[nozzlering]

Originally Posted by VRSriram

Once a Scorpio, always Scorpio. If there is any vehicle which can offer or surpass the might of Scorpio, it is the THAR.

Scorpio and Scorpio N are good vehicles and have their own charm. Thar, in most of the cases is nothing more than show-off. Pretending to be someone else.

[ShivC]

OH NO!!!!!! ITS ANOTHER SUSPENSION CHANGE FOR OUR JIMNY: ARB Old Man EMU 5 door Suspension Installed on our Jimny

We would be tops in the India book of Jimny Records (if something like this exists) for the largest number of suspension : THREE - changed on the same Jimny .

As they say the world is really round, and what should have been the suspension installed to start with has finally been installed – Oldman EMU it is ……..



Background : Installed the first suspension way back in September 2023 – Tough Dog 40mm kit. Unfortunately turned out to be a kit meant for the 3 door with some quality issues. Got taken off in 11 months and because the OME 5 door was still not available and since I was in a hurry and tired of waiting for the OME 5 Door kit made the mistake of choosing another Australian brand – Dobinsons in December 2024. This one lasted the least possible time – days, one rear shock failed – the replacement failed too – these were day zero failures – had enough and returned it to the company. As I had directly imported lost a lot of money in this fiasco (GST + Customs + Air Freight which totaled up to lot). Learning - never self import.

Our Learning from the earlier 2 suspension kits : Deal with large companies with high level of QC controls and processes well set along with them sourcing from the reputed vendors (Shocks). Dobinsons was a shocker as the product was not just bad quality (how can 2 shocks fail one after the other – and these were valving and shim failures – pretty bad news for a suspension companies customers. Also they have admitted in writing that they will have to change the design for the Jimny – the IMS is simply not designed for the Jimny/ Tough Dog was not just 3 door compatible but also build to a cost. These are made by Gabriel in China. Later found out that Dobinsons which I thought was made in Tiawan – turned out to be made in China as well. Comparatively Tough Dog felt the poorest in parts quality. Both these companies released their 5 doors without much testing as is evident by the launch of the XL and their almost immediate launch of their suspension kits for the XL. Testing in any product is vital and more so for a suspension. And always buy with a warranty from an official supplier.

Oldman EMU – Quality : It is not without reason that the Toyota 4 Runner comes with OEM suspension from Arb (OME). Speaks volumes of the quality that Toyota has trusted – especially in light of the fact that’s not only is the company Japanese (thus very quality conscious) but makes its own suspension for its own various vehicle models. Taking every component in your hands - the quality feels and looks top notch.

Why Oldman EMU : This suspension has been developed and engineered to suit the car jointly with Suzuki Australia, and has been a long time in testing and development – since January 2024 and finally released for the market in December 2024. Extensive testing would have been done in the meantime.

Oldman EMU : reasons for being a perfect choice for our Jimny:

1. OME has done their homework and extensive testing in launching this kit.
2. Softest spring rates compared to the other brands available in the market translating into sublime ride quality (One think that has to be said – the OEM suspension ride quality is good but lacks body control).
3. Shock promote a large amount of travel – perfect for off roading. 160 mm of extended travel in the front and 190 mm in the rear. Compared to OEM - 135 mm in the front and 145 mm in the rear. Enough articulation on demand.
4. Spring rates : Spring rates of 21Nm in the front and 22 Nm in the rear – comparably OEM is 22 Nm in the front and 22 Nm in the rear. This translates to a similar soft ride as the OEM but with better body control in comparison.
5. Perfect diameter that can be accommodated in the Jimny for improved handling and superb performance.
6. Shocks made by Monroe for ARB in Mexico. Springs by ARB in Australia.
7. The minute you handle the parts you can make out the quality that is miles ahead of all the others. Have handled 3 kits total till now - the difference is palpable.

All components installed:


WHAT HAVE I INSTALLED:

Parts in the OME 40mm Lift Kit installed for the 5 Door Jimny:
3145 : Coil spring front
3322 : Coil spring rear
63154 : Nitrocharger plus shock front
63155 : Nitrocharger plus shock rear
FK96 : Jimny pan hard and bump stop
FK99 Jimny brake extension & shock mount
FK 122 : Cross member kit

This kit comes with a 3 year warranty.



Castor Correction: Hardrace Front Castor Correction Radius Arms: Not a big fan of castor correction bushes and wanted a “ fill it forget solution” so installed HardRace. The castor correction is done by the arms themselves and not the bushes. The castor bushes when replaced will be from Maruti - same size – so no waiting for imports to happen for the bushes to arrive.

