03 LX470 with old man Emu shocks too stiff (1 Viewer)

[sleepdoc]

I have recently purchased an 03 LX with a Slee suspension and Old Man Emu shocks instead of AHC. It is really stiff and I am considering swapping the shocks for OEM to soften the ride. Will that help? What should I get for strictly road driving? Any resale value in the Old Man Emu shocks? anything special I will need?
Thanks

 

[Ohthetrees]

I think those OME shocks are way too stiff, and wouldn’t ever recommend them. It amazes me how many people run them. For on road duty, and even some moderate off-pavement , you can’t beat the OEM shocks. Very cheap, and perform well.

 

[fooldall1]

OEM Type here, too. I opted for the Gabriel Ultras and no issues..Very comfortable.

 

[sleepdoc]

do you guys know if I need anything extra (bolts, etc) going from OME to OEM?

 

[geanes]

Springs are what you are feeling. The shocks may be valved differently. But, Springs are what make the ride stiff or spongy. The shocks simply dampen the compression and rebound. Some shocks are valved differently than others and ride different. I bet your rear springs are the heavy lift or even medium lift OME springs which are overkill on a stock rig. They only are applicable with significant added weight applications. Might just swap to OEM springs and see an immediate improvement.

 

[Drogon]

Would the lift produced by the Slee Medium Lift be impacted by swapping in oem shocks or springs, causing the droop or rake and alignment to be impacted? I would think this would need to be recalibrated by adjusting the torsion bars and a proper alignment... what are your thoughts...

 

[jLB]

I have recently purchased an 03 LX with a Slee suspension and Old Man Emu shocks instead of AHC. It is really stiff and I am considering swapping the shocks for OEM to soften the ride. Will that help? What should I get for strictly road driving? Any resale value in the Old Man Emu shocks? anything special I will need?
Thanks

Boy that sounds familiar...

We bought my son's 2000 LC from someone that had already installed the full OME kit on an otherwise stock vehicle.

A some hints from our experience:

Look on the rear coils for a little tag that identifies the spring model (the OME 865s & 860s are the "medium" load springs).
Check the front to make sure the previous owner hasn't cranked the torsion bars too much trying to lift/level the front end
Did the previous owner also install LT tires? What pressure are they running at?
If you've removed the 3rd row seats, put them back in.
​

We considered replacing the OME shocks at first, and we still might at some point in the future, but after making a few adjustments (and later adding some weight) the need became much less urgent.

 

[geanes]

Would the lift produced by the Slee Medium Lift be impacted by swapping in oem shocks or springs, causing the droop or rake and alignment to be impacted? I would think this would need to be recalibrated by adjusting the torsion bars and a proper alignment... what are your thoughts...

You are spot-on. The springs ARE the lift. The OEM springs in the rear don't produce the same lift as the OME springs. You would need to back off the torsion bars to lower the front in order to maintain the proper 1"-1.5" rake. The OME shocks have a minimal amount more down-travel than OEM meaning you get a bit more articulation....maybe 1" or so. That can be beneficial on trails. I doubt that alignment would be substantially altered going to OEM over OME. Heck, you could keep the same ride height with OEM springs by adding 30mm trim packers. That way you'd gain the compliance of the OEM spring and the height of the OME. Win-win in my book.

 

[Drogon]

You are spot-on. The springs ARE the lift. The OEM springs in the rear don't produce the same lift as the OME springs. You would need to back off the torsion bars to lower the front in order to maintain the proper 1"-1.5" rake. The OME shocks have a minimal amount more down-travel than OEM meaning you get a bit more articulation....maybe 1" or so. That can be beneficial on trails. I doubt that alignment would be substantially altered going to OEM over OME. Heck, you could keep the same ride height with OEM springs by adding 30mm trim packers. That way you'd gain the compliance of the OEM spring and the height of the OME. Win-win in my book.

Makes sense to me, and good points.

 

[Hulsty]

Ome shocks come in different valving too

 

[Ohthetrees]

Springs are what you are feeling. The shocks may be valved differently. But, Springs are what make the ride stiff or spongy. The shocks simply dampen the compression and rebound. Some shocks are valved differently than others and ride different. I bet your rear springs are the heavy lift or even medium lift OME springs which are overkill on a stock rig. They only are applicable with significant added weight applications. Might just swap to OEM springs and see an immediate improvement.

It’s true that over stiff springs could give that feeling. But so could over damped shocks. The damping affect can be so extreme that they stop the motion before the spring adequately compresses.

Many sporty cars have adjustable shocks, and you can definitely feel the “stiffness” change as you adjust them, without touching the springs.

 

[geanes]

It’s true that over stiff springs could give that feeling. But so could over damped shocks. The damping affect can be so extreme that they stop the motion before the spring adequately compresses.

Many sporty cars have adjustable shocks, and you can definitely feel the “stiffness” change as you adjust them, without touching the springs.

True on all accounts. I had heard the OME revalved a while back which could explain the harshness in concert with overstiff springs.

 

[MGarland]

@sleepdoc , are the shocks OME Nitro Charger Sport? The valving on those made them ridiculously stiff.

 

[sleepdoc]

Wow...you guys know way more than I do about all this! I will look at the springs when my daughter gets here. Sounds like we may need to swap those first. Is it smart to change springs and shocks to OEM? I hate to take them off as I know they were not cheap to have them installed. Its just my college daughter isn't a big fan of the ride...
@DirtDawg is this something you could do?

 

[chuckscap]

I had Slee remove my broken AHC and install their OME medium 1.5" lift kit. It came with OME Nitro Sport shocks way too stiff without a bumper and winch on the front. Replaced them with Toyota LC OEM shocks, wonderful ride. Still fine for mild off-roading and minor rock crawling, great for a DD.

 

[Ohthetrees]

Wow...you guys know way more than I do about all this! I will look at the springs when my daughter gets here. Sounds like we may need to swap those first. Is it smart to change springs and shocks to OEM? I hate to take them off as I know they were not cheap to have them installed. Its just my college daughter isn't a big fan of the ride...
@DirtDawg is this something you could do?

I would try just the shocks first. If still too stiff, move on to springs.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

Springs are what you are feeling. The shocks may be valved differently. But, Springs are what make the ride stiff or spongy. The shocks simply dampen the compression and rebound. Some shocks are valved differently than others and ride different. I bet your rear springs are the heavy lift or even medium lift OME springs which are overkill on a stock rig. They only are applicable with significant added weight applications. Might just swap to OEM springs and see an immediate improvement.

Came here to say this. Springs and shocks work together, too stiff of a spring and/or over damped shock make for a poor ride. That said, a lot of this is all preference... I think the factory suspension on my 100 was way too soft, but I spent a lot of time driving full ton trucks.

for anyone interested, scroll down to the damped system:
Vibration - Wikipedia

 

[sleepdoc]

My son has an 04 LC with stock suspension. He mentioned changing his for hers. Maybe that is best (cheapest) option.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

My son has an 04 LC with stock suspension. He mentioned changing his for hers. Maybe that is best (cheapest) option.

Worth a try... but swapping the rear shocks isn't particularly fun. If her LC is factory otherwise (ie, nothing heavy... bumpers, drawers, etc.) and has no plans for those, OEM shocks may be better. Keep in mind that the rear springs are stiffer also.

 

[DirtDawg]

Yes @sleepdoc I recommend we swap out the shocks first to OEM shocks as I mentioned a while back. Then we can change springs if the ride is still not acceptable. Text me tomorrow and we can get something figured out.