[31zook]

And there is a heap of jimny parts, they just don't come from the US where everyone seems to think every part/idea originated.

As for offroad, (like the OP asked) a sierra is easier to do up. A jimny is more comfortable.

[Gwagensteve]

Because your jimny is full of easily sourced bolt on parts

I am under no misconceptions about how capable jimmy's are when driven well, same for a vitara. I know which car makes the better daily though.

[31zook]

Hense I mentioned tims jimny which is bolt on parts and is just as capable as mine.

[Gwagensteve]

No it's not.

[JrZook]

31zook wrote:

just as capable as mine.

Really? So your saying all that custom suspension work on yours doesn't offer any advantages over off the shelf bolt on's?

[31zook]

Pretty well, I think im man enough to admit that if I had my time over I wouldn't of bothered with it. If I had my time again I would build new front radius arms that tuck up better and roll the diff back so it has more weight on the wheel (to correct the death wobble)

The 3-link on paper gives me more travel then tim, it gives me around 80mm more ground clearance then tim. This is also true in real life, but its only marginal differences in reallife that means tim drives 99% of what I can with keeping our panels looked after.

So, yes. If it was an awesome Idea wouldn't it of been copied by now?

Not giving tim any crap, but I can also drive rings around him in his own car

[JrZook]

Hahah sounds like its the other way around. Tim's driving ability/vehicle capability seems to out do yours

[tanshi]

So your saying your limited by your panels right?

that you can buy all the stuff for a jimny and its as capable as possible.

all im saying is you could buy the same stuff for a gv and it would be just as capable.

No where did i claim that jimnys werent good. just that gvs could be just as good.

[jimny_timmy]

JrZook wrote:

Hahah sounds like its the other way around. Tim's driving ability/vehicle capability seems to out do yours

Just to put this to bed, Josh is a far better driver than I'll ever be.

The only differences in our cars capabilities are going to be my off the shelf radius arms hang too low, and the fact that he's gained more reduction in low range which sometimes hinders me aswell.

We both wheel some pretty crazy terrain at times, in cars that were never built to do it. Yes it's going to come down to a large portion of driver experience over car capability. It's the same debate in my opinion, as the swb over lwb.

In saying that, out of all the tracks we've driven, no one has not been able to drive them because they own a jimny and vice versa. It may not be as easy to get parts to mod the jimny, but that also should be considered when purchasing your vehicle.
Do you actually need 31's or 33's to drive your intended terrain or are you just getting them because everyone else has them and you want to be part of that group? Do you even need lockers?

For my 2c worth. If you like a bit of comfort while you're wheeling it's a jimny. If you want a hardcore throw it at anything rock crawler that you might only drive here and there, a Sierra. I've wheeled with plenty of both and in my opinion I can't say either is more capable than the other.

[Zook_Fan]

I would think most cars would be capable relative to each other while looking after panels once lockers, axles, gearing and suspension is sorted. Considering usable tyre size is almost inversely proportional to how much you like your panels overall clearance is almost a moot point with most Jimny and GV drivers.

That's being pretty vague though, no one really has yet to sort the suspension on a GV in my opinion, no one has introduced a double tough equivalent to GV's and gearing is still a black art. IF you could buy the same stuff for a GV you'd have a car easily as capable as the Jimny I think.

[Marko_SJ]

31zook wrote:

Ahh good Steve, lets offer two options and then chose a 3rd...

Jimnys are a whole heap more capable then people give them credit for, there is probably a bad mix of inexperienced drivers making a car look bad. As apposed to everyman and his dog owning a sierra and not giving 2 stuffs about panels and readily avaliable parts.

Come wheel with me sometime and ill actually show you what a jimny is capable of. Even Timmy's jimny (everything bolt on) is just as capable as mine.

And most the haters have only ever riddin in a jimny with awful TD suspension.

I guess I'm one of those haters.

I've driven the Jim both stock and with the lift and almost considered one over a sierra. The only TD parts are the panhards and the shocks, which probably aren't gunna stay much longer on the vehicle...

Has some mix of parts making a 3 inch lift and runs 30s. I'd call it a pretty typical Jimny. Next mods are auto case and changing the shocks. It goes pretty much as well as a sierra running 30's. The difference is I can up my tire size at a whim and I've never had nearly as much inconvenience running 30's as him. Also, the Jimny has come closer to rolling than my sierra by a long shot.

