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BigJimnyMeet (North) 2024 (12 Jan 2024)


BigJimnyMeet 2024

14th July 2024
Parkwood Nr. Leeds

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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 #235818 by Groenewald
Anti Roll Bar Removal......

Here's my personal experience so far.

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.....'




 
Last edit: 16 Jun 2021 16:17 by Groenewald.

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16 Jun 2021 16:55 #235819 by Riccy
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.

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16 Jun 2021 19:13 - 16 Jun 2021 19:20 #235823 by lookonimages
On my previous gen3 jimny I also removed the anti rolebar. It made a huge difference, but i had much better aftermarket lift kit with hdp shocks.

Offroad i had huge increase in articulation.
And no i never had a spring came off.

I have heard rumors that desol in KZN is busy designing quick disconnets for jimny.

I have their 50mm lift kit on my new gen4. Exceptional system.
Last edit: 16 Jun 2021 19:20 by lookonimages.

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16 Jun 2021 19:26 #235824 by lightning
Be careful

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.

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16 Jun 2021 20:14 #235825 by Soeley
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.

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17 Jun 2021 07:01 #235837 by saxj

Anti Roll Bar Removal......

Here's my personal experience so far.

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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17 Jun 2021 07:47 - 17 Jun 2021 12:41 #235839 by Busta
I've been running mine without an anti roll bar for years now. Agree with most of what you've said, but I also do lots of main road driving at up to 90mph with no problems.

For those wanting to try it before comitting, or looking for a "sway bar disconnect" option, you can simply remove the drivers side drop link and get 90% of the benefits for just a couple of minutes spannering. The disconnect kits available also require removing 2 bolts, so there is little advantage to them.

On otherwise standard suspension the standard brake lines are long enough and the springs won't dislocate.

With a disconnect the anti rolll bar stays exactly where it is. In the centre it is split into 2 pieces, with 1 sliding over the other. The disconnect is in the middle of the anti roll bar and has either a pin or bolt that joins the 2 sides together.
Last edit: 17 Jun 2021 12:41 by Busta.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Scimike

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17 Jun 2021 13:03 #235851 by fordem

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 shock absorbers are what limit the down travel, if those are stock length or close to it, there should be no danger of the springs coming loose, or the brake hoses being stretched to the maximum - if the shocks are longer than stock, then it may be possible, depending on how much longer the shocks are, for either or both situations to arise.

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17 Jun 2021 21:50 #235876 by Scimike
Interesting read. Possibly something I will try one day.
Busta - I assume MOT time is no problem or do you refit it?
I suppose it's no different than my Series 2 Land Rover, no anti roll bar on that and no major issues at MOT in three days when it require one.

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  • Groenewald
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18 Jun 2021 07:13 #235899 by Groenewald
Hi SaxJ!

I know about one specific guy here in SA running a 50mm lift kit with no sway bar..... Does your name start with a "V" by any chance?

If that is the case, then your Jimny is what inspired me to get rid of the Anti Roll Bar.

 

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  • Groenewald
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18 Jun 2021 07:16 #235900 by Groenewald
Talking about the shocks and stuff:

Does anyone have a part number for Gabriel HDPs that will fit a Gen4 without a lift kit?

The standard shocks really seem a bit light for offroading.



 

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18 Jun 2021 09:06 #235904 by saxj

Hi SaxJ!

I know about one specific guy here in SA running a 50mm lift kit with no sway bar..... Does your name start with a "V" by any chance?

If that is the case, then your Jimny is what inspired me to get rid of the Anti Roll Bar.


 
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