Jimny mods for green lanes & winter

Hi

So I've just bought my second Jimny, I owned one a few years back which was very battered but lifted and used for offroad but the engine and body had seen much better days.

This time I've been more sensible, just picked up a 2000 reg which is very clean for the year with 70k, cambelt done, SJ manual hubs and basically standard.

It does have a bit of death wobble so I'll be seeing if shims help as they were meant to have been done the other year.

My main question is what do people think is best to do - I want to use it for going in fields, light green laning & to get me to work in the winter.
I don't want a huge lift on it, but have been told just a 2" lift makes it a lot more capable offroad.

It has some Jimny lean at the moment - but I was thinking of fitting a 1.5" spring spacer kit as I don't want to spend huge amounts on a lift kit as it is only a cheap car to begin with.

I was also thinking of fitting a lockrite to give me a fail safe for the snow and muddy areas.
What are people's views on these mods?

Also I was wondering if there was any brackets that could be welded to the rear shock mounts to beef them
Up a bit as they look to be a weak point in the rear suspension.

Thanks

Here is the Jimny - needing some new tyres if there's any available around the Derbyshire area!

I'd stick a decent set of A/T tyres on and leave it at that. Go with some 215/75 15s and you will gain a bit of clearance without needing a lift. They will give the best balance of performance on and off road and in the snow. Mud terrains would be better in muddy fields but worse in the snow and on-road.

A lockrite is probably a bad idea for winter road driving. They can be a handful on the road in the dry, let alone in snow!

If the rear shock mounts get damaged (unlikely for light use) they can be drilled out and replaced with a bolt. Guards are available but these are for protecting the shock rather than strengthening the mount.

Busta wrote: I'd stick a decent set of A/T tyres on and leave it at that. Go with some 215/75 15s and you will gain a bit of clearance without needing a lift. They will give the best balance of performance on and off road and in the snow. Mud terrains would be better in muddy fields but worse in the snow and on-road.

A lockrite is probably a bad idea for winter road driving. They can be a handful on the road in the dry, let alone in snow!

If the rear shock mounts get damaged (unlikely for light use) they can be drilled out and replaced with a bolt. Guards are available but these are for protecting the shock rather than strengthening the mount.

Sounds good - what about the Jimny lean- can this be counteracted with new shocks/springs (standard) or does it need a spacer? The jimnys carried a fair bit of weight in its recent life.

I'll leave a lockrite for now then.

Ah ok I think I'll drill through and put the bolt in as I don't want it snapping - as and when I get the chance:

Other than that I'll be putting a work light on the rear & maybe a hidden winch on the front.

Is there anything I should check/service straight away - I was planning to do a full service so all fluids (engine axles & possibly gearbox) filters etc.

Thanks for the help.

Just found some 195/80/15 AT remoulds - I've asked and they stand at 27" tall inflated so seems like a good compromise. Has anyone else had any experience with these? I've had remoulds in the past and they do crack a bit earlier but apart from that they seem good value for money - especially as this will be a budget Jimny.

Check for tyre prices online - usually include fitting at a local agent or you can get them delivered and take in for fitting. Prices are usually a lot better. I bought some online that were fitted by one of the big tyre and exhaust co's and final price was 2/3 what they were advertising for the same tyre.

Ray