Alterations for Off roading

[szk]

Hi All,

I was just thinking. Since we have so many members who use their 'Zukis for off-roading trips, it would be nice to know (for people like myself having unalteraed vehicles ), what kind of alterations/ upgrade has been done/ can be done to the vehicle to make it more easy for off-roading in mud or ice.

I am not expecting any changes to make my Zuki into a moon-vehicle, but something performing like that will be a great fun - so that when they start that daily trip to the moon, I can take my vehicle with me ;D

I can get some ideas from all the pros out there.

[louthepou]

Hi there szk,

Great question. I wouldn't call myself an off-road expert, but I did play in the dirt a bit and even got my Sidekick's rear half floating on one occasion.

With your allusion of a moon vehicle, you then are aware of the range of potential mods... My advice is as follows: first identify what the use of the vehicle is going to be, then select the appropriate mods that correspond to this use.

For example, for my next Sidekick (next year I'll get a more recent one than my 1994 200,000 km 4 door) I plan on getting a body lift of no more than two inches, and continue on my "armor" project (I already fabricated a steel plate protecting the front differential, oil pan and other parts right under the engine compartment.). Considering I go off-road mainly to reach duck or grouse hunting areas in the Pontiac region, about 1:30 hrs from home, that would be enough mods for my needs. I think that the first shortcoming that the Sidekick has for off-road use in stock form is ground clearance, and underside protection sort of goes hand in hand with this.

You have to consider that the more off-road ready the Sidekick is, the less ideal it will be for on-road use (as a rule of thumb). Also, the amount of money grows quickly with the extent of the mods.

For serious off roading, you can then consider a host of mods, from larger tires and rims, beefed-up suspension, changing gear ratio, boosting engine power (not with a "chip" or a bathroom fan, crap found on internet here and there) but with actual engine mods ($$ but serious gains), bush bar, winch, and so on.

To dream a little, go see this web site, you'll get ideas on what kind of stuff is out there:
www.rocky-road.com/sidekick.html

Remember than, even in stock trim with it's low ground clearance, the Sidekick is truely a worthy off-roader; rugged ladder frame, archaic but effective all-around engineering, real transfer case, small size (fits everywhere), light weight. Let's go play in the mud.

Feel free to send me or post any other question or if you need precisions. Cheers!

Louis

[Lucy]

Hi there,
Like Lou there said it depends on what kind of offroading you want to do. the best place to start is a 2 or 3 inch body lift and 30 or 31" tires ,I recomend a decent and inexpencive mud tire like a BFG mud terrian or one of the also decent knock offs such as a mud king or something of it's like. if your interested in prices on mods let me know and I'll get some for ya. There are two really good reasons I recomend starting out like this. 1 it's the cheapest way to get started and get a taste for off roading so you can know just how hardcore you wanna go. 2 limiting yourself to smaller tires forces you to lean good offroad driving skills which is very important , I know a lot of guys that build there first truck right off with 35" tires or bigger and they count on their big tires to get them through a trail cause they have no driver skill and they get suck in places that a truck with a good driver and 31" tire could get through. it a pathetic sight and really just no fun. learn how your truck works and learn how to drive it well and you will be surpised where a kick on 31's will go and you will down right shock others that you off road with.

Hope that helps you out, if you need more info lemme know
l8r
Lucy

[szk]

Hi louthepou, that was a nice site. I could get a feel of what could be done to my vehicle. To start with, let me see if I can put in the bigger tires as Lucy and you suggested. But I need to find out some trails and have some first hand experience of the real thing. I live in New Jersey. Know of any trails where I can put my driving skills to the test ? Out of state/ nearby states is fine as I am habituated to long drives. The site had a few books which mentioned trails in west coast - but that would be a bit extra long drive from here - cannot get that much time out.

[RockJunkie]

Like everyone says, You can make it mild or Wild.

I have done both with mine. I started with a 2" body lift, 1" suspension blocks and 31" tires. With this set up I was able to do many of the moderate trails here in Colorado.