Extended brake hose pipes - Already installed both front and rear. But does come with a kit for extending the rear hose pipe

Some OME kit components worth mentioning in the install:

OME Panhard relocation bracket : OME is the only brand that gives the Panhard relocation bracket as part of the suspension lift kit. Directly results in a very controlled lateral sway. The instructions for the install even comes with torquing figures – something not seen in any lift kit.

The cross member: is not a flimsy bracket but a full cross member – again solidly built and finished. Something I always wanted instead of the bracket. Hundreds of times better than the bracket in every aspect including structural integerity.

Am seriously impressed with the attention to detail : right from instructions to torquing figures to bigger rear bolts, all nuts bolts and washers supplied – they have it all covered.

Nuts Bolts and Washers - attention to great detail evident :


Instructions with minute details:



The Installation: Pretty straightforward - especially for someone who had done this multiple times over .


The Rear Shock & Coil:


Hardrace Castor Correction Front Radius Arms & OME Cross Member:


The Front Shock & Coil:


Rear View:


Before Lift:




After Lift:





THE RIDE AND THE VERDICT :


On Road : PLUSH – as plush as the Jimny can ever ride. Glides over pot holes and the annoying thud from the rear is gone. The thud elimination is something not seen with the other lift kits. The body movement is beautifully controlled. Sticks to the tar and cornering on high speeds is stable.
Off Road :It equally handles brilliantly off road. The articulation for a 40mm kit is top notch and the body control is something to be experienced.

No wonder it’s the largest selling suspension for the Jimny and mostly out of stock with waiting times in months even in Australia.

The 215’s riding on AR wheels with 7J width and -6 offset have also made a big difference on grip and stability.

The lift kit has made the Jimny look taller and bigger - it does not seem to be squatting anymore....



Special word of thanks to Vijay - 94480 68681 of Swastik Fabs for all his help in getting the kit delivered in lightning speed.

[karan561]

Congratulations on the new ARB OME Suspension & sharing your experience with the previous kits / brands.

Originally Posted by ShivC

WHAT HAVE I INSTALLED:

I have a few questions;

1) Is there a OME 20mm lift kit available for Jimny 5Door instead of the 40mm which you have installed ?

2) Please share more information on why was there a need to go for Hardrace components meant for Castor correction. Doesn't OME / ARB have such a kit ?

3) Also brake hose extension & above (Castor correction) was required for 40 mm kit & may not be required for 20mm ?

[arjunsatheesh]

Congrats Shiv sir. I was waiting to get your feedback on the OME.
Could you also share the cost of this installation? I will start saving now itself

[Red Liner]

A new species of gharial was spotted in the wild recently near the jungles of Karnataka...

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SweALoxH...n1rtxQuWgWy2vW

It goes by the name Gavialis Jimnyus gangeticus. Unfortunately the well camoflauged specimen could not be captured for a more detailed study as it slithered away expertly over the river rocks to safety into the dense evergreens...

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

A new species of gharial was spotted in the wild recently near the jungles of Karnataka...
..

A huge beast that appears to have swallowed two men already! They seem to be enjoying the experience, though.

[ShivC]

Originally Posted by karan561

Congratulations on the new ARB OME Suspension & sharing your experience with the previous kits / brands.

Thank you. Felt it was necessary to share the knowledge gained - of which I have quite a bountiful with 3 brands , and what to look for when buying a suspension. Online reviews are limited and also the experience shared in most cases is only of the particular kit installed.

Originally Posted by karan561

I have a few questions;
1) Is there a OME 20mm lift kit available for Jimny 5Door instead of the 40mm which you have installed ?

No. OME only makes 40 mm lift kits for the 5 door. 20 mm has other good options available in case you want only 20 mm lift.

Originally Posted by karan561

2) Please share more information on why was there a need to go for Hardrace components meant for Castor correction. Doesn't OME / ARB have such a kit ?

OME does have castor correction bushes which would more or less do the same job.

I choose the HARDRACE radius arms for the following reasons:

The HARDRACE radius arm features built-in caster increase to maintain factory alignment setting, allowing greater axle movement and handling performance after suspension lifts. Hardrace is one of the most popular brands for the Jimny for this product. Castor correction bushings on the other hand can have a tenancy to limit articulation off road, since there is less material between the bolt hole and the radius arm to 'flex', which allows the mounting points to 'bind' even sooner than they typically do. Also castor correction bushes are pressed manually with (a) scope of error and (b) losing the correct angle with hard hits taken on the vehicle both off road and on road and (c) with wear and tear (which will be faster than the bushes on the corrected arms) these need to be replaced and will be an import again with waiting times involved are are not cheap.

