semlin
curmudgeon
Let's suppose you could put together specifications for an alternate competitively priced 80 series lift to the OME system. What would people want?
It seems to me that the alternate system would lift to the maximum height before major parts would require replacement. It would preserve onroad manners to keep as a daily driver. It would perform well offroad rock climbing or on expeditions. Now I realize OME does these things well but perhaps there is room for improvement. Anyway, my thoughts follow but I am interested in what others think.
The max height seems to me to be 3.5 to 4" provided you use some kind of caster correction and put spacers in the sway bars. Anyone think this much lift would produce other steering issues or driveshaft vibration problems that could not be fixed with new u-joints and balancing the drive shafts?
For caster correction could you not make offset bushings out of material similar to Toyota bushings to improve flex? Optionally a bolt on plate system like Christo's makes good sense.
I think the springs would need at least two classes. One that would accomodate a stock truck with at most say a front bumper, and one that would be able to handle a front bumper, winch, sliders, rack and a rear bumper. Ideally the second one would require a minimum of say a front bumper/sliders to allow you to buy just one set of springs and stick with them. It would need a big weight range that might be addressed through varying the # of coils.
As for shock ride, the OME standard shocks seem to work great for rock crawling stop and go offroading but in my brief experience they cannot maintain the initially comfortable ride on long runs on washboard roads. I have seen the suggestion of bilsteins for that application or remote reservoir LTR OME shocks, or maybe even adjustable. Any other thoughts on shocks? Maybe my requirements are different than most but I would like to see a shock with better performance than the OME over long drives.
For shock length, I have not heard much about people using the L series OME shocks. Is there any need for an intermediate length?
It seems to me that the alternate system would lift to the maximum height before major parts would require replacement. It would preserve onroad manners to keep as a daily driver. It would perform well offroad rock climbing or on expeditions. Now I realize OME does these things well but perhaps there is room for improvement. Anyway, my thoughts follow but I am interested in what others think.
The max height seems to me to be 3.5 to 4" provided you use some kind of caster correction and put spacers in the sway bars. Anyone think this much lift would produce other steering issues or driveshaft vibration problems that could not be fixed with new u-joints and balancing the drive shafts?
For caster correction could you not make offset bushings out of material similar to Toyota bushings to improve flex? Optionally a bolt on plate system like Christo's makes good sense.
I think the springs would need at least two classes. One that would accomodate a stock truck with at most say a front bumper, and one that would be able to handle a front bumper, winch, sliders, rack and a rear bumper. Ideally the second one would require a minimum of say a front bumper/sliders to allow you to buy just one set of springs and stick with them. It would need a big weight range that might be addressed through varying the # of coils.
As for shock ride, the OME standard shocks seem to work great for rock crawling stop and go offroading but in my brief experience they cannot maintain the initially comfortable ride on long runs on washboard roads. I have seen the suggestion of bilsteins for that application or remote reservoir LTR OME shocks, or maybe even adjustable. Any other thoughts on shocks? Maybe my requirements are different than most but I would like to see a shock with better performance than the OME over long drives.
For shock length, I have not heard much about people using the L series OME shocks. Is there any need for an intermediate length?
