rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
A little south of Missoula.Where in MT are you?
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A little south of Missoula.Where in MT are you?
I think the OME kit comes with EVERYTHING you will need to do the job right. With the Skyjacker I had to spend some time getting the lift dialed in 100%, namely the need for longer shackles to get the full flex out of the spring. I also needed to add an extra leaf to the rear spring packs due to the extra weight on the rear of my rig, I'm pretty sure you can plan ahead with the OME lift and have the rear heavy/front medium kit for a 40.It sure seems like the OME springs are popular but I have a feeling that good marketing is likely why they sell, not necessarily a great lift. I have also seen lots of mixed reviews on the OME lift kits and I am convinced I can do better with less money.
you've heard incorrectly...they are one of the better makes...yet some how largely over looked.How does it ride on paved roads or the highway? I hear the skyjackers are pretty rigid.
That would be an easy trip for me!A little south of Missoula.
Thanks for the info!you've heard incorrectly...they are one of the better makes...yet some how largely over looked.
i would say they ride pretty good for a leaf sprung swb......mine spends alot of time right around 65-70 on the highway.
I'm in the same boat. I know a lot of folks like the OME springs. I'm not real enthused with their dampers, and their steering damper mounting type is completely wrong....
KYB makes an OEM replacement steering damper (possibly for Toyota) but they don't offer it in the US market. I've been trying to get them to ship some over but they are very difficult to deal with.
I’m sure I will at some point, no rush now that the stance is neutral. I’m sure if I were to load my hardtop back on that added weight might push me over the edge. I do like the spring length, at least up front so I’d hope for similar results in the rear.Are you tempted to convert the rears to Skyjackers as well?
Is that a 2.5” or 4”? I likesI'm a fan of the procomp springs with stock length shackles. I got springs, shackles and tires for around the same price as the OME kit so a win in my book.
This is with 33x10.5
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@cruiseroutfit One of the biggest challenges I have when working on technical/engineering issues is conveying information so that no matter a persons place in life it can be understood. Sometimes this requires me to not provide as many details, calculations, examples, etc. In the famous words of Mr. Rush Limbaugh "if you want to be an effective communicator, use as few words as possible". There is so much truth to that. To that end, I will explain my opinions without providing an overwhelming amount of what some might call Engineering jargon.
- OME mounting type only has 1 DOF (degree of freedom) VS the OEM damper having a ball joint with 3 DOF. You probably have sold many of these to unknowing customers. Installing one removes OEM functionality and adds un-necessary stresses into the mounting points of the damper. This really just boils down to laziness on behalf of OME. I would say they wanted to keep the cost down but KYB can manufacturer a damper with the factory type mounts at a comparable price... so it seems like they increased their profit by omitting this in their design.
- It would be impossible to assume that the OME is physically more capable than an OEM damper under identical conditions without knowing their damping rates, materials used, weld specifications, etc. Keep in mind, no matter what damper your using, the factory mount is the same. You could install a part in this location that had a huge safety factor and you're going to shift the failure point into another component. Just like my recent discussion on hardware grades, stronger is not always better.
- The OME springs seem OK. It's almost impossible to evaluate springs based on their geometry. Material types and post processing treatments have a huge impact. From what I've seen and what they cost they are gonna stay just OK in my book. I have seen the Pro Comp springs and similar appear to perform just as well for a fraction of the price. Maybe a little more research into the manufacturers and materials could sway this one way or another.
- Shocks, I too have sold a lot of these back in the day. Lets just say if you walk into any parts house and ask them what their good/better/best is, Monroe is at the bottom, there are reasons for that. In terms of getting what you pay for on the OME, I think your getting a nice piston cover and some neat decals, again maximizing profits. Made to OME specs or not, they are still Monroe's. Tokico, KYB, etc. have far greater monozukuri than Monroe. I agree that Bilstein's have their place too, they shine in the extended static length category.
- The fact that OME has more marketing costs, explains why their prices are up. I like companies that stay away from that and let their quality do the talking. Introducing new costs and passing that along to the customer, I guess that's the Australian/ARB way too.
This is why I like things Japanese. They make stuff that's quality, just to make stuff that's quality. Their honor is worth more than how many zeros are at the end of their account balance. That is the definition of Monozukuri, the Toyota Way, and why I like so many others roll in a cruiser.
Mine had the lift on it when I bought the bucket of shiny rust in 2011. After I rebuilt the whole rig and added a few things I had to replace the shackles to get better flex and to keep the springs from bottoming out on the rear spring perch.I’ve seen a few threads, and some people upgrade from 2.5 to 4, others go from 4 to 2.5. I’m going to go straight to 4. Someone on one of my threads about lift options claimed that their 4 inch skyjacker had a better ride than their OME kit that they replaced. Skyjacker 4 inch is what I’m doing. Seems very durable and not stiff based on what other people said. I think @rkymtnflyfisher said he installed his kit in 2004. Good durability I think
that's what I had for the longest time (is 10 years enough ?) - except that my shocks came from Bilstein (the town is close to where I grew up, so proper spelling is important to me )4" Skyjacker, 33x10.5 rubber, Bilstien shocks.
Rides better than my Tahoe on rough roads.
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when did you last change to new bushings ?I went w OME 2.5” Medium and I think my truck rides like a tractor. I was really expecting an improved ride and honestly I think it rides like . Would love to get a better ride. Is it the shocks or the leaf springs?