Does the 80-series have the "lean"? (2 Viewers)

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Lugboot

Lugboot

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I have to ask. Tried searching but was unable to find anything conclusive on the 80s.

I have a list to port. What are some reasons the US Driver's side would sit lower than the Passenger side? Truck is unloaded (except for drawers), sitting on a level garage floor. I measured from the top of the tire to the bottom edge of the fender flare at each tire. Driver side front is 3/8" less and Driver side rear is 1/2" less than the Passenger side measurements.

I do have a set of tire chains in the left-hand drawer but that shouldn't be enough weight to make such a difference?

 
One spring is longer than the other one. If they were put in the wrong spot, that could cause it. Did it lean before the springs?

I would doubt Slee put them in wrong, just listing a possible cause. Are the tabs showing A and B still on the Springs?
 
Slee only swapped the rear springs--do they have height differences as well? I'll check the fronts at lunch. I do remember seeing a tab on the DS spring.
 
One of my friends fought with a lean for a long time, think it turned out to be a bad coil, got it warranteed through where he purcahsed, Cruiser Outfitters.

Insult to injury, he got the lean fixed and then bent his PS spring bucket - now it really leans.
 
Lugboot said:
Does the 80-series have the "lean"?
Click to expand...

The short answer is No, the 80-Series does not have the "lean".

If yours is leaning (and many do) the simple fix is to install spring spacers available many places including OME. I believe there is a 10mm spacer available for the rear from Toyota.

It is an extremely easy "fix"

-B-
 
Beowulf said:
The short answer is No, the 80-Series does not have the "lean".

If yours is leaning (and many do) the simple fix is to install spring spacers available many places including OME. I believe there is a 10mm spacer available for the rear from Toyota.

It is an extremely easy "fix"

-B-
Click to expand...

I like short answers when the answers are short. Thanks. I'll doublecheck the front springs to make sure they're installed correctly and then take steps to correct the drunken sailor.
 
I have a bit of a lean. I'm putting off doing anything about it until I stop bolting heavy stuff onto the truck.
 
Does that stop?
 
Beowulf said:
The short answer is No, the 80-Series does not have the "lean".

If yours is leaning (and many do) the simple fix is to install spring spacers available many places including OME. I believe there is a 10mm spacer available for the rear from Toyota.

It is an extremely easy "fix"

-B-
Click to expand...

I would modify this:

If yours is leaning, and many OME do, then you can fix the height by adding a spacer. What you can't fix is a spring that has lost load carrying capability and has therefore compressed unevenly on one corner.

Well, you can fix it by purchasing new springs.
 
Nay said:
I would modify this:

If yours is leaning, and many OME do, then you can fix the height by adding a spacer. What you can't fix is a spring that has lost load carrying capability and has therefore compressed unevenly on one corner.

Well, you can fix it by purchasing new springs.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain that the OME suspension on this truck is less than a year old. I will doublecheck that, though. A spring shouldn't have gone to the dogs in that short of time, unless it was a bum spring to start with?
 
Lugboot said:
I'm fairly certain that the OME suspension on this truck is less than a year old. I will doublecheck that, though. A spring shouldn't have gone to the dogs in that short of time, unless it was a bum spring to start with?
Click to expand...

Well, here is the deal. Once a coil spring is broken in, which should be pretty much right away, it has no inherent friction like a leaf spring. So if your rig is leaning, it must be compressing more, and in order to compress more, it has to have lost spring rate. IMO, that means you have a spring that is in the process of failing, or the spring rate was off in the original production.

Having said that, the 80 will lean into one corner like it is on slinkies - it takes very little to get one corner to move. There is nothing wrong with the spacer if you don't have driveability problems. But OME is not cheap, and that is to me a quality problem (variance of overall spring rate or loss of spring rate at certain load and compession point). On a year old spring, I'd try to get a replacement under warranty, personally. There are plenty of people who complain about this issue with OME suspensions on the 80, and I think that points to quality problems given we don't hear the same thing about Slee's coils, for example.

