AHC Repair or 2.5 OME (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 17, 2021
Threads
7
Messages
27
Location
Eagle Co 81631
My AHC went out. I'm pretty sure its the globes, lots of bounce going down the road. I am stuck in low and its time to make a plan to address this. I am going back and forth looking at the OME 2.5" and the cost to repair a 20 year old suspension.

Part of me says fix it. I really like the AHC and the options it provides. The other part of me say, why put another dime into a 20 year old suspension and upgrade to the OME 2.5" lift.

I am not so much worried about the price aspect. More so, what am I giving up if I were to decide to go either direction. I have the money on hand to do this right the first time. Most likely I will have Slee install the new lift. (I just don't have time with a new home remodel and two boys on a traveling hockey team, plus the 9-5 gig.) Otherwise I was going to have Paul Davis fix/repair the AHC.

In the long run which is the better choice? For those that did the AHC delete, what do you wish you knew before you decided to take it out? For those that went with the 2.5" OME, what do you wish you knew before you made the swap? What is the main reason you love either of these?


Also anyone with bumpers, sliders, or a roof rack they want to sell, let me know. I'm in Colorado but am looking for a reason to take a road trip!

Thanks everyone.
 
The other part of me say, why put another dime into a 20 year old suspension and upgrade to the OME 2.5" lift.
I wouldn’t necessarily consider that an upgrade, unless of course your idea of upgrade is riding in a stagecoach instead of a cloud
 
It really depends on what you are doing with the rig. I recently replaced my AHC with an Ironman Foam Cell Pro stage 3 lift kit.

I'm heavy loaded and like to drive fast off road. For me the new suspension is an upgrade, I can be faster, jump higher and retain more control than I could will my tuned AHC. I really really like it. But the AHC was definitely more comfortable, the two aren't really comparable.

If you do not run into limitation of the AHC, do not have rusted lines and like the softness it provides I would definitely repair it.
It really isn't a very complicated system. Get the FSM and familiarize yourself, use to learn techstream and correct your neutral pressures.

If you're going to drive heavy loaded or want a lift you can adjust your torsion bars, get some new rear (king) springs, install spring spacers, etc.
You can really finetune the system to your liking. Do a few searches and you'll find a lot of information on the AHC on the forum. The lift on demand is a very cool feature.
 
What is the use care for your 100?

1) Daily driver,
2) 100% harsh off-road,
3) 100% off-road with high-speed handling requirements,
4) or some percentage mix of the above.
 
What is the use care for your 100?

1) Daily driver,
2) 100% harsh off-road,
3) 100% off-road with high-speed handling requirements,
4) or some percentage mix of the above.
Its a mix. Its not a daily driver, not even close. We mainly use it for hauling our raft, mtn bike trips, where we do load it fairly heavy, 6 bikes, racks and all our gear etc... Lots of interstate use getting to and from rivers and trail systems. Some general trail use. Nothing overly aggressive.

Not a ton of 4x4 action. I rarely use the lockers and the low gearing. Tons of washboard roads, some light off road, and general purpose SUV use.

The AHC gives me pause because of its age. I like the utility of it. But after it went out, I was stuck in low mode trying to get back out from where I was.

Slee's recommended, hands down pulling the system and going with aftermarket. I've read too much on the forums. There are reasons either way to repair or delete. Some say AHC is the best, others, its not worth it. I want hassle free use with utility. Don't want to have to second guess.

Its more the age of the AHC that gives me pause. Putting $1k or more into a 20 year old system seems like a poor decision. But it looks like several people on the site stand behind the system and have continued to repair them.

Also value comes into play. Whats more better for resale. At some point I'll move this unit along to a new owner. Will people want the AHC, or would the OME be more desirable. I know this is not the biggest factor to consider, but I figure I'd mention it.
 
Part of me says fix it. I really like the AHC and the options it provides. The other part of me say, why put another dime into a 20 year old suspension and upgrade to the OME 2.5" lift.

You assume that because it's a "20 year old suspension" it's an old design, out of date, and obsolete. That's not entirely true at all. It is old because it was introduced in the 1950's. But the premise of pressure filled globes (hydropneumatics) integrated into an "active" suspensions is very much still hailed as a very effective design. Up until 2020 Mercedes was still using it in some of their luxury models and continues to service and maintain the system in millions of cars globally that came with hydropneumatics. As does Citroen, who invented the system.

Today, the system is being abandoned primarily because it demands too much power from the car's system to operate which doesn't fit the new regulation and energy consumption baselines car makers are trying to meet today. Most are opting for traditional suspensions, and in some cases, replacing with less expensive and electronically adapted equivalents (this is where one may think it's obsolete, but not so). Some of the higher end luxe cars are still using a type of hydropneumatics suspension.

I digress.

You "really like" AHC and cost doesn't appear to be an issue. You have a family that needs to be driven around. All of these comments scream "fix your AHC" to me.

Every car I own has hydropneumatics (excluding my company car), two of which are reaching near 30 years old: 1993 MB, 1994, MB, 2006 LC. These systems require simple, yet very critical maintenance throughout their lives. Simple because it really is centered around one fundamental task: fluid change. Yes, the globes do go out, but they're not designed to last forever. You will do them only once in your ownership, promise.

Here's my 1994 wagon coming back from the beach. There's only two of us in that car, but we are the mule and obviously carrying a lot of weight (glad to say a ton of fresh seafood in the rear cargo area!). Rear seats are down and the car is very, very heavy. The car sits level. Suspension has tightened up to adapt to the weight. And it rides like there's only one duffel bag in the back seat. That's hydropneumatics suspension working as designed, in 1950.

