[perthrider]

Hi all, my names Ben and i live in Perth. Im about to buy my first jimny and ive got a few questions that have been bugging me,
First of all is probably really stupid, but besides year, is there any difference between Type I and Type II Jimny's? I could find this anywhere..

Secondly, what size lift should i be going for? Im really not going to be doing too much flexing (although id still like to be able to), more dune trips and beach runs and running down corrugated tracks, so i was thinking of a 60mm, with 215's. However i have seen many rigs with the 80mm kit and 235's which look really nice, but i am concerned if the jimny's high centre of gravity would be a problem when running up dunes on high angles, and if the performance decrease on the 235's would be too poor for a daily driver? Being able to cruise on 100 would be nice

Thirdly, what size front spacers do the 60 and 80mm lifts's require to level it out?

And finally, has anyone ever fitted rancho rs9000xl's to their jimny?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
regards,
Ben

[Gwagensteve]

Apart from being overpriced and of only average quality, I believe RS9000XL's will be far too fat to fit between the axle housing and the panhard rod on the rear.

A lift kit shouldn't require any spacers to level it out. It's not uncommon for the rear to sit a little higher than the front though to allow for some load to be carried without the car sitting tail low.

I think 235's realistically require gearing changes, so for road and beach runs, I think i'd stay with 215's. No suspension lift is required to fit a 215, so you can choose whichever lift you prefer. Personally I'd keep the car as low as possible. It doesn't sound like lift will make any difference to the capability of your car, the way you intend using it.

I have't liked the performance of the Jimny's I've seen with 80mm lifts on them, but our terrain is very different to your planned use. I'm sure a WA owner will give you more location specific advice.


Steve.

[perthrider]

Hi Steve, thankyou for your quick reply! I think ill stick with your advice and stay with the 215's, however im now stuck between a 40mm lift and a 60mm.. hmm choices. And im sure this has already been discussed but are there any 'favourite' shocks out there?
regards,
Ben

[alien]

Do what we tell all the sierra drivers to do... DRIVE IT!!!

Leave it stock for at least 6 months so you get some summer and some winter, and get a feel for it.

IMO a jimny on 215/75r15 muddies on offset rims with airlockers front and rear is a solid, reliable rig that'll go most places and offer a load of fun.

[perthrider]

Thanks alien, but the reason i want the lift because some of the beach tracks are really quite worn away, soft and rutted, and i think the stock jimny just sits way to low and i would forever be dragging its front end along the ground.
If i did go with a lift, what would you recommend? I was looking at the tough tog 60mm lift and the OME 40mm, but i have heard that the tough dog ride is quite stiff compared to the ome? I was more looking for a softer ride but still with some decent clearance, which is why i was wondering about the adjustable shocks. The only problem with the OME kit is that i still feel it may still sit to low?
Thanks for all you guys help,

[TZAR]

blue.

[tanshi]

on beach tracks your issue will be diff clearance if anything. you WILL NOT need lift to play on the beach

[shandy92]

mate the ome isnt to bad, i went for a drive a while ago in this one ( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10563 ) it was pretty good with the ome.

i havnt been in a 60mm but this jimny ran the TD kit ( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7725 ) i think he ended up with 80mm front and 60mm rear because of the ARB fron bar.

this ran the 80mm( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17441 ), all of these were in perth and did what you want. it just depends on how much $$$ you want to spend......top one is cheapest while the last is the most costly

[Reubs]

tanshi wrote:

on beach tracks your issue will be diff clearance if anything. you WILL NOT need lift to play on the beach

x2, IMO just a small 40mm lift would be ideal to get some heavier springs which will make the car handle better when loaded.

One of my coilies with a 40mm lift and 215s has never had any problems on the beaches and sandy tracks over here. Beach driving is not like driving in the bush where you drive slowly over obstacles. Most beach driving is done at speed so stable and low is the go. I've never tackled big dunes like they have over west, but I can't see how heaps of lift would be advantageous.

[sideways]

tanshi wrote:

on beach tracks your issue will be diff clearance if anything. you WILL NOT need lift to play on the beach

Down here I think you would need to lift a Jimny for some of the dunes (I can't speak for stuff around Perth however), or you could easily get away with just fitting a bullbar for most stuff though. The fat plastic front bumper wouldn't last very long here.

Approach and departure angles are important here, Patrol and 70 series guys have a hell of a time on some of the dunes and river crossings. This is my mates stocker GU tray back on his 4th attempt in a row at this dune. The first (and usually last) dune for all of our dune systems are like this, except Yaegarup which is traveled very often. Sorry for the shit quality photo.



He had sand packed in around his spotlights!

Still, IMO a Jimny with a bullbar and 40mm of lift with 215s will get you pretty well anywhere (not including "hey mate, betcha can't get up that!" sorta stuff, it will get you places though) in terms of dunes.

You don't want it to tall though, otherwise it's spooky coming down those dunes. The back of my Sierra gets super light coming down them and that's a very low 4wd. Jimnys have more wheelbase so it probably wont be an issue but they are quite top heavy too.

Just drive it and see what you need.

[tanshi]

Ok changed my mind.
biggest lift possible, 235s, airlocked both ends.
its a winner combo as proven by all the rolled jimnys lately