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This free 20 Min mod vastly improved my Jimny's offroad performance!!
Groenewald
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16 Jun 2021 16:08 - 16 Jun 2021 16:17#235818by Groenewald
I have been reading quite a bit about the Jimny's suspension lately which caused me to sniff at the anti roll/sway bar thing in the front.
A couple of weeks ago I took it off as an experiment.
On the road:
The GOOD
The ride is a lot softer and it feels as if the amount of road vibrations and bumps transmitted to the cabin is reduced a lot.
Climbing onto sidewalks feel great.
The reasonably OK
Traffic circles are not a problem for me with my sedate driving style.
Daily driving is ok in our area - the highest speed limit is about 80 km/h and I do not exceed the speed limit.
Badly tarred roads with bumps drive much better - the disconnected feel of the front axle really soaks up and reduces bumps a lot.
I have passed a couple of trucks so far, no real wind buffeting issues - mind you, nothing faster than 80 kmh.
The BAD
Roads with low frequency side to side undulations are interesting, and downright scary if you take them too fast. The problem is that the body roll is a LOT more than what you are used to and trying to instinctively compensate for that with steering input will end badly.
Quick swerving or evasive actions are totally out of the question and you must keep this in mind. Lower speeds, being vigilant and braking in time is the trick. Having done close to 200k km so far on motorcycles in the past 14 or so years without any fall or crash in traffic, I do not think taking it careful and driving defensively will be a problem for me.
Rain is still an unknown.
For highway trips and unknown roads I will have to put it back on (very quick fortunately).
Off road:
The GOOD
Everything!
The BAD and UGLY
Nothing!
It just feels different. on uneven ground I get a real nice mechanical feedback from the way the suspension does its work.
Last week I went to a specific building site that I photograph for a client on a regular basis. They have a rather deep and wide culvert: about 1.5 meter across and maybe 50/60 cm deep with sloped sides at about 35 degrees. (Talking under correction since I have not measured it
)
Anyway, the experience of driving over/through this specific axle twister at an angle:
With Swaybar: I usually engage 4x4 and every single time the right rear tyre easily lifts off the ground and spins until the traction control kicks in.
Without Swaybar: I drive straight through at the same angle in 2WD, without any spin or a single wheel lifting off the ground!
At this point I am pretty sure a Stock Jimny without the sway bar will outperform a Jimny with a lift kit on the Ramp Travel Index.
Some things I am still unsure about:
If one of the front wheels are lifted off the ground, will the spring fall out and are the brake lines long enough?
The stock shocks on the Jimny needs replacing. I am looking around for Gabriel HDP or similar heavy duty shocks in the same size as the standard shocks. This might help with the swaying.
Making something in the line of a quick disconnect. I have checked but I can't see a way of folding the sway bar upwards after it has been disconnected without it catching on something.
Where to get a nice MiniMog sticker for the back.
The dog driving test: take a dog for a ride (with and without the sway bar) then see how quickly the furry sidekick becomes carsick. Seasick might be a better description with the swaybar off!!
In closing I really should mention that the anti roll bar is there for a reason and a bloody good one: On Road Stability. By taking it off you quickly enter the area of the map labelled 'Here be dragons.....'
A very good and thorough review. Maybe you should make a wiki entry with it.
Jimnybits sell a disconnect kit for the roll bar. Its cut in the middle of the bar so achieves the disconnect without touching the droplinks. works pretty well too.
J999 MNY, ULYSSES M18 VVT with ITB's Dyno tested at 130hp
lf you remove the anti roll/sway bars and are involved in an accident, you could be in trouble with your insurance.
lf it could be determined that the removal of these parts could have contributed to the accident you won't get paid out.
Interesting and informative write-up, thanks. It does sound like the quick disconnect would be the ideal solution though and keep the insurance happy on road.
I have been reading quite a bit about the Jimny's suspension lately which caused me to sniff at the anti roll/sway bar thing in the front.
A couple of weeks ago I took it off as an experiment.
On the road:
The GOOD
The ride is a lot softer and it feels as if the amount of road vibrations and bumps transmitted to the cabin is reduced a lot.
Climbing onto sidewalks feel great.
The reasonably OK
Traffic circles are not a problem for me with my sedate driving style.
Daily driving is ok in our area - the highest speed limit is about 80 km/h and I do not exceed the speed limit.
Badly tarred roads with bumps drive much better - the disconnected feel of the front axle really soaks up and reduces bumps a lot.
I have passed a couple of trucks so far, no real wind buffeting issues - mind you, nothing faster than 80 kmh.
The BAD
Roads with low frequency side to side undulations are interesting, and downright scary if you take them too fast. The problem is that the body roll is a LOT more than what you are used to and trying to instinctively compensate for that with steering input will end badly.
Quick swerving or evasive actions are totally out of the question and you must keep this in mind. Lower speeds, being vigilant and braking in time is the trick. Having done close to 200k km so far on motorcycles in the past 14 or so years without any fall or crash in traffic, I do not think taking it careful and driving defensively will be a problem for me.
Rain is still an unknown.
For highway trips and unknown roads I will have to put it back on (very quick fortunately).
Off road:
The GOOD
Everything!
The BAD and UGLY
Nothing!
It just feels different. on uneven ground I get a real nice mechanical feedback from the way the suspension does its work.
Last week I went to a specific building site that I photograph for a client on a regular basis. They have a rather deep and wide culvert: about 1.5 meter across and maybe 50/60 cm deep with sloped sides at about 35 degrees. (Talking under correction since I have not measured it
)
Anyway, the experience of driving over/through this specific axle twister at an angle:
With Swaybar: I usually engage 4x4 and every single time the right rear tyre easily lifts off the ground and spins until the traction control kicks in.
Without Swaybar: I drive straight through at the same angle in 2WD, without any spin or a single wheel lifting off the ground!
At this point I am pretty sure a Stock Jimny without the sway bar will outperform a Jimny with a lift kit on the Ramp Travel Index.
Some things I am still unsure about:
If one of the front wheels are lifted off the ground, will the spring fall out and are the brake lines long enough?
The stock shocks on the Jimny needs replacing. I am looking around for Gabriel HDP or similar heavy duty shocks in the same size as the standard shocks. This might help with the swaying.
Making something in the line of a quick disconnect. I have checked but I can't see a way of folding the sway bar upwards after it has been disconnected without it catching on something.
Where to get a nice MiniMog sticker for the back.
The dog driving test: take a dog for a ride (with and without the sway bar) then see how quickly the furry sidekick becomes carsick. Seasick might be a better description with the swaybar off!!
In closing I really should mention that the anti roll bar is there for a reason and a bloody good one: On Road Stability. By taking it off you quickly enter the area of the map labelled 'Here be dragons.....'
As regards RTI. Yes a stock Jimny without an anti-roll bar has a much better RTI score. My Jimny with a 50mm lift and no anti-roll bar scores a higher RTI than a stock Jeep Rubicon (JKU) with it's "swaybar" disconnected.
Gabriel HDP shocks make a massive improvement to on road handling without the anti-roll bar.
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