Hi guys. I'm new to the whole offroading scene. And being a poor college student, I have very limited money to work on my Tracker. I was hoping some of you would be able to give me ideas to get started.

I'll start off with a little overview and info. I drive a 2000, 2dr, 4x4 Chevy Tracker. Runs alright, but I'm having it sent into a shop this weekend to get it looked at, the engine seems bogged down on my almost daily 50+ mile commutes. Also, the 4WD doesn't seem to be working. Both of those will be looked at, and hopefully I'll have it either fixed, or a price quote so I can start looking around. I also need a new muffler, I have a whole in my current one, any recommendations for cheap good sounding performance mufflers are welcome . I use this Tracker mostly for commuting and pleasure (showing it off, traveling w/ friends, and I also like to keep it clean, making it look nice is a priority, mud can't be caked on it every day. lol) I only offroad a few times a year, but I love the looks of the vehicles, but performance matters a bit more to me... so I'm looking for a plan.

What I was thinking was to start off with an intake system from Calmini. (I hope the older >99 model intake fits?) if not is there any that does?
Next I was thinking to get a little raise in my tracker, maybe 2" body spacers or something from RRO.
then I wasn't sure if I should save up and get a 2" suspension raise, or save up for an exhaust and header combo from calmini (again, I hope it fits...)

I'm not sure exactly what to do, any other plans anyone has used, or has in mind for a tight budget to max performance and looks over the summer are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for your time

what engine is in your tracker? the engine depends on what performance parts you can get/what will fit. if youre not wheeling it, then just a 2" body lift with a little bit bigger tires will be fine, and give you the look you want.

sorry, I have the 2.0L engine in there, with like none of the power anymore, hopefully that'll change this weekend. Aren't tires really expensive though? And what's the max size tires that will fit under the stock height? and one more, Should I get the steering extension if I get a normal 2" body lift?

Also, as a little add on off subject... how do tire sizes work? I think I'm slowly learning, but it's still confusing...

235/75/15 tires on 15x7 rims. Thats what I have on my 92 Tracker I dont no how much they were because they came with it when i got it. check out my cardomain to see what they look like and tell me what you think.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2355519

Cool, thanks for the reply.

You have a nice looking Tracker, I like what you did with the taillights. Did you take them off to do it? Or just paint black over the top of them? I was thinking of smoking mine soon as a cheap good looking mod. But according to some tire calculator I found those are almost 29" in diameter, which is a decent size. It's something to look into.

That site, http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp  - also said that anything over a 3% gain in size would possibly make the brakes fail? how common is this? and will it be unsafe for daily driving?

yea I took them off and put the lights where the reverse lights are. The police dont like it so whenever i get pulled over I tell them im going to a junk yard when i get payed to get new ones lol works everytime for now. You can try a body lift because those are cheap and you can also try coilspacers also cheap way to lift it. Im not sure about the 3% increase thing and the breaks i have never heard that before my brakes work fine but i dont know how much of an increase my tires are but they work fine to me.

lol, those cops ruin all the fun.

Does anyone know if the 16V Performance Exhaust from Calmini fits the 2000 tracker? It has no years next to it...and my tracker's 16V, I really need a cat-back, or at least a muffler, and they have a good deal.

the 16 valve referred to by calmini (and most people on here) is the 1.6 16 valve, since the 1.6 was available as 8 valve and 16 valve, if that makes sense. and i dont think the exhaust for a 1.6 would fit your 2.0. its designed for 89 - 98 model sidekicks and trackers. and bigger tires dont cause brake failures. they put more stress on the brakes, but will not cause failure. im running 31's on my 89 with no problems.

hey bud welcome to the fun we call zuki's if you are looking at inexpensive then the intake all you have to do is drill the air box below the air filter and purchase an after market (k&n) filter but since you do not offroad much just change it more and you should be fine ....this mod will allow for better breathing and give the cool growl sound when you stomp on the go pedal. the brake are affected by any weight change on your vehicle but a 29 inch tire will not kill you by any means. a body lift will be the least expensive route and will give a nice look. if you want more ground clearance the coil spacer will be the best inexpensive mod either way a 2-2.5 inch lift and 235's (29) will be a nice combo and fun all round also your 50+ miles a day will not be spent trying to get up to speed and stay there. the only other thing is I think the suspension changed for 2000 and the coil spacer is a  little different than early models so check into that first.

hope this helps and have a lot of fun

Does anyone out there know of any catback system that will fit on my Tracker? Calmini doesn't make any and I really need to get one, I don't want just a muffler. Any help is greatly appreciated.

if you are looking for cat back just go too your local muffler shop and get a 2.25 or 2.5 inch diameter pipe and high flow muffler it will soun like a jeep from ww2 i have 2inch and it is ok a little larger would have been better

hey bud welcome to the fun we call zuki's if you are looking at inexpensive then the intake all you have to do is drill the air box below the air filter and purchase an after market (k&n) filter but since you do not offroad much just change it more and you should be fine ....this mod will allow for better breathing and give the cool growl sound when you stomp on the go pedal. the brake are affected by any weight change on your vehicle but a 29 inch tire will not kill you by any means. a body lift will be the least expensive route and will give a nice look. if you want more ground clearance the coil spacer will be the best inexpensive mod either way a 2-2.5 inch lift and 235's (29) will be a nice combo and fun all round also your 50+ miles a day will not be spent trying to get up to speed and stay there. the only other thing is I think the suspension changed for 2000 and the coil spacer is a  little different than early models so check into that first.

hope this helps and have a lot of fun

nicely put. The intake I have is just a 3" diameter exhaust pipe I think and I used a coupler from good ole auto zone to keep it on. The filter I use is also from auto zone its just a cone filter which looks great and sounds great on the throttle like explained above. The only problem I have with mine so far is that it sits right above the strut bracket and Im pretty sure water and dirty can get up through that small little hole thats around it. I think this because my engine compartment needs cleaned BAD lol. So i just need to get an elbow pipe I guess is what it would be called so its not over it and maybe a shield.

if you are looking for cat back just go too your local muffler shop and get a 2.25 or 2.5 inch diameter pipe and high flow muffler it will soun like a jeep from ww2 i have 2inch and it is ok a little larger would have been better

I'm no welder, so does this straight pipe fit directly from the cat.converter to the back with a coupler or something, or can I clamp on different elbows and whatnot? Sorry for all these dumb questions, I'm new to working on cars mechanics, I'm was a audiophile guy doing stereos... lol. thanks for all your help.

That site, http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp  - also said that anything over a 3% gain in size would possibly make the brakes fail? how common is this? and will it be unsafe for daily driving?

Theoretically a large diameter tyre can place more leverage on the brakes. Not sure how many people  on this site are still running stock size tyres, just a few I'd guess and you don't hear of any real problems. On my Vit I have fitted LWB brakes but I run 33s, the stock brakes were a little disconcerting on a long descent but never failed.