The 5 upgrades we’d recommend investing in first, and in which order.

This guide is engineered for those who want to take their stock Jimny that little bit further. Off the tarmac, onto the tracks, up to those slightly harder to reach campsites, and heading toward overland ready.

Modifying your Jimny is good fun. But before jumping into it, have a good think about where you want to take your Jimny, and how you want to use it. This seems obvious, but it’s something many overlook with all the hype around mods.

Your use case will no doubt differ to ours. Take these suggestions with a splash of mud, and enjoy.

#1 – All Terrain or Rough Terrain tyres

The Jimny comes out of the factory with 195/80/15 tyres. For those new to tyre sizes, that’s 195mm wide, an aspect ratio of 80 (percentage of tyre height to tyre width), and 15” wheel diameter. In NZ and Australia, the tyres specified are Bridgestone Duellers H/Ts (hard terrain).

There is nothing wrong with these stock tyres. For highway and beach use they will do you well, especially if you air down on the sand.

There are two reasons for opting for new tyres. Off-road performance, and of course ‘the offroady look’. A well-chosen set of All Terrain (more balanced) or Rough Terrain (more aggressive) tyres will change where you can take your Jimny. And for those who stay pavement bound – where it looks like you take your Jimny!

We see 215/75/15 as the sweetspot for Jimny tyre size, at least on stock rims. That little bit of extra tyre width gives you noticeably more grip offroad, a chunkier look, without sacrificing too much fuel economy or speed (a limited resource for the Jimny!). They also fit the stock wheels nicely, which are 5.5” wide.

If you opt for wider wheel sizes you also have the option to go with 225s or 235 tyres, but be prepared to feel the effects at the pump and on the speedo. With limited horsepower, more rubber on the road will always slow you down, and slurp through more fuel. 235s will also require a suspension lift to prevent rubbing.

We’ve tried a lot of tyres, and for our use case our preferred is the Kenda Klever R/T – 215/75/15. We drive our Jimnys to the workshop everyday, on the beach regularly, and tackle a more serious offroad/overland mission once every couple of months. The tyre performs better on road than most all terrain tyres, and is super capable offroad. Absolutely great on loose rocks, shingle, dirt, sand and good in mud.

Another well-balanced and slightly less aggressive option is the Maxxis Bravo 980 A/T. For road driving and light trails, the Yokohama Geolander A/T is a long-lasting tyre that many swear by.

Changing tyres is also a good opportunity to consider new wheels, budget depending. Our current favourite rims are Apio’s Wildboar SR, for lightweight aluminium construction with a stripped-back retro ‘steely’ look.

Kenda Klever R/Ts on Apio Wildboar SR wheels. A winning combo if you ask us.

#2 – Lightweight Roof Rack System

Jimnys are small. That’s the whole fun, but it makes a roof rack more of a necessity than with bigger trucks or utes.

Weight and utility are the two key things to be balanced a roof rack for the Jimny. You want to minimise weight while maximising use.

Cross bars are the lightest option, and if you’re only looking to secure long items (eg. surfboards, kayaks, timber) or attach an awning or recovery tracks– they’re usually the one to go for. 2 bar kits are the lightest option, 3 bar kits give you a little more flexibility when it comes to loading.

Roof platforms have much more utility. All shapes of sizes of cargo can be stored on the roof. But of course, platforms are heavier.

This can be a tricky decision to make – which is exactly what led us to designing a modular system. The Skinny Jim platforms are light to start with, but can be quickly and easily removed to reveal a super lightweight crossbar setup.

The latest addition to the range – the Inbetweener – this sits somewhere between a full platform and cross bars. Well worth a look if you’re after a more tactical approach to roof loading.

The Inbetweener Lightweight Roof Platform, after a long bumpy road up to Macaulay Hut.

#3 – Aftermarket Suspension

There are more opinions on Jimny suspension kits than you can shake a shock absorber at, so we will keep this as short as possible, and stick to talking about what we have tested.

First – the stock suspension isn’t as terrible as some make out, at least not off-road. If you don’t have a heap of weight onboard and aren’t trying to tackle rough terrain at higher speeds – it may well do you fine.

