Suspension upgrade advice

Hi,
I am considering buying a last gen Jimny and trying to sort out finances with some upgrades. Alternatives are Pajero sport or even Wrangler, but if I can make a smaller vehicle work I would prefer that as it can be easier to manoeuvre in the forest.

The main use is wild camping over weekends and longer, with occasional longer overlanding trips.

I have spent months out of a backpack, so I believe the limited cargo space and load will be manageable.

The biggest issue I can see is the overlanding part and the behaviour over paved and good flat gravel roads.

Another might be roof load limit and a rtt. I would go with a very light option though that would be cca 40kg (tent+bars), but still it is weight high up. With the advantage of being able to take it down by myself even on the road if needed with such low weight.

So I would like to update suspension upon buying, all other updates are optional for a later time. Maybe a winch if I decide that usefulness outweighs weight, not yet sure.

For suspension I would go for a OME 40mm lift on AT 215/75/15

I am also thinking about adding diff locks (ARB, air) or LSD (quaife ATB).

I would of course prefer lock for off road and LSD otherwise so I am interested in opinions.

- how will the OME lift affect off road, dirt and pavement behaviours, getting hit by wind gusts (some of the areas I go to can be treeless and windy), both with and without a 40kg low profile tent up?

- how much would quaife realistically add to the driving experience, is there an argument at all to put it on over a more off-road useful lock with the added benefit of on board tire inflating.

- I have seen some boasting back airlock and front LSD, though unsure if combined with the present BLSD or an older build. Is that something to be considered on a rwd most of the time that is not serious off-roading (in 2H, or do you 4H as soon as of asphalt)?

Also: don’t care about highway speed, more than happy to tag along a truck at 80kmh. Safety and comfort is more important, but also taking curvy mountain tarmac.

Any other handling updates to consider? Steering etc?

Hit me

Welcome to the forum.

First off the roof load limit is 30 kg. I use roof bars on mine to move things that won't go inside and it really notices the weight up there in a bad way especially in strong winds. I also occasionally have a roof box for holidays and it beats the snot out of the mpg. For me, things on the roof are something I do out of necessity not want.

Suspension wise, I wouldn't really want a lift on something that is going to be doing more mileage on road than not. I'm not against refreshing the suspension and on a second or third car jimny that's off road most of the time I can see the benefits of a lift.

Bigger tyres again have a place on off road cars but they have issues on road, like altering the gearing, adding to the unsprung mass, and reducing braking effect.

Ultimately the jimny is seriously capable out of the box. The best thing you can do to improve one is get yourself some professional training because unless you have been off road driving for years you are the limiting factor for a jimny.

It is not probably going to be mostly on road. But I can not use the other cars to reach a track in a different country and teleport the off-roader there. Most of my (pleasure) long trips include off-roading at some point, so whatever I get for off-roading has to deal with some road too. At home it will be more off than on.

But than again I don’t do highway for work and Jimny is enough for around town so…

I have a big a capable crossover now - A6 all road with a solid (for a road vehicle) permanent torsen awd and air suspension with adjustable clearance.

It is OK for mild off-road in good weather, but 22” street tires, more than two tons and 5 meters have been a problem in less than ideal conditions.

If a crossover does not cut I will have to compromise street performance for better off-road one.

Roof limits are a bummer, but I see a lot of people still using RTT on Jimny, and with much heavier rigs than what I had in mind.
Some of the terrains I often go on can be both steep and forested (great for hammocks, bad for tents) and extremely rocky and barren (bad for both), a RTT would make life much, much easier and I would like to have the option even if not using it all the time.

Ideal overlanding rig would be a pickup with a rtt in the back below the roof line, but while more capable than a crossover it has even bigger size and weight than the present car that is already too big.

Lift itself is not so important, but most feedback comments on increased stability and better cornering after the OME lifts even with the higher center of gravity, so seems like an added benefit with little drawbacks (I wander how it behaves in windy conditions though, even stock feels it).

I'm not saying don't do such things, I'm just saying I wouldn't. Having said that I do wonder if something like a land cruiser swb being a bigger bet still relatively small car might not be a more suitable option, bigger inside more capacity for stuff inside and out and no worse on fuel than a modified jimny.

Not settled on Jimny and considering other cars too (looked into Land Cruisers, Pajero Sport, Wrangler and even pickups are not eliminated if something smaller does not work).

