires without a lift in the front, as it does give you about 1" of lift and moves the center point of the front tire.  A 1" rear spacer lift would be required as well.

We ended up going with some Ford Explorer front springs and a spacer drop for the front struts for my 33x12.5" Procomps.

As for ease of install and bang for your buck, it's hard to beat the spacer lifts.

If you have access to a shop you can do the A-arm cut and widen setup. 

http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/project-white-rabbit/msg272790/#msg272790

Uhh - you do know that the Sidekick Sport uses a different, I believe cast control arm - right?  I tried to highlight these differences in an earlier post.

Uhh - you do know that the Sidekick Sport uses a different, I believe cast control arm - right?  I tried to highlight these differences in an earlier post.

I knew they were different but I didn't catch that the a-arms were cast.  Are they the same a-arms, just different material?  I thought the extra width on the sports came from the frame being wider for the 2.0 v6 in Europe.

I bet Bob(kreator) would be able to make you some arms. I know he is planning on making some GV arms so maybe you can work out a deal with him.

I knew they were different but I didn't catch that the a-arms were cast.  Are they the same a-arms, just different material?  I thought the extra width on the sports came from the frame being wider for the 2.0 v6 in Europe.

I believe they are different, but I've never had the chance to compare them side by side - one thing is certain - they are not stamped sheet like the Sidekick arms, but either cast or forged (and I believe cast) one piece with the ball joint.

Thanks guys, I ended up going the cheap but effective route to keep from having to dive way into parts and fabrication and angle problems...  I'm combining a 2'' body lift with a 2'' suspension coil spacer lift along with some new rear shocks  and camber bolts in the suspension kit.  I've still got to do some research on what struts to get, as they are not cheap!!!  Any suggestions!?!?  Keep in mind this is my daily driver and will be doing some occasional offroading and fills in as my hunting vehicle also.  As far as gears go, after looking at what it'd cost to regear I've decided to just use 4th gear as my "new" road gear as it seems pretty comparable to what my 5th gear used to be! ha.  And to help it with offroading someday just do the transfer case gear swap....According to the online speed adjuster I used 55 on my speedometer is now 62 mph!, when going from the 27's I had on it to the new (too big) 32's.

If you can swing it OME struts are a good bang for the buck. Don't forget to get your alignment squared away so you don't booger up your new shoes. You might end up needing some camber bolts after the lift.

I do have the arms for that in the works , soon as i finish version 3 on my track/kick  testing, I will be building GV lift kits . I already have the stock arms and diff brackets for fabbing the jigs .

cadams3, your inbox is full.

I do have the arms for that in the works , soon as i finish version 3 on my track/kick  testing, I will be building GV lift kits . I already have the stock arms and diff brackets for fabbing the jigs .

From the sound of this, you may be thinking the Sport and the GV use the same arm - do forgive me if I am misunderstanding you - to the best of my knowledge, the arms for the Sidekick Sport (the SV series chassis), whilst similar in appearance, are different to those on the GV (which is an SQ series chassis).

I could possibly get access to an SV series (my sister has one) and make a couple of quick measurements & compare them to my SQ, if that would help.

I have access to a sport for the test fit and mods if needed, I have not put them side by side yet to look at the difference.