Rear shock lengths/suspension travel

This thread raises quite a good issue about how little information is actually available about Jimny suspension and the lift kits on sale. It seems people only care about lift with no mention of increased suspension travel, articulation, firmness, spring rates etc. from any of the retailers!

Just saying a shock is +3 inches is useless. Is that 3 inches more travel, or just a longer body?

A look through the 'show us your flex' thread makes me think my standard Jimny has got as much flex on standard springs and shocks as some with 3 inch lifts. I want more articulation but have no idea which kit is going to provide it!

Someone needs to do a 'group test' of Jimny lift kits!

My old Jimny had no lift and did very well off road, the main issue that I had was that, at times, the sills came very close to being damaged. The 2" lift will be adequate for my needs and a bit more articulation will be good. For the tough stuff I have a Calmini equipped Vitara.
The problem with some kits is that the longer shocks and the thicker coils with more turns restrict upward travel, you win some you lose some.

Busta wrote: A look through the 'show us your flex' thread makes me think my standard Jimny has got as much flex on standard springs and shocks as some with 3 inch lifts.

I just saw your pics, that measurement makes a good reference.

Busta wrote: This thread raises quite a good issue about how little information is actually available about Jimny suspension and the lift kits on sale. It seems people only care about lift with no mention of increased suspension travel, articulation, firmness, spring rates etc. from any of the retailers!

Just saying a shock is +3 inches is useless. Is that 3 inches more travel, or just a longer body?

A look through the 'show us your flex' thread makes me think my standard Jimny has got as much flex on standard springs and shocks as some with 3 inch lifts. I want more articulation but have no idea which kit is going to provide it!

Someone needs to do a 'group test' of Jimny lift kits!

Don't know much about this stuff, but here's my thoughts.

On stock form, ride and flex travel are poor. The rear, however, flex a lot more than the front, even though the springs are smaller. The front with no sway bar gets significantly more ride and travel flex, which is good for some stuff and bad for others.

A small lift in my Jimny made it much more confortable and stable than stock or than a higher lift that i had previously. A good ride flex improve control cause tires don't leave the ground so easily when hitting bumps at speed or travelling on uneven roads.

Questions that you should look for:

1. Higher lifts tend to have stiffer springs so can this reduce ride travel and give you a stiffer overall ride?

# I have discovered that some people actually like stiffer suspensions cause it's easier to approach an obstacle with more momentum. It is definitively not my cause. else, i'll be riding a SJ.

# The shocks valving should also match the springs rate for better ride quality and maximum flex.

2. In theory higher lifts ought to have more flex travel due to longer shocks, but some kits also include extensions for the bump stops so the bigger tires do not hit the arches. Can this result in a similar flex travel on a 2" or 4" lift?

# In this case all you gain is ground clearence for chassis, t-case and better attack angles.

cheers

Stiffer springs also help offset the fact that the CofG is higher which puts more leverage on the suspension.

Theoretically the only purpose that the shocks have is to stop the vehicle bouncing on the springs, they shouldn't be stiff enough to reduce the response of the spring (over-damped), in reality some shocks contain gas which adds to the springing.

The bumpstops should prevent the coils from compressing fully which wears them out, lift coils usually have a longer compressed length hence longer stops are required. Often the stops are used to prevent longer shocks from fully compressing which could damage them or the chassis - someone recently posted a picture where the top of the shock had been pushed up through the mount. Ideally the top shock mount should be moved, looking under the Jimny it would appear to be relatively simple to make up a relocation bar, of course changing the angle changes the damping.

A standard Jimny with the ARB removed gives a surprising amount of flex and is very evenly balanced front to rear, which is good for stability.

All of the lift kits seem to come with stiffer springs and stiffer dampers. This is a recipe for off-road crapness in my mind! I know they help with body roll, heavy winch bumpers and tyre clearance but not all of us want 31s and 13000lb winches. If you are lifting an off-roader you should accept that you will get more roll as a result. Roll on-road = articulation off-road

A longer spring with the same or slightly lower spring rate would give lift and increase travel. This would give a smoother ride and better articulation and who cares if it feels like jelly in the corners!

And yes, some nice long shock absorbers designed for the Jimny's weight so they aren't constantly fighting against the springs. The shock mounts would be fairly easy to modify if you didn't mind cutting through the inner wing and boot floor (or fit a small body lift so you don't have to.)