Suspension advice.

I'd say that might depend on the terrain. In the UK there is less need for diff guards, but in some parts of Australia it is quite rocky and you stand more chance of damaging the diff pans.

I've worked and travelled around a fair bit of Australia. Initially in a Volvo 740 which was great, very comfy on dirt roads and proved quite robust. Then in a Nissan Patrol which was obviously fine but a bit less fun. My overall impression was there really aren't that many places you couldn't take a standard Jimny. Yes there are some tough rocky tracks if you go looking for them, but in terms of getting about, travelling and being able to get to where you need to go then essentially all the roads are passable in a standard 4x4.

Thank you for all the advice! I am currently travelling, so I won't be able to properly reply until tomorrow or the day after, but all your help is greatly appreciated! 

wrote:

In terms of ground clearance, the best thing you can do is ditch the differential guards. The diffs are the strongest part of the car. They don't need protection and the guards reduce clearance, increasing your chance of getting stuck quite significantly. A transfer case guard is the only underbody protection I'd bother with, and then only if you're straying well off the beaten track.

Let's be realistic here, how much ground clearance is a sheet metal differential guard going to cost you?  Three or four mm?  The "outer" portion of the differential housing IS strong, there's no arguing that, you can jack the vehicle on it, but the pan is thin sheet metal and dents easily.

You can opt for a diff guard that protects the diff pan without fitting under the differential - if I remember correctly the trick with Samurais was to cut an 8 inch cast iron pipe cap in half, notch a vee to allow the fill plug to be removed and then weld them on to the differentials. 

Many of the bolt-on options available for the Jimny are substantial fabricated items that reduce clearance by much more than a few mm, and have a much bigger frontal area too compared to a smooth rounded diff housing.

 

 

this is what is needed to protect the front differential and not lose ground clearance