100 too stiff after OME medium lift

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FWIW... I recently replaced (old and rusted) OME nitros with new OME Nitro-sports on two trucks, and experienced very notable results.

On my FZJ80 the new dampers were a much needed and welcome improvement. This is an overland truck based in Central America which carries near 1500# of armor, tools, spares, and luggage on routine basis; and rarely sees tarmac. The damping on the new sports is well matched to the 863J springs, under load. The truck handles great on all types of gravel, washboard, sand and mud; and settles in quick after big hits or jumps. Feeling lots of love in this application:)

On my UZJ100, not so much love with new sports compared to old nitros :( I run 865 springs in rear and OME T bars up front with sliders. This truck is used for occasional towing, some 4 wheeling, some camping, and daily driver with monthly trips to Costco. The shocks, w/o at least 500# cargo, way over dampen compared to the medium duty springs. They definitely add stiffness to the suspension and take away from ride comfort and articulation off road. Add 1000 of cargo and passengers and they are fine, but they are not a comfortable ride for a no to low loaded 100. The older nitro (non sports) were valved more appropriately for a daily driver and/or 4 wheeler. Not a bad shock, just not right for this application. Going to explore Radflo 2.5" and/or Koni Raids
 
blue44 said:
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.
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Can you use the Toyota OEM shocks with the OME 1.5" Medium lift or do they not have enough travel? If not, what do the Fox 2.0 shocks cost compared to the OME shocks provided with the kit? I too am using my 2000 LX470 as a daily driver, but still want decent off road performance.
 
RobRed said:
If your lx is a daily driver you are better off tuning up the AHC and rolling with that.
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My AHC is done, pump, motor and one accumulator. It's beginning to ride like my 56 Dodge Power Wagon. I plan to have Christo do the swap to the OME suspension in May.
 
Finally!
ImageUploadedByIH8MUD Forum1429110178.061097.webp

I'd say Icon fixed their packaging issues.
Now just need a little time to put em on!
 
All done.


I ended up putting my rear reservoirs on the crossmember, like @perrobravo did here(except, I just used the included mounts).

Wow....much better than OME. The harshness is gone. Still a stiff ride, not much body roll, but it soaks up everything much better. The OME Nitrochargers made every little bump jarring to the point that I felt every joint in brand new concrete roads and every little bump felt like it was going to rattle the cruiser to pieces.

I've only taken it on a test drive around the neighborhood, but the more I drive it, the happier I am with the upgrade.

edit: pay no mind to the grease slung all over, it prevents rust! (had CV boot let loose a while back)
 
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mcgaskins said:
I went from mostly stock to adding the lift, sliders, front TJM bumper and winch all at once installed by Slee, and I barely noticed a difference in ride quality. Maybe a little less divey on the front end when hard on the brakes and a little more planted around corners, but generally speaking the ride did not degrade or change much from stock at all. I would think that means even the medium is suited to adding a bit more weight, as I obviously added a couple hundred pounds of weight to the truck at the same time as the lift. The clear choice is call Christo back and order a bumper or two and some sliders, and your truck will ride great! :)
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I wish I had come across this thread last week. Weight is definitely the issue. I totally regret getting the OME setup. It's way to harsh when driving solo. It's ok with 4 passengers. It's so annoying that I'm not driving the LX by choice and taking any of my other cars.
 
Bomar said:
How do you like the icon's?
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I love them. LC rides like it's supposed to now, like a lifted truck, not like a race car on stilts or a dually truck.

It's been almost a month now, and as I said before, the more I drive, the happier I am. There's much fewer change-in-console-rattling bumps. I don't feel every little seam in the pavement like I did before. Driving over speed bumps in the grocery store parking lot now feels like those pavement transitions with the OMEs.