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You assume that because it's a "20 year old suspension" it's an old design, out of date, and obsolete. That's not entirely true at all. It is old because it was introduced in the 1950's. But the premise of pressure filled globes (hydropneumatics) integrated into an "active" suspensions is very much still hailed as a very effective design. Up until 2020 Mercedes was still using it in some of their luxury models and continues to service and maintain the system in millions of cars globally that came with hydropneumatics. As does Citroen, who invented the system.

Today, the system is being abandoned primarily because it demands too much power from the car's system to operate which doesn't fit the new regulation and energy consumption baselines car makers are trying to meet today. Most are opting for traditional suspensions, and in some cases, replacing with less expensive and electronically adapted equivalents (this is where one may think it's obsolete, but not so). Some of the higher end luxe cars are still using a type of hydropneumatics suspension.

I digress.

You "really like" AHC and cost doesn't appear to be an issue. You have a family that needs to be driven around. All of these comments scream "fix your AHC" to me.

Every car I own has hydropneumatics (excluding my company car), two of which are reaching near 30 years old: 1993 MB, 1994, MB, 2006 LC. These systems require simple, yet very critical maintenance throughout their lives. Simple because it really is centered around one fundamental task: fluid change. Yes, the globes do go out, but they're not designed to last forever. You will do them only once in your ownership, promise.

Here's my 1994 wagon coming back from the beach. There's only two of us in that car, but we are the mule and obviously carrying a lot of weight (glad to say mostly all seafood in the rear cargo area!). Rear seats are down and the car is very, very heavy. Sits level. Suspension is tightened up. And it rides like there's only one duffel bag in the back seat. That's hydropneumatics suspension working as designed, in 1950.

View attachment 2842793
This is super helpful! I appreciate your insight.

Your wagon looks a lot like our LC when we go places. Loaded up with plenty of fun.
 
Lots of interstate use getting to and from rivers and trail systems. Some general trail use. Nothing overly aggressive.

Not a ton of 4x4 action. I rarely use the lockers and the low gearing. Tons of washboard roads, some light off road, and general purpose SUV use.
You will not like the ride of OME shocks or OME torsion bars under those conditions.
 
I say replace the globes and do an AHC baseline. Will take half as long and cost half as much or less. And it will be better.

Agreed. Globes should be around $800 (maybe more?)...far, far cheaper than any decent kit.

 
Easy answer, IMO. Fix AHC.

Slee also told a recent customer of ours at ADGU that they needed to rip out all of AHC. After my review, the problem was a simple broken wire. A few hours of labor and they were all fixed up. I love Slee, but they want to sell lift kits. You can't expect your local Toyota dealer to give you an honest answer about a Camry vs an Accord and off-road shops are no different with lift kits.

Sounds like you need new globes and a pressure adjustment. That's a couple hours labor and under $1000 in parts. Paul's the man, but if he's slammed and you're in a hurry we also offer those services at the Air Down Gear Up shop just north of Denver in Frederick.

If you do go lift kit, my god, don't go OME. That ride quality is very harsh. Foam cell Pro gets good reviews. I'm sure Slee'sand Icon's top end remote reservoir systems are great as well. But don't buy an OME setup for a rig that's not armored to the moon.
 
I took my AHC out for an OME kit and immediately regretted it because of the poor ride quality. I have since removed the garbage OME shocks and changed them out for stage 3 ICON 2.5s and couldn't be happier.

And OME customer service sucks if you need anything warrantied.
 
Its a mix. Its not a daily driver, not even close. We mainly use it for hauling our raft, mtn bike trips, where we do load it fairly heavy, 6 bikes, racks and all our gear etc... Lots of interstate use getting to and from rivers and trail systems. Some general trail use. Nothing overly aggressive.

Not a ton of 4x4 action. I rarely use the lockers and the low gearing. Tons of washboard roads, some light off road, and general purpose SUV use.

The AHC gives me pause because of its age. I like the utility of it. But after it went out, I was stuck in low mode trying to get back out from where I was.

Even with new globes, there are other parts like AHC pump, height sensors, shocks that can fail. Will you be able to drive home from where you are when AHC fails and the vehicle rides on bump stops or behaves like a pogo stick?
 
Even with new globes, there are other parts like AHC pump, height sensors, shocks that can fail. Will you be able to drive home from where you are when AHC fails and the vehicle rides on bump stops or behaves like a pogo stick?
Thats my concern. How many guys have had this happen to them while they were out and about?
 
I had a globe blow out on the trail. The front driver's side one. That corner sagged but otherwise I was able to get on the trail and back home 100 miles away. I was climbing Heart Attack Hill on Kelly Flats and my driver's tire kept bouncing in a hole on one obstacle and finally it let go and started bouncing like there was no shock at all on an old Cadillac. This was right before I replaced the globes I could tell they were on the way out anyway.

The AHC pump is $120 and takes 20 minutes to replace. Easy insurance. If a corner sensor goes on out on the front you can just crank the t-bars. If it goes out on the rear add air to your airbags like I have or if you don't have them you could likely limp off the trail anyway. Or just carry a spare.
 
I had a globe blow out on the trail. The front driver's side one. That corner sagged but otherwise I was able to get on the trail and back home 100 miles away. I was climbing Heart Attack Hill on Kelly Flats and my driver's tire kept bouncing in a hole on one obstacle and finally it let go and started bouncing like there was no shock at all on an old Cadillac. This was right before I replaced the globes I could tell they were on the way out anyway.

The AHC pump is $120 and takes 20 minutes to replace. Easy insurance. If a corner sensor goes on out on the front you can just crank the t-bars. If it goes out on the rear add air to your airbags like I have or if you don't have them you could likely limp off the trail anyway. Or just carry a spare.
I'm working on getting into Paul Davis's schedule as we speak. Im going to fix whats there buy a couple extra parts and keep it stock for now.
 

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