[Lavs]

Got my Jimny two months ago and 3000 KMs clocked. One satisfying drive to Sach Pass and going through a Cloud Burst in Palampur - all done with ease.

Coming to changes and modification - I have done plenty to make the car suit my requirements and a few just for my liking .

I will try to go on with less text and more picture that will talk for themselves.

Jimny at Sach pass





Lift Kit and Tyres

Lift Kit is not required if you stick to tyre size upto 215/75R15. The next size 235/75R15 would require some lift in extreme articulation of axles. I upgraded the tyres to Ceat Crossdrive AT 215/75R15 for the time being, and am extremely happy, very silent tyres on the highway – they perform very well under all extreme conditions.
As Indian law does not allow metal bumpers or bull bars (snorkel at front), so lift kits do not have to compensate for overhanging heavy weights. So I wanted a lift kit which was on softer side, gave a cushioned ride and helped in extreme articulation.
The very stiff and overpriced well known suspensions were ruled out by me. I settled for a European Lift Kit which offered all options of Soft, Medium and Stiffer suspensions depending on individual requirements and accessories to be added. And they offered PU bushes on Shockers and Castor & Pinion Angle Correction Bushes. This made in EU kit included all parts required for the upgrade. And I was informed that they have an Indian partner who has kits in stock in India – WOW.
Procured a medium front and soft rear lift kit and got it installed from my neighborhood garage.
The drive is still very comfortable – does not feel like a lift kit is installed while driving. Extremely happy and satisfied with the kit installed.


The tyre I used:


Parts of the kit:


Front Spring, Shocker and longer brake line installed:


The longer orange Vaccum Lines:


The rear Setup:




SNORKEL

The Lift Kit Indian seller offered me a Snorkel (and lot of other parts in a bundled deal) which is beautiful and does not require the Jimny body to be cut for Installation. And I was also offered a beautifully designed Splash / Rain Cover for the Snorkel which I understand no one has around the world. Installed and happy.

Snorkel Installed:


Accessories, Storage Spaces and Utility Hooks

Mud Flaps, Side Body Garnish, Rain Guards/Wind Deflectors and Mat for the Boot were installed from Suzuki during purchase of the vehicle. Suzuki Foot Mats were very small and did not provide much protection to side carpets, so installed after market 7D mats (All black) for all round protection.
But 7D mats were too thick and front seat movement caused rear mats to crumble. In any case I was not getting any thigh support because of my tall height, so I increased the height of the front two seats. The seats are much more comfortable now with better thigh support and free seat movement without crumbling rear mats. And a wonderful view ahead. Now I can see through the Fortuner or a Scorpio going in front of me.
The rear glass defogger wires needed a cover and was installed from 4XFORZA. And small pockets for door handles to keep the phone and coins. And a center storage near 4WD lever. And a central Arm Rest with Storage without drilling any holes.
Two hooks on the dash handle for hanging stuff – this was really helpful for hanging a bag with water bottles on the Sach Pass trip and occasional hanging of purse, Food bag or Sun glasses.
Six utility hooks were installed on the spots provided by Suzuki in the boot. These were useful to attach Bungees, Boot Net and hanging loose goods. A necessity to keep your goods form falling on opening the boot door after a crazy off roading trip.

The Raised Seat (40mm - 4 Bushes) and Installed a paddle rubber on footrest:


The front swivel hooks installed:


Central Storage Tray:


Door Handle Pockets:




Sliding Arm Rest with Storage:


Rear Defogger Wire Protectors:


Utility Hooks with Net and Bungees:











WINCH & TOW HOOKS

A standard winch upfront with an Installation Plate weights around 40 Kgs. And the overhang takes its toll on suspension. And was afraid of being challaned for metal coming out on the front.
A portable winch < 20Kgs with a Synthetic Rope and a Pulley Block was an excellent idea. It could be used on any side of the car for recovery. Immediately bought it. Now working on its electrical connection on front and back of the car for easy connectivity.