I've had a chance to ride in the Blagon as well. Atari's setup has onroad manners that pewp on all other zooks I've been in short of the NGVs I've been in. It is capable as well, accelerates and drives like a car and can actually fit stuff. Furthermore it is far less pitchy in washouts and rougher dirt roads than a Jimny or sierra.

Pretty big win to the Vitara for a DD IMHO.

[atari4x4]

What about a JK Rubicon Wrangler? I hear they're the best.

Pretty sure I converted Marko into a closet Vitara lover when he came down to SA, they do alright for a girls car.

[monley]

Marko_SJ wrote:

31zook wrote:

Ahh good Steve, lets offer two options and then chose a 3rd...

Jimnys are a whole heap more capable then people give them credit for, there is probably a bad mix of inexperienced drivers making a car look bad. As apposed to everyman and his dog owning a sierra and not giving 2 stuffs about panels and readily avaliable parts.

Come wheel with me sometime and ill actually show you what a jimny is capable of. Even Timmy's jimny (everything bolt on) is just as capable as mine.

And most the haters have only ever riddin in a jimny with awful TD suspension.

I guess I'm one of those haters.

I've driven the Jim both stock and with the lift and almost considered one over a sierra. The only TD parts are the panhards and the shocks, which probably aren't gunna stay much longer on the vehicle...

The shocks aren't even made by TD

[Marko_SJ]

monley wrote:

Marko_SJ wrote:

31zook wrote:

Ahh good Steve, lets offer two options and then chose a 3rd...

Jimnys are a whole heap more capable then people give them credit for, there is probably a bad mix of inexperienced drivers making a car look bad. As apposed to everyman and his dog owning a sierra and not giving 2 stuffs about panels and readily avaliable parts.

Come wheel with me sometime and ill actually show you what a jimny is capable of. Even Timmy's jimny (everything bolt on) is just as capable as mine.

And most the haters have only ever riddin in a jimny with awful TD suspension.

I guess I'm one of those haters.

I've driven the Jim both stock and with the lift and almost considered one over a sierra. The only TD parts are the panhards and the shocks, which probably aren't gunna stay much longer on the vehicle...

The shocks aren't even made by TD

Once I bought a seal for my sierra and it was made by Koyo, damn! I paid for genuine!

[31zook]

monley wrote:

The shocks aren't even made by TD

Mack? CAT? Iveco?

[atari4x4]

31zook wrote:

monley wrote:

The shocks aren't even made by TD

Mack? CAT? Iveco?

Pretty sure they're made in the same factory where they make the shocks for the JK Rubicon Wrangler lift kits.

[Jezza86]

if we compared the jim and sierra chassis and running gear in stock and off the shelf and done up forms what wins?
jimny front end is weaker then a sierra
theres chromo cv's from Piranha for the jimny front, lowrange for the sierra, are they on par? is the difrent odball jimny front diff weaker going forward or just backward compared to the sierra?
jml fullfloat for both rear axles. how do the diffs stack up? wht about gear ratios avalible?

all 4 diffs can be locked on both cars. will a front locker munch sierra cv's as quickly as on a jim, or they bout the same?

one has leaves, the other coils. whats better on and offroad?
the jimny has a slightly wider track. that sounds like its gott abe better then narrow, is it?

im just confused on what the funadamental letdown is of the jimny, or if its just that people dont like the body thats siting on the rails because it limits the size wheel you can fit?
see a lot of jimny hate, but dont understand it

[droverdave]

For all we know the OP intends on keeping the jimny stock and hooning around the beech with a fishing rod.

Which if you want the niceness of a newer car (aircon, psteer, nice interior, less kms), over the harshness of a 31year old car, and are willing to pay a bit more $$, then the Jimny wins handsdown.

[tanshi]

you just named alot of the reasons.

weak front end. expensive aftermarket support to fix this up from places like pirana.
dubious metal quality in the diffs
gearing options which rely on a transfer case from a sierra.
dodgy autos
diff gearing limited by stupid high pinion
is coiled yes, but the sus design is badly flawed like most coiled zooks
lack of room for rubber.
its what 20mm wider? yep, it has a positive point

its not just 1 thing.

for the general driving of bush tracks and beaches, its fine.
for dailying its fine.

but there are better options .

