S2 E16 Choosing Tires for Your Tracker, Vitara, Sidekick or Escudo

In this episode, we discuss tire needs and requirements based upon the individual needs, off-road terrain types and budget constraints. Using the 97 4dr., we install some different size tires to illustrate the looks and functionality of each and discuss a few smaller sizes. Also we identify what suspension modifications are necessary to install large wheels and tires.
Suzuki Sidekick, Geo Tracker, Vitara and Escudo #offroad
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[@eMotoAZ]

That was a great video. The most informative video regarding tires and wheels for our Sidekicks, Vitara's etc. Thank you for mentioning us again and helping the public as well with the many choices we have. I have to say that all of your 2 + 2's seemed taller than mine but I might be wrong. I'm going to shoot a video and show you mine again and more of the red '96 in the back. The one in the back is a 1.8 and mine is the 95' JLX 1.6 of course. I'm installing a new clutch kit in each. My wife was very happy and excited while watching the video, we watched it twice. It was really cool seeing the different views of the tires, perpendicular and parallel. Great visuals. After watching this I would like to lift mine or even do a little bit of cutting and fabrication to fit the 32's if I can find some. I was hoping Discount Tire or places like that in Flagstaff might have something. But just like the Jeep and the Suzuki I want to do a little bit of cutting in the front wheel well area. Sometimes it looks like you have to get a new steel bumper and aftermarket fenders to match it up nice. The 295's on the Jeep rub. But your Sidekicks looks so nice with the bigger tires, it is a cool thing to have too for a little pumpkin lift and as you mentioned in the video, because of where you live with the rocks and uneven terrain you need the bigger tires and the lift. And I also agree, The cool factor is there too.

[@tufftrails]

I am glad you liked it...hope that it helped you decide what options are best for you. When you install a 2" body lift and a 2" budget suspension lift and you include the new rear shocks that are 2" taller, you actually end up with about 5" of total lift. I may have snuck a 1/2" thick extra spacer on my body lift... I like the 32's but the wheels are from a jeep and require 2 spacers, One spacer helps the front wheel clear the locking hub and the second spacer (adapter) adapts the 5x4.5 wheel to the 5x5.5 hub spacer. 2.5" using two separate spacers is not safe at all. So if I do not find some cheap used wheels in the next few weeks, I will put the 31's back on it to tow behind the RV.

[@eMotoAZ]

@@tufftrails that makes sense, safety first. With the shed does explain why you're Sidekick's with the 2+2 look taller and lifted higher.

[@eMotoAZ]

@@tufftrails I will keep my eyes out for some wheels, the guy that I bought my Sidekick from has his red one in my backyard. I believe he's got 2 or so more at his home, he's got a nice tin top Samurai too. I'm going to ask him.

[@tufftrails]

@@eMotoAZ Not necessary, but thank you. I do have a question: when you are out with your liberty in the woods, what kind of cell service do you have?? any internet?? At Kaibab Lake, the service sucks...

[@eMotoAZ]

@@tufftrails Dogtown is no fun and not that beautiful, it's named that because prairie dogs lived in abundance there before it was a lake. The most beautiful is Kaibab, Santa Fe, JD Dam, White Horse, Sholtz (this one's beautiful, just passed the Dogtown turn you keep going straight keep, there will be a sign to go left) and near Whitehorse Lake there's a really quick 10-minute walk to Sycamore Falls. * Keep your eyes on the Overland Trails there's two of them off Perkinsville road which is the same road as 4th Street in Williams. *Side note. You can see the Bald Eagle and Osprey nests at Santa Fe Dam while drivng your car or parking and looking at the East side of the lake off of 4th Street. Obviously the Bald Eagle's nest is huge.

[@salrivera7578]

I have 30 x 10 on 15 x10 wheels with out lifting not rubbing I did recut a bit of front bumper and inside the fender wall beside that perfect look tuff like hell bulky with the flares beside that I don't like lifting a small Geo tracker I have my looking old school style and believe me he is not a regular Geo tracker 16 valves he have Delta cam 272 and all the gd stuff and he hustles highway trails and everything else love my Geo tracker but seems people love his look and his sound like a ford muscle car jjjjj gd video

[@tufftrails]

That's awesome, these little Geo Trackers, Vitara's, Sidekicks and Escudos are so under rated and under valued (good for us). They are amazing little 4x4 with tons of potential. All of my 2drs are 8 valves, but my 4dr also has the 16valve. this is the channels email, [e-mail] I would love to see some pictures of your ride. Our next project is a 92 Sidekick, 2dr, 8 valve. I am not going to lift it so I can make it more of a street ride something low ad cool... Thank You for your comment, I really appreciate it.

[@lesheath6216]

while this is a close representation of tire size difference, you're much better served using the same brand of tire. Manufacturers size can vary by as much as an inch. Also, a tire will be taller on a narrower wheel than it will on say an 8 or 10 inch wheel

[@tufftrails]

I agree, thanks for commenting.

[@davidmartin5179]

Best video I’ve seen with the different tire size perspective. Seeing each size side by side made a world of difference. Thanks for your time to put this amazing video together. The a White Rig looks wicked

[@tufftrails]

LOL, I was changing tires and spacers and adaptors all day... if it helps one person, then I guess it's worth the effort. Thank You for your comment, it's nice to know that someone is watching and benefitting in some ways.

[@USdefender1]

It's good to see that people are still interested in these rigs. I have a 97 2-dr Tracker, and I love it. I have 225/70 R15 on it. It's a daily driver, but I'd still like to increase its lift and stance, but I don't want to cut it up. By the way, you have a nice collection of Suzuki and Trackers. Could you please tell us what wheel adapters you used to adapt the 5x5.5s and to what pattern did you adapt it to? Thanks.