Hooks have been Installed at Front and Back for connecting portable winch and for towing and recovery. These hooks are for use with metal shackles. Might soon shift to Soft Shackle friendly hooks.

The boot always has a bag containing Kinetic Recovery Rope, Towing Belt, Soft and Metal Shackles in case ever required.

Two Towing/Recovery Hooks at the Front. Similat two at Rear:


Bag of Towing and Recovery Ropes and Shackles:


Portable Winch:



FOG LAMPS

The Zeta AT that I bought did not have fog lamps. And I do not like the stock fog lamps also. I had a pair of HJG’s smallest projector lamps which I had bought for my bike. The crazy idea of installing them on Jimny took shape. And I was really happy because the Sach Pass Drive in extreme fog, I could manage on the yellow Lo Beam of these LED lights. Yes these Fogs have Lo and Hi Beams.

Can you spot the small Fog Lamps with Yellow Lo Beam and White Hi Beam.




BRANCH DEFLECTORS

These are to be installed only for off roading. Will not keep them installed otherwise.

PROTECTIONS FOR THE UNDERBODY

All though I did not face any problems with the ground clearance on my Sach Pass trip (without Lift Kit) with four adults and their luggage in the car, still I wanted to install underbody protections for extreme off-roading if I plan someday. And I wanted these to be practical and light weight considering the Jimny’s Weight and Power. The excellent design team at 4XFORZA came out with unique skid plates for the Jimny. I could see these designs were new, unique and different from all other types available elsewhere (In China, UK, Australia or Japan).
Another reason for installing these is to bring the lifted Jimny’s CG lower by adding some weight down under.
I intend to install these protection in a couple of days and will surely share pictures here.
Cheers...

[SA-G13B]

Originally Posted by Lavs

The boot always has a bag containing Kinetic Recovery Rope, Towing Belt, Soft and Metal Shackles in case ever required.

Nice mods Lavs! Especially loved the stealthy snorkel!
My favorite was the defogger cover. Small & functional. Looking for a similar attachment for my car too!

Quick one, what brand of Kinetic Recovery rope, towing belt & soft shackles are you carrying? And if you dont mind sharing the price?

I have a Thar, which does a lot of offroading on Sundays, and I usually rely on the group having this equipment. I guess it's time I get some too.

[MithunSathianat]

Originally Posted by Lavs

A portable winch < 20Kgs with a Synthetic Rope and a Pulley Block was an excellent idea. It could be used on any side of the car for recovery. Immediately bought it. Now working on its electrical connection on front and back of the car for easy connectivity.

Great functional mods Can you please share more details on portable winch (company, capacity, cost)?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Lavs

Lift Kit and Tyres

Lift Kit is not required if you stick to tyre size upto 215/75R15. The next size 235/75R15 would require some lift in extreme articulation of axles.
======
The drive is still very comfortable – does not feel like a lift kit is installed while driving. Extremely happy and satisfied with the kit installed.
=====

WINCH & TOW HOOKS

A portable winch < 20Kgs with a Synthetic Rope and a Pulley Block was an excellent idea. It could be used on any side of the car for recovery. Immediately bought it. Now working on its electrical connection on front and back of the car for easy connectivity.
Cheers...

Very useful upgrades, more details of the lift kit, brand name, cost? Also how is the before and after handling? Does it improve handling on curves? And ride relatively it is improved or same.?

Same for winch, which brand and what is the cost?

More details would definitely help since there may be many who want to keep it as close to stock for comfort but have these mods for talking difficult stuff.

[Lavs]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

Nice mods Lavs! Especially loved the stealthy snorkel!
My favorite was the defogger cover. Small & functional. Looking for a similar attachment for my car too!

Quick one, what brand of Kinetic Recovery rope, towing belt & soft shackles are you carrying? And if you dont mind sharing the price?

I have a Thar, which does a lot of offroading on Sundays, and I usually rely on the group having this equipment. I guess it's time I get some too.

