2020 Jimny. 215/75/R15 vs 235/75/R15, Ironman vs OME lift

Hi all,
Firs time to the forum, looking forward to learning and contributing
I've just picked up my 2020 JB74 manual. Looking at getting the 40mm OME or Ironman lift kit done.
First off, can anyone suggest whether Ironman or OME is better, considering there is about a AUD$400 difference.
Secondly, I want to know people's experience with 215 and 235 tyres. I really like the look of the 235s, but I'm worried they may drag a bit too much with the small engine.
Any advice and experience is much appreciated.

As for who is better OME or Ironman. No idea. And suspect at best you'll only get biased personal views.

OME and ARB are well known in many countries and I think in some cases this allows them to charge more for their stuff. As it is sometimes seem as "premium". Wether it is actually superior or not I do not know.

In terms of lift kits. I think it depends what you are wanting to achieve. Personally I do not like some of the design decisions OME have taken. Being that, they claim the suspension travel is limited by the stock brake lines. So only supply a shock long enough to not need extended brakes lines.

Sadly this means the OME kit won't offer any extra articulation over standard, as the there isn't any real additional wheel travel. I would much rather that offer their kit with longer shocks and extended brake lines, just as many others do.

Also, at the front of the Jimny, the cross member is also a limiting factor. If you increase the suspension flex and droop, the front propshaft will hit the crossmember. The OME kit is designed to restrict the front travel and not have this problem. While other makers simply offer a crossmember lowering bracket and longer shocks. Allow much more front articulation.


I suspect the shocks in the OME kit are very good. And I think if you are just wanting to improve the ride quality over rough terrain with no loss of ability off road. The OME kit should do this very well. And you will see slightly better suspension flex in terms of how the wheels move. Just no additional wheel travel.

If you likely to be doing more extreme off roading requiring more flex. Then personally I would not go for the OME kit off the shelf.


As ofr Ironman4x4. I think they are much less known, at least here in the UK. I have their front winch bumper on my Jimny. And the quality seems very good.

And as far as I know, their suspension kit does include longer brake lines and the crossmember bracket. So I would assume their shocks are longer travel than the OME ones. I have not been able to find any specs for the Ironman suspension, their website is unhelpful (so is the ARB one frankly).

So despite the fact the Ironman looks like it should offer more flex, I have no figures to back this up. I also don't know much about their shocks. They look fine in the promo vids, so I would assume are a quality shock.


Sadly I've found both ARB/OME and Ironman pretty useless to deal with in terms of email comms. Neither seem all that interested in providing information or wanting you to buy from them. Such a shame, as a small amount of up front Customer Service would do wonders in my opinion.



As for tyres. A 215/75R15 will fit straight on with no lift. But a 235/75 will need a lift. Although I'm not sure if under suspension compression if you would have rubbing. Especially with a more flexy setup. I know people do run this size, but I have no personal experience of it.

What I would say is. I'm gobsmacked at how the 215/75's impacted the performance (acceleration) of the Jimny. Having now witnessed this, I suspect a set of 235/75's would be horrible on a stock geared and powered Jimny.

I also wonder if the 235's have a bit too much negative impact on the low 1st crawl speed too. If you are planning to regear, then I don't think this will be an issue however.

For the tyres, I think the types of terrain you'll be on will also dictate which tyres will work better. The 235's will give more diff clearance if you often drive in deep ruts made by bigger 4x4's and the bigger tyres should roll over the obstacles better too. Although, it is worth noting, that in the 4x4 world a 235/75R15 is still a tiny tyre. So the size difference between the 215 and 235 vs what you'd find on a Jeep Wrangler or Land Rover Defender is negligible.


If you go for the Ironman suspension I would be very interested in your feedback. It is currently on my list of potential suspension kits.

Although being in the UK, this is currently number 1 on my 'to buy' list:
www.jimnybits.com/jimny-18-on/suspension...ift-kit-2019-on.html

They do ship worldwide, but I don't know how it would work out cost wise for you.

Extremely comprehensive write up, thank you.
I've come from the world of big 4x4s, so moving to a jimny has been an adjustment!
From what you've said there, I think the 215s might be best suited. It's a daily driver, and a weekend warrior, so needs to be comfortable and fun to drive on-road too.
I'll have a look at the raptor lift kit too. I've heard good things about the on-road ride quality of the OME lift, but 40mm seems a little short (and pricey). Rather go 50mm.

The only benefit of the 235s is 15mm more clearance under the diffs. This is at the expense of a significant strain on the drivetrain and wheel arch clearance issues, both requiring expensive modifications to rectify. The extra width isn't necessary. A 215 at 12psi allows a Jimny to float over soft ground no other 4x4 will even get close to. The extra tyre width will hold you back in soft mud and create more drag on the road. The extra rotating and un-sprung mass of the larger tyres will also hamper the acceleration, ride quality and handling of the car.

Unless you absolutely have to have a lift to clear unavoidable ruts I would suggest that a better way of making a Jimny go absolutely anywhere with relative ease would be one or both axle lockers. Also in relative terms compared with a lift and tyre combo, lockers will get you further/out of more trouble cost for cost. What I mean is a suspension system capable of getting you as far as a pair of lockers will cost way more than the lockers.

lt would be good to increase the wading depth from the standard 30cm.
Although l imagine it would go a bit deeper than 30cm if driven properly.
l take it a lift kit would increase the wading depth by the amount of lift it gave over standard, so it wouldn't be much, but every little helps.