OME BP51 gimmicky? (1 Viewer)

[Markuson]

@Markuson Do you have the KDSS guide I should give to my mechanic regarding KDSS valves. I know he has some experience with KDSS but still want to give it to him anyway.

Also, I need to figure out how many turns to turn the coilovers so it goes to stock height.

Here ya go, @Reckless - Print the attached PDF file & print 2-page KDSS precautions/instructions, etc:
(Highly recommend you personally hand it to the mechanic/tech and go over it, & give a second copy to the manager/boss!!)

PS. I officially hate the title of this thread.
Setup is excellent... Gimmicky it is not.

 

[MrCWineMan]

PS. I officially hate the title of this thread.
Setup is excellent... Gimmicky it is not.

Glad to hear it: I’m very very close to pulling the trigger on a set and getting Slee to put them in, but I’m suffering a little “paralysis by analysis” stemming mostly from this thread, as I believe that the thunk in cold has been resolved.

 

[Reckless]

Thanks Mark. Yeah, BP51s arent gimmicky. It was a sales pitch but it was interesting to note advantages / disadvantages he mentioned. The discussion helped me understand things better. Sometimes Im a slow learner esp when it comes to suspensions. It took me 2 years to figure out what to do.

There are a lot of people in love with their BP51s and I love their marketing video! Inspired me to buy my 200 earlier than I was planning.

Definitely a reputable company standing behind their products.

 

[Reckless]

 

[Reckless]

It looks like front suspension was original and had no leaks after 175k miles. My mechanic felt that I don't need to bother with the shock wraps as the original spring/shocks rusted this bad after 10 years. Any opinions?

 

[linuxgod]

I wouldn't bother. You'll rebuild them in 40k miles, give or take, well before 10 years.

Next time we get together I want to ride in your rig and see how these compare to my foam cell setup.

 

[Reckless]

Most Definitely!

I think the rebuild doesn't include changing the spring or the shaft. I don't know if I ever really look inside a wheel well at the suspension and I don't think I care to show off that I have an aftermarket setup. Icons in black don't really stand out much on a black car. I think I am going to have a nightmare trying to take off the shock wraps monthly during the winter.

 

[linuxgod]

fluid film and regular washing, that's how I roll

 

[Reckless]

I was planning on Fluid Film first but Icon recommended their wraps and having my mechanic washing it down ~3x/year when I get oil changes.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

I was planning on Fluid Film first but Icon recommended their wraps and having my mechanic washing it down ~3x/year when I get oil changes.

I recommend the Icon wraps (have them on my BP-51s right now). My last Icons had pitted and rusted shafts are the bottom where exposed because of the winch bar. Had I had the wraps on those, it would of been a $300 savings during rebuild.

Side note, I have other Icons with 110,000 miles on them, still don't need to be rebuilt. If they are protected, they can last, and those are on a desert truck, so the get rocked pretty good.

 

[Reckless]

I recommend the Icon wraps (have them on my BP-51s right now). My last Icons had pitted and rusted shafts are the bottom where exposed because of the winch bar. Had I had the wraps on those, it would of been a $300 savings during rebuild.

Side note, I have other Icons with 110,000 miles on them, still don't need to be rebuilt. If they are protected, they can last, and those are on a desert truck, so the get rocked pretty good.

Thanks for the heads up, definitely putting on the wraps!

 

[Reckless]

Mechanic told me that front coilovers lifted vehicle 1." How does that affect rake from stock?

 

[TexAZ]

If you are in a salty environment do the wraps.
I had to replace both shafts during rebuild. (On an arizona truck)
Added 270$ to the rebuild.
1" up front should set you even or a tad nose high. If you want the take Back, ad 10 mm trim packers to the rear springs. One sells them for the 80 series, but they fit 80s, 100s, and 200s.

 

[Reckless]

If you are in a salty environment do the wraps.
I had to replace both shafts during rebuild. (On an arizona truck)
Added 270$ to the rebuild.
1" up front should set you even or a tad nose high. If you want the take Back, ad 10 mm trim packers to the rear springs. One sells them for the 80 series, but they fit 80s, 100s, and 200s.

Is it $270/ea or for the pair? FYI the wraps run $53/pair (after 20% off).

Icon said lowest setting is 0.88" for front. When people say they have a 2" lift, would they be 1" taller than me even though I'm running stock rear spring?

I noticed a difference in the wheel well distance of front driver vs front passenger. I'm assuming thats the cruiser lean? Do I have mechanic increase height on passenger side?

 

[Markuson]

Is it $270/ea or for the pair? FYI the wraps run $53/pair (after 20% off).

Icon said lowest setting is 0.88" for front. When people say they have a 2" lift, would they be 1" taller than me even though I'm running stock rear spring?

I noticed a difference in the wheel well distance of front driver vs front passenger. I'm assuming thats the cruiser lean? Do I have mechanic increase height on passenger side?

Could be they tightened the KDSS valves when it wasn’t level...?

 

[TexAZ]

When I had my shocks rebuilt the rate was 125 per shock. Then added another 270 for shafts and labor.
Measure from the center of the wheel to the fender.
This will tell how much lift you have and if there is a difference between left and right you'll know exactly how much.
If the difference is more than 1/2" run through the KDSS levelling procedure. If that doesn't fix it, dial up the side you need to be taller.

Just for reference, before lift my front gap was around 19 1/2"

 

[linuxgod]

There's about an inch of rake on a stock vehicle. My TD lift purports to add 2" up front but 1" in the rear, which is supposed to make the truck level. So if the Icon fronts add 1" but nothing changes in the rear you should be level. If you're taller in the front and the coilovers are as low as possible you can add OME trim packers to the rear springs to add 0.3 to 0.5".

I know everyone measures center-of-wheel-hub to top-of-fender, but the best way to confirm you are level height (aside from maybe just putting a level on your running boards), is to measure road to bottom-of-rocker-panel or bottom-of-running-boards at the front and rear. Measuring to the fender only works if the front and rear fender openings are precisely the same, and it's made more complicated by the fact that your fender opening isn't perfectly round, you need to measure from exactly the center of the hub, and you need to make sure your tape measure is perfectly vertical. All of those variances can vary the height by +/-0.5" or so.

 

[Reckless]

Thanks, I am heading to mechanics to go over this with him right now. Great advice!