Apologies in advance for any redundancy here - I have scrolled through the FAQ, and used the search function.

Gonna do an OME lift on a 2003 Chev Tracker. Just trying to nail down the spring rating needed  - we have front skidplate, transfer skidpate, and that is about it in terms of weight.

One vendor has springs in stock - with spring rate on front 540 and on back 200. Can anyone let me know if these rates would be considered medium or heavy duty? Feeling like I would like to avoid the heavy for ride quality, but not sure what constitutes medium or heavy in terms of spring ratings. If length of spring comes into play, then I am totally f#%ked in figuring this out. Help! 

I'm tempted to start by asking exactly what are you attempting to do, because even with the details you've provided, it's not clear to me.

If you're attempting to decide which OME springs are best suited to your needs, one way to do it is to contact OME and ask them - in my experience they have been very willing to advise on the correct use of their products.

There's no need to confuse yourself with spring rates and lengths, OME engineers have done the work for you, and made selecting which spring to use very simple.  Start by looking at their application guide (which is available online) - they don't list anything for a 2003 Chev Tracker, but, if we look for Suzuki we find that for the Grand Vitara to 2005 (which is the equivalent to your Tracker), they offer a choice of two front springs - 2959, listed as "to 35kgs", and 2962, listed as "36 to 75kgs".  What this means is that the 2959 is rated for a vehicle ranging from stock to an additional 35kgs more weight in front, and the 2962 is rated for a vehicle with 36~75 kgs more weight in front than a stock vehicle.

The question now becomes how much does your front skidplate & transfer skidplate weigh, and do you plan to add more - 35 kgs is not a lot, and it is quite conceivable that your skidplates approach or even exceed that - so whilst the 2959 could work, if you're close to that 35 kgs mark, you might be better off with the 2962.

For what it's worth, I'm running the 2959 in front and 2961 in back, on a four door 1998 Grand Vitara with no additional weight worth mentioning (a roof rack and cross bars), along with the matching struts & shocks - the ride is firm but not unpleasant.  At some point I will replace the front bumper with something more robust and also add skid plates, at which point I plan on switching to the 2962 front coils.

Come on up to BC and I'll buy ya a beer Fordem - thanks for the in-depth info here - it has really helped! I hadn't seen that OME application guide, and your description and walk-thru was super helpful in understanding how it all works.

I am going to be going with the same spring ratings as you have installed - the 2959 and 2961.

Thanks again for taking the time and providing an in-depth explanation!!

When I lifted I went with the 865 medium springs and the firm shocks front and back. Great ride on the street and offroad. The addition of the arb front bumper required torsion bar adjustment. Still a great ride.

The addition of the Slee rear bumper required heavier duty springs 863's. Not as comfortable a ride as with the 865 medium springs. I think a lot of forum members have gone the same route as they added weight to the back of the truck.

With the addition of the OME sport shocks to the OME line, I think your biggest decision will be which shock to go with. The nitrocharger Original or the new sport. They are very different shocks.

The firm sports are much stiffer in ride characteristics than the firm originals\ nitrochargers. I just put the sports on my truck and they ride like my old bilsteins. Haven't had them offroad yet. The ride is much firmer and any side to side sway is gone.

Melissa, you don't tell us what vehicle you have, but I'm pretty certain it's not a Suzuki - none of them have torsion bars.