OME Lift Help (1 Viewer)

[CoOrCruiser]

I recently bought a 100 Series. The previous owner said they put on a 3” Old Man Emu lift kit with 315/75/16s. After lots of research I found out that a 3” OME lift is not a thing for land cruisers. After bringing it to a shop they said I should replace the current lift kit for a new OME lift kit w/ 285/75/16s or 295/75/16s for a better ride and to extend the longevity of the truck. Any advice or thoughts on this (just getting into the LC world )?

 

[GTV]

Are you having problems?

 

[CoOrCruiser]

Not at this point, but the ride is very bumpy when I take it out or hit any kind of bump. It also is a little squirrely when I’m driving it on the freeway.

 

[GTV]

OME shocks are known to ride harsh. Other than that you need to make sure you've got extended sway bar links, that your coils aren't over rated for your weight, droop is correct, etc.

 

[Ma son]

I recently bought a 100 Series. The previous owner said they put on a 3” Old Man Emu lift kit with 315/75/16s. After lots of research I found out that a 3” OME lift is not a thing for land cruisers. After bringing it to a shop they said I should replace the current lift kit for a new OME lift kit w/ 285/75/16s or 295/75/16s for a better ride and to extend the longevity of the truck. Any advice or thoughts on this (just getting into the LC world )?

unless your shocks are leaking, you probably dont need to replace them. Are the rear springs marked with the P/N? thatll give you an idea of whether theyre rated for extra weight or stock weight. Report back on that. you can certainly run 315/75R16 if that is the size you want, no need to size down unless thats what you prefer. It might reduce wear on other components with smaller tires. If you want a better ride, you can ditch the OME lift altogether and put OEM shocks, torsion bars and springs for a stock ride height. This is the cheapest option with the best ride. You should be able to fit the tires on stock suspension, but youll need to do some trimming assuming it isnt already done

 

[Berkut10r]

If you prefer a well sorted, comfortable ride then ditch the shocks for either FoamCell Pros or Dobinsons' IMS shocks. If you go back to OEM, your will revert to handling that resembles a drunk elephant on skates.

 

[Ma son]

If you prefer a well sorted, comfortable ride then ditch the shocks for either FoamCell Pros or Dobinsons' IMS shocks. If you go back to OEM, your will revert to handling that resembles a drunk elephant on skates.

OP didnt say if it is used for street or offroad use. Why spend $3000 for aftermarket when OEM are more than adequate especially for the price

 

[CoOrCruiser]

Appreciate all of the advice. I definitely want to use it for overlanding and off roading. My concern was how the previous owner got a 3” lift on OME’s that are potentially a 2.5” lift max. The previous owner didn’t install a diff drop with the lift kit, so it makes me a little nervous.

When I get back to town on Sunday, I’ll check out and see what the rear springs are marked as.

 

[hoser]

The front springs are torsion bars and adjustable to whatever height you want (within reason). Measure the center of the hub to the fender lip. (~19.5" is stock). Final rear ride height, aim for 1" higher than front but a little more/less will be fine.

 

[paflytyer]

Where’s my PNW fam to help my boy out?

Let’s get him setup clean and to the right shop. Sounds like he’s getting some funny info from his shop. We’ve been chatting on the side. He’s a newer 100 series owner and a future HIH attendee. Great addition to our community.

 

[paflytyer]

The front springs are torsion bars and adjustable to whatever height you want (within reason). Measure the center of the hub to the fender lip. (~19.5" is stock). Final rear ride height, aim for 1" higher than front but a little more/less will be fine.

Advice from a legend right here.

And ppl exaggerate their lift height all the time. The kit you have is mostly likely giving you 1.5-2.5 inches of lift. Just like we spoke about on Twitter, the height in the front comes from the t-bar adjustment and the height in the rear is from the spring.

It would be helpful to know what spring is in the rear.

 

[CoOrCruiser]

The front springs are torsion bars and adjustable to whatever height you want (within reason). Measure the center of the hub to the fender lip. (~19.5" is stock). Final rear ride height, aim for 1" higher than front but a little more/less will be fine.

This is super helpful. I’ll check out the torsion bars, maybe I just need to adjust their height! Thanks!

Advice from a legend right here.

And ppl exaggerate their lift height all the time. The kit you have is mostly likely giving you 1.5-2.5 inches of lift. Just like we spoke about on Twitter, the height in the front comes from the t-bar adjustment and the height in the rear is from the spring.

It would be helpful to know what spring is in the rear.

Thanks so much for the help! Will definitely be reporting back early next week. You guys are all heroes.

 

[CoOrCruiser]

unless your shocks are leaking, you probably dont need to replace them. Are the rear springs marked with the P/N? thatll give you an idea of whether theyre rated for extra weight or stock weight. Report back on that. you can certainly run 315/75R16 if that is the size you want, no need to size down unless thats what you prefer. It might reduce wear on other components with smaller tires. If you want a better ride, you can ditch the OME lift altogether and put OEM shocks, torsion bars and springs for a stock ride height. This is the cheapest option with the best ride. You should be able to fit the tires on stock suspension, but youll need to do some trimming assuming it isnt already done

Checked the springs today and they are OME 860X. I did some research and those appear to be rated for extra weight. Maybe I'll just have to get a reach bumper with a swing arm haha!

The front springs are torsion bars and adjustable to whatever height you want (within reason). Measure the center of the hub to the fender lip. (~19.5" is stock). Final rear ride height, aim for 1" higher than front but a little more/less will be fine.

Checked this too and i'm at ~22.5" (front) & ~22.5" (rear), so it would appear that I need to reduce the front height.

Advice from a legend right here.

And ppl exaggerate their lift height all the time. The kit you have is mostly likely giving you 1.5-2.5 inches of lift. Just like we spoke about on Twitter, the height in the front comes from the t-bar adjustment and the height in the rear is from the spring.

It would be helpful to know what spring is in the rear.

See above. I'm guessing I need to adjust front height and add weight haha! Overall lift is ~3".

 

[Nomadman]

To the OP and to everyone who offered info and advice: THANKS!! I’m no wrench, but you’ve given so much information here that I don’t feel like I’m flying blind now as I begin to get this ‘06 right. Just a week ago, I obtained an ‘06 100, and I’ve got similar issues (and several others). The seller installed an OME lift & shocks. At post-purchase inspection, I learned a few things: boots are weeping but not torn, and the mechanic detected some vibration coming from the rear shaft. Am I correct in thinking that these issues are lift-related? Years ago, I stuck a Slee 2” lift in my old 80 Series. If I recall, 2” was about the max before geometry problems were encountered. I’ve not measured this 100 yet, but it appears to be closer to 3” or so.
Thanks to you all!
(vehicle is in the northeast. I saw a couple of LC wizards in the resource list, but if anyone has a solid recommendation, it’d be appreciated. Need to address all the undercarriage stuff: rack, lift et al, rear a.c. lines (cut and capped)., etc.

 

[4Beast]

Most squirrelly behaviors are because the front torsion bars are set too high. These trucks need a couple of inches of suspension droop in front but people like the look of a "leveled" truck. Unfortunately leveled doesn't perform as it should on the highway. This is especially recommended/done in shops that deal with a lot of domestic trucks and don't know the 100's particular habits.