Wednesday 6 December 2017

Wobble Limiter: Jimny steering damper.

One annoying aspect of the little Jimny was the way the wheels seemed to wobble over slight irregularities in the road surface. It almost felt like the wheels were too heavy for the car. The swivel pins and all other links were checked and the wheels were balanced several times and that made a big difference. New shock absorbers and springs made no difference at all. There remained a slight and sometimes undulating feeling that really detracted from the balanced little machine the Jimny really is. So, the last thing I decided to do was to fit a steering damper kit supplied by Jimnybits in the UK.
As you can see the kit comes with all the brackets and bolts you need. There is even a set of instructions. It's just a pity that the instructions show a different shape of bracket and there's no diagram showing where all the differently shaped shims are supposed to go. Otherwise the strong and nicely finished brackets fit well and it all comes together in a logical way.
Also the clamps on the steering arm could be a bit smaller to be a perfect fit. The bolts are rather too long or maybe our Jimny has a steering rod that's thinner than usual.
 The bracket on the chassis frame fits well and looks nice and strong.
They claim it is a ten minute job, but taking my time to find the best combination of shims and re-positioning the brackets a few times it took me an hour. Not bad though. But does it work? I must say that it does help, though not sensationally so. It steers a bit heavier, but it feels much smoother. The wheels don't wobble at every ridge and puddle, so the car feels like a better driving car overall.