Best Tyres & Longer Suspension/Suspension Lift/Body Lift Combo

Hi All,

BIG HELLO from the West Midlands. Would love to know who else is from around these ends; specifically around Dudley/Stourbridge. I have a standard 03 Jimny.

So I've been on the forum for a couple of months now just trying to get my head around all things Jimny; and there is a lot of that, I've had information overload for the past few weeks while I have been researching. Like most newbie's I'm looking to get my hands dirty and start personalising it; starting with the wheels/tyres.

I am trying to gauge what would be the ideal starter mods for me so that I can put on some decent (as in large) sized tyres and lift the car with minimal negatives. In an ideal world the wish list would be something like the below:

• Not having to cut/trim any of the bodywork and/or panels
• Not having any/negligible impact on existing parts like bearings/gears/speedo etc
• Not make the car handle like crap on the roads
• Get as much clearance/articulation (trying to speak the lingo lol) as possible

Any help/pointers would be greatly appreciated. I have gone through the forum wiki and can see that:

• Tyre size would be 215/70/r15, although it does say that very little is gained so confused about that
• Leaning more and more towards a body lift and longer suspension (like a 2" body lift + 2" longer suspension) but confused on the combo
• When the lifts are done, will I be able to get bigger tyres, again without having the negatives mentioned above

Really is puzzling me. Thanks for reading this far, I understand that it may not be a quick answer so any kind of help/advice/pointers will be appreciated.

Faisal (AKA Big F)

Faisal:
Welcome to the forum.

Starting with tire size, 215/75r15 is normally the largest tire size that you can install without making any other changes to the vehicle. I have heard that some have installed 235/75r15 without doing any gearing changes but I have never installed that size. I would defer to someone else with experience.

For gaining clearance for larger tires, a suspension change will only accomplish that when the vehicle is static. If the suspension is fully compressed, the wheel/tire will be in the same position as they would be with stock suspension. The only way to guarantee clearance is through the 3 B’s (body lift, bumpstop extension, body trimming) I believe that one of those is required with 235/75r15 along with anything larger. I would again defer to someone who is using that tire size.

As indicated in my first paragraph, you might be able to get away with using 235/75r15 tires without any gearing changes. I wouldn’t recommend stock gearing with anything larger. For most, the effects of larger tires on consumables such as bearings is just seen as a maintenance trade-off.

Tires, suspension and gearing is a large subject on the forum so I’m sure you will get plenty of feedback

Bob

I'm on 215's with only 45mm of suspension lift. No trimming required, no catching, no problem off road. Speedo now perfectly accurate. Slightly slower acceleration, slightly better motorway cruising.



I had much similar concerns to yourself when I first got my car. Tarmac manners were a big concern as I knew it would spend most of its time driving on road, not off road. A body lift raises the centre of gravity so was out of the picture for me.

I have 30mm spacers and standard jlx alloys, given pretty frequent off roading and foolishly wading without breathers..... I am on my second set of front bearings in 2 years. Not bad considering my mistake and how it is used.

I don't know what is gained off road, going to 215's from 205's as I never took it off road really before changing. Here is a picture with 215's on the silver one and 205's on the red one.



About 40-50mm taller.....

Seen a few people say they've run 235's with no problem and seen many who have broken diffs, shafts, clutches and CV's. Personally, I wouldn't without getting the gearing sorted.

My on road handling is spot on, "B" road driving is fun, especially in the twisty bits around 45-60mph (dry only, wet and it's very gentle).....

Off road, the car is capable of much more than I am prepared to throw at it. Driving the Lakes and Peaks, it hasn't failed yet, even when out with cars much more heavily modified and driving some of the tougher routes.

I settled on

15mm Superpro Seats
Eibach "Prolift" +30mm springs
AVO dampers

Not a cheap set up but it does fit with what I wanted very well.

Others have reported very good things about the Trailmaster "Comfort" +50mm lift kit, saying that both on road and off road manners are greatly improved. They are at a good price in the bigjimny shop too.... read more about this, many have reviewed it.

If you are anywhere near M1/J29, you are welcome to come and have a ride in mine if you are considering the same stuff. (obviously when the Covid thing is sorted)

Hope this helps.....

sniper

Thank you for your feedback

A JIMNY WELCOME FROM N/WALES

Hi and welcome
Go with 215/75/15 and +2" suspension
Or if you're thinking retread/remould tyres then i would say 195/80/15
If you're set on body lift make sure all the body mounts are good and not rotted (this is common on jimny's and awkward to fix)

I run +2" suspension,1" body lift and full set of +3" castor arms

Jack

Hey All,

Thanks so much for your input guys, really helping me in making a decision.

So it looks like as a minimum I can get away with 215/70/r15 with a 2" longer suspension lift (thanks for the pointer on the kit, tbh I was already thinking about that kit so another recommendation ups its rank). This setup will mean very little or negligible negative impact on the jimny (thanks @sniper and @zukbob). The wiki does say that 215/75/r15 will potentially give some collisions can someone please clarify/confirm if it doesnt cause any collisions/rubbing etc.

The question now is (and thanks to @jackonlyjack for putting me in this dilemma lol) will adding a body lift (1" or 2") along with the 2" longer suspension have a knock on effect and as such will I go into a cycle of other required upgrades? Or is it as simple as the 1"/2" body lift + 2" suspension lift (with kit to handle longer brake hoses etc) add the caster correction bushes and then everything still behaves as close to normal as possible e.g. no gearing changes needed, no need to alter body work and handling and speedo good, and then last but not least does this mean even bigger tyres now or is 215/75/r15 still the limit. I. wont be looking at remoulds as I will driving on the road regularly.

Any views on what type of suspension I should get if I am looking to fit a winch later on; again just one that will sit behind the stock bumper. As in do I need a higher lift to counter act the weight of the winch?

Thanks all
F

Faisal

I am currently running 215/75r15 and have compressed my suspension completely without any interference with the arches. Not all 215/75r15 tires are exactly the same size and it is possible that some may rub (but I haven’t heard of any). A suspension lift wouldn’t be required but if you are thinking of upgrading your suspension, most come with longer springs. If kept to a 40mm or 50mm lift, caster correction isn’t normally required. I have OME springs giving a “nominal” 40mm lift. I didn’t do any castor correction and noticed no difference in handling. Some people apparently needed to go with correction even with a similar lift. As you seem to be considering a 40 – 50mm lift, I would suggest installing the springs first. If you feel there needs to be castor correction, then make that change. You should have extended brake lines but with 215/75r15 tires, I don’t see much need for a body lift. As previously mentioned, that comes with the disadvantage of raising the car’s center of gravity without any real benefit. If you go to larger tires later (and don’t want to trim arches), you could then add body lift.

Bob

Thanks for the detailed info @zukebob.

Looks like its settled for now, 50mm longer suspension + 215/75/r15 and see how that goes. Much appreciated fo your input @everyone.

On a side note, will adding a winch impact the suspension to such a level that it will be compressed significantly by default?

Thanks
F

Thanks for the info @mlines. I think I will go with longer suspension and the 215/75/r15 tyres to start with. Once I get to the stage of adding a winch I will then see what needs to be done. Small steps an all that

Thanks all
F