Anyone who has owned Suzuki’s magnificent little Jimny will concede that there are some improvements that can be made, which take the off-road performance to a different level. None more so than upgrading the standard suspension. Unlike manufacturers like Toyota, Suzuki do not, as yet, have approved suppliers of suspension components for their Jimny. From a personal perspective, this is a huge pity, given the absolutely stratospheric difference in ride quality, road handling and overall vehicle stability that premium suspension makes. The short wheelbase, solid axle setup of the Jimny, which contributes to its phenomenal off-road ability, is also, in other aspects, an Achilles’ heel. To deliver its best, it needs quality suspension. Unfortunately, changes to your standard suspension will void your warranty on these parts, so it requires some careful consideration before making changes.
The Jimny has spawned a cottage industry of goodies available for this iconic little 4×4. There is hardly a dead standard Jimny out there. Given its tidy, ok, read that as ‘tiny’ dimensions, many owners fit a roof rack for extra packing space. Bicycles, rooftop tents and extra fuel often end up on the roof, often with an ignorant disregard for weight limits. This additional weight, carried on top of the vehicle, exacerbates the limits of the standard suspension, which starts to sag under the load, causing even more instability.
Interestingly, Suzuki have preferred suppliers for roof racks, notwithstanding the potential for errant handling characteristics. If any of the above strike a chord with you, you may be considering a suspension upgrade for your Jimny. Now what? There are many options out there from respected suppliers. Why would you, or should you, choose Des-Sol above the rest?
Well, for those who don’t know, Des Sol is a Proudly South African company specialising in Jimny goodies of the highest quality. Way back in 2019, they recognised, from their extensive experience with Jimny’s, the need for better suspension. They developed upgrade springs, which gave the Jimny greater suspension travel and paired them with Gabriel Safari dampers. To give ongoing support to their customers, they have always looked for good local suppliers with a track record of reliability and service. They flirted with expensive American imported shocks but were never totally satisfied with the end result.
When Gabriel pulled the plug on their Safari line of shocks, Des Sol took the plunge and started development of a superior suspension solution for the Jimny. The result was the EV1 dampers, which compared favourably with the best of the imported offerings, but without having to pay for the liability of a weak rand when importing from countries with strong currencies.
Starting with a clean sheet also meant that they didn’t have to utilise simply what was being offered, even if it was not ideal for local conditions, but rather develop what they considered the optimum setup. The top off-road racing suspension setups utilise a Monotube Remote Reservoir design. This is an immediate improvement over imported setups, none of which utilise Remote Reservoirs, which carry double the amount of oil and provide superior cooling. This gives consistent performance in hot and harsh African conditions.
The high-quality seals which Des Sol use, allied to the Motul shock oil, allow the shocks to perform consistently at heat ranges which way exceed the capabilities of imported twin tube shocks. Hard anodised aluminium tube with internal components machined from billet aluminium completes the robust picture. Damping is adjustable through the use of different shim stacks.
This all sounds spectacular, but does it work in the real world? To find out, I spoke to Pauli Massyn from GPS 4 Africa, who runs one of the sweetest pimped Jimnys that you will ever see. Being an accomplished off-road bike rider and having a Touratech outlet, Pauli understands suspension better than most. He acquired his Jimny with a popular Australian-made suspension. He was not 100% happy with the performance. He felt that there was more body roll when traversing rough terrain than he was comfortable with. He fitted Des Sol suspension and was happy with the end result. He felt that the off-road ride quality was significantly improved; however, he felt that the ride was a trifle firm. Des Sol’s response was to re-shim the dampers with excellent results. Pauli now has the performance and ride quality that he desires.
From the outset, Des Sol designed their suspension to be serviceable and rebuildable. The product is also modular, meaning that all upgrades that may happen in future can be applied to the existing product. This means that it is not one size fits all. Tell them what you want, and they will spec the shocks to suit. If you decide to convert your Jimny into a mini overlander and require more weight-carrying ability, you can whip out the shocks and have them tuned to suit the new application. None of that flexibility is available from an imported product. An 8-year Unlimited kilometre warranty puts their money where their mouth is. Adjustable remote reservoirs are at the point of launch. This will allow you to tune the damping with the twist of a knob. The modular nature of the suspension system is such that this feature can be retrofitted to current EV1s.
Des Sol suspension has been so well received by the ‘Jimnisti’ that they have struggled to meet the demand. This encouraged them to upgrade their manufacturing capacity by 70%. Passing the economy of scale benefit in manufacturing costs on to the consumer has meant that Des Sol have managed to limit the cost of a full Jimny suspension kit to a starting price of R28,999. This is phenomenal when you consider what you are getting. I believe, from personal experience, that nothing enhances the Jimny experience as much as a decent suspension upgrade. It should be fundamental to whatever Jimny build you are planning. There are Suzuki dealers who will do the upgrade before you even take delivery.
Contact Des Sol for details on – www.des-sol.co.za
A video showing the revalving process, as well as a breakdown of a competitor shock, can be viewed by those of you with a technical bent below.
