General notes on vehicle modifications

Introducton

A Jimny in factory stock form is quite capable vehicle for all terrain use, and "okay" for on-road use (depending on your on-road needs and preferences).

However, as with every vehicle, it has its weak points and potential for improvements in areas where the manufacturer skimped (or made an oversight) during design or construction phase.

Also, there are some improvements and modifications which go "beyond" the vehicle's mechanical design "contours", but they make a significant improvement for certain usages.

Modification intents and extents

Jimnys can be extensively modified to the extent of being unrecognizable, but the expense will be twice as much as a brand new Jimny, and the vehicle will be no good for anything except for rolling in the mud or over rocks.

However, if the vehicle needs to be used in mixed conditions (on road, city, highway, job, family, and all kinds of all terrain use), the goal is just to improve it and modify it "sensibly" - while staying within the legal boundaries and within the logical/practical usage boundaries that will satisfy all of those usage conditions.

Therefore, you should first "conceptualize" what is your general aim before you start modifying your vehicle. Do you want to create a mud plowing monster, a pavement princess, a utilitarian mule, or just to sort out a few quirks here and there.

Notes on legalities

Beware that some modifications impact the legality of driving the vehicle on-road in certain regions of the world.

The details vary significantly from country to country, so it is your obligation to check the laws in your local country or in countries where you intend to travel in your vehicle.

Some modifications can be made road legal through a vehicle recertification process, while some can't.

For example, replacing cloth seats with leather seats, or installing mud flaps should be perfectly legal.

On the other hand, lifting the vehicle isn't in many regions of the world.

Beware that in general case, if your vehicle, which is not road legal, has a traffic accident, you can face severe legal consequences even it the accident is not your fault at all. If someone gets injured or killed on that occasion, the consequences can mean prison time.