I did discover a few things while installing, that I rediscovered last week while the truck was on a lift having the bearings and front rotors replaced: The Icons have longer travel(as has been noted) which means the rear brake and diff breather lines are not long enough. I also noticed that springs are able to move just a little at full droop....not sure if I need to address this. I know @paflytyer tabbed spring hold downs when he was running L shocks, and I believe he kept them for the Icons.
 
mcgaskins said:
I went from mostly stock to adding the lift, sliders, front TJM bumper and winch all at once installed by Slee, and I barely noticed a difference in ride quality. Maybe a little less divey on the front end when hard on the brakes and a little more planted around corners, but generally speaking the ride did not degrade or change much from stock at all. I would think that means even the medium is suited to adding a bit more weight, as I obviously added a couple hundred pounds of weight to the truck at the same time as the lift. The clear choice is call Christo back and order a bumper or two and some sliders, and your truck will ride great! :)
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Thanks, I'm having Christo install the OME medium 1.5" lift kit mid June on my 2000 lx470. My wife won't like it, but if the ride is too stiff, guess I'll have to break down and order two bumpers ... :) Already have sliders ordered from Mike at BIOR.
 
I personally ordered up factory replacements to replace my OME's. Won't have bumpers and all that for awhile, if ever...so it seemed like the logical choice. It will be interesting to see how they work with the OME coils and bars..
 
Very interested in how that goes, please let us know.
 
I'm wondering if the Icon Stage 1 shocks are going to ride the same on asphalt as the Stage 2 - it seems the primary benefit of the reservoirs is for additional cooling for off-road use.
 
Reckless said:
I wish I had come across this thread last week. Weight is definitely the issue. I totally regret getting the OME setup. It's way to harsh when driving solo. It's ok with 4 passengers. It's so annoying that I'm not driving the LX by choice and taking any of my other cars.
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Reckless in the other thread I asked if you ever put the one torsion bars in your LX470 when you removed your ahc
 
crimsonaudio said:
I'm wondering if the Icon Stage 1 shocks are going to ride the same on asphalt as the Stage 2 - it seems the primary benefit of the reservoirs is for additional cooling for off-road use.
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I called Icon and they told me exactly that. I would assume the valving is exactly the same.

I almost went with the stage 1 kit, but decided that my most common use is going to be oil field/hunting roads, and it is normally warm in Tx, so might as well get the stage 2.....Also, after upgrading the front to extended length for the new arms, and then wanting the 2.5" rears, the cost was beginning to approach stage 2 anyway.

Someone here has the stage 1 now, and recently posted good things about it, can't remember who/where....
 
sleeoffroad said:
Reckless in the other thread I asked if you ever put the one torsion bars in your LX470 when you removed your ahc
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I did but havent updated the post yet. It made a world of a difference esp when properly clocked. But the ride is still soo harsh and jarring that I don't want to drive the vehicle anymore. With 4+ passengers ride is barely tolerable. I'm going to try adding some rake to see if that may help.
 
chuckscap said:
Can you use the Toyota OEM shocks with the OME 1.5" Medium lift or do they not have enough travel? If not, what do the Fox 2.0 shocks cost compared to the OME shocks provided with the kit? I too am using my 2000 LX470 as a daily driver, but still want decent off road performance.
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I actually just went through this. From what I read the OEM can be used, but the Fox are designed for 1-1.5" lifts, so they would be a better fit. I got my Foxs from AutoAnything on sale for $415 with shipping. I found a 20% coupon, and they seem to do sales monthly. My truck is used as my DD and I like them. Full disclosure, I have had them on for less than a week.
 
Im in the market to lift my LC. Im glad to see this conversation before i did. Why not replace the OME shocks with something more conventional like a lower cost Bilstein, Rancho, or Ironman? Is the Ironman shocks a bit less harsh?

From reading this, i might piece my kit together so that i don't end up with OME shocks.

Do you think these would work on a lifted LC? Bilstein shocks:

Fronts:
http://cart.bilsteinus.com/product/24-027397/80763/4WD

Rears:
http://cart.bilsteinus.com/product/24-027403/80763/4WD
 
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