Can of worms: best suspension for expedition/heavy use.

[Spanktron9]

I know I am throwing the door open to opinion, but there is so much knowledge and experience here, that I really feel like it is worth it. I need to do the suspension upgrade on my 99TLC.

Current setup is:

1" body lift
cranked T-bars
285/75/R16 BFG AT KO2

I have ARB outback drawers, ARB bumper, winch, light bar, and BIOR rear bumper. All the extra weight (plus my dog is 150lbs), is putting strain on the stock suspension. My default was to go with OME, since I had that on my FJ60 and it worked fine, but I know enough to know that I don't know all about the best set-ups out there. I do search and rescue, but most of the miles are highway/fire-road to campsites and shooting areas. I'm not planning on going with larger wheel and tire setup, so I'm just looking for better ride and more support. OK, I'm listening. And as always, thank you in advance for sharing your opinions.

 

[LEX]

That's a big ass dog! What kind is it? Sorry I couldn't give you an answer, but the first thing that came to mind was a heavy OME lift. I'm also still learning.

 

[Spanktron9]

He's a great dane, Lex. Heavy OME was my default, I just don't know enough about other systems and potentially better combos, so I thought I would ask those who have gone before me.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Old Man Emu equipped Land Cruisers have been on every continent and circled the globe... can't ask for a better validation.
Undoubtedly the easiest to source globally as well with stocking dealers on 6 continents.

 

[gearguywb]

Lots of choices with OME. Talk to one of the vendors here. They have a ton of experience (pun intended)

 

[stonepa]

Stock 100s have seen more action than anything modified. My 98 100 and I spent 16 years exploring all over north, central, and South America on a bone stock suspension. Never had a single failure due to a OEM (not OME) part (stupidity not included). Just regular maintenance.

 

[stonepa]

I expedition built my brand new Series 2 Disco with an OME 3" lift, OME shocks, Dunlop MTs, ARB bumper, 12500# Superwinch, ARB locking front and rear diffs, and the CDL modification. Old Man Emu stuff didn't hold up. Neither did the discovery. Got rid of all of it and stuck with my 100.

YMMV

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Stock 100s have seen more action than anything modified. My 98 100 and I spent 16 years exploring all over north, central, and South America on a bone stock suspension. Never had a single failure due to a OEM (not OME) part (stupidity not included). Just regular maintenance.

Absolutely true, but with stock suspension comes stock payload and clearance... something that doesn't jive with the travel wants/needs of some. The Land Cruiser (Expeditions7) I drove through Aus, Africa, and the Americas had to be able to carry 1000 lbs of fuel in the back, plus gear. Land Cruiser or not the stock suspension surely wasn't going to hang

5 OME equipped Land Cruisers, all 7 continents, zero OME failures. That is enough to sell me, but then again I was already sold

 

[stonepa]

Maybe I travel a little lighter than a lot of you.