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Suppliers/Dealers or anyone selling with a commercial view in mind CANNOT post here unless responding to a specific request of a member in a "wanted" post.
Suppliers include people "breaking for spares" on a regular basis, when purchasing spares members should ask a supplier what they contribute to the running of the forum particularly if contacted by a Private Message
Suppliers or Members who have contributed to the forum can be identifed by the logo.
Raring spacers or bodylift
03 Feb 2025 15:59 - 03 Feb 2025 17:36 #259302
by maxp
Spring spacers or bodylift was created by maxp
Hi I've just bought a clean jimny which is intend to use for green laning and pay and plays.
I want to fit some insa turbo tyres i believe 215 75 15 are a decent size to go for but will need lifting ?
It's had new standard socks fitted so I want to keep them, shall I do a bodylift or 2inch spacers and damper extenders?
I'm leaning more towards spring spacers as they seem more straight forward.
Any help please
I want to fit some insa turbo tyres i believe 215 75 15 are a decent size to go for but will need lifting ?
It's had new standard socks fitted so I want to keep them, shall I do a bodylift or 2inch spacers and damper extenders?
I'm leaning more towards spring spacers as they seem more straight forward.
Any help please
Last edit: 03 Feb 2025 17:36 by maxp.
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03 Feb 2025 17:29 #259306
by DrRobin
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
Replied by DrRobin on topic Raring spacers or bodylift
I am not sure if your Jimny will be a 3rd or 4th Generation (2018 onwards)?
I had 215/75r15 fitted to my Gen 3 and they are now fitted to my Gen 4, but they are not Insa Turbos (Maxxis Worm-Drive), they fitted fine with no rubbing, but were very close on my Gen 3.
I am about to Fit Insa Turbos (Sahara) to a second set of wheels for trialing in a quarry (mud, sand, some concrete) and measured the clearance on my stock Gen 4 with the Maxxis and the Saharas should fit with no rubbing, even allowing for the slightly larger diameter due to the tread.
However, I am not sure Insa Turbos will fit on a Gen 3 without a lift. What does your Jimny have fitted at the moment and how much clearance on full lock?
Spring spacers on their own do give a lift but do it by compressing the springs so you loose travel and it makes the ride hard. If you fit shock extenders as well you go back to the same travel and damping, just raised a bit.
A body lift also gives you increased clearance, but as you say is harder to do. To be honest new longer springs, and dampers all round is the best solution, but comes at a price.
Both will be classed as a modification for insurance, so it's worth checking the cost of insurance before hitting the buy button.
As for Insa Turbos, you might not need such an aggressive tyre for Green Lanes, especially if you are thinking of Special Tracks, I would have thought that a good AT tyre would be just as good.
For pay and play, especially for mud it might be worth it. I am not sure if you plan on running the vehicle on the road at all, if you do a reasonable proportion of miles on the road then Special Track may no be the best choice.
Robin
I had 215/75r15 fitted to my Gen 3 and they are now fitted to my Gen 4, but they are not Insa Turbos (Maxxis Worm-Drive), they fitted fine with no rubbing, but were very close on my Gen 3.
I am about to Fit Insa Turbos (Sahara) to a second set of wheels for trialing in a quarry (mud, sand, some concrete) and measured the clearance on my stock Gen 4 with the Maxxis and the Saharas should fit with no rubbing, even allowing for the slightly larger diameter due to the tread.
However, I am not sure Insa Turbos will fit on a Gen 3 without a lift. What does your Jimny have fitted at the moment and how much clearance on full lock?
Spring spacers on their own do give a lift but do it by compressing the springs so you loose travel and it makes the ride hard. If you fit shock extenders as well you go back to the same travel and damping, just raised a bit.
A body lift also gives you increased clearance, but as you say is harder to do. To be honest new longer springs, and dampers all round is the best solution, but comes at a price.
Both will be classed as a modification for insurance, so it's worth checking the cost of insurance before hitting the buy button.
