Hey guys, has anyone here tried any stuff from this outfit? They seem to be on the cutting edge of Suzuki gear, especially when it comes to the Sidekicks and 99-05 models. They are accepting pre-orders for their 3" kit and I was wondering if anyone is lined up for that, or if anyone has had any experience with them with any other kits or models? I'd love to see them bring the 4.5" kit to market...supposedly winter 2016/2017. Their bumpers also look pretty fairly priced, considering how hard it is to find a bumper out there for these rigs. I'm thinking about buying an XL7 in the near future and am definitely considering spending a good chunk of change with them...any opinions?

http://www.alteredegomotorsports.com/

Front bumper, probably one of the better looking designs available in North America:


4.5" lift test mule:


4.5" lift for the SIDEKICK, I'm guessing many of the pieces are not that different for the 2nd gen trucks:

there are a few guys on here that have there 4.5" lift and love it... would like there 4.5" lift for the second gen but I don't want to spend the money right now and I want to hear what people say after the install and trail run

Has anyone tried their 3" lift yet? I'm debating whether I want to spend the extra $800 for an extra inch of lift over their 2" spacers, but I might need all the lift I can get to fit 31's. The rear link setup could be worth it though. I just don't want to be the first person to try their kit and have it be a constant nightmare like my Calmini lift was for my 01 Vitara.
Anyone tried their 2" lift?

If I had the money to spend I would buy the kit because it's suspension lift and not coil spacers. Also it moves front and rear out more which would benefit trying to fit 31's. I will eventually will end up buying the kit but just want to hear how everyone likes it and I can save more money up for it Nd explain to the wife why I need this.... 😁

Mainly I'm wondering if it's really worth the extra $800 for that 1" of extra height. I find there's nothing wrong with the way the truck rides with the factory springs, so I'm not sure if I actually need aftermarket springs. I also never had any tire clearance issues on the back of my 2001 Vitara with 31's so I'm not really sure if it's necessary to run aftermarket control arms. I was running the Calmini 2.5" lift and a 2" body lift. It had enough vertical room in the wheel wells for 33's which is what makes me wonder if I could get away with just a 2" lift and 2" body lift. Maybe the half-inch difference between Calmini and Alter-Ego would necessitate longer arms, because they are fairly short so they do alter the wheelbase somewhat drastically compared to a vehicle with longer arms. Here is a pic of said Vitara:



I'm also not sure how realistic of a timeline Alter Ego is working with to get that 4.5" kit released, because I remember when I was shopping for a lift for my 2001 Vitara back in early 2009, they said they were working on getting it released "in the spring", which is what they told me when I phoned them a week or two ago. Given that the 2nd gens aren't all that popular compared to the older Zuks I wouldn't be surprised if there never is a 4.5" lift released for them. Chances are most guys who had the cash would rather put the $2000 or whatever it would cost towards a solid axle swap.

Question 3: Would it be a good idea to run an OME strut with a 2" lift instead of the usual strut mount spacer?
EDIT: Found this helpful tech article about running Pontiac Grand Prix rear struts up front on a 1st gen which is quite similar:
http://www.zukioffroad.com/Tech_Library/longer_strut_for_your_geo_tracker.shtml
I can make that work for alot less $$$ than OME!