Need Help with lift decision (1 Viewer)

[Dscoolr6]

I'm trying to figure out what lift or what I can do to level out my suspension. Currently theres a 2 inch lift Leaf springs say Zeal and shocks are Rancho. It's sagging pretty badly on the rear, especially the right rear. I was thinking about the OME 2.5 heavy lift from Cruizerteq but if I can get away with something more economical with the same outcome, that would be preferred.

Here are the measurements from floor to fender.
Left front 37 3/4
Left rear 36 3/6

Right front 36 3/4
Right Rear 35 1/2

I have Dobinson Front Bull bumper and Rear bumper with full size spare and Jerry can
Dobinson 2 drawer in the back.

These are Leafs on all 4 corners.

Any ideas welcome

 

[coldtaco]

Dobinson also makes a set I think for that.

 

[Tennessee Jed]

You're going to be hard pressed to beat the price/value/support of an OME lift from Cruiser Outfitters. Really hard pressed. And you almost certainly do *not* need a heavy duty lift kit. The medium duty will ride far better. A bumper and some camping gear is not heavy duty use. Now if you intend to two that boat, then you may need HD.

 

[LDowney]

My experience with the OME springs on my BJ70 has been disappointing from shortly after I installed it. I purchased the heaviest duty option available from OME and the rear springs could not carry the load on the trail. I carry extra weight due front & rear bullbar bumpers plus sliders and a winch. When I wheel, I carry tools/spare parts/recovery gear, which is why I opted for the heaviest duty springs.

To OME's credit, they did send me another set of leaves that is intended to provide the heavy duty performance. With 2 sets of the heavy load leaves installed, the rear sagged so I added spring over shocks to share the load. The front springs did not sag enough to cause any performance issues (just visually obvious that she is down in the front).

Additionally, I purchased my OME springs directly from OME as I recall. I have made multiple purchases from Kurt and his Cruisers Outfitter team, so I am completely confident that they would have worked hard to help if they had been involved (i.e., if I had purchased the springs through them, they would have backed their sale ... but I didn't so my experience here has no reflection on them).

It is likely that I will be replacing the springs on my BJ70 in the next year or so, and I have the same question as you. What springs to get? I know it won't be OME for my BJ70. I have heard good things about Dobinson leaf springs on 70s. Plus, our FZJ80 has heavy duty Dobinson springs in the rear and they have been excellent.

My apology for only sharing my fragmented experiences. You are probably seeking a clear endorsement based on proven form/fit/performance for your specific Cruiser which I can not share. With luck, maybe someone will chime in with exactly the data set that you need.

Good luck

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My experience with the OME springs on my BJ70 has been disappointing from shortly after I installed it. I purchased the heaviest duty option available from OME and the rear springs could not carry the load on the trail. I carry extra weight due front & rear bullbar bumpers plus sliders and a winch. When I wheel, I carry tools/spare parts/recovery gear, which is why I opted for the heaviest duty springs.

What part number OME rear springs are you running? Most BJ70 owners run the light/medium rear spring (no overloads). Many run the heavy load (even with bumpers, etc), VERY few run the heavy plus (and we have heavy ++ variants). For example my BJ74 (heavier than 70) with a rear bumper & carriers, fridge, reovery gear, spares, tools, full of fuel, etc... runs the middle load setup. There are 6 front OME spring options, 12 rear OME spring options, and multiple OME & other shackle heights available for the BJ70. Setting up the correct load and level stance isn't something we generally have any issues with. Add the Dobinsons and other spring/shock options we stock for a 7x and it's been a non-issue.... hence popular sellers.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

We would love to help @ Cruiser Outfitters. We stock the full range of Old Man Emu, Dobinsons and many 'while you're in there' or

My personal favorite 7x Series setups is OME springs (appropriately matched to your load) with Dobinsons IMS shocks. Great load capacity, flex/compliance and ride quality. Rocking that on my personal BJ74 and will do the same setup on my HZJ77.

I've got a front bar w/winch, rear bumper with tire carrier, Maxtrax, duel fuel cans, etc as well as a ton of gear in the back. As pictured here it has a fridge, recovery gear, spare parts, tools and camping gear loaded in the 2nd row and rear (seat folded forward). Love the stance.

If you're OK running aftermarket (non OME or Dobinsons) shackles, spring pins and u-bolts, it cuts about $350 off the cost of the kit. We've had fantastic results from those aftermarket components over the decades, I run them on my personal stuff with zero issue. Give our sales team a call and they will walk through your HZJ77 and nail down the specifics. They can ship a kit as soon as today!

 

[Tennessee Jed]

I have the medium OME in my troopy and with gear and tools and bumpers it still bangs pretty hard. But it drives very well and I do have good flex. Larry's experience is pretty dramatic and makes me think you almost can't make any generalizations about this stuff.

 

[LDowney]

What part number OME rear springs are you running? Most BJ70 owners run the light/medium rear spring (no overloads). Many run the heavy load (even with bumpers, etc), VERY few run the heavy plus (and we have heavy ++ variants). For example my BJ74 (heavier than 70) with a rear bumper & carriers, fridge, reovery gear, spares, tools, full of fuel, etc... runs the middle load setup. There are 6 front OME spring options, 12 rear OME spring options, and multiple OME & other shackle heights available for the BJ70. Setting up the correct load and level stance isn't something we generally have any issues with. Add the Dobinsons and other spring/shock options we stock for a 7x and it's been a non-issue.... hence popular sellers.

