My 2006 Land Cruiser AHC to OME experience (1 Viewer)

[dwai]

Just wanted to share my experience of converting AHC to OME.

Parts
OME2860 OME Coil Spring - Rear
N60000-S OME Nitrocharger Sport Shock - Front
N60002-S OME Nitrocharger Sport Shock - Rear
OME303001 OME Torsion Bar Set
SPC-25455 SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
SOK006 SLEE - Differential Drop Kit

STF1078 [WHS-022] - Spidertrax Wheel Spacers - 1.25"
STF1079 [WHS-023] - Spidertrax Wheel Spacers - 1.25

Measurements of AHC and OME suspension
Measurements are from the center of the hub to fender

AHC normal setting
Front driver and passenger 19.5
Rear driver 20.25
Rear pass 20

AHC high setting
Front passenger 21
Front driver 21.5
Rear passenger & driver 22.5

OME
Front driver and pass 21
Rear driver 23
Rear passenger ~22.5

Here are the photos of the measurements with OME installed.
Overall look

Front driver

Front passenger

Rear driver

Rear passenger

Why I upgraded?
I was driving down the 101 from SF to SFO and suddenly the rear AHC dropped to low and it didn't seem like the shocks were working. My rear end was bouncing around like crazy. Basically, my cruiser was twerking
I pulled over to check out the suspension and tried to get the rear to rise again by going to low setting -> normal. The rear refused to move. The front worked just fine.
Here's the image of the rear SLAAAAAAMED!

The weekend after, I put in the order from sleeoffroad.

Was it hard?
Yes, it was lol.....This is my first truck. Prior to this, I've only worked on subarus and a 1996 camry. With the help of my friends I was able to complete this in one weekend. If you and your friends have any experience with car suspension, I'd say DIY! I don't think I would have been able to do it myself. A lot of components were pretty heavy and it was a lot easier with friends. There was 3 of us total.

How much lift did you get?
On the slee website, it was a 2.5" kit. However, I wasn't able to get a 2.5" increase with the proper droop measurement. My droop was a little over 50mm which is what is recommended.
According to OME website, the parts I got were supposed to give me a 50mm increase in height which is about 1.96 inches. So some inconsistency between OME and Slee here.

Is the ride harsh?
Not really. I would compare it to driving on the second to max sport mode ahc setting. It actually handles small bumps a bit better than AHC sport mode. The AHC sport mode always felt like a coil over with the dampening set too high.
A lot of people have been complaining that the OME suspension is too harsh on our forum. But I think it's coz they are trying to get that 2.5" increase in height and over doing the torsion bar. But like i said earlier, I have no experience with torsion bars and trucks.

How much of the AHC did you remove?
Drained all the AHC fluid
Remove 50AMP fuse from the engine bay
Remove 15AMP AHC-B fuse from the driver kick panel fuse box
Unplug the 2 connectors facing the driver from the AHC ECU
I cut the hydraulic lines from the shocks
As a result, I do not have any flashing lights on the dash and I do not have any VSC issues.
Here is the photo of the AHC ecu. If you don't have shaq hands, you don't have to remove any of the panels. Just crawl under and unplug the 2 cables.
Here's the photo of the AHC ECU with the 2 cables. The cables will be facing the driver seat.

Here's what my dash looks! NO FLASHING LIGHTS!!!!

How did you remove the rear shocks?
I used a set of offset wrenches and did not drill a hole in the body.
8 Pc Metric Offset Box Wrench Set

Use the offset wrench to loosen the top shock bolt. Once it backs out a bit, use a low profile flex ratchet to make your life easy. I got everything from harbor freight.
Here's the flex ratchet I used
1/4 in, 3/8 in. Drive Long Reach Dual Flex Head Ratchet

I had to use the offset wrench to back out the bolt a bit coz I did have a socket deep enough to reach it.

Do the 1.25" spacers rub?
No! Here are some photos with 275/70/18 ko2 with stock 18" wheels

That's it! If you have any questions just post it here! I'll be glad to answer em.

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

Nice write up, thanks!

 

[Dannyboy lx470]

Just wanted to share my experience of converting AHC to OME.

Parts
OME2860 OME Coil Spring - Rear
N60000-S OME Nitrocharger Sport Shock - Front
N60002-S OME Nitrocharger Sport Shock - Rear
OME303001 OME Torsion Bar Set
SPC-25455 SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
SOK006 SLEE - Differential Drop Kit

STF1078 [WHS-022] - Spidertrax Wheel Spacers - 1.25"
STF1079 [WHS-023] - Spidertrax Wheel Spacers - 1.25

Measurements of AHC and OME suspension
Measurements are from the center of the hub to fender

AHC normal setting
Front driver and passenger 19.5
Rear driver 20.25
Rear pass 20

AHC high setting
Front passenger 21
Front driver 21.5
Rear passenger & driver 22.5

OME
Front driver and pass 21
Rear driver 23
Rear passenger ~22.5

Here are the photos of the measurements with OME installed.
Overall look

Front driver

Front passenger

Rear driver

Rear passenger

Why I upgraded?
I was driving down the 101 from SF to SFO and suddenly the rear AHC dropped to low and it didn't seem like the shocks were working. My rear end was bouncing around like crazy. Basically, my cruiser was twerking
I pulled over to check out the suspension and tried to get the rear to rise again by going to low setting -> normal. The rear refused to move. The front worked just fine.
Here's the image of the rear SLAAAAAAMED!

The weekend after, I put in the order from sleeoffroad.

Was it hard?
Yes, it was lol.....This is my first truck. Prior to this, I've only worked on subarus and a 1996 camry. With the help of my friends I was able to complete this in one weekend. If you and your friends have any experience with car suspension, I'd say DIY! I don't think I would have been able to do it myself. A lot of components were pretty heavy and it was a lot easier with friends. There was 3 of us total.

How much lift did you get?
On the slee website, it was a 2.5" kit. However, I wasn't able to get a 2.5" increase with the proper droop measurement. My droop was a little over 50mm which is what is recommended.
According to OME website, the parts I got were supposed to give me a 50mm increase in height which is about 1.96 inches. So some inconsistency between OME and Slee here.

Is the ride harsh?
Not really. I would compare it to driving on the second to max sport mode ahc setting. It actually handles small bumps a bit better than AHC sport mode. The AHC sport mode always felt like a coil over with the dampening set too high.
A lot of people have been complaining that the OME suspension is too harsh on our forum. But I think it's coz they are trying to get that 2.5" increase in height and over doing the torsion bar. But like i said earlier, I have no experience with torsion bars and trucks.

How much of the AHC did you remove?
Drained all the AHC fluid
Remove 50AMP fuse from the engine bay
Remove 15AMP AHC-B fuse from the driver kick panel fuse box
Unplug the 2 connectors facing the driver from the AHC ECU
I cut the hydraulic lines from the shocks
As a result, I do not have any flashing lights on the dash and I do not have any VSC issues.
Here is the photo of the AHC ecu. If you don't have shaq hands, you don't have to remove any of the panels. Just crawl under and unplug the 2 cables.
Here's the photo of the AHC ECU with the 2 cables. The cables will be facing the driver seat.

Here's what my dash looks! NO FLASHING LIGHTS!!!!

How did you remove the rear shocks?
I used a set of offset wrenches and did not drill a hole in the body.
8 Pc Metric Offset Box Wrench Set

Use the offset wrench to loosen the top shock bolt. Once it backs out a bit, use a low profile flex ratchet to make your life easy. I got everything from harbor freight.
Here's the flex ratchet I used
1/4 in, 3/8 in. Drive Long Reach Dual Flex Head Ratchet

I had to use the offset wrench to back out the bolt a bit coz I did have a socket deep enough to reach it.

Do the 1.25" spacers rub?
No! Here are some photos with 275/70/18 ko2 with stock 18" wheels

That's it! If you have any questions just post it here! I'll be glad to answer em.

Great work.Strange your truck has low miles for suspension to give way so early.With the torsion bars there recommended to upgrade to the non AHC ones but I have read and spoke to people who have no issues with keeping them on aslong as setup correct.

 

[dwai]

Great work.Strange your truck has low miles for suspension to give way so early.With the torsion bars there recommended to upgrade to the non AHC ones but I have read and spoke to people who have no issues with keeping them on aslong as setup correct.

Yea, it was weird. the whole system looked like it was still in great condition. But even if I fixed the AHC system, I would still worry about its durability moving forward.

 

[Knowbuddy]

Yea, it was weird. the whole system looked like it was still in great condition. But even if I fixed the AHC system, I would still worry about its durability moving forward.

I just had the exact same experience and did the same thing. I could have fixed it but to what end? I would just be paranoid the entire time.

 

[AggieCruiser04]

Does the switch over require the wheels spacers?

 

[FxFormat]

The rear dropping down like that could be a bad height sensor, cheap to replace, did you get a diagnostic before ripping everything out? AHC is wonderful, the only way i would replace AHC is if all my accumulators are dead, and my shocks are leaking. Other than that, i'd try to salvage it.

 

[97 AZ LC]

So you used a 22mm offset box wrench. Did you ever wish you had a 22mm ratcheting flex head?

 

[Kabanstva]

Thanks for posting this. After our first trip to Colorado, HIH8 and doing Pearl Pass and Taylor Pass, I am convinced I am yanking the AHC system out ASAP and putting a conventional system in.

My truck is an 07 with 122k miles with every dealer maintenance item done. The system has always functioned flawlessly for daily driving and city driving, never a single glitch until this trip. I just don’t think this system is heavy duty enough to use for the stuff you see on these forums and these events. Once you add some weight to it, it just has a mind of its own and it’s too unpredictable to take across country. For example, we were driving at highway speeds after the event heading north and all of a sudden the system kicked into L and started riding harsh. We popped the hood, checked the fluid level and it was below minimum. Luckily my brother brought a full can of AHC Fluid and topped it off and off we went with no more issues. Once we got to Pearl Pass and Taylor Pass, the truck randomly would kick into L although fluid levels were normal. The only mods to the truck are 33s, sliders and aluminum skids. No heavy bumpers, no winch, no roof rack or RTT, no drawers. Just a full trunk of camping gear and two passengers, but apparently it’s too much for the system to handle.

If I only used the truck for daily commute I would keep the AHC, but it seems like all the issues start when you add weight to the truck and start going offroad and I imagine most people on this forum have an interest in that!

 

[Knowbuddy]

The rear dropping down like that could be a bad height sensor, cheap to replace, did you get a diagnostic before ripping everything out? AHC is wonderful, the only way i would replace AHC is if all my accumulators are dead, and my shocks are leaking. Other than that, i'd try to salvage it.

Yep mine was only a bad sensor. I could have just replaced it. But I didn't want to chase other problems down the road. Did I like the versatility of the system? Yes, But it did drop on me while offroad once and that scared me. I was about 15 miles from any sort of help and 5 require the truck to be in high. So while it worked after restarting what if it hadn't. Yeah I spent more money and lose that ability to drop and go higher. But I bought piece of mind.

 

[dwai]

Does the switch over require the wheels spacers?

Nah, from what I remembered, it didn't rub without spacers.

 

[dwai]

So you used a 22mm offset box wrench. Did you ever wish you had a 22mm ratcheting flex head?

yea, I'm a proud owner of one after this project lol.

 

[dwai]

I enjoyed the AHC system while it last. Going on trails, the steering wheel doesn't flight you as much and ride was super smooth.
I would love to give an update on the OMEs but 2 weeks after installing it, a drunk driver smashed into my 100 series and totaled it while it was parked in front of my house...
I'm now on a 200 series platform with OME and I'm pretty happy with it. Did lots of trails in Moab including rock crawling at fins and things without much problems. Pretty much the best bang for your buck suspension kit out there for land cruisers, imo.

 

[Trailguy]

Thanks for the write up. My Slee & OME parts just came in. Now I just have to do the install in 106 degree heat.

 

[Joseph H]

Getting mine done Monday! Thank you for the write-up!

Only my shocks have gone bad but I’ve decided to swap to OME. 2007 - LC - 152k.

Had it done today and the results are awesome! I got about a 2" lift on both the front and rear and the feel, although very smooth, still feels like it has a very positive grip to the road. It corners great.

I'll be taking it out to PINS soon to camp on island.