Is it worth it to lift my 1992 sidekick 1.6 8v automatic tranny or is the auto crap?

The auto's are great.  Since most of them come with a higher gear ratio then the manuals you can get a junk yard set of third members, throw them in and your already set for larger tires. 

  What he said X 2.

Mine is auto and I love it!

With the proper gearing an auto will be fine.....but without the proper gearing, you will hate it.

they are pretty badass for trails and stuf...my buddy has a manual and he hates it...i have a auto and its great for the slower stuff...plus your leg doesnt cramp up from a damn clutch...by the way...he is correct about the gearing...mine on 31s is a turd after 45 or so with stock gears and a 16v

1.6 8v, 3speed auto, 5.38's on 31" mtr's It will top out around 80 mph on freeway.

I have never driven an auto one, but I would imagine it would be like a tractor in low range. The one I had was a 5 speed, and the low range wasn't that low.

I have never driven an auto one, but I would imagine it would be like a tractor in low range. The one I had was a 5 speed, and the low range wasn't that low.

The tcases are the same between the autos and the manuals (same gearing and everything).  The 5 speed has a 3.65 1st gear, the 3 speed auto has a 2.4 1st gear (I don't think that takes into account the torque convertor multiplication though.....which is said to give about a 2:1 equivelent reduction), so gearing is pretty close to the same overall.....with the auto possibly being slightly lower (depending on the torque convertor multiplication).
As stated before, with the proper gearing the auto will be nice offroad, with too high of gearing the auto will be a dog.  I know this firsthand, because I had an auto sidekick with 29" tires, a rear locker and stock gears......when I got into a "tight" situation, the engine would just sit there and bog (I couldn't spin the tires and the engine didn't have enough power to move the sidekick).  The good thing about a manual is at least you can rev the engine and dump the clutch to get something to happen.....sometimes not good things, but at least you have that option.

The good thing about a manual is at least you can rev the engine and dump the clutch to get something to happen.....sometimes not good things, but at least you have that option.

is that a good thing, then?? atleast till u hear something break???

Quote

The good thing about a manual is at least you can rev the engine and dump the clutch to get something to happen.....sometimes not good things, but at least you have that option.

is that a good thing, then?? atleast till u hear something break???

Well, it might not be a good thing if it breaks stuff.  But at least with a manual you have that option.
Best thing to do, whether you have an auto or manual, is to use the proper gearing, so you don't have to use such extreme measures.