Introduction
There are many suspension upgrade options for the Jimny, and which one to install depends on one’s requirements. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Thanks to the feedback from many CurbOver members on various lift kits/suspension upgrades I was able to make an informed decision. A lot of things went wrong, and the help from fellow members Shiv Sir and Manik Ji were instrumental in dialling in the installation to the expected level. This is a long article, and I hope my experience will help others make the correct decision and troubleshoot any issues they face.
Why I chose OME
After driving the stock Jimny for 2 years and 22,895 km, I was used to the amazing ride quality on bad roads. Maintaining this ride quality was my top priority on whatever upgrade I was going to do on the car. Even though the OEM suspension was amazing, there was a lot of body roll when driving enthusiastically and movement at the rear when going over rumble strips. I also felt the need to have a bit more ground clearance for off-roading. My transfer case guard kept hitting most of the time, and a bit of a lift would solve this issue. Of course, for better diff and radial arm clearance, we need bigger tyres, but I thought of doing the suspension first, as I wanted to check how the ride would be with the stock tyres.
After going through forums, Reddit discussions, the CurbOver Telegram group, and speaking to users with various suspension setups, I understood that OME has an almost stock-like ride on the Jimny. A friend who had owned many 4x4s and experimented with many brands over the past few decades told me that OME was the one which didn’t give him too many issues. According to him, suspension is an expensive upgrade and choosing the wrong one will burn a hole in your pocket.
I also had a chance to visit ARB Australia in 2024. The 5-door version of the kit was still undergoing R&D at that time. They showed me a dealer car on which they had installed it and explained the changes to me. The rear springs were the only things that were being changed, but they wanted to test them thoroughly before they were sold. Their attention to detail and thorough testing impressed me. This visit convinced me to go with OME once the kit became available. Their ETA was early 2025.
I sourced the kit from Swastik Fabs - Bangalore, in November 2025. Not mentioning the rate here, as this is dynamic and changes from time to time. The cost in Australia(after converting to INR) was around 1.33L at that time, and I was able to get a price close to that, along with the proper warranty.
Installation Woes
The excitement of the new lift kit was hampered by poor installation. I had taken the services of a renowned 4x4 workshop that had installed many lift kits in the past. They initially told me that the castor correction bushes are not going in, and the wrong ones were sent to me in the kit. I was confused and called Swastik, and they assured me that they are the right ones. I then scoured YouTube for videos related to this kit and spent hours trying to figure out what was happening. I then called other folks who installed this kit and realised that this was an installation issue. The bushes needed to be inserted in the correct orientation. They were finally able to install them properly after a day of confusion and hair-pulling.
On the second day evening, I was told that the work was done and the only thing pending was the braided extended brake lines and ENV6 brake fluid that I had also asked to upgrade. At around 8 pm, I picked up the car and saw that many lights had lit up on the dashboard. The car was also going all over the place. The workshop told me that these are ABS errors since they removed the lines, and that it would go away after some time. They said that the car was not going straight as it needed an alignment. I was not convinced but was already really frustrated, so I just picked up the car and left.
The next day, I went to the alignment shop they recommended(according to them, lifted cars needed specialists to align them). These so-called specialists could not fix the side-pulling issue, and after 2 days of experiments and an almost ruined drag link, they told me to take the car to Maruti-Suzuki to get it fixed! And the dashboard still looked like a Christmas tree. I was really angry and disappointed by now and started questioning myself. Did I make a mistake by installing an aftermarket suspension?
Wheel Speed Sensor Damage
I took the car to my trusted Maruti-Suzuki service centre, and after scanning the error code, they found that the rear right wheel speed sensor was not picking up any values. That was the reason for the error lights on the dashboard. The workshop had not unplugged the wiring of the sensor when they dropped the suspension, and this has damaged the wiring. Since the wiring and the sensor come as a single piece, I had to order a new one, and it took around 14 days for it to come. All this while the car was not driving properly and with error lights all over the dashboard. Once we replaced the sensor and wiring kit, the errors went away. Whew, at least one issue was resolved. MS folks tried to analyse the handling issues, but could not do so.