Thank you dear, Defogger wire covers are available on Amazon India by 4XFORZA for Jimny. They also sell these directly at some further discounts. For installing then I suggest keep it there and mark the exact position. After marking the position of Installation, clean the area thoroughly with Alcohol and then stick. It becomes very difficult to position them once the tape starts sticking. But for Thar they will have to be made.

Towing belt and Metal Shackles are from Ferreterro, an Indian Company. Kinetic Ropes and Soft Shackles are unbranded, probably from China. But going by their load ratings, they seem good quality. Kinetic Towing Rope is 13 Ton Breaking load and 30% stretch, Soft Shackles 17 Ton BL. I am happy with the quality. These have come into 4x4 field from Shipping Industry where these are used under extreme conditions.

I bought all these from 4xforza. It is difficult for me to get Individual price as mine was a bundled deal. But they sell the entire towing kit for ₹18450/- on Amazon. Will certainly offer some discounts on direct purchase.

Happy Offroading dear. Cheers...

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

Great functional mods Can you please share more details on portable winch (company, capacity, cost)?

I have bought a 5000 Lbs synthetic rope portable winch. 1.5 times your vehicle weight is the ideal winch capacity required. For a Jimny this comes to appx. 4000 Lbs. But the maximium load capacity is deliverd on the lower most rope layer on the drum, so extra capacity should be helpful. And we can always take Mechanical advantage by using the Pulley Block supplied and hence doubling the capacity. I was trying to buy this on some German online sites, but they had only upto 2000-2500lbs and with steel rope/cable. But this made sense as it is higher capacity, Synthetic Rope wired and cordless remote, but certainly it is Chinese. Even the ones on German websites were also Chinese.

I have just ordered SB50 Anderson Connectors for installing on the Jimny at front and back for Winch operation. Hope they are able to take the winch current.

These connectors I have ordered with covers and a pulling handle.









The winch costed me around 30K dear. The above connectors ₹550/-.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Very useful upgrades, more details of the lift kit, brand name, cost? Also how is the before and after handling? Does it improve handling on curves? And ride relatively it is improved or same.?

Same for winch, which brand and what is the cost?

More details would definitely help since there may be many who want to keep it as close to stock for comfort but have these mods for talking difficult stuff.

The Lift Kit is from Europe. The company is X Shock Dakar, Poland. I bought a 2" Soft lift kit which gives me effective lift of around 35 to 40 mm. The handling seems to be same as the stock car, not much difference, but obviously more articulation of the axles for offroading. Costed me around ₹1.1L. Installation was done by my regular garage guys.

I can certainly give tips for easy installation if anyone plans as now I know what all needs to be lossened or opened.

Winch details I have shared in the reply above dear.

Cheers...

[asilvaspoon]

Hey everyone.

I'm new on here, and first off, I wanted to say thanks for having me on here. I'm a little green in this area, so this is going to involve a bit of a learning curve for me.

I had a few questions, that I'd appreciate insight on. Straight off the bat, I'm not a huge car enthusiast, in the sense that I don't necessarily understand all the technicalities and nuances. Which is, again, why I'd appreciate all the help I can get.

I've had my eye on the Jimny (Alpha), and I've finally gotten down to booking one. I'd like to make a few upgrades that are primarily aesthetic, more than functional, but since I've seen a few functional changes being made by a lot of Jimny owners, I'd love any input on what you guys think is necessary.

Things that I've seen include people installing snorkels, the Forge air intake filters as well as the catback exhaust, lift kits and the like. If you guys could share the following information with me, it would be a lot of help.

Can anyone tell me what the maximum size of tyre is that I could upgrade to on the current alloys without having to install a lift kit? Is the lift kit a must? If yes, what is the best way to go about it, and then what tyres should I get? What tyres are suitable for all terrains etc.?

What is the point of the snorkel, the air intake filters as well as the exhaust upgrade? Is it functional?

Are there any other changes I should / could make?

Most importantly, what changes could actually have a negative impact on the car?

Thanks a ton for all your expertise, everyone. I really appreciate it.

