Hi all,

Been reading about lift options for my 98 4 door Sidekick. I am not a big fan of either body lifts or just inserting coil spacers on the vehicle. With that said, I am a fan of cheap.

I have seen springs sold with kits that contain new A arms, but has anybody successfully lifted their Sidekick with just aftermarket/different vehicle's coil springs? In other words, is there a kit or set of parts I could purchase to just lift it with coils?

How much lift can I get away with using only stock components (minus coil springs)? I figure at least 2" as the spacers give that much. I like the spacer idea, but if I am going to take it apart, I might as well get some more travel in the deal.

Thanks, and apologies in advance if this has already been addressed. I just could not find it.

Dan

As a fan of cheep, you should put aside your lift prejudice and go with
a set of coil spacers and strut tower extensions and be happy that you
saved a boat load of cash and still have a very capable vehicle

Wild 

x2 that! theres nothing bad about the spacers. its a great way to start. not event in the same galaxy as body lifts.

What's your idea of cheap? If you have fab skills you can do a frame chop and drop like Mike Hagens and not use any spacers at all. Spacers are still the most economical way to go though. Then theres " virtual " lift. Chopping out the fender wells and just slamming the biggest tires in there you can fit.

A few hundred bucks, I guess.  This is my first non-live axled/non leaf sprung 4X. So this is all new to me. In terms of clearance, I like the spacers. However, as you all know, the Sidekick has very little travel to begin with, and I was hoping to address that.

Fab skills? I'm a good shade tree mechanic with a willing friend who has excellent fab skills. I'm only looking to mount 235 75 15s on it because gears and gas are nowhere in the budget. In fact, I will probably leave the stock wheels and tires on it and put the big meats on when necessary.

Thanks for the replies

Are you referring to the 235s as big meats? I ran those as a stock truck
for years, a spacer and strut extension lift with some aggressive MT tires
like BFG MT or Goodyear  MT and put a locker in the back, you will go most
of the places the big tricked out trucks will go, if not more, and do it at a
fraction of the price, read truck envy, you spend a few hundred bucks and
they spent thousands and you go right where they do, it's really fun 

Wild

I'm with Wild on this one. My daughter just pickjed up a 4 door Sidekick with a 2" spacer lift and it's running 235's with no issues. she " LOVES " her little Trucklet. Go with the inexpensive spacer lift and slap a locker in it. Wheel travel is overated anyway, IMO.

I agree, use the spacer lift and run 235 MT's, rear locker and you are unstoppable. FYI, I make the lift kits1 

Alright, spacers it is then.  Any suggestions?

This looks like a nice little kit: http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/suzuki/sidekick-tracker-x90/suspension-lift-kits/basic-and-complete-2-inch-spacer-budget-lift-kits.html

I assume they are polyurethane. Does not mention in the writeup.

Look at the post above your last, contact Jeff and get them from him

Wild

Actually either way you get them from me. I supply Low Range with the lifts. Yes they are urethane.

A lot of us have used spacers before building our rides.  I would recommend trying XL7 springs up front, and Jeff's spacers in back (XL7 rears springs won't work w/o modifications).  Price will be about the same, but TO ME the longer and heavier springs give a better ride.  It could be that my front springs were shot and didn't have enough spring with the spacers, but I ran them for over a year.  Once I put XL7 springs up front the ride was very much improved. 
And after that the modifications begin.

I run a set of Grand Vitara springs in front with a 1.5" strut spacer in front and 1" spacers from jeff1997 in the rear.  To me the ride is much improved over running a straight spacer lift in front, but still a bit stiffer then BRD HNTR's rig, which has a set of slightly cut down OME XL7 springs.  Part of that is probably the anti-sway bar I'm running in the rear.

I run a set of Grand Vitara springs in front with a 1.5" strut spacer in front and 1" spacers from jeff1997 in the rear.  To me the ride is much improved over running a straight spacer lift in front, but still a bit stiffer then BRD HNTR's rig, which has a set of slightly cut down OME XL7 springs.  Part of that is probably the anti-sway bar I'm running in the rear.

How much stiffer are the XL7 springs than the stock sidekick springs?   I assume the XL7 springs you are using are stock? So if I read right, you gain about an inch via the springs and an inch via spacers in front.

The springs you are using on the back are stock with just spacers?

Thanks

Yes stock XL7 front springs will give you almost 1 1/2 inches of lift on a 2 door, less on a 4 door.  You will get less than an inch of lift with 4 door springs in a 2 door, but it does raise it.   XL7 rear springs are smaller diameter, so are not a straight swap into Tracker/kickers.  I use Jeff's spacers in the rear with 4 door springs.
Any taller than 2" up front will require  dropping the front diff, or you will start blowing CV's when one of the front corners has a lot of droop.  No problems on the road, but dropping a front wheel into a ditch will do bad things.  It doesn't matter how you raise the suspension.
We started with spacers, and once I tried 4 door springs w/spacers I quickly noticed the ride improvement.  So when I went to taller springs, Drone switched to what I removed.  Drone's tracker is a DD in Seattle, so he did not want as tall a ride as mine.  (His SJ makes mine look stock)