Level lifts would be 851/865, 850/860, 850J/863 etc...
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Best lift set-up for my 80 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Lankan
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I always thought that's what my LX has (850/860), but to be honest, I'm not really sure since the springs are old and all the stickers are gone. Definitely has bad stinkbug though. I guess there's a chance the PO was wrong and I've actually got 863's in back. Looking at photos 850/860 does look a lot more level than my truck.
Do you know if there's any way to visually identify the spring (coil count/thickness) without any stickers left on it?
/hijack
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- #23
This is getting more confusing! If the above is true, then why do all the companies such as Slee, MT4x4 sell the kits pairing 850/863 & 850J with 863J?
This was my last 80 with heavies front and back and a MAF 30mm front spring spacer. I didn't do any caster correction and it would wander a little on the freeway but wasn't bad but the front end had been rebuilt a year or so before I got the truck which probably helped a lot. I also got lucky and didn't have any driveshaft noises or vibrations. I lowered my stock brake hoses and made new extended diff/axle breathers. For my current 80 I'll be doing a medium lift front and back with the same 30mm front spacer to keep it level.
Yep.... welcome to the insanity.
I have a medium 851+25mm/860 & still needs more in the front. I have loaded about 400 pounds of stuff in back.
inkpot
SILVER Star
This is a holdover concept from Australia. They seem to mostly run Expo rigs that stay loaded. We get mixNmatch setups from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters so they are more level when empty/lightly loaded for trail. Dun bout a dozen of 'em that way. John
Bmwjnky, I like the way your 80 sits with the heavies. I'm considering the same on my 450, no bumpers now but I plan on some type of swing out with a spare 315. I've spent hours reading up on which OME springs to use and I'm about fed up and still unsure. What made you decide to got to a medium lift on the next 80? My 450 will be mainly on road use, occasional towing of upto whatever the combined GVWR is and maybe a little more, weekend trips to the lake, and hauling 600 lbs of DJ equipment on weekends. I don't mind if it's an inch higher in the rear unlaiden. What would you recommend? I'd like to stay away from any driveline mods.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Thanks in advance for your input.
As others have said, the key is the weight you add to the front or the rear. When I replaced my original springs/shocks, I was only going to install a Slee Short Front Bumper, Hanna Sliders, and that's it. Slee recommended 850s/heavies for the front. 860s/mediums for the rear.
Everything sits level except when I tow a 5x8 trailer (hauling all the camping gear). Most of the time I'm not towing, so I can carry basic gear and sit level. I did change the steering stabilizer when I put the OME 850s/860s and OME shocks.
Sometimes I think that I didn't need the 2.5" lift. The 285/75/16 tires look a tad small with this lift. Overall, this setup has worked great at Pismo Beach, going around Mono Lake, offroading in Baja, going offroading in Death Valley, Pinnacles, Auburn Hills, Mammoth Lakes, and a few other mild trails.
In this picture, the trailer is empty. I lean back when the trailer is full. The higher you lift, the more issues you have to deal with like caster correction, extended brake lines, bigger tires lead to re-gearing needs and turbocharger desires....
Everything sits level except when I tow a 5x8 trailer (hauling all the camping gear). Most of the time I'm not towing, so I can carry basic gear and sit level. I did change the steering stabilizer when I put the OME 850s/860s and OME shocks.
Sometimes I think that I didn't need the 2.5" lift. The 285/75/16 tires look a tad small with this lift. Overall, this setup has worked great at Pismo Beach, going around Mono Lake, offroading in Baja, going offroading in Death Valley, Pinnacles, Auburn Hills, Mammoth Lakes, and a few other mild trails.
In this picture, the trailer is empty. I lean back when the trailer is full. The higher you lift, the more issues you have to deal with like caster correction, extended brake lines, bigger tires lead to re-gearing needs and turbocharger desires....
My timing might be off, but I came across what Man A Fre calls a level lift. Here is a snip & link to full page. Basically they are doing the same as what where talking about: 850/860, 850J/863, 850J+30mm/863J.
Man-A-Fre 80 SERIES LEVEL STANCE SUSPENSION KITS - Man-A-Fre
Old Man Emu is reknowned for engineering and manufacturing the best all around suspension systems available for Land Cruisers and you will get no argument from us. There is however a slight problem when a suspension that has been engineered for Australians and their type of long range off roading is fitted to an 80 series here in the USA. Australians will deck out their rigs with high capacity fuel tanks, roller drawer storage systems, Kaymar tow bumpers with dual spares, cargo barriers, water bladder or tank, a roof rack, ARB Bull Bar, a hand winch and enough spares to rebuild most of the vehicle. Then when they go on a trip they add their 12volt fridge, about a ton of gear and of course beverages (this is about as important as fuel capacity to an Aussie). What this means is quite simple, Australians tend to load their vehicle to a level most Americans cannot comprehend. Because of this loading, Australian suspensions tend to sit noticeably “butt high” when not loaded (also known as the Stink Bug look). Although this is not detrimental and if you do happen to load your rig like an Aussie it is a wonderful thing, most USA 80 series owners are not thrilled with this look.
