OME 1.5" lift vs spacers, other alternatives (1 Viewer)

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Dallas, TX
I'm looking at lifting and leveling my 06 LC and have a hefty quote on an OME lift kit. Are there other alternative you'd recommend? For what it's worth, I'm adding an ARB front bumper w/winch and occassionally pull a 400 gallon smoker / trailer. I need something capable of pulling that load. It pulls fine as-is but i want to raise the suspension. Thank you for your help!
 
Crank and/or re-index your existing torsion bars, add 30mm coil spring spacers in the rear, and stuff airbags in those coils for when you’re towing. Should be able to do all of the above for under $300.
 
Crank and/or re-index your existing torsion bars, add 30mm coil spring spacers in the rear, and stuff airbags in those coils for when you’re towing. Should be able to do all of the above for under $300.
What do you mean by stuffing airbags in the coils? That sounds pretty weak, no?
 
What do you mean by stuffing airbags in the coils? That sounds pretty weak, no?
Explainer here. I run air bags with stock suspension in mine. works like a champ! levels out my 2300lb trailer and I don't need to run stiff springs just for the days I'm loaded up. My next move will be to do what was recommended here, re-index and spacers w/ the bags (probably a diff drop too). I love the soft cushy ride on the OEM toyota stuff
 
Careful on leveling…front end ride goes to s***. Need an inch of rake…there’s plenty of post that address necessary droop.
 
Crank and/or re-index your existing torsion bars, add 30mm coil spring spacers in the rear, and stuff airbags in those coils for when you’re towing. Should be able to do all of the above for under $300.
how much of a lift with this provide, or will it just level out the front/rear?

Thanks for your help! This is much more cost effective than the OME / slee route
 
If it has AHC suspension, search AHC lift.
 
Having a similar debate myself. I don't tow, but we're a family of 5 and when loaded for a trip the back sags noticeably. I'm considering OME 865 springs or simply adding spacers. I'm leaning towards springs because spacers won't help with weight carrying.

On a side note, I added an ARB front bumper and winch this year and found all I needed to do was crank the torsion bars a few turns to get back my lost ride height. No need to re-index or heavy duty aftermarket bars for me at this point.
 
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I put new oem shocks and ome 865s on mine last year and cranked the torsion bars. Really happy with the ride as well as the slight lift.
 
I put new oem shocks and ome 865s on mine last year and cranked the torsion bars. Really happy with the ride as well as the slight lift.
FWIW, I asked my mechanic about spacers instead. He shamed me into making the right decision. At 200,000 miles, the original suspension needed to go. Glad I listened to him. Feels so much more planted now, especially around curves.
 
Having a similar debate myself. I don't tow, but we're a family of 5 and when loaded for a trip the back sags noticeably. I'm considering OME 865 springs or simply adding spacers. I'm leaning towards springs because spacers won't help with weight carrying.

On a side note, I added an ARB front bumper and winch this year and found all I needed to do was crank the torsion bars a few turns to get back my lost ride height. No need to re-index or heavy duty aftermarket bars for me at this point.
I put on 2866 springs with tb crank and unloaded it only put my car up very minimally but a look that I like. When the fam is in it will carry the weight with minimal impact. Could be what you need if you don’t want significant lift. Doesn’t Dobinson also make a spring that allows more weight with minimal increase in height
 
I put on 2866 springs with tb crank and unloaded it only put my car up very minimally but a look that I like. When the fam is in it will carry the weight with minimal impact. Could be what you need if you don’t want significant lift. Doesn’t Dobinson also make a spring that allows more weight with minimal increase in height

I've been considering the 866 springs as well, but I'm afraid they may be a little more than I need in terms of lift and load capacity. Any idea how much lift you got? I want to stay under 2".
 
I've been considering the 866 springs as well, but I'm afraid they may be a little more than I need in terms of lift and load capacity. Any idea how much lift you got? I want to stay undeer 2”
unloaded I didn’t even get 1.5. I think after settling it was an inch. Definitely looked better than old factory coils. Also, the factory coils are old so it will probably seem like 2” becuase the rating for the 2866’s is versus new oem coils…not old ones.
 
Crank and/or re-index your existing torsion bars, add 30mm coil spring spacers in the rear, and stuff airbags in those coils for when you’re towing. Should be able to do all of the above for under $300.
Is the ride going to go to hell w/the spacers or will it be negligible to the normal person like me? i was quoted ~$500 for parts and another $400-500 for labor. I guess what i'm getting at is, am i better off going with this setup and saving ~$2000 or the OME kit? Thank you!
 
I tried the crank torsion bars and spacers route, personally I'd skip it and jump straight to beefier torsion bars and heavier springs.
 
I tried the crank torsion bars and spacers route, personally I'd skip it and jump straight to beefier torsion bars and heavier springs.
Thanks for your feedback. What was the issue or downside you saw with the spacers? Does the beefier setup ride smoothly or is it really rough? i agree w/the comment above that i really like the OEM cushy ride.
 
Thanks for your feedback. What was the issue or downside you saw with the spacers? Does the beefier setup ride smoothly or is it really rough? i agree w/the comment above that i really like the OEM cushy ride.

The spacers didn't do enough to help when I was loaded down on camping trips. My camping gear totals around 700 lbs, and even with the spacers my tow hitch would bottom out when I went through mild ditches and what not on the trail. The spacers were just a bandaid but the solution was stronger springs. I went with the Old man Emu 2863s and the Iron man torsion bars (hidden winch and mount are heavy) BUT I kept the OEM toyota shocks, the ride is certainly not stiff or jarring in anyway. In fact I'd say going to 3 ply side wall A/T tires from the stock michelins made more of a difference in ride stiffness than the new springs.
 
I think 2685 is the beefiest spring you need even though 2866 unloaded wasn’t high at all . If your heaviest load is the smoker, the springs rated for 440-880 are going to pitch you higher in the rear than 2” when your not trailering. If u have a bumper get some sway away tb’s and call it a day. You’ll be at 500$ in parts pre labor
 
Is the ride going to go to hell w/the spacers or will it be negligible to the normal person like me?
No, you probably won’t notice much if any change in ride quality with spacers because the OEM springs are linear.

. I guess what i'm getting at is, am i better off going with this setup and saving ~$2000 or the OME kit?
The only legitimate reason to get one of the “lift” kits is if you’re going to be driving around most of the time with hundreds of pounds of extra $hit in or on your 100. The kits like OME, Ironman, etc are not really “lift” kits; they’re specifically for carrying more weight without riding on the bumpstops.
 

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