From there I spent the winter designing and fabricating a new suspension and doing the SAS. I ended up designing a long arm three link for the front and rear. I used stock TJ coils, Ford 350 shocks, Toyota 8" axles, and all custom made links. The front solid axle swap was the hardest. Currently I have to use limit straps since I am still using the stock driveshafts. In my last ramp test, I was able to lift one tire over 38" while leaving the other 3 on the ground. In addition to the Suspension Mods, I built my own custom bumpers with a winch in front and sliders.

With this setup I have run Pritchett Canyon and Hells Revenge in Moab, Holy Cross and Independece Pass in Colorado.

If you like to bolt on parts, there are more and more companies designing parts. Try Rocky Road, Calmini and Spidertrax. I can also explain many other options out there.

With my current setup I am able to keep up with any other vehicle out there. The Suzuki's Rule. Lightweight, powerful, and more than cabable. Even with minor mods, my Sidekick did better than my Tacoma ever did on Carnage.

[louthepou]

Good tips..

Rockjunkie, I couldn't ask for a better testimonial. I was planning on going that exact "mild" mods path next spring; my plan is clear!

Cheers

Louis

[bikemon ("Trent")]

Rock junkie, ditto.
You invested a little more than I planned, I have no clue how much it took to swap to a solid front axle. when I get mine running, I plan to go slow, like lucy said, and when I've got a little money I plan to do stuff here and there. with all that you said, I'd like to have two, one for real, and one for real rugged.
I don't know all the tire dimensions, but I've seen some small agressive tires put on some of these go getters. I don't know if a 29" is a 175 or what.

I would like to lift mine just a little and I'll decide whether to replace these 30" with smaller or bigger tires. another mod I want is the brush bumper and the winch with lot's of lights. I've even thought about a spot light, cause I want to use mine for camping with a roof rack on top. I've seen a roof rack that flips over a hinge at the back of your suv to be a sort of camp kitchen, or whatever you want to hang from the beams. For camping, I want some music, and maybe a place to hook up the guitar so I don't have to bring an amp and all that stuff, and I've also thought about an air tank and a little air compressor for when you stop off and help people that are broke down. they have kits that turn your a/c pump into an air compressor with standby tank.
I would appreciate any ideas that get posted here

Trent
91 blue 4x mt soft project
91 salvage
94 project

[RockJunkie]

BikeMon,
..Sounds like you have the bug. I am happy to suggest several types of upgrades. I personally build all my own. For instance, when I did the SAS I extended the frame 5" forward to fit the existing Power Steering Box in front of the radiator. This also creates a perfect fit for a Warn 8000lb winch that is neatly nestled inside the front bumper. Then I added a custom bumper and light surrounds and re-wired new off road lights into the bumper.
..The other option you mentioned is OBA. I am currently doing this to mine. I am adding a 3gal tank under the body, between the frame and rear seat. I picked up the AC pump at the junk yard and all I need now is the plumbing to hook it up.
..I love to build things and would be happy to help. Where are you located? Also if you are interested in pictures of what I have done, send me an e-mail and I can send you some.

TTFN.... Dale

[bikemon ("Trent")]

road junkie, your email address is hidden.
mine is bikemon @yahoo.com

abosolutely, I have several folders with suzuki pics. that's were I get my inspiration and ideas. if it weren't for this site, I'd probably sold my geo's for scrap.

it's what everyone else thinks that don't know about these things. I keep hearing the word "disposable car". it's a zuke! it's a tracker! it's a miniature **** with sharper lines

[Queso]

lol @ myself... Off roading for me is just driving on something that isn't paved

[tuckerx1111]

www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
here is a link so that you can compare tire sizes and how it affects speed.
its in both metric and inchs

[Queso]

I've been thinking about doing some off road mods... I want to get it ready for some mild off-roading with a limited budget. I need some help, with prices and ideas... With a 1200 dollar budget, what would you experts recommend I do? I deifinitely want skids! (prolly the Calmini if no one else has other suggestions).

When you make a recommendation, if you would be so kind as to include the price, and a fair installation estimate (like, what I could expect from a normal shop), I would really appreciate it.

