First mod to my ‘04 jimny O2 - improving the suspension and advice sought !!!

I’ve had my O2 Jimny 2004 for almost a year now and in that time I’ve found the standard suspension to be very harsh… at 70,000 miles and at its age I need to replace the entire setup. I’m not sure about a 2” lift but I do like the trail master kit… but since I’m very unlikely to spend much time off-road I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on softening the normal bang-and-crash on the roads round where I live in Surrey? I’m just a bit concerned I guess at filling the arches on a 2”lift as I only have the standard alloys and 205/70’s on the rims..

anyone got any thoughts on what might be a good purchase as I simply have no clue on what is best to improve the handling 

On my last Jimny I had the trailmaster 0 to 20 sports dampers and new after market standard springs. It was very good to drive on twisted back roads but quite stiff round town. So I would suggest either the trailmaster comfort or AVO adjustable dampers next time. Either that or Tein do a ride height and damping adjustable kit that gives between 10 and 25mm lift but it's not cheap and needs to be imported as I can't find a UK distributor.

Cheers Lambert !

I’m leaning towards either trail master or Avo. I’m definitely going for a 80/20 mix of on road / off road. I like the TUV certification on the trail master setup but I wonder if the adjustability on the Avo is better as I could tune the setup more for the specific driving. My jimny has 30mm spacers so also looking for advice on what size 15” rims would work with either general grabber or BFG’s ? I’m thinking of removing the spacers and going 215/80’s or similar? All a bit of a minefield in my head at the moment lol !
I guess that bearing in mind it’s an O2 edition (2004) , the weight is less than the tintop so maybe the AVO’s are the better bet ?

Replacing the tired 18 year old suspension with standard height new parts will definitely improve the ride. Removing the anti roll bar also improves the ride on rough roads, at the expense of slightly more body roll in corners. Also make sure your tyre pressures are correct.

I'd avoid a lift kit if your aim is good road manners. There are lots of downsides to making your car taller.

I did think that but I’ll definitely be doing some beginner off-roading next year so I’ve ordered the Avo kit from jimnybits-… I think the adjustability is a bonus and if I’m changing suspension I’d like it a bit future proof ! plus new front brake callipers and discs etc as I might as well do a brake refresh if I’m fitting the suspension kit. I’ll also do the kingpins as I have slight wobble at around 40mph - not too bad but if I’m going to do something I want to do it all. Love the jimny simplicity over a lot of the new fangled stuff !