This enclosed fitment instructions will make the above better to understand wrt the castor correction bushes:

Originally Posted by karan561

2) 3) Also brake hose extension & above (Castor correction) was required for 40 mm kit & may not be required for 20mm ?

Extended brake hoses are not required in a 20 mm lift and neither will be castor correction with bushes or arms.

I would highly recommend that you drive both a Jimny with a 20 mm lift and a 40mm lift and then decide. If you ever come to Bangalore please consider this an invitation to drive mine to experience the 40mm lift.

[ShivC]

Originally Posted by arjunsatheesh

Congrats Shiv sir. I was waiting to get your feedback on the OME.
Could you also share the cost of this installation? I will start saving now itself

Thank you Arjun. The ball park figure is 1.60 Lakhs (without the castor bushes) for the kit.

Save up fast you will not regret your decision......

[pepega]

Originally Posted by ShivC

OH NO!!!!!! ITS ANOTHER SUSPENSION CHANGE FOR OUR JIMNY: ARB Old Man EMU 5 door Suspension Installed on our Jimny

Did you also consider the 2 inch lift kit from Bilstein?

Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your lifted car! It looks sweet.

[MithunSathianat]

Originally Posted by ShivC

[b]

Castor Correction: Hardrace Front Castor Correction Radius Arms: Not a big fan of castor correction bushes and wanted a “ fill it forget solution” so installed HardRace. The castor correction is done by the arms themselves and not the bushes. The castor bushes when replaced will be from Maruti - same size – so no waiting for imports to happen for the bushes to arrive.

I am sure you would be the only person who experienced all 3 suspension setups in Jimny

You did a wise thing by getting the hard race radius arms. I believe they have an adjustable one as well. Any reason why you did not get the same?
Did you import radius arms by yourself? It would be great if you can share the cost for the same.

I have Toughdog 60mm 5-D lift kit in my Jimny and would like to get the adjustable radius arms from Hardrace as my castor angles are negative even after the correction bushes. Could be an issue with installation as well. I would be checking it during this week. But I wish to get a permanent solution by getting the radius arms.

[ShivC]

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

I am sure you would be the only person who experienced all 3 suspension setups in Jimny

It has been quite a journey. But Oldman EMU felt like coming home the minute I took the wheel after installing it.

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

You did a wise thing by getting the hard race radius arms. I believe they have an adjustable one as well. Any reason why you did not get the same?

A few people have run the adjustable ones in Australia and all have reported the same problem of them coming loose when you flex them. Some have tried Loctite but that does not work as well. The only solution was to fix a pin or weld them. Self defeating so ordered the fixed ones. Lesser moving parts anyways is always a better solution.

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

Did you import radius arms by yourself? It would be great if you can share the cost for the same.

It costed me about 59K and yes it was a self import.

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

I have Toughdog 60mm 5-D lift kit in my Jimny and would like to get the adjustable radius arms from Hardrace as my castor angles are negative even after the correction bushes. Could be an issue with installation as well. I would be checking it during this week. But I wish to get a permanent solution by getting the radius arms.

Seems like you have a caster bush issue either with the bush itself or incorrect installation of the bushes on the arms. The best solution is arms self corrected - does away with any issues with the correction happening at the bushes level. Yes the arms are a more permanent solution.

[aNANOnymous]

Originally Posted by vijay shekar

Got this Guy today . Looking to add some accessories and a change of tyres . Would be happy receive suggestions and recommendations . Thank you

Congratulations ! You have made a great choice. I understand the excitement is high and it should be. But hold your horses. Take a pen and a paper to jot down the most functional and VFM accessories needed.

The below list might help :

1. Screen guard for the infotainment system.
2. Covers for the defogger wires on the rear window.
3. Storage fitments for the centre console.
4. Side steps.
5. LED bulbs for the cabin lights and the boot light.
6. Hydraulic struts for the bonne ( completely optional)
7. TPE mats including a boot mat.
8. Door sill guards.
9. Microfiber cloth and cleaning accessories.
10. Magnetic window shades (mesh type).
11. Front and rear crash guards.