As for Insa Turbos, you might not need such an aggressive tyre for Green Lanes, especially if you are thinking of Special Tracks, I would have thought that a good AT tyre would be just as good.
For pay and play, especially for mud it might be worth it. I am not sure if you plan on running the vehicle on the road at all, if you do a reasonable proportion of miles on the road then Special Track may no be the best choice.
Robin
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
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03 Feb 2025 17:32 #259307
by 300bhpton
When you say Insa Turbo, what do you mean? They are brand, not a tread pattern. They are also remoulds and sadly since Covid are very expensive.
If you mean Special Tracks, then be warned they are pretty rubbish on road and really way too aggressive for green lane use. You really should not need a tyre like that for laning. Also running such tyres on the road will wear the edges off them quickly and make them less good off road.
For pay & play I can sort of see they would work. But then I've never really seen the appeal of Pay & Play sites, as most people tend to drive like complete twunks. If all you want to do is get stuck, you can do that on any tyres. Aggressive tyres can be great, don't get me wrong and for competition use such as RTV trials (which are way more fun than Pay & Play IMO) then you'll likely want some good tyres.
As for lifting.... huge minefield here.
Body spacers are really just an alternative to cutting the wheel arches to allow bigger tyres. You'll gain no off road improvement other than the tyre tread and any lift the bigger diameter gives you.
This isn't a bad approach in many ways and is quite cheap. But can be quite a bit to fit, may need other things doing such as gear stick or pipe work extending (depending on the size of the lift) and can sometimes make vehicles look a bit funky. It can improve approach/departure angles if it is the bumpers that limit this, but otherwise won't improve any of your clearance issues that a Jimny may encounter off road, such as hitting the underside or getting beached.
A spacer lift is also cheap. But the biggest limitation is that it will probably reduce suspension flex unless you do other mods. Less flex means you'll lift wheels more often and spend more time cross axled and more likely to get stuck.
Damper extenders may allow you to retain the suspension travel, although in reality it'll probably be more prone to becoming coil bound, so I'd still wager you'd end up with less travel than before.
_______________
The way I see it, a Jimny
+ small & nimble off road
+ lives axles
+ moderate axle articulation
All good points.
But also...
- lacks ground clearance
- lacks suspension travel
- poor breakover angle (due to relatively small tyres given the wheelbase)
For improved off road ability a better suspension setup with longer shocks is probably the way to go. But will likely cost more. Although it must be said, both of your mods could be used with a full suspension lift too.
But it is possible to modify a vehicle and make it worse off road than a standard vehicle. In fact its very common, you see it a lot at Pay & Play sites and on many of the Green Laning videos you see on YouTube these days.
I guess what I'm saying is. I probably wouldn't do either of the approaches you are suggesting if it was my vehicle. Although I do understand the desire for new tyres and to make it look more off road worthy. Although, if you are working on a very limited budget, then options may be minimal.
Replied by 300bhpton on topic Raring spacers or bodylift
There isn't really a right or wrong answer here. Comes down to what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend.Hi I've just bought a clean jimny which is intend to use for green laning and pay and plays.
I want to fit some insa turbo tyres i believe 215 75 15 are a decent size to go for but will need lifting ?
It's had new standard socks fitted so I want to keep them, shall I do a bodylift or 2inch spacers and damper extenders?
I'm leaning more towards spring spacers as they seem more straight forward.
Any help please
When you say Insa Turbo, what do you mean? They are brand, not a tread pattern. They are also remoulds and sadly since Covid are very expensive.
If you mean Special Tracks, then be warned they are pretty rubbish on road and really way too aggressive for green lane use. You really should not need a tyre like that for laning. Also running such tyres on the road will wear the edges off them quickly and make them less good off road.
For pay & play I can sort of see they would work. But then I've never really seen the appeal of Pay & Play sites, as most people tend to drive like complete twunks. If all you want to do is get stuck, you can do that on any tyres. Aggressive tyres can be great, don't get me wrong and for competition use such as RTV trials (which are way more fun than Pay & Play IMO) then you'll likely want some good tyres.
