How hard would it be to build a long travel 4 link suspension for my Tracker?  Like...trophy truck style...

I'm getting really tired of crawling around at 1/2 mph in these pennsylvania woods.  I want to do 160 along a fire road.  Again...just tossin this around.  Trying to picture some future projects.  I want really long travel, and super squishy shocks for some fast wheeling over rough terrain.  How terrible is a track/kick for a baja buggy platform? 

Should I just ditch it and buy a Ford F150?

This is built on a Tracker platform.  Go for it.  Remember the trucks you see flying offroad are not doing it in Pennsylvania woodlands. 

For ideas, look up chaos fab, they make long travel kits.  The hardest part would be triangulating the A-arms, everything else just comes down to careful measuring tape usage.   Only problem i can think of would be the short wheelbase, it might get a little squirmy at speed.  Also, you might have to come up with a knuckle and a-arm design, as i'm not sure if current trackick front suspension would hold up to well, with one a-arm.

This is what I'm after.




I want that.

  I want to do 160 along a fire road. 

I want to know how your going to get the tracker up to 160mph. 
I hope you have a good amount a $$$ to throw at it, if you want it to look like that truck above

Ahh yes...160 might be a bit of a problem.  I'm wanting more power anyway....so an engine swap might be in future plans.

And I don't want the tracker to look exactly like that trophy truck above...I just want a similar suspension setup with really squishy shocks.   How do I get the rear to just drop out of the tracker when catching some air like those trucks do??  And how do they keep the axle from falling off completely?

I've been searching, and I can't find much info about those setups.

Allot of time and money... LOL
Is this similar to the set up you want to run?

Or not that extreme?

There are simpler setups too.
This site might help you set a better idea http://www.dtprofab.com/
I would try a supercharger, before swapping motors. Depending on boost and air temp you can get 75% more power
Camden use to make a supercharger for the zuks, but now your kind of on your own. Eaton makes some good superchargers and you can usually pick up used ones on e-bay for a couple hundred.

Be prepared to spend some $$$. Shocks & springs alone will run you into the thousands if you're wanting to do what trophy trucks can do. Check out Mike Hagen's IFS rigs too - he's done some sweeeeeet stuff. My favorite is the one where he ditches the McPherson front in favor of dual A-arm fronts.... mmmm....

You don't need to go that extreme. I know of a certain well set up kick that can fly through the bumpy's

yeah....that's what I'm talkin about.   

Ahh yes...160 might be a bit of a problem.  I'm wanting more power anyway....so an engine swap might be in future plans.

And I don't want the tracker to look exactly like that trophy truck above...I just want a similar suspension setup with really squishy shocks.   How do I get the rear to just drop out of the tracker when catching some air like those trucks do??  And how do they keep the axle from falling off completely?

I've been searching, and I can't find much info about those setups.

Limiting straps, front and rear keep the suspension from falling down and destroying the shocks.

Amilla

Lindenmooch,
Are you talking about making a rig that can go fast in bumps, and maybe get a little air time, or are you literally talking about wanting to keep up with trophy trucks  They're going to be two totally different things.

Oh no....I definately won't keep up with trophy trucks!

I just absolutely LOVE the way they can fly through the desert flat out over anything and everything....and I just want a taste of it.

I realize the popular and most practical choice for a "budget trophy truck" would be a ford ranger or F-150....but I quite like my simple little Tracker, so if I can get some long arm suspension with long squishy shocks, and maybe a supercharger or a turbo'd 2.0....then that's what I'll do.


I don't know if any of you know this area at all....but Pennsylvania is FULL of rocks.  But not the kind for real tough rock crawlers...just small, uber annoying rocks.  I hate wheeling at 1/2 mph alllll the time.   And if I put my foot down...I'll just rattle the tracker to pieces going over all the rocks and bumps.


If it's going to be a complete custom fab job...I'll just sell the Tracker to one of you guys and buy a Ford pickup. 

The twin I-beam suspension the Fords have are pretty sweet. I believe they also had it in some of the Bronco II models if you're into the mini SUV thing (which, I presume you are if you own a tracker). If I were you, I'd look long and hard at both options (Ford & Suzuki), and think long and hard about what you really want the vehicle to do, and your budget before dropping the $$$. Jeep Cherokee's are a pretty cheap option these days too, but I think they're uni-body.

I wouldn't do the 2.0L AND a turbo. It'd be much cheaper & easier to do a Suzuki V6 swap if the 2.0L isn't enough for you (which - it SHOULD be). I know 130 HP doesn't seem like much, but it's ~30% more power than the 1.6L 16v and ~60% more power than the 1.6L 8v.

Track width is a large consideration in stability |removethispart|@ higher speeds. The 2-door is going to be at a disadvantage here. But, it will have a significant weight advantage (easier for suspension, HP & breaking). So - pick your poison: extra weight & stability, or less weight, and less stability?

You can probably drop $700 into OME springs, shocks & struts and be happy (just have realistic expectations: dessert runners spend $700 on ONE shock). I drive my 4-door 5-speed on dunes & fire roads between 40-60MPH depending on "track conditions". My OME suspension & 29" tires eat up all but the nastiest rocks & pot holes (which are usually easy enough to avoid). I've also jumped my junk in the sand dunes (read: softer landing), and been very happy with the landings.

Awesome.

Here's another monkey wrench to toss into it.  What about 4wd??    Am I wrong to assume it would be much simpler and easier to lift the front of a 2wd truck?

The reason I keep mentioning Ford trucks...is because they are already so popular among the trophy and baja trucks, that there are probably a ton of long arm suspension kits readily available.

I'm thinking along the lines of a late 90's F-150.  2 wheel drive.  Extended cab.  V8.   Unsure about tranny...I love manuals.   


Or.  Do I need 4wd?  How hard would it be to lift the front of the tracker a few more inches?  Should I buy the Calmini control arms?  Could I get a diff spacer and swap out my coils and shocks for coilovers?   Can I eliminate the rear diff mount on the body, and just use limiting straps?



And about the engine.   What kind of power could I steal out of my 1.6?  What about an overbore and flat top pistons?  New cam?   Can I upgrade from 8 to 16 valves?