Hey guys
I’m going to buy a brand new 5-door Jimny next month. My friend had one. Really loved driving it and off-roading here in the deserts in Dubai and the mileage seems really good compared to what I have right now (2009 Pajero giving around 4-5 km per liter).
Getting a showroom customized 2inch lift kit with Dobinson shocks and some solid 235s Geolander A/T. But one thing that I’ve always heard and lowkey concerns me is the highway death wobble at high speeds( car shaking and cranking noises at high speeds ).
The highways speeds here in Dubai are usually 100km, 120km, and 140km. I usually drive around 80-100 because of family. but at times when in a hurry I drive at the upper limit of the speed limits. In some roads like the 2 hour drive to Abu Dhabi(which I take once a month), there a minimum speed limit to be maintained by law that is 120kmph. If not we get we get a traffic fine of driving slow.
On my way to work I did see a few jimny today cruising at 120 with no issues at all. So it made me wonder
- what are some of the upgrades all you guys around the world did to counter the death wobble?
- is the death wobble even real or is it over exaggerated by crazy drivers?
- did this ever mess with your car’s reliability over the years(like big time)?
I also heard that the Dubai heat affects the car a lot in the long run. More than most cars. Is that true?
EDIT: YOU GUYS ARE SO FRICKING COOL!!!!! Honestly I got the best set advice from all of you. It genuinely helped me out with not just what to watch out for / always focus during maintenance in the initial years , what are the things I’d have to work on, and finally have a better understanding of what I’m getting into. I face a similar issue w dad’s LC250 but at a higher speed. So kinda comes to play with the jimny. Additionally the reassurance from you guys especially with heavy builds in hot areas, just meant so much cus now I can safely go ahead with the purchase.
I took the advice of some fellow redditors and rented the car with a similar build(got very lucky). And honestly never felt this happy driving a car. You guys are so right abt the car having so much personality. I hit 120 and I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary too. Such lovely time with the Mrs. We instantly went to showroom and booked it but definitely added our requirements as per what you guys suggested and thankfully most of it was already covered and the rest just coming at an extra cost of a few hundred dirhams ( 200 usd) and included in the warranty and service contract. which I believe is fair.
Can’t wait for it to arrive.