As for lifting.... huge minefield here.
Body spacers are really just an alternative to cutting the wheel arches to allow bigger tyres. You'll gain no off road improvement other than the tyre tread and any lift the bigger diameter gives you.
This isn't a bad approach in many ways and is quite cheap. But can be quite a bit to fit, may need other things doing such as gear stick or pipe work extending (depending on the size of the lift) and can sometimes make vehicles look a bit funky. It can improve approach/departure angles if it is the bumpers that limit this, but otherwise won't improve any of your clearance issues that a Jimny may encounter off road, such as hitting the underside or getting beached.
A spacer lift is also cheap. But the biggest limitation is that it will probably reduce suspension flex unless you do other mods. Less flex means you'll lift wheels more often and spend more time cross axled and more likely to get stuck.
Damper extenders may allow you to retain the suspension travel, although in reality it'll probably be more prone to becoming coil bound, so I'd still wager you'd end up with less travel than before.
_______________
The way I see it, a Jimny
+ small & nimble off road
+ lives axles
+ moderate axle articulation
All good points.
But also...
- lacks ground clearance
- lacks suspension travel
- poor breakover angle (due to relatively small tyres given the wheelbase)
For improved off road ability a better suspension setup with longer shocks is probably the way to go. But will likely cost more. Although it must be said, both of your mods could be used with a full suspension lift too.
But it is possible to modify a vehicle and make it worse off road than a standard vehicle. In fact its very common, you see it a lot at Pay & Play sites and on many of the Green Laning videos you see on YouTube these days.
I guess what I'm saying is. I probably wouldn't do either of the approaches you are suggesting if it was my vehicle. Although I do understand the desire for new tyres and to make it look more off road worthy. Although, if you are working on a very limited budget, then options may be minimal.
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03 Feb 2025 17:40 - 03 Feb 2025 18:10 #259308
by maxp
Replied by maxp on topic Spring spacers or bodylift
It is a gen 3 seems tyre chice in this size is extremely limited, another reason why I decoded to choose insa tyres there cheap and woth a lift works out thw same as putting something like general grabber at3 on. I currently run cheap hifly all terrains atm in that size. It's close and I don't think the insa sahara tyre will fit. This is why I want to lift it but not sure what us best. It rides nice atm on new standard shocks and springs so do t want to ruin that.
I only use it on the road to and from lanes tbh so aggressive tyres aren't really a problem comfort wise.
I think I may go bodylift 2inch..
I've had a read seems more work but if it doesn't spoil ride and loose travel the so be it.
Any ideas what happens to the front bumper do I need to make some brackets for it to fit afterwards? as apparently it won't line back up after lifting
cheers for your help guys
I only use it on the road to and from lanes tbh so aggressive tyres aren't really a problem comfort wise.
I think I may go bodylift 2inch..
I've had a read seems more work but if it doesn't spoil ride and loose travel the so be it.
Any ideas what happens to the front bumper do I need to make some brackets for it to fit afterwards? as apparently it won't line back up after lifting
cheers for your help guys
Last edit: 03 Feb 2025 18:10 by maxp.
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- Thank you received: 519
03 Feb 2025 18:04 #259313
by DrRobin
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
Replied by DrRobin on topic Raring spacers or bodylift
You might get away with a little trimming to the wheel arch and not need a lift, although as 300BHP suggested a lift does have other advantages (and other problems).
Most people usually wait to see if a lift is really required, the Jimny is quite capable especially for lanes in standard trim with some decent tyres.
Most people usually wait to see if a lift is really required, the Jimny is quite capable especially for lanes in standard trim with some decent tyres.
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
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03 Feb 2025 19:28 #259316
by maxp
Replied by maxp on topic Raring spacers or bodylift
Thanks I may wait then and see if I need a lift first
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