Discreet but capable

Thanks Riccy, I've run Koni adjustables for years on mini's but I decided to try AVO as I'd heard that soft side adjustment went further. If I don't like the AVO's, Koni is the next stop.

Springs worry me far more, just going to be wild stabs in the dark at makers and rates. I will be fitting my first guess in the next week or two and know there will be a significant improvement over the tired 65k existing set up. I will be very lucky to get it right on my first go and at £200 a chuck, getting it wrong will be a bugger.

Be much easier with some sort of adjustable platform or coil over setup.

Been looking at tyres again and rolling circumferences, my 215/70x15 are 2144mm which is a full 104mm bigger than the 205's they replaced,
The change in gearing is noticeable but manageable.

I'm looking at road tyres and 215/55x17 gives me 2040 r/c the same as the 205's originally on the car. This will put the gearing back to standard, I felt it was ok at standard just lost legs on the 2-3 change.

sniper

I should have mentioned the AVOs, its what i have just fitted. 24 click adjustment from virtually no damping right up to racecar hard. Also one of only 2 makes (that i know of), that are the smaller and correct 42mm body shock (Zanfi being the other, but not adjustable and more expensive). All others seem to be 50mm body, which catches the panhard bracket on the back of mine. 42mm is no problem and the AVOs are nothing short of brilliant.

The Koni's came to mind as being more of a sport based adjustable thing at standard ride height. they dont make any longer shocks for jimnys.

Thanks for the endorsement on the AVO's Riccy, I understand they are good gear but knowing they suit my application, takes a little worry away.

Springs, seats, rear shock brackets and a steering damper all waiting on the AVO's........

Like a kid, meccano for grown up's my wife calls it.

sniper

Following this thread for sure! The motor plans are really interesting.

A question tough; why are you going down the top HP route, and not aim for more torque? The track rigged swifts are tuned for high hp power, to get the speed they need..
I mean, if you want the best drivable offroad power, you want a flat curve that also has enough grunt to stay down at low rpm`s.. A M15a or M16a VVT conversion mght be a better place to start, when you anyway plan to go mapping on dyno, probably making more usable power, for maybe even less money?

Hi, torque is the gain I'm looking for, bhp will increase as a matter of course but the aim is an early entry onto the torque curve with peak torque being delivered as far down the rev range as we can. Sadly the boost in performance pushes peak torque further up the rev range, so a compromise will be made where peak power will be sacrificed for a smoother, earlier starting, earlier peaking torque curve.

I have done three "paper" builds and looked at cost v benefit, M13AA is in the car but will cost 3k to tune to 120hp. That will be mainly exhaust, TB's and mapping. It would rev like a bike engine and having a small cc engine suits me.

I have had a look at the VW diesel and can get this in the car at similar cost, I have had some experience with these lumps and know a few people running over 200 bhp and 350+ foot pounds of torque. They are very tuneable and can deliver enough torque to turn the globe.

Typing this is changing my mind, look at the two options.

Option 1, tune existing to 120hp and similar torques, stressed engine running near peak output, needing regular (3k) services.

Option 2, VW diesel that will provide all the power and torque that I could ever want, operating well within it's capabilities. Annual servicing.

Not really a choice, VW makes way more sense.............

I can take small bites at tuning the 1300 and progress through the tune, will be over time. A slowly developed car.

The VW swap would be a single hit, instant gratification and reliability.....

I'm going to wait and see what I end up with when the suspension is changed, the car will tell me what it wants...

Still waiting on the AVO dampers to move it forward.

sniper

I think a lot of people confuse 'moving the torque higher up the revs range' with reducing bottom end torque, when in reality you almost always increase torque throughout the rev range. It's just the most noticeable gain is at high rpms.
Your finished engine might have a 30% higher peak torque at higher revs, but it will also gain 15+% more torque everywhere else.

I hear what you say about the VW diesel, but you should also consider in implications it has on weight, gearing and drivetrain longevity as well as the fabrication needed to fit it, mount an intercooler etc. I'd sooner put in a bigger NA petrol than diesel. The Ford 2.0 zetec found in a Mk3 MX5, for example, almost doubles the standard Jimny's power and torque without weighing the same as a house and will slot into the engine bay very easily with the MX5 gearbox.

A 200hp tdi would kill youre drivetrain weekly...

A m16a vvt will cost you 400 pound + exhaust + remap.. Everything bolt on, and no MOT issues..

Would probably give you a wide 150-160nm 110-120hp curve..

If you got youre m13a ecu mapped to this setup, myself and several others would be interessed in buying in on the remap, if the tuner could flash our ecu's as well..

I just had a chat with a local motorsport outfit and am now pretty certain I will stay with the M13AA fitted. The throttle body set up and exhaust will cross over to a M16A if I find the 13 unreliable or overstretched.

More interestingly, they supply a very compact transfer box with a centre differential for rallycross cars, they are developing a low range gear set that would make it very usable in the jimny.

Full time 4x4 on tarmac, comes at a fair cost £4k ish but that combined with ATB diffs front and back would make for a go kart.

sniper

The plan is finalised:-

Stage One - completed this month.
1. New front brakes, clean and adjust rears
2. New clutch
3. BFG AT's x 5
4. New KYB springs at standard height
5. Proflex 15mm spring seats
6. +25mm bump stops
7. AVO adjustable dampers +25mm
8. Rear shock relocate brackets
9. Rough country steering damper

Stage Two
1. Rear ATB differential
2. Front ATB differential
3. Exhaust
4. Throttle bodies and fuelling computer
5. Rolling road set up

Stage one has cost 2k to complete, each item on stage two will cost about 1k and will take me about a year to complete.
Engine mods at the far end of the project.... bummer but it's the way to do it. Chassis first, power second.

sniper
(oops. forgot the transfer box, if that pans out another 4k at the end)

Only issue i can see,
Unles you have done some careful measuring , Longer rear dampers with the completely pointless repositioners will be to long and with trash themselves pretty quickly on compression.

Hi Jezz,
I got the +25mm dampers as I'm unsure about the final height, it will be either at +15mm or at +25mm. I have got +25mm bump stops and will carefully check travel when fitting. If I am concerned I will go to +25mm seats straight away. At £100 per corner I definitely don't want to damage the dampers. Thanks for the nod.

Busta, thanks for your input. I have had a think and am going stay with the M13AA, I have always liked high revving low cc engines and the planned modifications will all transfer to the M16A if I'm not happy.

sniper

I will happily share the results, if anybody wants to buy in on any part (i.e. the final map) I'm happy to oblige. It might get me a better deal and make the tuners work a bit sharper if they think there is more business to be had. The map will be specific to the ITB's and exhaust, so I don't know how much use it would be. (OlaGB)

sniper