Now about those tyres. My suggestion is to consider your driving needs very carefully before spending big. If you are going to drive mostly within the city with mild off-roading then the stock tyres are just perfect. Even I was tempted to change the tyres right after purchasing the car last October. But good senses prevailed and I chose to use the stock tyres only. You will get used to them pretty soon. They are good in all possible ways. No complaints. You may use white paint marker to accentuate the letterings on the tyres. It will make them look better.

Drive a few thousand kilometers and you will figure out
things yourself. The accessories market for Jimny is booming. The prices for simple plastic bits are exorbitant. Choose wisely.

[vijay shekar]

Originally Posted by aNANOnymous

Congratulations ! You have made a great choice. I understand the excitement is high and it should be. But hold your horses. Take a pen and a paper to jot down the most functional and VFM accessories needed.

The below list might help :

1. Screen guard for the infotainment system.
2. Covers for the defogger wires on the rear window.
3. Storage fitments for the centre console.
4. Side steps.
5. LED bulbs for the cabin lights and the boot light.
6. Hydraulic struts for the bonne ( completely optional)
7. TPE mats including a boot mat.
8. Door sill guards.
9. Microfiber cloth and cleaning accessories.
10. Magnetic window shades (mesh type).
11. Front and rear crash guards.

Now about those tyres. My suggestion is to consider your driving needs very carefully before spending big. If you are going to drive mostly within the city with mild off-roading then the stock tyres are just perfect. Even I was tempted to change the tyres right after purchasing the car last October. But good senses prevailed and I chose to use the stock tyres only. You will get used to them pretty soon. They are good in all possible ways. No complaints. You may use white paint marker to accentuate the letterings on the tyres. It will make them look better.

Drive a few thousand kilometers and you will figure out
things yourself. The accessories market for Jimny is booming. The prices for simple plastic bits are exorbitant. Choose wisely.

Thank you for your detailed reply. Sorry was not able to reply earlier as I got held up.

2,3,7and 9 are done . Rest to go.

Regarding the tires, as of now have decided to stay with the OE'S shall take a call later sometime when the requirement arises. Thank you so much.

By the way May I know what tire pressures You are all maintaining. I tried 26 psi as per recommendation and felt the steering becoming hard.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ShivC

No. OME only makes 40 mm lift kits for the 5 door. 20 mm has other good options available in case you want only 20 mm lift.
OME does have castor correction bushes which would more or less do the same job.

Extended brake hoses are not required in a 20 mm lift and neither will be castor correction with bushes or arms.

Thanks for sharing.

Hope OME (ARB) launch the 20mm kit too where other mods/corrections are not required.

I would highly recommend that you drive both a Jimny with a 20 mm lift and a 40mm lift and then decide. If you ever come to Bangalore please consider this an invitation to drive mine to experience the 40mm lift.

[Maverick5490]

Took the Jimny out for its first long drive from Thane to Goa via the NH 66 last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. The road is brilliant, few sections are no roads with construction in full swing and that's where the Jimny simply glided over the surface without a fuss. Few observations over the trip:

1) AC is a chiller and cooled the cabin quickly even when parked in direct sun at 40 degrees

2) Since the Windscreen and glass area is almost vertical and smaller in comparison to other cars, the sunlight and heat intrusion inside the cabin is minimal. Noticed this while driving from dawn to evening, had set the temperature to a comfortable 24 degrees, fan speed at 3 at 40 degrees outside.

3) Had installed the original MGA Jimny Sunshades on the sides and they really helped in keeping the car cool and are non intrusive, highly recommended for the summer.

4) Drove in the 80 km/h to 100 km/h speed range with interim cruise control and got an overall FE of 12km/l over 1350 kms. The tank range varied between 350-380 kms and there are plenty of fuel outlets on the NH66

5) The stock LED lights are decent for highway drives, don't feel the need to upgrade, Stock tyres at 28 psi also performed really well in cushioning any undulations on the road. Some joints over the flyovers did give major jolts though, would have been felt at much more intensity in sedans/hatchbacks.

6) The small footprint and compact size helps a lot on the narrow lanes of Goa and very convenient for parking in tight spots. Plus the Jimny still gets a lot of looks and appreciation in the land of Thars.

7) Last but not the least, the Jimny is no corner carver and can get pretty handful in the tight Ghat sections of the NH66. In those sections, gathering momentum also takes time, simply need to adapt to the driving characteristics of the Jimny.

8) NH 66 is much more Greener, compared to the Mumbai-Kolhapur road, very minimum traffic, zero tolls and definitely must try.

Few pics from the trip: