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- #41
Sounds like swapping back to factory torsion bars may be the first step since they are on hand, then look closer into shock replacement to further smooth things back out. I sure appreciate all the suggestions/support fellas
100 too stiff after OME medium lift
- Thread starter blue44
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Glad to see this thread - am literally going to order my lift any day now. I'm going to spend some time talking to Christo to try to make sure I avoid the overly-firm ride. I do some off-roading, no real rock crawling, and use my 100 as my DD, so I want / need nice performance on the blacktop...
I have enjoyed this thread. Having just finished the 2.5 medium from slee, and having only driven it 25 yards to gas up while awaiting other work to be done, i hope i am not disappointed. I like a firmer ride. I live in vienna, va, home of the oh so annoyingly everpresent speed bump. When i had my jeep i got bilsteins on it, which were firm and loved the snappiness over the speed bumps. I now like the speedbumps because they are why i originally got into modifying cars. I live between two speed bumps and now am hoping they install more.
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- #44
The folks at Slee gave me great service and advice on this 1oo and my 80. I was planning on future fr/rr bumpers, winch, drawers and sliders and they advised me toward the medium set up. I figured I could live with a little stiffness for a few months until outfitted. Plans changed. I installed the Slee sliders and medium lift w 295 BFG ATs and decided it was all I really needed. Again, other cruisers at the house outfitted for hard trail work. Being a DD I realized it was simply overkill to armor it all the way. Besides I wanted to retain the original look of the rig. The 2.5 is very pleasing to the eye. I just need to figure out how to soften the ride. She is on the rack today getting the factory torsion bars back on. I'll see what that does, chime in, then go from there. I have a feeling I will be replacing the OME sport shocks, as so many folks have chimed in that they have used them and agree they are pretty stiff.
I just installed the same kit last week, exactly. 2.5 inch medium, UCA's, diff drop, tb's...the whole smash. When I got my rig back the ride was HORRIBLE. I got tq steer, the fronts felt like the shocks were filled with concrete. But then I got it home and realized my front was actually .5 inches higher than the rear. So I went back and now I have an even 1" droop in the front. The ride and handling it MUCH better. Sure, it's firmer than stock but I like that. It's a little tough still, but I know it will settle over a couple thousand miles and then I'll get it aligned again and I should be ready to go. I have 33's, sliders and the slee skid plate, so not too much weight. But I know once the wife, both kids, luggage, and my 100lb dog are in there it's going to ride like the misses LX. I want to add bumpers eventually, so I'm sure after that the ride with just me in it should be good...but then once I put the family in there I'm probably going to have to switch to the heavy springs.
Good luck getting your rig situated the way you like. The stock TB's is an interesting idea, I'm curious how that will work out for you.
Good luck getting your rig situated the way you like. The stock TB's is an interesting idea, I'm curious how that will work out for you.
- Thread starter
- #46
Blacklab, You will be pleased with the set up. It truly does handle the big bumps at speed very well. Its all the little bumps and imperfections on the road that are not so pleasing to me. Very very stiff with the only added weight of heavy duty sliders. I also like the way it handles slow drivers in front of me......has a very sporty feel to downshift and get around someone and back into my lane. Again, everything is give and take. I just need a softer ride, because 99.9% of what I'm doing is commuting with some tunes on.
I cannot wait.
Glad you posted up this thread, because I too am having the same issues/concerns. About 2 months ago, I had the OME 1.5" lift installed on my '98. front torsion bars, rear 865 springs, and the newer sport OME shocks. The rear sits 2" higher than the front. The ride is sporty, but harsh. The example you gave about having a cup of coffee along with my morning commute to work is spot on....I damn near have to wear a bib. The Fox 2.0's look interesting. Can anybody confirm the part # on those? Also, somebody mentioned that they are running factory shocks with the 865 springs. No issues with the 1.5" lift?
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- #49
T4 Smokewrench. I am interested in learning more about the Fox shocks and shocks in general. I ran the old Rancho 10-way adjustable shocks on my old 1ton cruiser. I must admit, it handled very well at offroad parks on the low setting and a quick turn of the valve on each shock, I could safely wout sway zip from a trailhead back to tow rig. I wonder if anyone has tried them with the OME llifts. So many options, theories and opinions out there. I cant see the need for a remote res shock for my needs, but I would not rule them out if they offered up a soft ride. I think an adjustable shock may be the way to go. I appreciate all the info and experiences you guys are sharing w me. This website/forum is spot on. Cheers to whoever maintains it.
