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Gen4 leaning after lift kit install - what to look for?

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03 Mar 2023 05:21 - 03 Mar 2023 05:25 #247851 by Joejimny7
I have a gen4 LHD Jimny that has a leaning after a lift kit was installed.   The kit is a 50mm lift from iron man (front and rear springs, front and rear sock absorbers) which came with the parts they mark for the RHD Jimny.   
Before the lift kit I got 225/75 r15 AT tires installed on the stock wheels, I did not noticed any difference on ride quality, but very little power loss.
Then I got the lift kit installed and the ride became rough, uncomfortable and bouncy, as well as leaning to the passenger side which activated my OCD.
I did some research on my issue and was thinking that as I have RHD parts installed on an LHD this was the culprit, but the supplier confirmed that I had the correct parts for the Jimny sold in this part of the world, I still have doubts on this. 
The rear springs have different sizes and the one marked as driver side, the taller one was installed on the driver side of my LHD gen4. 
A quick measure with my hand shows that on the rear driver side the gap between the tire and the flare is bigger.  

Is there any tips/recommendations on what to look for or maybe what can be adjusted?
Should I kit the car with more weight as the springs are rated for 0 to 200Kg?
 
I don’t have experience with Jimny nor lift kits but I have been eyeballing some replacement springs and to keep the shock absorbers. 
I contacted Jimny style and asked for the H&R +40mm springs LHD which I was told should fix the lean but that the rough ride is also tied to shock absorbers and I am confused on what is the best option for me as I just want the lift mostly for the looks at the moment.   
Last edit: 03 Mar 2023 05:25 by Joejimny7.

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  • The quickest Jimny in Harrogate...(that I own)
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03 Mar 2023 06:06 #247852 by Lambert
From what I can find it seems that all Australian off road suspension is designed on the supposition that the vehicle is going to be significantly heavier than standard and so is going to require hugely stiff dampers to control the weight. None of them that I can find offer a taller and softer more compliant ride that you might want in an off road vehicle you don't intend to live in for months at a time. With the car unloaded how much lean are you finding and if you add a driver does it improve or get worse?

Temeraire (2018 quasar grey automatic)
One of the last 200ish of the gen3s, probably.
ADOS Attention Deficit Ooooh Shiny!

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03 Mar 2023 06:58 #247854 by Joejimny7
The lean is noticeable by looking at the car.
Is measuring the top of the tires against the flares a correct method to get data about this?.

When I drive the lean improves a little bit i would say but i have not asked someone else to sit so I can take a look outside. When driving I can feel the lean to some extend and depending on the road it gets more noticeable or not.

And yes I don’t want to live in the car :D

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03 Mar 2023 09:28 #247855 by mlines
History of "the lean".   The lean affects Gen3 RHD Jimnys. On these Jimnys Suzuki fitted different rear springs to each side. On the LHD the rear springs were the same each side.  This therefore created the need for aftermarket lift kits to compensate in the same way either through correctly designed rear springs or simply fitting a slightly longer spring to the drivers front spring.

Despite Suzuki slightly altering the suspension on the Gen4 Jimny, the same situation still exists, RHD Jimnys have different springs on the rear side to compensate and LHD dont. 

Therefore, as you have a LHD Jimny, if you fit a lift kit designed for a LHD car it should be fine.  But if you fit a LHD kit to a RHD car or vice versa you will get a slight lean.  You will find that most providers dont bother with any correction at all so most kits are effectively "LHD" versions.

Martin

2003 M13 early KAP build.
3" Trailmaster lift with 1.5 Spacers on front
Customised winch bumper and roll cage
235/85R16 Maxxis Bighorns on 16" Rims, 4:1 Rocklobster, Rear ARB locker and on-board air
Corrected arms all-round, rear disks, Recaro seats and harnesses

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03 Mar 2023 09:41 #247856 by DrRobin
Martin, which way does a Gen 3 lean? I only ask as I think mine leans slightly to the passenger side. I have heard that the drivers side sags eventually with the weight of the driver, so perhaps the previous owner changed the drivers side spring.

I am not sure if I am sensitive to a lean, my other car seems perfectly flat, but of course that might lean slightly to the right?

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 Mar 2023 09:57 #247857 by Soeley
The Old Man Emu lift kit come with different length rear springs for the Gen4.

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03 Mar 2023 11:59 #247861 by Busta
First thing is to check the rear springs you removed. If they are both the same, (as they would be on a LHD gen3 so very likely the saem on a gen4), then you will get a lean from fitting odd springs. In which case I'd contact the supplier and see if they can supply a matching pair of rear springs e.g. 2 labelled as drivers side.
If the original springs are an odd pair then try swapping your lift kit springs around so the one labelled drivers is on the right hand side.

