Hi,
I am having a new Jimny. Everything seems to be OK, but I have noticed that the vehicle brakes while I am doing a sharp turn in 4WD mode.
I have read a bit about the “tight corner braking phenomenon”, but is it normal with the Jimny ?
Is the Jimny not able to run on a pakka road on 4WD because of that ?
Are there any limitation that I should understand ?
Is there any way to avoid this phenomenon ?
Many modern 4WD vehicles can run 4WD all the time and on any terrain.
Your help is appreciated 
Thank you
Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
Jimny has a part time 4wd system which means that you cannot and shouldn’t use it on tarmac road or any other surface with good friction. The core issue arises as when you turn your car, wheels would want to rotate at different RPMs as they have different arc / radius. A part time 4wd cannot allow the tyres to rotate at different RPMs. Hence it will ruin your transfer case.
Full time 4WD systems have a central diff which allows this mismatch in RPMs and hence you can use it on all surfaces.
Hope I have made this clear.
You may search on youtube for difference between a parttime and full time 4wd system.
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Hi Anuj,
Thank you for your reply, this is very useful and understood.
I guess the kind of terrain I can drive 4WD are not commonly found.
I live in a remote area of Himachal Pradesh where bad roads are very common, but still the friction on road is high enough to get that issue.
So, I guess I should use the 4WD only on softer terrain or … go straight only…
Is that true also for slight turn ?
Thanks again
Stephan
I would suggest to use 4H only when you are sure about the ground that it will give away. Its a battle between ground and tyres. One has to lose.
Alright.
A last question : is there a way to unlock the differential on the Jimny ?
When I was younger, (25 y ago) I had a 4WD with a manual switch to lock or unlock the differential.
Jimny ?
Thanks a bunch
Stephan
PS : I am asking you because nobody at Maruti/Suzuki seems to know anything about it, and there is only a short notice in the user manual on this topic.
Unfortunately there is no such option in Jimny. It has BLSD, its kind of sudo locking diff. It locks the slipping wheel via brake and in turn redirects the torque to the other wheel. By default, the diff is open and remains open. Only one of the wheel is locked by brake function.
Here is a video by me, and Prashant, in which we talk about this function. However it is in Hindi language; let me know if you need a call to discuss this further.
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I think Stephan is referring to the free wheeling hubs, similar to the ones which were available as an accessory in the Gypsy. When in free position, the hub disconnects the wheel from front axle shaft, differential gear and propeller shaft and movement of front wheels becomes free improving mileage and reducing wear and tear. I was also wondering whether something like this automatically controlled in the more modern Jimny.
Example: https://www.amazon.in/LAMBDA-FREE-WHEEL-HUBS-THAR/dp/B081RZGQDG
Ohh. there is a way to intercept the signal to vacuum pump via the transfer case level which when intercepted, wont send signal to vacuum hubs to lock. In this case, you can shift to 2H, “2L”, 4H and 4L.
I will try to search the video of this mod and post it here.
Hello
Thanks a lot for your help.
I am afraid I am still confused.
I have understood the explanations of Anuj about the difference between part-time and full-time 4WD, and the fact that it is a battle between ground and tyre. It’s actually a bit scary to use the Jimny on 4WD then…
But when I saw the video that shows the auto-braking on the wheel which turns freely in the void, it meant to me that both the front wheels (or rear wheels) can run at different RPM, which is in conflict with my understanding.
I would love to have a discussion about this over the phone
My phone number is 9816 091 093.
Thanks again
Stephan
Yes, that seems to be what I had on my car 25 years ago.
I could turn the switch, left or right, on the wheel itself to lock or unlock the differential (?).
Sorry, I don’t have the technical knowledge/vocabulary, but yes, that’s what I am trying to say :
Is it possible to have transmission on both front and rear wheels without having to worry about turning and the hardness of the ground?
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Hi everyone,
After Anuj’s explanations over the phone, I would like to share my understanding of this issue for those wondering why the Jimny is self-braking while turning sharply on 4WD mode.
We need to understand that while turning any car (let’s say a right turn), the wheels on the left have to travel a longer distance than the wheels on the right. This is because of the different turning radius for the left and right wheels. Therefore, the wheels on the left must travel faster than the wheels on the right. This difference in RPM between the left and the right (a similar phenomenon exists between the front and rear wheels) is managed by a differential that allows different RPM for the wheels.
When you drive your Jimny on 4WD, the differential is locked. That means that the wheels must turn at the same RPM. As a consequence of this, the car will naturally oppose turning. If you force the turn, the car will turn, but some wheels will skid on the ground to compensate for the difference in distance to travel.
If you are on soft terrain, like sand, snow or even on a dirt road, it would be possible for your wheels to skid without much trouble.
However, on a regular road or any hard surface that allows good friction with the tyres, this becomes a problem because the wheels are not allowed to skid. Hence, the car will tend to go straight only and avoid turning.
You can try with a toy car that has left and right wheels joined together. If you want to turn the car, the wheels must skid.
If not skidding possible, no turning. That’s why this braking effect is felt when you try to turn sharply on a regular road while driving 4WD.
So, what do you need to do/know ?
Drive your Jimny on 4WD mode only on surfaces that allow your tyres to skid easily. If the friction between your tyres and the surfaces is strong, don’t drive on 4WD because while turning, you are putting a lot of tension in the mechanism (that translates into a braking effect), which may damage your differential.
Thanks !
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Thanks for the post! Very well written.
This is specific to a part time 4WD( which the Jimny gets) ; AWD and Full Time 4WD are different.
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Stephan - this is so written so well - I had the same questions and you have explained it very well - and as to the reason why 4WD should not be used on tarmac and paved roads. Many thanks!
Glad that it was helpful to you.
I am quite annoyed that Suzuki is not informing their clients about this. This is a tiny para about it in the middle of nowhere in the user manual, and it’s not explained properly, that is it.
And if you ask the staff at any Maruti showroom/workshop, they don’t know anything about it.
Have a great day
Thanks Anuj Bhai for useful & practical information. If possible pl also share video comparison b/w BLSD v/s Lockers functionality. Be it Jimny blsd vs any other suv with mannual locker or air locker functionality. @Anuj_Purohit
Just to clarify, “the differential is locked”, in this context means the front and rear diffs are locked together and not to be confused with “mechanical locking diffs”.
Will try to do it once I get access to any vehicle with proper lockers. I dont want to do with a Gurkha as its poor articulation demands the lockers in very basic scenarios ( which Jimny can cross in 2H )