- Thread starter
- #50
Smokewrench, you can relate......the morning commute is typically a quiet one, because there's no way to put the coffee down to take a call. It's just not going to happen. I've even poured out the top third before getting in to drive to work, because I knew I needed to make a few calls on the way in. You cant make that s*** up! All I can do is laugh about it at this point.
Ride is a very subjective thing and we try our best to explain to people what to expect when purchasing a lift, but honestly it is difficult to convey exactly how it rides on the phone.
In general with OME you do feel more road feel. Much of that has to do with the Sport shocks and I believe low speed driving on roads that are bad with a lot of expansion joints. That said they do have a break in period and some of that should go away over time, but not completely. The issue is most other shocks that don't exhibit that behavior does not have enough dampening to control the vehicle properly at speed or when big ruts/holes are hit.
I doubt changing springs or torsion bars are going to make a difference. Our own shocks for the 100 does not drive like that, but they do come at a significant price difference. You are buying top of the line performance then.
The old OME Nitrocharger shocks were not like this but unfortunately the are not available anymore. The issue is to produce a shock at the right price point that will work. We might be able to do it in an emulsion shock, but it would still be over 2 times the price of OME.
In general with OME you do feel more road feel. Much of that has to do with the Sport shocks and I believe low speed driving on roads that are bad with a lot of expansion joints. That said they do have a break in period and some of that should go away over time, but not completely. The issue is most other shocks that don't exhibit that behavior does not have enough dampening to control the vehicle properly at speed or when big ruts/holes are hit.
I doubt changing springs or torsion bars are going to make a difference. Our own shocks for the 100 does not drive like that, but they do come at a significant price difference. You are buying top of the line performance then.
The old OME Nitrocharger shocks were not like this but unfortunately the are not available anymore. The issue is to produce a shock at the right price point that will work. We might be able to do it in an emulsion shock, but it would still be over 2 times the price of OME.
- Thread starter
- #52
Christo, I appreciate your time and support. Your guys behind the phone out there explained everything to me very well. They only take orders over the phone, so they can better meet the customers needs and I like that. Unfortunately, I ordered a lift better suited for a heavier rig and/or different individual. It is a very subjective thing. I can see where some folks love the ride, others like me, not so much. I had planned on building the 100, but decided having a built 80 and 40 was enough "trail rig" at home and decided to keep this one commuter friendly. As we all have a different idea of what is appealing, I am 100% satisfied with the appearance of 2.5 lift, 295s and your sliders. It sets it off perfectly IMHO. Now to see what can be done to "soften my daily ride to and fro work. Maybe putting the factory tbars back on is a move in the wrong direction, IDK. I would be very interested to hear/read more about your high end shocks. I don't know what the remote res would do for me in my application, but again, I know very little about shocks. Thanks again for your time and support to the cruiser community. Hope to see some of you guys at GSMTR this year.
Interesting, I just installed Nitrochargers all around with 860 springs. Cranked the factory torsion bars a little over an inch and love the new ride. I don't find it jarring in any way even as my DD. Especially when loaded with gear, the truck feels better than it ever has. I love the new handling especially, I don't get thrown into the passenger seat when turning anymore.
As for driving down potholed roads at speed I am quite impressed with these shocks actually. Interesting people think they "suck".
As for driving down potholed roads at speed I am quite impressed with these shocks actually. Interesting people think they "suck".
- Thread starter
- #54
2000LC, Apparently the old style nitrochargers were good shocks. I've heard that from several responsible sources, so I'm guessing there's something to it. I have the old school nitrochargers under my build 80 w heavy OME 3"and it smokes my 100 in every single suspension related aspect other than high speed cornering, which is basically useless to me in a LC. Perhaps you have the same old style nitrochargers. That or you have the new sport models and appreciate their characteristics better than others. Glad its working out for you. I'll find out later today if changing back to the original tbars helped matters for me. Thanks for your input.
Ha, I'll throw one more thing out there, based on my massively large sample size of 2 trucks. 
