About to do all the frontend work on The Tracker.  It's a 2002 Chevy Tracker 4 door 4X4 but with the 4cyl and 5 speed stick.  I figure it's the lightest 4 door 99-05 they made except for the 2wds.

I have an option to buy a set of KYB GR2 front struts from a '94 Tracker/Kick.  Lightly used and cheap.  I figure if I can use them they'd be an upgrade over the front struts I have now which feel a bit soft. 
KYB says:

...the part numbers for the 2002 Tracker are around 30% firmer than the part numbers for the Sidekick

Also there will be a difference on the spring seat height and angle

The part numbers are not interchangeable

Thank you,
Tech Support

So my Tracker's front is for sure a bit heavier than a first gen Tracker.  However they figured those same struts would fit a 4 door first gen so the difference can't be as great being as mine has the lightest 2nd gen engine and transmission.

Meanwhile I know some strut/shock makers use the same struts for the front of these regardless of which generation they are from.  In fact I believe Old Man Emu used to as well!  Still may.  Does anyone know the difference?  Is there actually a difference in how the struts mount to the knuckle such as the angle or whatever? 

Am I crazy to even bother with this?  I'd only be spending like $40 and my struts now work okay as it is but hey...if it's worth it then I'll have everything apart already.

For starters these vehicles don't have the spring seats on the struts - the spring fits between the frame & the control arm - so Mr KYB man is obviously misinformed, next the weight of a gen 1, 5 dr is 2855 lbs, as compared to a gen 2, 5 door, 2.0 at 3020 (figures taken from the owner's manuals), so nowhere near 30% increase in weight, why should there be a 30% increase in damping?

As you say, OME uses the same part for both generations (I'm running the OME so I know they fit the gen2), so have at it.

Cool.  I'll go make my offer to the guy.


I was thinking they were talking about the coil mount on the A-arm or something but the more I think about it the more I think that's about the same between the two generations.  I emailed them back to tweak them a little and pointed out what you said.

Good morning, I apologize I was looking at a different part number, the only difference between the two numbers besides damping rate, (334196/5 being 20% firmer) is the width of the opening of the lower knuckle bracket, 235036/5 is 46 mm and 334196/5 is 31 mm

They both the same extended, compressed length and lower bolt opening size

Thank you,

Tech Support

Now...if the knuckles are the same width at the mounting point then wtf is he talking about?

You can look this up yourself ...

Here's what the the KYB website says the 334196 strut fits - can you see both generations listed?

Yep, good point.  Didn't see the applications when I first looked at it.

Technical support at it's finest.

Only problem is now the seller's gone quiet.  Might just do my front end work this weekend and not bother.