[Marko_SJ]

Jezza86 wrote:

if we compared the jim and sierra chassis and running gear in stock and off the shelf and done up forms what wins?
jimny front end is weaker then a sierra
theres chromo cv's from Piranha for the jimny front, lowrange for the sierra, are they on par? is the difrent odball jimny front diff weaker going forward or just backward compared to the sierra?
jml fullfloat for both rear axles. how do the diffs stack up? wht about gear ratios avalible?

all 4 diffs can be locked on both cars. will a front locker munch sierra cv's as quickly as on a jim, or they bout the same?

one has leaves, the other coils. whats better on and offroad?
the jimny has a slightly wider track. that sounds like its gott abe better then narrow, is it?

im just confused on what the funadamental letdown is of the jimny, or if its just that people dont like the body thats siting on the rails because it limits the size wheel you can fit?
see a lot of jimny hate, but dont understand it

I wanna say that when I said I was a Jimny hater, it was a joke. I just like the banter on here.

The main reason I would not go out and buy a Jimny straight away is plain and simple the lack of a GOOD gearing option, short of using sierra parts anyway, which is far king expensive, I know because I've researched it. I love my 6.5s. Then there is the fact that I want to go UP in tire size and not down. I can reliably put, what, 31's? on a jimny and chromo and lock it?

My next tire size is going to be larger than that, without any further mods to the car.... Just bump stop spacing if I can get away with it and I hope I drive gently enough not to break too much.

The coils on a Jim are over rated (as in thought better than they are, not too stiff [Well I guess often they are that too ])

Nor does the relatively SWB jimny ride that awesome, or awesome enough over a sierra to sell a sierra for. Its still SWB, reasonably short travel and choppy.

Sierra diffs can be locked for about $250 and end.

For me the A/C and power steer aren't Jimny selling points. My sierra has A/C and I've got power steer sitting there in a box.... ready for a different pulley and mounting.

The best thing a jimny has over a sierra is the sound deadening and ergonomics from my perspective.

[greenzook89]

ZookFan wrote:

SJ80 is fine for towing behind motor homes of Retired nomads

Honestly why not buy what YOU want and not what everyone thinks you need. Buy something, work with it and when it breaks fix it.

[ZookFan]

greenzook89..hit the nail on the head..

[Gwagensteve]

Why ask a question on a forum if the answer is always "sure do whatever you want" - how does that help anyone?

[pezz]

Just buy a gq and be done with it,
35s and 8 inch lift, thats how the cool kids roll

[jimny_timmy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Why ask a question on a forum if the answer is always "sure do whatever you want" - how does that help anyone?

The same reason the same questions get asked over and over...

[greenzook89]

jimny_timmy wrote:

Gwagensteve wrote:

Why ask a question on a forum if the answer is always "sure do whatever you want" - how does that help anyone?

The same reason the same questions get asked over and over...

The whole "what suzuki is best for me?" Question is as inane as "what colour should I paint my car?". I'm not against asking questions but there are some things in life you need to figure out on your own without help from teh forums.

[JuniorJoel]

The only problem that people that 4x4 there jimny have opposed to a sierra is panel damage, yeah a jimny isn't just a bunch of metal panels that are easily smashed back out and the body is a whole piece.

Gearing can be fixed on both.
Axles can be fixed on both.
Diffs can be locked on both.

So in the end the only major difference that determines people conceptions on what makes a good 4x4 besides leaves/coils is the bodies.

Both 31zook and Timmy have said the same thing. Sure the fixes to the problems may not be as cheap/cost effective but if you look at the age differences of models/how long the cars have been around you can work that out for yourselves.

So if you can lock both, gear both and run cromo axles/uograded axles on both, chop guards, change bumpstops and change suspension set ups around why can't both make a capable 4x4?

[ZookFan]

greenzook89 wrote:

jimny_timmy wrote:

Gwagensteve wrote:

Why ask a question on a forum if the answer is always "sure do whatever you want" - how does that help anyone?

The same reason the same questions get asked over and over...

The whole "what suzuki is best for me?" Question is as inane as "what colour should I paint my car?". I'm not against asking questions but there are some things in life you need to figure out on your own without help from teh forums.

BINGO!

[jimny_timmy]

ZookFan wrote:

greenzook89 wrote:

jimny_timmy wrote:

Gwagensteve wrote:

Why ask a question on a forum if the answer is always "sure do whatever you want" - how does that help anyone?

The same reason the same questions get asked over and over...

The whole "what suzuki is best for me?" Question is as inane as "what colour should I paint my car?". I'm not against asking questions but there are some things in life you need to figure out on your own without help from teh forums.

BINGO!

Really? YOU agree with that?

[monley]