I have a 2000 that's well documented on here with a "harsh" ride over the small stuff. Started with a full OME setup from SLEE from the PO (Pint's truck, lift probably installed 7-ish years ago). Diff drop, TJM T3 bumper, step-sliders, no extra weight = very harsh ride. Installed used OEM t-bars and springs, plus coil spacer = a little better. OEM shocks = a little better. Every combination of tire and wheel, not much difference (currently on second set of 295/75/16 Nitto TG's). Original Fox 2.0's = massive wallow at highway speeds, almost dangerous (they did a valve change later on that supposedly corrected this?). New rear control arms, OEM upper and SLEE lower = no change. New OEM shocks (blew front one) = same old, same old. OME 865's reinstalled back in the rear, less wallow (think the OEM springs had had it). Different rakes, alignments, tire pressures, etc. etc. This thing STILL transmits all the small bumps in the road right on through. Currently has ~215K on the clock.
Compare to my '04 which I've had for ~18 months with ~180K on it. No aftermarket bumpers or sliders (the T3 doesn't weigh that much anyway), no diff drop. I immediately added 30mm spacer to the OEM springs, and cranked t-bars to match. PO had some version (can't remember now) of the OME shocks on it (yellow and light blue). 18" wheels with 285/65/18 Nitto TG, E-rated, which by all accounts should be a harsh riding tire. This thing is just TIGHT! Small bumps, large bumps, cracks, rocks, whatever, it just rides like it just rolled off the showroom floor. Plush on the little stuff, and very, very acceptable on the big stuff. I wish I could get the 2000 to ride like this.
The only thing I haven't changed on the '00 is the front upper and lower control arms and bushings, and the motor and transmission mounts, or body mounts (but the body mounts are tight). Other than that, I'm resigned to the fact that there is "something" I've yet to discover that makes some trucks ride harsher than others, and some trucks at 180K ride like factory new.
(if I could get my wife to stop putting $18 worth of change in the little cup by the shifter it probably wouldn't rattle so much)
I have a 2000 that's well documented on here with a "harsh" ride over the small stuff. Started with a full OME setup from SLEE from the PO (Pint's truck, lift probably installed 7-ish years ago). Diff drop, TJM T3 bumper, step-sliders, no extra weight = very harsh ride. Installed used OEM t-bars and springs, plus coil spacer = a little better. OEM shocks = a little better. Every combination of tire and wheel, not much difference (currently on second set of 295/75/16 Nitto TG's). Original Fox 2.0's = massive wallow at highway speeds, almost dangerous (they did a valve change later on that supposedly corrected this?). New rear control arms, OEM upper and SLEE lower = no change. New OEM shocks (blew front one) = same old, same old. OME 865's reinstalled back in the rear, less wallow (think the OEM springs had had it). Different rakes, alignments, tire pressures, etc. etc. This thing STILL transmits all the small bumps in the road right on through. Currently has ~215K on the clock.
Compare to my '04 which I've had for ~18 months with ~180K on it. No aftermarket bumpers or sliders (the T3 doesn't weigh that much anyway), no diff drop. I immediately added 30mm spacer to the OEM springs, and cranked t-bars to match. PO had some version (can't remember now) of the OME shocks on it (yellow and light blue). 18" wheels with 285/65/18 Nitto TG, E-rated, which by all accounts should be a harsh riding tire. This thing is just TIGHT! Small bumps, large bumps, cracks, rocks, whatever, it just rides like it just rolled off the showroom floor. Plush on the little stuff, and very, very acceptable on the big stuff. I wish I could get the 2000 to ride like this.
The only thing I haven't changed on the '00 is the front upper and lower control arms and bushings, and the motor and transmission mounts, or body mounts (but the body mounts are tight). Other than that, I'm resigned to the fact that there is "something" I've yet to discover that makes some trucks ride harsher than others, and some trucks at 180K ride like factory new.
(if I could get my wife to stop putting $18 worth of change in the little cup by the shifter it probably wouldn't rattle so much
)
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- Thread starter
- #56
That's good stuff. I really wanted a newer model year, but after chasing cruisers from state to state that didn't quite pan out, this 1-owner low miles 2000 showed up in my neck of the woods so I scooped it up. That being said, it drove like a dream before the lift. Thanks for taking the time to put all that down. There may be something about lifting a 2000 model that just plain and simple screws up the ride. Sounds like you really went through the paces trying to remedy the issue. Thanks again for all the info. Very helpful to me and others.
how much? have you tried a cup of coffee?
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- #59
I'll continue to gather information on shocks, but it def helped the ride by swapping back to factory tbars. Again, I have no weight up front. I plan to read more on OEM, fox and Slee shocks. If anyone cares to toss out there another shock to consider, I'm all ears. I'm told these OME sport shocks will break in, but not sure to what degree or how long that may take????