Suzuki’s plucky little Jimny is a favourite among off-road enthusiasts and DE alike. Sporting rough-and-ready ladder frame construction, live axles and a simple powertrain, it is a serious little off-roader. If it is wanting in any department though, that would be power.
Harrop Engineering has seen to this with its latest project, which adds a TVS900 supercharger for more power, torque and response.
Boosting power from the stock 1.5-litre’s 75kW and 130Nm, the supercharger is combined with a new fuel rail, injectors and a carbon fibre two-piece airbox. A water-to-air intercooler is very neatly integrated into the inlet manifold.
There is even a provision to run a snorkel, if desired. Retaining the stock belt drive, Harrop Engineering has added a billet idler bracket. A re-flash and tune ensures the SUV meets emissions standards and operates smoothly.
A baseline read of 63kW at the hubs before the kit was added shows plenty of room for improvement. Running 9psi boost with the kit fitted, figures are boosted to 100.4kW and 149Nm at the hubs. This translates to about 118kW and 180Nm at the flywheel, but the instant response of a supercharger is something which can’t be accounted for with numbers.
A five-door Jimny XL fitted with a snorkel performed better, with 108kW and 168Nm at the wheels, thanks to the colder air being fed to it. Check out the video below for more.