Just wanted to use this forum to ask about where can Jimmny go with mods in order to get a better picture, as moded vehicles are to varied and rare to be able to test them.

Inside space and load carrying is not that crucial unless going towards sleeping inside the vehicle (which I do now on occasion). Being a hiker most of my camping gear is on the lighter side anyway, and this will be mostly a solo vehicle, maybe two on occasion.

The only issue I have is with the RTT and weight limits on the roof. I wander if suspension mods can help there?

It is ultimately just a tall box, can’t escape physical limits, but every small off-roader is.

Goran wrote:

Hi,
I am considering buying a last gen Jimny and trying to sort out finances with some upgrades. Alternatives are Pajero sport or even Wrangler, but if I can make a smaller vehicle work I would prefer that as it can be easier to manoeuvre in the forest.

The main use is wild camping over weekends and longer, with occasional longer overlanding trips.

I have spent months out of a backpack, so I believe the limited cargo space and load will be manageable.

The biggest issue I can see is the overlanding part and the behaviour over paved and good flat gravel roads.

Another might be roof load limit and a rtt. I would go with a very light option though that would be cca 40kg (tent+bars), but still it is weight high up. With the advantage of being able to take it down by myself even on the road if needed with such low weight.

So I would like to update suspension upon buying, all other updates are optional for a later time. Maybe a winch if I decide that usefulness outweighs weight, not yet sure.

For suspension I would go for a OME 40mm lift on AT 215/75/15

I am also thinking about adding diff locks (ARB, air) or LSD (quaife ATB).

I would of course prefer lock for off road and LSD otherwise so I am interested in opinions.

- how will the OME lift affect off road, dirt and pavement behaviours, getting hit by wind gusts (some of the areas I go to can be treeless and windy), both with and without a 40kg low profile tent up?

- how much would quaife realistically add to the driving experience, is there an argument at all to put it on over a more off-road useful lock with the added benefit of on board tire inflating.

- I have seen some boasting back airlock and front LSD, though unsure if combined with the present BLSD or an older build. Is that something to be considered on a rwd most of the time that is not serious off-roading (in 2H, or do you 4H as soon as of asphalt)?

Also: don’t care about highway speed, more than happy to tag along a truck at 80kmh. Safety and comfort is more important, but also taking curvy mountain tarmac.

Any other handling updates to consider? Steering etc?

Hit me

What country are you in? Also you say "last" Jimny, so you mean the previous version a Gen 3 or the current 'latest' version the JB74 Gen 4?

Also what sort of money/budget?

Likewise, what sort of Wrangler are you considering? I ask this, as the price of a Gen 3 over here vs say a JK Wrangler are not really comparable.

I have a Gen 4 Jimny, I have been in a Gen 3, but very little first hand experience with them. Although I can still use some common sense, so here are my thoughts.

Honestly, for the money the Gen 4 was and is a brilliant little 4x4. In the UK the Jimny new was about 1/3rd the price of a 2 door Wrangler. However, there is no denying the Wrangler is vastly more capable out of the box and can more easily be taken to another level.

The 2 door Wrangler, while bigger than a Jimny is not really much bigger in terms of off roading unless you are doing competitive trials events where the more narrow Jimny would have an advantage.

The Jimny simply does not have the same level of suspension travel and flex, ground clearance or low speed gearing as something like a modern Wrangler. A Wrangler is also likely a lot faster on road, probably better spec and certainly a lot more features like a removable roof, removable doors and a fold down windscreen.

You can improve the Jimny off road, but by the time you've done a good suspension upgrade and diff upgrade (and maybe gearing if you go bigger tyres too). You'll have likely spent a lot of money you may not need to on another vehicle.

The 40mm Old Man Emu kit looks ok and I did consider it for my Jimny, although I went with a proper 2" Black Raptor Premium kit from Jimnybits in the end. It now rides and handles better on and off road than it did stock and has better suspension travel. However, even with this modified suspension a standard 1980s Land Rover Ninety (or something like a Wrangler JK/JL) still have way better suspension and travel.

As for diffs, really depends on the terrain, use and if the vehicle has traction control or not.

I like the Jimny because it is small and I was able to afford it new. But interior storage is terrible and you will have the limitations of a very small car. For my use it is fantastic, but it wouldn't be what I'd choose for overlanding.