Nay
 
I purchased a set of springs to fit my self and was told buy the guy at the shop that 1 rear spring is longer than the other. This was corect. The long spring is suposed to be fitted to the drivers side. However he told me to put it on the pasenger side as I have a kaymar rear tire holder mounted to the pasenger side. The extra length 5-10 mm would compensate for the extra weight.
 
My stock 80 gets a case of the lean on occasion. Can't seem to attribute it to anything other than what it feels like doing that day. Sometimes it lists to the starboard side a fair amount and sometimes it's perfectly level. I never move anything around in the truck, and it's all stock underneath(springs, shocks, bushings, etc) so I just kinda shrug it off 'cause it doesn't hurt anything.

Ary
 
Nay said:
There are plenty of people who complain about this issue with OME suspensions on the 80, and I think that points to quality problems given we don't hear the same thing about Slee's coils, for example.

Nay
Click to expand...

I do not believe it is a quality issue. The reason for this is that ARB still insist that the springs are labeled correct. We to install them opposite than the markings and hardly ever have a leaning truck.

Our springs are labeled for US trucks, so we never see it.

If you want to warrantee a spring through ARB, you have to remove it and measure the free length. They will compare that to a new spring and give you a determination if they will warrantee it or not.
 
Arya Ebrahimi said:
My stock 80 gets a case of the lean on occasion. Can't seem to attribute it to anything other than what it feels like doing that day. Sometimes it lists to the starboard side a fair amount and sometimes it's perfectly level. I never move anything around in the truck, and it's all stock underneath(springs, shocks, bushings, etc) so I just kinda shrug it off 'cause it doesn't hurt anything.

Ary
Click to expand...

When stock, both my 91 and 94 did the same thing. I've noticed the 94 with ome (correct spring on correct side) looking that way on occasion as well.




As a side note: We're way too quick around here to make broad statements based on limited samples.
 
I have measured the ride height of many vehicles and it's rare to find one that sets perfectly level. The manufacturing tolerances in the springs, mount points, tires, weight distribution, body mounts etc. aren't that close and can add up to a slight lean. My junk sat slightly low on the drivers side stock and is slightly low with the OME's. If I were worried about it, would get some packers and toss them in the left side.
 
sleeoffroad said:
I do not believe it is a quality issue. The reason for this is that ARB still insist that the springs are labeled correct. We to install them opposite than the markings and hardly ever have a leaning truck.

Our springs are labeled for US trucks, so we never see it.

If you want to warrantee a spring through ARB, you have to remove it and measure the free length. They will compare that to a new spring and give you a determination if they will warrantee it or not.
Click to expand...

You do have to install the springs on the correct sides :D . I went through this when I first installed OME on my XJ, and of course I got it wrong and had to switch the front coils.

Presuming you have it correct, there shouldn't be an issue with excessive sagging.
 
Okay, finally pulled the tag off the Driver Side front spring--it is labelled "A". Does that mean it is the correct spring for the Driver Side?

The Passenger front does not have a tag on it.

Also, I don't notice any driveability problems with it right now--it just looks goofy.

--EDIT--gee, search helps some . . . I found some old posts saying that the A spring is supposed to go on the US Passenger side but other posts saying simply that the TALLER spring should go on the US Driver side. But, no posts saying that the A or B spring is the taller of the two. So, which spring is taller--A or B?
 
Last edited:
sleeoffroad said:
I do not believe it is a quality issue. The reason for this is that ARB still insist that the springs are labeled correct. We to install them opposite than the markings and hardly ever have a leaning truck.

Our springs are labeled for US trucks, so we never see it.

If you want to warrantee a spring through ARB, you have to remove it and measure the free length. They will compare that to a new spring and give you a determination if they will warrantee it or not.
Click to expand...

So if the springs are labeled A and B, which spring is longer? The A spring is on my driver side in the front right now.

--EDIT-- Called Christo and he said the A spring should go on the US Passenger side of the truck, but that ARB will tell you the opposite. So, I'm going to swap the front springs to see what the effect is and then if there is still a lean, I'll add a spacer. Closure.

Real closure--swapped the front springs this weekend and now the truck sits almost level, perhaps 1/16" to 3/32" difference from side to side. Perfect! No more drunken sailor. The "A" spring went to the US Passenger side.
 
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