What we will say about the stock setup is that it’s super soft, and prone to lots of body roll. This isn’t a bad thing at times, like when slowly crawling over rocks, but in many scenarios it lacks the control and stability you require. When taking rough terrain at moderate or above speeds, the Jimny swings, bounces and wallows around, when you want more stability. This lack of control is exacerbated with more weight on board.

You can then imagine how this soft setup performs on road. Not too well. But for many, on road performance isn’t really the point of a Jimny.

So where to start when looking at an upgrade. If you’re new to this, the two core components to a suspension setup are springs and shock absorbers, so these are the two first things to consider. Plenty of kits make this easy, pairing the same brand of shocks and springs.

Our sweetspot for the Jimny suspension has been H&R Springs (20mm lift) paired with Koni Heavy Track Shocks. It’s a great all-round setup, with a balanced feel. Perfect for overlanding, where you are often doing as many miles on gravel or dirt roads as you are offroad.

Why only 20mm? Lift kits are a whole topic of their own, but one reason we like this 20mm lift is that it doesn’t require any additional modification. With under an inch of lift, there’s no need to replace or adjust anything else on the vehicle (longer brake lines, caster correction components etc). It also doesn’t trigger any of the emergency braking systems (a common Jimny issue!) which some of the higher lift kits don’t take into account.

If our Jimny 3-Door looks to be sitting a little bit higher, that’s because it is. 20mm to be precise.

#4 – Interior Storage Setup

With a little bit of thought, the Jimny is a dream to load and camp from. Some go for a full drawer kit, but they can add a lot of weight, and our preference is to have the flexibility to rearrange our gear layout in the back.

The Jimny 3-Door interior has a good loading base straight from the factory. The rear seats fold flat to give you a nice level loading area. Perfect for cargo boxes and a fridge.

For the Jimny 5-Door, the rear setup isn’t as ideal from stock. Yes there’s more volume to play with, but unlike the JB74, the rear seats don’t fold completely flat, which means you don’t get the same level platform to work from. This troubled us a lot, so we went and designed a kit to solve the problem. It also adds a couple of roomy storage compartments, and integrated tie-down system.

Interior tie-downs are more necessary in the Jimny than most vehicles. It’s a bumpier than average ride onboard, and your cargo won’t be confined to an enclosed boot space. Nothing worse than something going flying while you’re focused on the track ahead.

The Jimny comes with a couple of rear tie-down points from factory (which you can attach eye bolts to) but we found this very restrictive. We worked from these existing anchor points and built in low profile rails adding 40+ tie down points to the 3-Door and 5-Door. Our Quick Clip system takes the ‘tie down’ part out of it – which if you’re ever loading and unloading at camp, is a sweet little timesaver.

It’s also worth thinking about access. These fridge/cool box specific straps are handy for allowing you to secure an object with handles, while still maintaining free function of the lid. This works for cargo boxes with handles too.

There’s something uniquely satisfying about a neatly packed Jimny.

#5 – Recovery Points + Recovery Gear

This is more of a safety measure than an ‘upgrade’ but its an essential purchase if you’re headed offroad, and should be worked into the mods budget.

The factory ‘tow-points’ you see on the Jimny may look sufficient, but they are designed for light-towing of the vehicle (off the cargo ship or onto the tow truck) on tarmac. When you are bogged in mud or sand, the forces become much higher, and your recovery points need to be anchored to the chassis for strength.

Ideally you want two recovery points front and rear. We run the Apio recovery points. Clean aesthetic, well engineered, and most importantly they has never failed us out on the tracks. Beihouse recovery points are also well respected.

A tow rope/snatch strap, soft shackles, air compressor and recovery tracks are next on your list. Probably in that order.

Airing down your tyres is the easiest way to gain performance offroad, or get yourself out of a sticky situation. Even more importantly, it looks after the tracks. Tyre air pressure is a juicy topic for another day, but 18-20psi is a great startpoint when heading offroad. Standard on road pressure being 26psi.

Enough chat. Get your Jimny prepared, then get out there.

Where to Start With Modifying Your Jimny