Front springs: CS006F (receipt contains a reference for 75 series)
Rear spring: CS004R (receipt contains a reference for 60 series)

With this receipt was a copy of OME application guide which identified these as the heaviest duty options. So in 2015. OME own literature identified two options for the front [ 0 to 50 KGS performance, and 51 to 110 KGS performance] and two options for the rear [ Medium load performance and constant 200 KGS performance]

With OME now offering 6 front spring options and 12 rear spring options, they have significantly expanded selection options to tailor performance.
Great news

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Front springs: CS006F (receipt contains a reference for 75 series)
Rear spring: CS004R (receipt contains a reference for 60 series)

With this receipt was a copy of OME application guide which identified these as the heaviest duty options. So in 2015. OME own literature identified two options for the front [ 0 to 50 KGS performance, and 51 to 110 KGS performance] and two options for the rear [ Medium load performance and constant 200 KGS performance]

With OME now offering 6 front spring options and 12 rear spring options, they have significantly expanded selection options to tailor performance.
Great news

The CS004R variant is the middle option for the rear fwiw. CS017 -> CS004 -> CS005 being the order. Further more, depending if you got an A or B as well as a +,0,-, you might be lower than standard spec. So a CS005RA+ is going to sit significantly taller thean a CS004RB- for example, could be several inchees depending on load. You can even add an aditional leaf to the CS005 springs but outside of some craaaaaaazy heavy 60's, we don't see that needed much. OME literature isn't our reference guide, they call us when they need Land Cruiser suspension fitment advice

They have offered those same spring options for decades. Spring manufactures changed in 2005 when they went from the OME 1xx numbers to the Emu Dakar CSxxx numbers but they've had all those same options for maaaaaaaany years (1990's? perhaps?).

Along with that, the shocks sold in 2015 could be a few generations old. They've gone from Nitrocharger (Nxx part numbers) to Nitro Sport (60xxx) part numbers and in the last 6-18 months its been changin to Nitro Plus (63xxx) part numbers. Each getting some tech improvements. But as mentioned the Dobinsons IMS shocks are a worthwhile upgraded imo. Ironically for the 8x Series my favorite combo is the Dobinsons coils with OME BP51 shocks. Mixing and matching provides great flexibility to dial-in exact needs.

 

[LDowney]

The CS004R variant is the middle option for the rear fwiw. CS017 -> CS004 -> CS005 being the order. Further more, depending if you got an A or B as well as a +,0,-, you might be lower than standard spec. So a CS005RA+ is going to sit significantly taller thean a CS004RB- for example, could be several inchees depending on load. You can even add an aditional leaf to the CS005 springs but outside of some craaaaaaazy heavy 60's, we don't see that needed much. OME literature isn't our reference guide, they call us when they need Land Cruiser suspension fitment advice

They have offered those same spring options for decades. Spring manufactures changed in 2005 when they went from the OME 1xx numbers to the Emu Dakar CSxxx numbers but they've had all those same options for maaaaaaaany years (1990's? perhaps?).

Along with that, the shocks sold in 2015 could be a few generations old. They've gone from Nitrocharger (Nxx part numbers) to Nitro Sport (60xxx) part numbers and in the last 6-18 months its been changin to Nitro Plus (63xxx) part numbers. Each getting some tech improvements. But as mentioned the Dobinsons IMS shocks are a worthwhile upgraded imo. Ironically for the 8x Series my favorite combo is the Dobinsons coils with OME BP51 shocks. Mixing and matching provides great flexibility to dial-in exact needs.

Kurt,
Thanks this is very enlightening

"They have offered those same spring options for decades. Spring manufactures changed in 2005 when they went from the OME 1xx numbers to the Emu Dakar CSxxx numbers but they've had all those same options for maaaaaaaany years (1990's? perhaps?)."​

I find this is very troubling. For decades, OME/ARB published a product guide book which included fitment information of all suspension options by vehicle. But you are indicating that it was never complete. Not remotely per the information that you just outlined. I am going to look if I have a copy to see if there were ever any statements/warnings that the data was incomplete and more product options were available.

Compounding this "OME literature isn't our reference guide, they call us when they need Land Cruiser suspension fitment advice", call us means contact authorized ARB/OME distributor/installer for aid. I did exactly this and they relied solely on the consumer literature available to me. This leaves me scratching my head wondering about what ARB/OME corporate is doing with their dealers. Do some dealers get complete info/datasets so they can deliver the best to their customers? But others are left in the dark to fail their customers?

I just checked ARB websites (USA and Australia) and could not find this literature in current form (or prior years either). In fact, the websites are virtually useless beyond providing superficial marketing. In the age of educated consumers, ARB corporation has elected to keep their potential customers effectively in the dark on products available for their vehicles. This appears to reflect a 1950s attitude towards their customers where the customers were un-educated on what was available in the total market place to make fact based decisions for their needs. This does not work me.

I do my research and make decisions based on data. Speaking for myself ... In the current information age with educated consumers, companies can aid consumers by freely making the information available that they need for their purchase decisions or be left out. Because the sales went to their competitors that made the information/data available.

I realize my tone is probably harsh here, but responsibility for any harshness here is ARB/OME to own. It is not a reflection on you or your company. You and Cruiser Outfitters have consistently demonstrated to me to offer excellent products and equal customer support.

Again thank you for taking the time to outline the situation