OME Low - What kind of use? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 9, 2012
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Location
San Diego, CA
Hey all,

So I need some advice. Used the search and didn't find answers I was looking for...so here I am presenting this question to the masses.

Looking at pulling the trigger on some replacement springs soon. I am really grooving on the OME low height. Getting the OME 2.5" lift more than likely will cause parking issues for me in my building.

That being said, I drove my FZJ80 at Tierra Del Sol this year, stock save for 33s and a fresh set of Bilstein shocks. I was surprised and pleased with how capable it was (especially considering when we did the TDS marked trail I had 300lbs of gear in the back on worn out 127k springs).

I plan on doing some camping, wheeling. I am going to be picking up armor (bumpers, Slee Skidplate and some step sliders). I don't plan on doing any crazy rock climbing, although going on some runs with the locals would be fun (Big Bear, Pismo, AnzaBorrego, Truckhaven/Ocotillo, etc).

I guess ultimately, how capable is the FJ80 with the OME low height lift? Granted, I know it won't be as capable as a true lift, but for those that have it...are you pleased? Any regrets? Or should I just get the 2.5" OME lift and park this sucker outside?

TIA
 
You get about 1" of lift with the "stock" height OME springs (that's over stock springs so maybe 2" or so compared to old saggy springs). The ride is very nice. If you're not going larger than 33" tires then all you would gain with the 2.5" lift is 1.5" on the frame. The axle height is set by the tires. No worries about caster correction either with the lower lift.
 
Yeah. I've read that you do get a bit of lift depending on the condition of the stock springs. I'm wondering if the people that have the low height are pleased with it off road.
 
Cos,

I have the OME Low Height, Heavy Load Shocks/springs (went with the heavy load because of the IPOR bumper in the rear and an ARB in the front and other add ons). I actually picked up about 2" when I swapped everything out last year. The ride is so much better. My kit also came with the steering stabilizer. I use the truck off road, nothing real technical and I have not had any issues.
 
Cos,

I have the OME Low Height, Heavy Load Shocks/springs (went with the heavy load because of the IPOR bumper in the rear and an ARB in the front and other add ons). I actually picked up about 2" when I swapped everything out last year. The ride is so much better. My kit also came with the steering stabilizer. I use the truck off road, nothing real technical and I have not had any issues.

Awesome. How did it feel before you did the mods?

Come on...more people have to have this lift installed...any more opinions?
 
I have the ome low lift with 10mm spacers all around. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to hit the trails since I put them on a few months ago so I can't comment on the off road performance. On road though they have been awesome. I did notice a bit of wandering on the highway so be prepared to correct the caster (I still need to get on that).
 
Hey all,

So I need some advice. Used the search and didn't find answers I was looking for...so here I am presenting this question to the masses.

Looking at pulling the trigger on some replacement springs soon. I am really grooving on the OME low height. Getting the OME 2.5" lift more than likely will cause parking issues for me in my building.

That being said, I drove my FZJ80 at Tierra Del Sol this year, stock save for 33s and a fresh set of Bilstein shocks. I was surprised and pleased with how capable it was (especially considering when we did the TDS marked trail I had 300lbs of gear in the back on worn out 127k springs).

I plan on doing some camping, wheeling. I am going to be picking up armor (bumpers, Slee Skidplate and some step sliders). I don't plan on doing any crazy rock climbing, although going on some runs with the locals would be fun (Big Bear, Pismo, AnzaBorrego, Truckhaven/Ocotillo, etc).

I guess ultimately, how capable is the FJ80 with the OME low height lift? Granted, I know it won't be as capable as a true lift, but for those that have it...are you pleased? Any regrets? Or should I just get the 2.5" OME lift and park this sucker outside?

TIA


Here's my ride on the OME Low Lift. White/Gold Mountain or Pismo, you are fine with the low lift but anything more difficult and you're going to be wishing you went a little higher on the lift. Especially if you plan to add some bumpers and sliders. I'm fully weighed down with bumpers, tirecarrier/dualswing, roofrack and winch in the pic.