[mygodbole]

Mods, I will stick my neck out here as this feels like a genuine query.

Any and every 'modification' is done with a specific purpose in mind.

Decide what is the purpose of snorkel/air intakes, tyre/tire sizes, roof-top carrier, bull-bars (illegal, AFAIK), light bars and many others

There is a dedicated 4x4 section, look it up.

Read/view the purpose for which any modification/change is undertaken.

Collect the information, decide what is suitable for you or fulfills your needs, and then go ahead, if budget permits.

The Jimny is an accomplished off-roader, not much of a highway ride.

Decide where you want to go, then find out how to get there and only then think of making any changes to your chariot.

Have fun and drive safe.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by asilvaspoon

I'd like to make a few upgrades that are primarily aesthetic, more than functional, but since I've seen a few functional changes being made by a lot of Jimny owners, I'd love any input on what you guys think is necessary.

Can anyone tell me what the maximum size of tyre is that I could upgrade to on the current alloys without having to install a lift kit? Is the lift kit a must? If yes, what is the best way to go about it, and then what tyres should I get? What tyres are suitable for all terrains etc.?

What is the point of the snorkel, the air intake filters as well as the exhaust upgrade? Is it functional?
—————
Are there any other changes I should / could make? Most importantly, what changes could actually have a negative impact on the car?

Hey asilvaspoon, welcome to the forum. There are dedicated threads on all of these topics so I will not be typing replies to all of them. The queries below the dotted line are too open ended as there could be 100s of modifications. Do check the thread below:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-v...st-thread.html (Maruti-Suzuki Jimny | Modifications Wishlist Thread)

As per what I understand, you wish to modify your Jimny to look like a mean off roader mainly for aesthetic reasons rather than functional. So that means you will be driving the car on road or minimal, mild off roading.

So, avoid lift kits and modifications that further affect the on road driving comfort of a Jimny and stick with modifications that make it look a bit more off roader machine.

1. Tyre size: while upsizing the tyres, keep in mind that the circumference of the tyre shall remain the same else your speedometer will show erroneous reading. If I were you, I’d not change the tyre size during the initial 30,000km (first set of tyres). See how the car behaves and then do the changes.

2. Snorkel: It is added to raise the height of the point where air enters the engine. This is done so that water does not enter the engine from the air intake (just like humans use snorkel in certain situations to keep breathing under water). See photos taken from our forum below in which cars are wading through high water without a snorkel. Adding a snorkel will make this exercise safer for the cars).





Please spend some time reading up various threads on the forum where wealth of information is already available.

My recommendation:
1. Add roof rails (bars): see post no. 1318 by Biraj below.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...review-88.html (Maruti Jimny Review)

2. Change the front grill

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...eview-118.html (Maruti Jimny Review)

3. Add a snorkel if you want. The one linked below is a very subtle one though

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ght-winch.html (Personalizing my Maruti Jimny - Lift Kit, Snorkel, Protections, Storage Spaces, Seat Height & Winch)

[asilvaspoon]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

Hey asilvaspoon, welcome to the forum. There are dedicated threads on all of these topics so I will not be typing replies to all of them. The queries below the dotted line are too open-ended as there could be 100s of modifications. Do check the thread below:

Thanks so much. This helps immensely and covers a lot of my queries. Will check the links you've sent. I'd already seen a couple of them, but being a noob, I wasn't sure if they were needs or wants, so thought I'd ask for help. From what I understand, upsizing to a Ceat Crossdrive AT 215/75R15 would not require a lift kit (thank you, in particular for the response to this)? The snorkel you recommended was the same one I'd looked at as well. During the monsoon parts of Goa can get extremely waterlogged and unmanageable, so that should be of help too. Would I need to upgrade the air intake filters as well? Thanks again for everything!

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by asilvaspoon

From what I understand, upsizing to a Ceat Crossdrive AT 215/75R15 would not require a lift kit (thank you, in particular for the response to this)?