Remember, this 1200 includes tires, too, as my current ones suck, and are balding. Oh, one other thing... My vehicle is a 1996 Suzuki X-90 4x4 manual, with 110K miles. Right now its pretty much stock. And I need a new muffler.

When I bought it, it had no airbox, just a crummy foam cylinder filter. So I got a good K&N (RR-2802). Next I'm thinking about the Calmini headers, cat, and exhaust. But if any one has better ideas, I'm very open to suggestions. I don't know what shape the cat is in, but most of the muffler is missing. I might not "need" the headers and cat. But if there is a way I can work them into my budget and still have a decent off-road/on-road toy, that'd be awesome.

Teach me, oh knowledgable ones ;D

[RockJunkie]

Howdy and welcome.
I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. For $1200 What would I recommend. Let me break this down. What you do depends totally on how much you can do your self. Let me focus on Tires, Wheels, Skids and lift. Let me also add that you most likely dont want to trim your front bumper or flatten your pinch welds.

Option One: you buy the parts and install them.
Lift: 3" Calmini $140
Lift: 1" Rocky Road coil spring spacer $80
30x9.5x15 Pro Comp Mud tires on Black Rock Crawler 97 rims $580 from four wheel parts performance.
Skids: front and t-case from Calmini $200
Header from Calmini $220
Total: $1220

Now to really inhance the off road performance I would add a rear locker instead of the header The rear locker from Calmini is;Rear Locker: Lock rite $240. The other item that you really need are sliders from Calmini. They sell for $169. You can also add the transmission skid, but it is really not really needed. Cost $90

New Total for everything: $1700

Also to save money you can build your own skids. I built mine out of 1/2" thick poly-ethelene with a box steel bracing. It is far stronger than the Calmini skids and it is plastic to slid over the rocks.

If you have any other questions you can e-mail me at [e-mail].

Last point, if you are close to the denver area I am happy to build anything you may want. I am thinking of starting a business of building lift kits and modifing our great sidekicks. I build bumpers, sliders, lift kits, cages, and also do axle swaps.

Good luck and have fun.

[Queso]

Awesome... Thanks for the tips! If the stuff comes with detailed instructions, I could do it. The plastic skid plates are a good idea! Are they just flat plates bolted on, or did you somehow shape them? I'm really interested in learning how to make my own skids...

As for the lift, I'm not too fond of body lifts, really. Clearance is what I'd prefer. Rocky road offers a 2" lift there, I noticed. What are your opinions on that one? And how would I go about extending shifters? Would welding be required? I can't weld. And you are right in that I don't want to hack up the body at all.

The tires are quite expensive! I'm not intending to do any rock crawling or anything, just putzin through the woods (skid plates for the occasional branches and debris). 580... That is a lot... I'd rather get the body repainted and rust proofed with that money... Also, because I'm not planning on any serious off-roading yet, the locker won't be necessary. Once I'm more financially secure in life, and can afford another car, that's when my X-90 will be turned into a serious machine! I just want some fun for now

My main interest is restoring it right now. I was just thinking that maybe I could replace the shocks with some better ones that might also provide a lift (I know virtually nothing about how lifts work).

I was considering the headers, and the whole exhaust system in fact, due to the whole missing exhaust issue. You think just the headers would work? Wouldn't I need the other high flow components?

What are sliders? If you built some stuff and had a website, that'd be awesome! However, I'm in Michigan. You mean Denver, Colorado, right? (I have no idea if there are any others). With the skids, if there's more than a flat plate and bolts, do you have any instructions on how to make them? Maybe you could sell the instructions if it's not that simple, while also offering them pre-made.

Thanks for all your help! I just wish 1200 went farther with cars...

[Gman]

I'm interested in what types of filler/ bumper/ winch mount etc. for the areas above the stock bumper location... Is there something not so expensive that looks as good as the 7 and 8 hundred dollar stuff ??

Rockjunkie ?? I know you know about the costs and benefits of fabricating stuff, instead of shipping across country... I'm sure we would support your work if we could ever get around the distances between us...

I would be willing to make the trip to get several of your items a 1000 miles closer to the east coast...

Jeff