 
Here's my ride on the OME Low Lift. White/Gold Mountain or Pismo, you are fine with the low lift but anything more difficult and you're going to be wishing you went a little higher on the lift. Especially if you plan to add some bumpers and sliders. I'm fully weighed down with bumpers, tirecarrier/dualswing, roofrack and winch in the pic.

Very nice rig!!! I like it. That's about the direction I want to go with my rig.

So do you wish you would have gone with the bigger lift Arvin? What made you go with the low height?

Thanks again for your reply!!
 
Hey Arvin,

What springs are you sporting? Are they OME 861/862 combo?
 
I've got garage clearance issues, too. Also, I tend to like to keep things with a low CoG. If I had the room to do a 2.5, next thing you know it'll be 35s, etc and I just don't need that. 33s work well for our mostly expedition build.

I've only had it off road a couple of times since swapping and no real test. I'm very happy with this set-up in general, so don't expect any unpleasant surprises when I do get down and dirty.

Yes, you'll gain some lift over the tired old coils they replace. However, they, too, will settle some over the next few months. You'll still be sitting higher than when you started.

The OEM Tokico shocks work fine, too, unless you have all the weight up front like I do. I ended up going with the OME Nitro Sports and that dampened things out like they should be.

All around, I'd say go for it. It makes parking easier when going to the city, too.
 
I did notice a bit of wandering on the highway so be prepared to correct the caster (I still need to get on that).

This is the first post I've ever seen about possibly needing caster correction with the OME stock height lift. Let us know when you get the caster checked if it was actually out.
 
I have the OME 861/862 springs installed with Bilstein 4600 shocks. I love it...I got about 1.5-2" of lift over the stock springs that had 160k miles on them.

I run 33" Duratracs on OEM wheels and there is a ton of room to spare. Obviously, you won't have the clearance of a larger lift and larger tires, but it's a major improvement over stock.

My truck is my DD and sees a pretty fair amount of highway use so I wanted to keep the CoG low and try to keep the fuel mileage respectable....
 
This is the first post I've ever seen about possibly needing caster correction with the OME stock height lift. Let us know when you get the caster checked if it was actually out.

I, too, have the OME stock height replacement. Installed them about 4 years ago. I have 33's on 16" wheels and replaced my shocks with OEM Tokico. I noticed an immediate improvement in ride quality on road. I have only been offroad about 5 times since the install, but I had no issues on the moderate trails I attempted.

I do notice that the caster seems to be off a bit. Not bad enough to go have my alignment checked but I can tell the steering wheel does not want to come back to center as easily as it should. Which could be a combination of the springs and larger tires.

Overall, I think my current set-up is perfect for my needs and I have no regrets or issues to report.
 
Generally, I think you can expect to not have to deal with caster correction with the OME stock height coils. No problems on my truck. Most others who've written on theirs haven't had to deal with caster correction In fact, the general lack of need for caster correction is one reason some people go with the stock height kit.

However, wear and tear and plain old normal variations in steering geometry can cause problems as described and these could be aggravated by even the small change in ride height that the OME stock height kit provides, thus becoming noticeable after the install. So I'm not saying that people can't run into such issues, just that they're the exception that proves the rule.
 
jakesiar said:
Cos,

I have the OME Low Height, Heavy Load Shocks/springs (went with the heavy load because of the IPOR bumper in the rear and an ARB in the front and other add ons). I actually picked up about 2" when I swapped everything out last year. The ride is so much better. My kit also came with the steering stabilizer. I use the truck off road, nothing real technical and I have not had any issues.

I have the same but have some real swaying from steering. The kit came with caster correction but still unstable. Hmmm
 
I have the same but have some real swaying from steering. The kit came with caster correction but still unstable. Hmmm

If the kit came with caster correction, then it's not a OME stock height 861/862 kit. All it is are the 4 coils & 4 shocks, IIRC.

And the need for caster correction needs to be evaluated in the OME 2.5" kit after install from what I've read. People get by without it and other must have it. If your truck really didn't need correction after the lift, but correction was installed anyway, that could cause caster to be over-corrected?:confused:
 
Yes, that is correct - the latest 2.5" OME lift does push the height to around 3" unless you have the usual armament to bring it down. Still, an optimistic 2.5" lift can lead to caster issues but this is a case by case basis as not all 80 are made identical. I have an older 2.5" lift on the '97 and the steering improved a tad after installing the OME caster bushings.
 