Our webmaster who owns several 80 series Land Cruisers, put what he calls a 4″ level stance suspension on one of his rigs , and liked it so much he suggested that we should offer kits of this type for our customers. So here they are. Very simple and straight forward, these kits come with a front set of coils that are stated by Old Man Emu to be 1” higher lift than what is supplied for the rear with the result of a vehicle that sits pretty level front to rear as shown in the photographs of our webmasters vehicle. Also shown is his green 1997 FZJ80 with a standard OME “J” (3″ front and rear) suspension for comparison. Kits are offered with standard rate OME coils and as noted with our 30mm Front Coil Spring Spacers.
Man-A-Fre 80 SERIES LEVEL STANCE SUSPENSION KITS - Man-A-Fre
Old Man Emu is reknowned for engineering and manufacturing the best all around suspension systems available for Land Cruisers and you will get no argument from us. There is however a slight problem when a suspension that has been engineered for Australians and their type of long range off roading is fitted to an 80 series here in the USA. Australians will deck out their rigs with high capacity fuel tanks, roller drawer storage systems, Kaymar tow bumpers with dual spares, cargo barriers, water bladder or tank, a roof rack, ARB Bull Bar, a hand winch and enough spares to rebuild most of the vehicle. Then when they go on a trip they add their 12volt fridge, about a ton of gear and of course beverages (this is about as important as fuel capacity to an Aussie). What this means is quite simple, Australians tend to load their vehicle to a level most Americans cannot comprehend. Because of this loading, Australian suspensions tend to sit noticeably “butt high” when not loaded (also known as the Stink Bug look). Although this is not detrimental and if you do happen to load your rig like an Aussie it is a wonderful thing, most USA 80 series owners are not thrilled with this look.
Our webmaster who owns several 80 series Land Cruisers, put what he calls a 4″ level stance suspension on one of his rigs , and liked it so much he suggested that we should offer kits of this type for our customers. So here they are. Very simple and straight forward, these kits come with a front set of coils that are stated by Old Man Emu to be 1” higher lift than what is supplied for the rear with the result of a vehicle that sits pretty level front to rear as shown in the photographs of our webmasters vehicle. Also shown is his green 1997 FZJ80 with a standard OME “J” (3″ front and rear) suspension for comparison. Kits are offered with standard rate OME coils and as noted with our 30mm Front Coil Spring Spacers.
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I am also in the market for a level stance lift such as the one from Cruiser Outfitters. My rig could really benefit from the J's in front because I have an HDJ81 and the diesel engine weighs quite a bit more than the gasser. Plus it has an ARB front bumper and winch, so with stock OEM springs it's the most stink bug one on the road I'm sure. I know the Aussies mostly run diesels, so the idea of springs according to weight totally makes sense. Only thing is, I wonder if with this setup if it will actually be level and come out to 3" of front lift or if I'll have to run spacers....
The 1HDT and 1FZ are not much different, weight wise.
So dam correct
I could be wrong but the OME is a Australian company. In the area a lot of off roading is done for LONG distance over very remote areas with LOTS of gear. So it think they assume you will have 400-800 pounds of gear.
I too am looking for a lift and I've narrowed it down to OME....or TJM. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned TJMs set up but I feel like nobody has anything bad to say about it. My dad has OME on his 40 and it's fantastic. However it may sound dumb but I really am worried about going with OME because I really don't want to get stuck with the wrong lift and be hating myself everyday since it's my daily driver. And at least with the TJMs you can change the ride with a few clicks of a dial.
You nailed it.
I'm telling you.
Dual rate coils...
Dual rate coils...
I have the TJM 50 mm lift on my LX. I love it. Some people complain that the springs will settle and sag with load and wheeling, but I haven't seen that - mine sits level and I've got every bit of 2" of lift (50 mm) after ~25k miles. The ride is way better than stock, IMHO, yet it adds just enough spring rate to feel stable at highway speeds, etc. I don't have the adjustable shocks and don't feel that I am missing out on anything.
I highly recommend the TJM kit. I haven't looked in a while, but it seems that the TJM stuff is hard to find in the US these days?
It does seem hard to find these days. The only place I can find them is from metal tech. All the other places are "out of stock".
BFG 295/75-16
OME 2850 / 60070L Front
OME 2860 / 60071L Rear