The snorkel you recommended was the same one I'd looked at as well. During the monsoon parts of Goa can get extremely waterlogged and unmanageable, so that should be of help too. Would I need to upgrade the air intake filters as well?

Please do not say thanks. You’ll be an expert in no time once you start experimenting with your car.

Regarding tyre size of 215/75R15 vs. stock size of 195/80R15, I am posting a tyre comparison done using an online calculator linked below:

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

The difference in diamter, circumference and revolutions/mile (1.6km) can be seen in the screenshots below along with the speedometer error. Your car speedometer will show slightly lower reading compared to actual speed so you need to drive 3-4kmph slower than the speed limit to stay within range (Car manufacturers caliberate the speedometer to show marginally higher speed than actual so I guess it would be fine).

As a rule, upsize in a manner that the speedo error and diameter of the upsized tyre stays within 2% of the OEM. Yours is within that limit so you are fine.







Regarding your post’s second part, I honestly believe that Jimny is capable of tackling any amount of water a city road can throw at it. If your aim is to cross waterlogged roads rather than riverbeds, stock Jimny should do fine. Rather than a snorkel, you can invest money in protecting the differential as one member had posted about water getting inside it.

Air intake filters are replaced for performance sake. You need not get an aftermarket air filter for now. Enjoy your Jimny by customizing it as per your taste. The only mod that should be done straight out of the showroom is a tyre swap as fresh tyres get reasonable buyback but once a tyre is used for a few days, the buyback reduces significantly.

[Lavs]

Originally Posted by asilvaspoon

Hey everyone.

I'm new on here, and first off, I wanted to say thanks for having me on here. I'm a little green in this area, so this is going to involve a bit of a learning curve for me.

I had a few questions, that I'd appreciate insight on. Straight off the bat, I'm not a huge car enthusiast, in the sense that I don't necessarily understand all the technicalities and nuances. Which is, again, why I'd appreciate all the help I can get.

I've had my eye on the Jimny (Alpha), and I've finally gotten down to booking one. I'd like to make a few upgrades that are primarily aesthetic, more than functional, but since I've seen a few functional changes being made by a lot of Jimny owners, I'd love any input on what you guys think is necessary.

Things that I've seen include people installing snorkels, the Forge air intake filters as well as the catback exhaust, lift kits and the like. If you guys could share the following information with me, it would be a lot of help.

Can anyone tell me what the maximum size of tyre is that I could upgrade to on the current alloys without having to install a lift kit? Is the lift kit a must? If yes, what is the best way to go about it, and then what tyres should I get? What tyres are suitable for all terrains etc.?

What is the point of the snorkel, the air intake filters as well as the exhaust upgrade? Is it functional?

Are there any other changes I should / could make?

Most importantly, what changes could actually have a negative impact on the car?

Thanks a ton for all your expertise, everyone. I really appreciate it.

Just on the tyre size:

215/75R15 is the nearest upgrade to OEM. And this is required because the OEM tyres do work, but in extreme slush or snow they might not give good traction. And they look small also.

235/75R15: A lot of Jimny's are upgrading to 235/75R15. ut this size touches the fenders in extreme articulation and full steering angles.

Two more AT tyre sizes which may still work without any modification are 225/70R15 from Apollo and 235/70R15 from Yokohoma.

Rest Paddleshifter has shared very useful information for other queries...

Cheers...

[Lavs]

I will share the pictures of some underbody protections that I have installed:

Rear Shocker Skid Plates as seen from all sides:









Control Arm Chassis Mount Protections:



A few more protections will be added soon....







Front Skid Plates to save Control Arm and Shockers:



Cheers....

[asilvaspoon]

Originally Posted by Lavs

I will share the pictures of some underbody protections that I have installed

Are these for a Jimny? If yes, where can I get them?

[Lavs]

Originally Posted by asilvaspoon

Are these for a Jimny? If yes, where can I get them?

Yes dear. These pictures sre from my Jimny. Will share the source with you whenever you need them.

[Lavs]

Another protection added. A unique design for the front differential.






With 210 mm Ground Clearance