One of the problems of fitting large tyres is the one of where to fit the spare tyre. The standard mount will not take large tyres as they foul the bumper and obscure the standard number plate fittings.

When I got the Jimny the previous owner had taken the easy way out and thrown the spare tyre into the rear of the car. This just takes up space and creates a hazard inside the cabin.

One thing I loved about the Sj was its all round disc brake conversion. This meant that I no longer had to mess around cleaning out brake drums.

When I first purchased the Jimny it had a problem where the 4wd switch did not appear to work. This switch is located on the Transfer Box and tells the Computer that 4 wheel drive has been selected which then vacuum locks the front wheel hubs.

So to the first outing of the Jimny. Thames Valley 4x4 Club run monthly off-road days around the Thames Valley area. Speen is a small wooded site to the north of High Wycome. The events are designed to be suitable for all comers and all vehicles. The TV4x4 club website has a gallery of pictures from the event.

Once on site we charged up the air tank to supply the locker and selected two wheel drive. The immediate difference between this and my old SJ410 is the suspension. The coli sprung Jimny ate up the bumps in the ground. The only downside is the noise that the coils make as they move around on the mounts which is a litle disconcerting at first, although I had already experienced this in various lifted LandRover Discoveries.

The picture below shows a bit of the articulation possible, I have yet to explore it fully.

Well it had to happen but it was a surprise for it to happen on the first time out on a gentle greenlaning trip on a sunny Sunday afternoon. None of the lanes are difficult, in fact they are all loosely surfaced and easily driven apart from a view scratchy bits.

When we got home James had a quick walk around the back of the car and saw.....