Suzuki Jimny - Off Road for beginners?
Discussion
Evening Folks,
I moved to Halkyn Mountain in N Wales 3 months ago. Although its 1000ft above sea level, we didn't really consider the possibility of getting snowed in at all. (Townies moving to the country eh??)
Anyway, after all the neighbours telling us of snow from November to March and experiencing fog in August, I decided a 4x4 would be in order. After much research (10 minutes on Autotrader) I am now the proud owner of a 2001 bright orange Jimny!
Everything is in good order (I'm not mechanically inept, just 4WD inept) and am good to go.
What have I bought and what can I do with it?
I know it has selectable 4WD with freewheeling front hubs. The hubs engage hydraulically I think. I know it has low ratio (like half the ratio of normal gears) but no idea how the box works.
Can any kind folks advise....
-tyres, it has Matador AT at the moment, I need snow grip.
-any nice places to play near me (Mold)
-any cheap upgrades to a sound car (92k miles though)
-common Jimny issues
Cheers, Stu
I moved to Halkyn Mountain in N Wales 3 months ago. Although its 1000ft above sea level, we didn't really consider the possibility of getting snowed in at all. (Townies moving to the country eh??)
Anyway, after all the neighbours telling us of snow from November to March and experiencing fog in August, I decided a 4x4 would be in order. After much research (10 minutes on Autotrader) I am now the proud owner of a 2001 bright orange Jimny!
Everything is in good order (I'm not mechanically inept, just 4WD inept) and am good to go.
What have I bought and what can I do with it?
I know it has selectable 4WD with freewheeling front hubs. The hubs engage hydraulically I think. I know it has low ratio (like half the ratio of normal gears) but no idea how the box works.
Can any kind folks advise....
-tyres, it has Matador AT at the moment, I need snow grip.
-any nice places to play near me (Mold)
-any cheap upgrades to a sound car (92k miles though)
-common Jimny issues
Cheers, Stu
Hi there
Nice unusual colour!
Give this forum a look - http://www.bigjimny.com/index.php/forum/category/l...
This site is good for locations of pay and play sites: http://www.paynplay.co.uk/
Nice unusual colour!
Give this forum a look - http://www.bigjimny.com/index.php/forum/category/l...
This site is good for locations of pay and play sites: http://www.paynplay.co.uk/
They are superb offroad. Lob some decent tyres on, (not all AT's are really AT). I used BridgeStone Dueller RevoAT's in the states, for their winters, and they did really well, and they also coped well with the trails, shallow mud, etc. Mt brother has them on his Pinin over here, and also very good in the winter.
Love the colour.
Jimny is very easy to modify and quite cheap to do too.
First cheap mod I would say is get your Diff oils changed, and replace the standard caps on the axels & transfer box breaths with extended pipes (ideally as high as you can go). this will save your axels if you go through water / mud etc. - cost £20
Secondly, on and offroad handling. if you are keeping the standard wheels, think about a set of 30mm wheel spacers to give the jimny a nice wide stance on the road. it vastly improves handling - cost £40 (forget the people that argue it puts excess strain on the hubs .. so will bigger wheels with a wider offset. Ive run these on 3 Jimnys without issue)
Now, if you want to run bigger wheels, you are going to need a suspension lift and maybe a body lift.
a +2" suspension lift will cost you about £300 for new springs and dampers (you have a choice of gas or oil filled dampers, what ones you get will depend if you love your spine or not!)
A body lift is around the £150 mark, and takes about 4 - 6 hours to do if your new to it.
Tyres, think about good chunky all terrains if you plan on using it as an everyday car, Mud terrain tyres do compromise onroad handling.
A good set of AT's with an aggressive tread pattern will set you back £350 - 450, but will last 40,000 miles plus.
if your keeping the standard wheels, think about upgrading your tyres to maybe a 205 for a slightly wider footprint.
A snorkel can be made cheaply for £40, but if you want a professional looking one, budget £200.
Big Jimny is your friend.. for wheel bearings, How to advice & friendly chat
Forget steel bumpers back and front or winches unless you are really going to use them. They put a lot of weight on the vehicle and you will need to uprate the suspension further.
a roll cage also adds a lot of weight, but some would say is a must, personally, ive never put my Jimny in a situation where it was needed.
Jimny is very easy to modify and quite cheap to do too.
First cheap mod I would say is get your Diff oils changed, and replace the standard caps on the axels & transfer box breaths with extended pipes (ideally as high as you can go). this will save your axels if you go through water / mud etc. - cost £20
Secondly, on and offroad handling. if you are keeping the standard wheels, think about a set of 30mm wheel spacers to give the jimny a nice wide stance on the road. it vastly improves handling - cost £40 (forget the people that argue it puts excess strain on the hubs .. so will bigger wheels with a wider offset. Ive run these on 3 Jimnys without issue)
Now, if you want to run bigger wheels, you are going to need a suspension lift and maybe a body lift.
a +2" suspension lift will cost you about £300 for new springs and dampers (you have a choice of gas or oil filled dampers, what ones you get will depend if you love your spine or not!)
A body lift is around the £150 mark, and takes about 4 - 6 hours to do if your new to it.
Tyres, think about good chunky all terrains if you plan on using it as an everyday car, Mud terrain tyres do compromise onroad handling.
A good set of AT's with an aggressive tread pattern will set you back £350 - 450, but will last 40,000 miles plus.
if your keeping the standard wheels, think about upgrading your tyres to maybe a 205 for a slightly wider footprint.
A snorkel can be made cheaply for £40, but if you want a professional looking one, budget £200.
Big Jimny is your friend.. for wheel bearings, How to advice & friendly chat
Forget steel bumpers back and front or winches unless you are really going to use them. They put a lot of weight on the vehicle and you will need to uprate the suspension further.
a roll cage also adds a lot of weight, but some would say is a must, personally, ive never put my Jimny in a situation where it was needed.
Brilliant posts there - Thank you JVaughan
I don't need a rollcage (I hope) and certainly not a winch. I did look at the suspension lift on Bigjimny bits, but don't want to compromise the on road handling any further. Might change the dampers for standard anyway, they feel tired.
I've decided to get some winter tyres on new steel wheels (in 205 width)which I'll change as soon as it dips below 7 deg C (probably next week!). I'll keep the Matador ATs in the garage for the Spring.
Thanks again.
quote said:
Secondly, on and offroad handling. if you are keeping the standard wheels, think about a set of 30mm wheel spacers to give the jimny a nice wide stance on the road. it vastly improves handling - cost £40 (forget the people that argue it puts excess strain on the hubs .. so will bigger wheels with a wider offset. Ive run these on 3 Jimnys without issue)
This is the advice I was looking for, the on road handling is frankly scary, definitely feels like it needs a wider track.I don't need a rollcage (I hope) and certainly not a winch. I did look at the suspension lift on Bigjimny bits, but don't want to compromise the on road handling any further. Might change the dampers for standard anyway, they feel tired.
I've decided to get some winter tyres on new steel wheels (in 205 width)which I'll change as soon as it dips below 7 deg C (probably next week!). I'll keep the Matador ATs in the garage for the Spring.
Thanks again.
TheHeretic said:
Does Dave run Jimnybits then?
No, BigJImny is run by Martin Lines, Based in ReadingJimnyBits is run by a guy called Russ, Based in Stoke-On-Trent
A lot of the Jimny aftermarket parts suppliers stock items that are not unique to themselves. BigJimny has prototyped some bits and pieces and does limited production runs. Offroad Armoury in West Sussex are a professional fabricators but they custom CAD and fabricate their own stuff (usually at a premium, but they do have offers).
BigJimny does import bulk if there are enough people interested to put down deposits for things like safari snorkels from OZ, but as Martin runs it as a side line to his main business, there are occasions when he cannot get bits and bobs.
Also, whilst I remember, NEVER buy Wheel Bearings from Suzuki or EBAY. use Big Jimny or JimnyBits. their items are better quality or OEM and are usually a fraction of the cost.
Never have a garage tell you that your swivel joints are dry and need grease !!.. Jimnys are designed to be dry.. if they are oily or oozing grease, then you have a bearing / seal or kingpin on its way out !!
The other guys are KAP nr Bradford. Darren is the main man there and these guys were probably one of the original companies to embrace the Jimny in modified form for competition (V6 cossie powered grp bodied Jimny .. think baby bowler)
TheHeretic said:
I've used both Bits4vits and Jimnybits for... well... bits for my Vit. When you said Dave was running down the Jimnybits bit, I thought that was odd.
Lol, I see the misunderstanding, no, Dave @ Bits4Vits started to develop some bits for the Jimny's, but hes decided to focus on the Vitara's / Grand Vitara'scheadle hulme said:
This is the advice I was looking for, the on road handling is frankly scary, definitely feels like it needs a wider track.
I fitted a steering damper to mine and its nicely firmed up the steering and reduces a lot of the wander in the steering that makes it feel so unstable at speed. Well worth the investment. See bigjimny for a cheapo bracket and then a cheap damper off ebay.I think you've had most of your answers already. Sign up on bigjimny.com as mentioned above, it covers all the common issues we've all experienced.
Most common i would say is the kingpin bearings! Its (imho) a bad design where even on road water sits in the bottom bearing, drying it out resulting in its failure - the "death wobble". You can change them and use motorcross oil to help prolong the life of the bearing.
The hubs are vacuum operated, again if you look about on bigjimny there's a write up by martin on them. When they're working they're fine but can become troublesome if they play up. Fixing them can be difficult but the typical fault is a loss of vacuum from a split pipe, some just do away with them and fit manual hubs. I fitted SJ manual hubs.
I'll echo that making the stance wider is a must, i ran offset wheels and it transformed how it drove making it far more stable.
Personally, lifts are a great mod and mine's got a mild lift but unless you are using it frequently off road just a good set of tyres in as near to stock size as possible will be all you need.
If you've no experience of driving off road find a local club running a pay and play day so you can get some idea of what its capable of.
Great little trucks. I've had mine for almost 5 years and is my 2nd zuk, it does all i want from it, i use it daily and until recently played off road in my spare time and bit of laning too.
Unfortunately i'm having to move it on now though
i need something thats easier to carry my bike with more space for work and camping. I've always maintained that the Jimny is the most practical car i've owned and until recently it has been, i had a spare wheel carrier for my bike, roof bars and a towbar and i've never had a problem carrying anything - i moved house twice with it and my trailer! I just need something that will hold all the family and that i can do greater distances in to take my bike further a field.
Most common i would say is the kingpin bearings! Its (imho) a bad design where even on road water sits in the bottom bearing, drying it out resulting in its failure - the "death wobble". You can change them and use motorcross oil to help prolong the life of the bearing.
The hubs are vacuum operated, again if you look about on bigjimny there's a write up by martin on them. When they're working they're fine but can become troublesome if they play up. Fixing them can be difficult but the typical fault is a loss of vacuum from a split pipe, some just do away with them and fit manual hubs. I fitted SJ manual hubs.
I'll echo that making the stance wider is a must, i ran offset wheels and it transformed how it drove making it far more stable.
Personally, lifts are a great mod and mine's got a mild lift but unless you are using it frequently off road just a good set of tyres in as near to stock size as possible will be all you need.
If you've no experience of driving off road find a local club running a pay and play day so you can get some idea of what its capable of.
Great little trucks. I've had mine for almost 5 years and is my 2nd zuk, it does all i want from it, i use it daily and until recently played off road in my spare time and bit of laning too.
Unfortunately i'm having to move it on now though
i need something thats easier to carry my bike with more space for work and camping. I've always maintained that the Jimny is the most practical car i've owned and until recently it has been, i had a spare wheel carrier for my bike, roof bars and a towbar and i've never had a problem carrying anything - i moved house twice with it and my trailer! I just need something that will hold all the family and that i can do greater distances in to take my bike further a field. I would personally get a used set of wheels and fit them with decent Mud Terrains. Something like the Insa Turbo Dakars. Tread pattern is a tried and tested and isn't noisy on the road and certainly didn't do any serious harm to to my Pajero's handling. I'm also running them on my series 3 as well.
I've taken a Jimny off road and I was very impressed
I've taken a Jimny off road and I was very impressed
Thanks for all the replies everyone!
32mm spacers are going on tomorrow. Whilst the wheels are off I'm going to attempt to undo the top shock mounts. If they decide to play, then I'll order the 2" kit from jimnybits.
One thing I hate with DIY stuff is ordering nice new shiny stuff, only to be thwarted by a seized bolt. The suspension is stock and original (2000X) so likely to be pretty rusty.
I've decided that AT tyres will be fine for the snow. The Matadors on it have 4mm all round so they can stay on. Costco wanted £104 for Michelin Latitude in 205/70.
Any links to a spare wheel bike carrier? I'd love to take the bike up Moel Famau on the back of the Suki and then ride back down and then.....I haven't thought this through have I?
32mm spacers are going on tomorrow. Whilst the wheels are off I'm going to attempt to undo the top shock mounts. If they decide to play, then I'll order the 2" kit from jimnybits.
One thing I hate with DIY stuff is ordering nice new shiny stuff, only to be thwarted by a seized bolt. The suspension is stock and original (2000X) so likely to be pretty rusty.
I've decided that AT tyres will be fine for the snow. The Matadors on it have 4mm all round so they can stay on. Costco wanted £104 for Michelin Latitude in 205/70.
Any links to a spare wheel bike carrier? I'd love to take the bike up Moel Famau on the back of the Suki and then ride back down and then.....I haven't thought this through have I?
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