I've had the OME Stock Height Kit w/steering stabilizer on my '97 80 for about a year now. My 80 is my daily driver and only sees the occasional dirt road and yearly OBX beach trip (nothing hard core). I'm running 275/70 BFG AT's right now, but plan on going to 285/75 BFG AT's when these wear out. I was on the fence about the stock kit or the 2.5", but went with the stock kit because it fit my needs better. If (when) I start adding weight up front I think I'll go with the 2.5" spring up there, I think they are the same spring rate, just longer. Good luck with your decision.
 
Hey all,

So I need some advice. Used the search and didn't find answers I was looking for...so here I am presenting this question to the masses.

Looking at pulling the trigger on some replacement springs soon. I am really grooving on the OME low height. Getting the OME 2.5" lift more than likely will cause parking issues for me in my building.

What's the parking structure max height at your building? I drove into 6'10" this weekend in my rig. 265/75 tires (32") and OME medium 2.5" kit installed.


That being said, I drove my FZJ80 at Tierra Del Sol this year, stock save for 33s and a fresh set of Bilstein shocks. I was surprised and pleased with how capable it was (especially considering when we did the TDS marked trail I had 300lbs of gear in the back on worn out 127k springs).

I plan on doing some camping, wheeling. I am going to be picking up armor (bumpers, Slee Skidplate and some step sliders). I don't plan on doing any crazy rock climbing, although going on some runs with the locals would be fun (Big Bear, Pismo, AnzaBorrego, Truckhaven/Ocotillo, etc).

I guess ultimately, how capable is the FJ80 with the OME low height lift? Granted, I know it won't be as capable as a true lift, but for those that have it...are you pleased? Any regrets? Or should I just get the 2.5" OME lift and park this sucker outside?

TIA

The 80 series is awfully capable without a suspension lift - the stock set up is pretty darn great. Advantages to adding the lift really will come into play with some increased articulation travel, which will help to keep more wheels on the ground in uneven terrain. This is helpful for increasing traction - always a benefit off road. Also if you're going to be in some rocks (not necessarily rock crawling), a lift is nice because it will keep the body of the truck up out of the rocks a bit more.

I was between the stock height kit and 2.5" lift kit. I decided on the 2.5" medium kit because I did want the additional height for articulation, snow clearance for the undercarriage, interstate driving viewage, and for the 35s that will someday end up under Landy. I do not regret going to the lift and would do it this way again without thoughts for the stock height kit. Although every once in a while I see a stock height rig and it does just look so clean...

It's incredible how good the OME rear spring/shock set ups are at carrying additional weight. I can load A LOT of weight into the truck and it only drives better in terms of handling and comfort. I'm not afraid to carry weight at all, which is cool. You'll get this benefit whether you stay stock height or get the lift. One thing to think about is getting the medium rear shocks and the heavy fronts so that you won't have the droopy look, if you are trying to avoid the droopy look.

I haven't noticed much of a decrease at all in MPG with just a lift. I think it's the adding weight with lots of armor etc that starts to trash MPG. 80s already have aerodynamics on par with shipping crates.

As mentioned earlier, if you go to the 2.5" kit, you'll want to plan on castor correction. Hopefully you can either DIY this or have a good 80 shop nearby that can dial it for you after you've done the shock/spring install. When it comes to steering issues/alignment, it's good to know it's right. The truck will run better, be more efficient, and there will be less wear and tear on the drivetrain if you know it's all to spec. I'm about to spend some labor money to get my front wheel toe checked on the alignment rack because I know it's wrong and it's just plain easier to have Stevinson do it for me than figure it all out. Cost of doing business (if you will), you know?

One nice thing about the 2.5" kit is that you shouldn't have to worry about extending brakelines or any other fancy driveshaft stuff. This comes into play for lifts above 3".

Good luck with your decision!
 

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