Need your advise folks -OME springs

[mainlander]

Hey ya'll.

I recently purchased a new OME spring kit from Steve at EBI and thought that instead of bugging Steve to much (secretly hoping he will post a response too ), I would post my questions here.

I have an 83 BJ60, I got the 004 springs for the front and 005's for the rear. Now I know that this will be pretty stiff and stability will be incredible compaired to my stock springs, but after reading some of the archives in the main IH8MUD forum I'm wondering about the sway bars and whether I should leave them on, add a quick release for them when wheeling or just take them off.

This vehicle is generally a DD and we sure tend to load it up with either junk, lumber (on the roof rack) salvaged material of sorts and for camping with a 350 lb 12 boat.

Sooooo, what do you folks think I should do? Just extend the rods for the new springs, add quick connect (that's another issue all together) or just remove the sway bars?

Thanks in advance, from a newbie.

Added a couple of pictures, cause we all love pics of our rigs right

 

[prado t]

WITH THE OME KIT YOU MAY WANT TO GET THE SWAYBAR DISCONNECTS, MY BELIEF IS:
ON THE TRAIL YOU CAN GET THAT ADDED ARTICULATION WITH THEM DISCONNECTED AND ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE SWAYBARS CONNECTED IT WILL "HELP" LIMIT THE BODY ROLL ABIT I LOVE THOSE 60s
aaron

 

[cruiser_guy]

I've just extended mine and left them connected. It's never been an issue for me. I don't do much hard core rock crawling or any of that sort of thing, just third world exploration!

 

[bj70_guy]

No experience with 60s, but when I emu'd my 70 I left the swaybar on. After a couple of wheeling trips the too-short swaybar links were bent and about to snap. I chucked the swaybar, my RTI went from 450 to somewhere in the 700s, and I never missed it.

If I was going to keep the swaybar, some sort of quick disconnects would probably be the way to go.

 

[trooper+]

we just take them off when we install the kits and the truck seam fine stability wise

-karl

 

[mainlander]

Sorry for my ignorance, what is RTI?

Thanks for the responses so far, they are helping.

 

[mainlander]

I'm thinking that with the extra heavy in the rear and the heavy units up front I should be fine with out, but my only concern is when I load the roof rack up. I can easily get 600 lbs up there and that can really add to the sway of the body. Maybe the new, stiff springs will make it that much better though. I guess I can always put them back on if it feel too tippy, than again, maybe I should just leave them on, the hardest trail I've done is the back road up to Francis lake off the Weaver lake road. And that was with stock springs and the sway bars. That's about as gnarly as I get.

As you can see, I'm having a hard time deciding here.

 

[Enigma]

RTI=ramp travel indicator. Its a supercalifragilistic measurement method employed by driving one wheel up a ramp until it can not go any farther or one of the other wheels starts to lift up off the ground. A measurement is taken of how far it traveled up the ramp, x the wheelbase of the vehicle and divided by the slope of the ramp (usually 20 deg as previously mentioned). Or something like that anyways.

Ramp contests are a pretty popular event at 4x4 congregations, but are not a true test by any means of a vehicles wheeling ability.

Hope that answers any questions!

signed,

The Web Wheeler

 

[bj70_guy]

Yep. The ramp does tell you how much your axle articulation is being limited by the swaybar though. In my case it was a lot.

Web Wheeler II

 

[toynut]

i say leave them off , i had a med front heavy rear ome installed at ebi a few months ago , i just finished a 1200 km round trip with out sway bars and i dont miss them i was loaded full of tools , just drive acordinly , the sways arent going to do any thing except limit the body roll , besides you look cooler going around a corner with out sways !

 

[mainlander]

Thanks Yoynut, sounds like keeping the bars off should be fine.

Wow, looks like I'll have to get me some 33's soon too. Mine's going to look goofy with 31's

Nice looking rig.

 

[Mud_Guppie]

sway bars are for cars

 

[Enigma]

turbocharging is nice, but being blown is better.

 

[Granite Grinder]

I put Beltons on my 60. Chucked the sway bars, never noticed a difference. I go wheelin' with my wife, two kids, dog and utility trailer. Roof rack gets a lot of crap stuffed on it.
HTH

 

[mainlander]

Thanks ya'll. Think I'll take them off and not look back.

We don't drive it like a race car anyway so I'm sure we'll be fine. That's what the golf TDI is for

 

[Fantom]

I go wheelin' with my wife, two kids, dog and utility trailer. Roof rack gets a lot of crap stuffed on it.
HTH

So that's why I never see you at the club trips anymore?

 

[Fantom]

I have Belton 2.5" heavy, I thought about either getting disconnects or longer sway bar mounts, but after I took it off I can't justify wasting time in doing that. So run without, cheaper, easier, better articulation, just don't go 100K+ on a very sharp corner.