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04 Mar 2023 06:07 #247880 by Joejimny7
Each of the pairs seems to be the same length.
I am just not sure of which were in the front and which on the rear.
 
Attachments:

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04 Mar 2023 07:34 #247882 by Joejimny7
I hope a more experienced Jimny enthusiast can give me an opinion on my thoughts.

As of right now I still believe that the lift kit has incorrect parts but the brand/supplier insists that it is not, and I will give them the benefit of doubt as maybe in a heavily loaded situation it is.

I was thinking on changing the springs to the H&R +40mm to fix the lean and possibly the rough ride quality.  But I was informed that the shock absorbers/dampers also play a role here.  
So maybe in the end I will have to get the Bilstein shocks to replace the green man ones. 

 

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04 Mar 2023 14:20 #247887 by Busta
The longer pair will be from the front. Looking at the 2 shorter springs, do they have the same number of turns and is the wire thickness the same? If so then the lean is 100% being caused by the fact you've fitted different length springs on the back.

A RHD lift kit is, by the very fact it exists, going to be incorrect for a LHD Jimny. The car should sit level when unloaded. Loading will obviously affect how it sits, but that's not the route to correcting un-level suspension.

Given the supplier isn't offering to help and you are unhappy with the harsh ride (springs and shocks can both cause this) I would simply return them. H&R and Bilstein are both amongst the best in their respective fields. I would choose them over any 4x4/Off-road brand.

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04 Mar 2023 14:36 #247889 by fordem

Is measuring the top of the tires against the flares a correct method to get data about this?.
 

The most accurate way to measure "lift" is to use the lower edge of the rim as your reference - put a tape on the lower edge, run the tape past the center of the hub and read the tape where it intersects with the wheel arch or in this case flare.  This method avoids errors caused by "hard to quantify" variables such as tire size, wear and inflation, but is affected by rim diameter.

Ideally a "before lift" measurement should have been taken so that there was a base line to compare to, and what many people don't realize is that the front suspension heights impact the rear suspension heights - a droop in the front right corner will tip the rear left corner upwards (and vice versa) - you need to look at all four corners.

One of my 4WDs was a Mitsubishi that I acquired with very tired front springs, I struggled with dynamically varying negative camber until I realised it was caused by sagging springs which were then replaced with OEM parts, I later fitted 50mm lift coils (Dobinsons) and ended up in a scenario very similar to that of the thread starter, the illusion that one rear corner had more lift than the other, the rear springs were handed, and correctly fitted.

I don't advocate mixing & matching suspension components, you might get away with it if you're using OE replacement parts, but if you're looking at some sort of upgrade part, it's very easy to get things mismatched - shock/strut damping needs to be matched to the spring rate.  I have not used ironman products (they are not available where I am), everything I've read about them suggests that they are stiffer/harsher than most users care for, the dobinsons I've used have a higher spring rate (stiffer) that I am comfortable with and dobinsons did not offer a matching shock for the Mitsubishi, so I ended up with a harsh, underdamped ride, Old Man Emu is what I will be looking at for my Jimny, I've had them on a GV for the last decade or so, and have been quite happy there.

Old Man Emu usually offers several springs for any given vehicle, the difference being in the "free length", the spring rates are usually the same, and they will usually have shocks/struts valved to work with their springs, and whatever bump stops or extensions that are needed.

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09 Aug 2023 18:07 #250186 by Joejimny7
My apologies on the late reply, I got flooded with tasks at work. 

I will try the measurements on the already lifted Jimny and report back. 

In the meantime as I said I am eyeballing springs to solve the lean and the bouncy/rough ride. 

The Ironman rear springs is the model SUZ010B (RHD), which to my understanding is creating the lean and its higher rate to +200Kg makes it a rough ride. 
The front springs are the SUZ009B (works for both LHD/RHD) with +80Kg (to support steel bumper and winch),  my car is completely stock in the front and with plans on modifying in the future with an smaller/stylish bumper and maybe an snorke.  

I was thinking on these options to try to solve the 2 issues. 

The cheapest: 
Get the JimnyBits 2” (50mm) rear springs only and keep the Ironman front springs and the front/rear shocks
www.jimnybits.com/2-jimny-lift-springs.html

The change all springs but loose 1 centimeter of lift option:
Get the JimnyStyle H&R +40mm springs, replace all IronMan springs and keep the Ironman Shocks and loose 1CM of lift in the process(I kind of like the 5CM look, but not sure if this would be noticeable)
streettracklife.com/collections/jimny-su..._fid=8a0a89856&_ss=c

The polish option:
Do some research on the X-Shock-Dakar lift kit solution regarding its stiffness and get the full lift kit, replace all springs and try both IronMan and X-Shock-Dakar shocks to see what is better. 
www.xshockdakar.com/en/shop/details/107/...kit-jimny-jb-74.html
 

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