Side Pulling
As I sat dejected in the service bay, looking at my car, which was handling and riding like a bullock cart, I noticed something odd - my car was really tilted to the right. I asked the technical advisor if I was seeing things, and he also realised that the car was seriously tilted. This was when Shiv Sir came to the rescue. He told me that the Jimny’s rear right spring is longer than the left(the opposite in LHD cars). The OME kit also has different springs for the rear, and he asked me to check the part number of the springs, and voila, they were installed incorrectly. For reference, 3322A is the longer spring(to be installed on the rear right in this case), and 3322B is the shorter one(left side).
I took the car to another 4x4 workshop that had installed an OME kit recently. He immediately measured the lift heights, which was something the initial workshop had not done. Note: For any lift kit installations, there should be a stock height measurement and then one after installing the kit. After the measurement, they told me that there was some uneven tilt to the right. We removed the springs and physically confirmed the difference in the length of the springs. Swapped then, and the car returned to its proper stance. Drove a bit and found that the side pulling had reduced considerably, and handling has improved! They told me to take the car to a proper alignment shop(not any stupid 4x4 lift kit specialists).
Steering Angle Sensor Calibration
I then took the car to my usual wheel alignment centre with proper machines and staff. They fixed the alignment, but the car was still pulling to the right a little, and the steering felt a bit tight. They told me that all the values are looking good, but something else was amiss.
I then remembered all the discussion in the telegram group about the steering angle sensor calibration and messaged Manik Ji. He called me and explained the working of this sensor and told me to take the car to the service centre and get this sensor reset. Ideally, this should be reset every time an alignment is done, but the service centre personnel are oblivious to this instruction in the workshop manual.
Suzuki folks told me this is required only if the car is giving an ESP error, but I told them to try it out. It took just a few minutes, and like magic, the car became like its old self. No right pulling, and the steering felt a bit lighter.
Issues Fixed!!!
Finally, after weeks of frustration and anger, the car was back to its old self. I was able to enjoy the new suspension and discover the changes to the car. Shiv Sir told me that for the first 1000km or so, the ride will be a bit stiff, and to check the torque of all the bolts at this point in time. Like he said, it was a bit stiff initially, but then once everything settled in, the car rode beautifully, and the improvement in handling was quite stark.
Brake Problems
I had asked the initial workshop to swap my stock brake lines to extended braided ones and to replace the DOT3 brake fluid with the Bosch ENV6. NOTE: The OME 40mm lift works with stock brake lines, but they do get slightly stretched at full droop. While I was blasting the car around the ghats, enjoying the new suspension, I felt that the brakes were not working properly. I had 2 near misses and initially thought it was because of my increased pace. Asked a friend to check the car out, and he told me that the brakes did not feel right. I took the car to Maruti-Suzuki and told them to remove all of the old brake fluid and again fill it with the ENV6. They did the bleeding process properly, and voila, the brakes were much, much better. I also noticed that the first workshop had used very little of the brake fluid I had given them, so it looks like they did not remove the old DOT3 completely and also did not bleed the system properly.
Conclusion
The car is at 27,100 km now, and the upgraded suspension has really settled well. The handling has improved drastically, and the ride is almost near to stock. I changed the tyres to 215/75 R15 Continental Cross Contact AT2s after a few months, and the braking improved. The ride has become slightly worse after changing to AT tyres, but the stock tyres were getting sidewall damage after tricky trails, and the increased pace was making them squeal on hard cornering.
The OME 40mm kit is well worth the money, but proper installation is absolutely critical.
Things to watch out for -
- OME does not clearly specify rear spring orientation. 3322A is the longer one, so it should be used on the driver’s side, and 3322B is the shorter one and is to be used on the passenger side.
- Make sure the workshop unplugs the wheel speed sensors before dropping the suspension. Even a slight pull may damage this delicate wiring.
- If the car is pulling to one side even after proper alignment, get the Steering Angle Sensor calibrated. Seems like a small thing, but the effects are drastic.
- You can keep the stock brake lines along with this kit, but at full droop, they will look a bit stretched.
- The only issue some say about the OME kit is that the suspension may sag after some time. What we can do is to periodically measure the height and check. If it has dropped considerably, we can claim warranty. Make sure to check this on a flat surface.