[@tufftrails]

Thank You for your question... I really do not use adaptors per-say. But to answer your question let me give it a shot. On a recent video "S3 E2 Wheel Spacers and Adaptors", we discussed the use of adaptors. I had found a set of wheels and tires and was able to purchase them at a really good price. They were from a newer Jeep Wrangler with a bolt hole pattern of 5x4.5" rather than what we need of 5x5.5. So I found some adapters that would adapt 5x4.5" to 5x5.5"...the issue was the center bore, the jeeps hosts a center bore of 87mm (?) and the Tracker requires a 108mm bore on the front axel. This required the use of a 1.25" spacer with a bolt hole pattern of 5x5.5 and then we added a adaptor that bolted on our 5x5.5" bolt hole pattern as with our spacer to reduce it down to a 5x4.5 bolt hole pattern....this is dangerous...do not do it. Our Trackers just like yours, uses a 5x139.7mm or 5x5.5 inch bolt hole pattern. If you just want to improve your trackers stance, you can use a wheel spacer from 1" to 2" depending on your preference. This will bring your wheels and tires out a little bit giving you a better stance and a wider track off-road. Your tires are only about 27.5" tall. (tirecalculator.com/225-70r15-tires) if you use a 2" budget suspension lift, you can fit 30's or even 31" tires without cutting your fenders. With that said, you can also purchase front fenders for about $60.00 each brand new, if you needed to. If you add a 2" body lift on top of the 2" suspension lift, you would achieve almost 5" of total lift, but would still need to trim the front fenders a little. Though I am giving you alot of information, I am not certain that this is the answer you are looking for. I hope this helps...I am a Tracker Junkie..lol, thank you for complimenting my little fleet.

[@tufftrails]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6HUepWFYrllrqM&ab_channel=TuffTrails

[@d.collier_8280]

What about gearing? Do you have a video discussing that?

[@tufftrails]

No...no gearing stuff yet. I will possibly be welding a dif in some up-coming vids. Personally, the only gearing changes that I would consider is a lower range Low Gear set-up in my transfer cases. I just don't have any issues going where I want to go with the stock set-up... Doug does lot more mechanical stuff than I do.... www.youtube.com/@trashpandaoffroad3548 He has over 200 vids...

[@user-lr9oc2xc6b]

I have a 95 4 door sidekick and wanting to run 31's on mine. Mine is a street car and never taken off road. My question is when installing the 2" body lift do you have to extend your shifter knobs or your steering shaft . I put a body lift on a 94 2 door soft top Tracker 20 years ago and did not have to extend the shifter knobs but did have to add 3' to the steering . Also do you have to remove bumper covers to run 31 's . One last question , I have a rack to put on mine but how does it mount without rain gutters ? Thank you very much for any advise . William

[@tufftrails]

Hey William. Good Questions. Here is my recommendation. Do not do a Body Lift... instead to a 2" budget Suspension Lift. This will give you the clearance for 31" tires without cutting bumper covers. Here is a video of one of our 4drs. with just a 2" budget suspension lift on 31" tires and their bumper covers doing pretty good off-road and keeping up with our other Trackers kzbin.info/www/bejne/Znqqi3ScgduCrdk Here's why, if you do a body lift, then "YES" you should extend your transfer case shifter, may need to extend your steering linkage and will need to also lift your stock bumpers and bumper covers to account for the 2" gap that you just created. If you have a 95 4dr Sidekick, then you have rain gutters behind the thick black rubber trim that runs from your windshield to the back swing door. If you do not have a rain gutter, please snap a picture and send to me. [e-mail] Here are my recommendations: 2" Budget Lift Kit amzn.to/3SzLGjb Pair of Camber Bolts for your front struts to maintain alignment. amzn.to/3u9IOjQ Replace the rear shocks with these Ford F150 Shocks for the extra travel. amzn.to/42jZMZa Hope I answered your questions. Visit our Store for all of your Sidekick needs www.tuff-trails.com

[@jimwoolsey6193]

do you give any consideration to changing back spacing/offset for inside clearances?

[@tufftrails]

Absolutely, Jim, however most vehicles being adapted, modified or altered via wheel and tire combinations that we do here, primarily focus on improving the negative offset. Taller tires for increased ground clearance and wider combinations for traction and stability enhancements. (Lots of folks are just going for the look or stance) Negative off-sets usually do not interfere with "inside clearances" (depends on the specific vehicle, solid axels or independent suspensions ect...) with the exception of needing to trim fenders or concerns over tires rubbing on the frame during tight cornering or maneuvering due to the increased turning radius of the steering axel. With a positive off-set wheel and tire combination we would be more inclined to take a closer look at "inside clearances", like brake lines, shock or strut mounts as well as brake calipers, tie rods and stabilizer bars, and other suspension components like leaf or coil springs, if so equipped. Any thing rubbing on the tire is a potential catastrophe. Thank you for your question Jim, I hope I answered your question. If not I am certain that a Tire Shop may have more generalized insights that cover a number of vehicle types.

[@vangelismilonakis1035]

Hi!! For a 2 door do you have to cut the car or take off any bumpers for the 235/75/15?

[@tufftrails]

"No" not at all, a 235/75/R15 has only has a tire diameter of 28.9 ", they will be fine and are a good choice. In this old video you will see a 4dr Sidekick running 31" tall tires, with only a 2" Budget Suspension Lift, without cutting any fenders or bumpers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Znqqi3ScgduCrdk This is the 2" body lift for the tracker, sidekick , Vitara or escudo. Thank you for your comment.