OME 2.5" plus MAF 30mm spring spacers....good or bad idea? (1 Viewer)

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Vancouver, BC, Canada
I have Old Man Emu 2.5" lift shocks and springs on my 80. Does anyone know if I'll get a noticeable reduction in articulation or ride quality if I throw in Man-A-Fre's 30mm coils spring spacers? I'm wondering whether the extra 30mm will put the shocks out of their preferred working range and affect performance, or will the truck just be extra badass with no ill effects?

Thanks a bundle.
 
if you have the regular ome shocks, you'll be fine with the setup. you'll be a bit short on droop, but fine nonetheless. run it, and enjoy the level stance a front spacer will bring to your 81...

if you have L shocks, they're meant to work with a 3.5" -4" lift, so youd still be in spec there.

do it!
 
Thanks for the encouragement d0ub! I don't have Ls, but screw it. Droop be damned, I'm all about height!!

BTW, I'm also all about good cup holders so I don't spill my:
YouTube - Fxxxin Tea
 
do 15" steelies count?
 
nope you need atleast 20" and bonus points for spinners!:hillbilly:
 
I talked to Phillip and John at ATEB and they said I'd need to do a whole bunch of crap to the front drive shaft and extend the shocks with something-or-other. So, the spacers are now on the back burner.....On another note, does anybody want to buy some MAF 30mm spacers, perhaps???
 
I think Philip and John are err- ing on the safe side. They likely want to preserve your stock geometry, driveline angles and shock travel to as close to optimum as possible. It would suck to inherit a nasty driveline vibration by adding the spacers. Not certain that would happen, but it would drive me insane...
 
John & Philip are likely right on. All the suspension pros in Australia say a 3" lift on coils is the max to use castor correction bushings. At 3.5 suspension lift, you are likely going to need drop boxes, adjustable drag link, etc. Can't say about the driveline. I do know on the SWB it can be more of an issue but you can get spacers to easily drop your tranny and t-case.
 
Thanks for the help and advice guys, but I think I'll play it on the safe (and cheaper) side. I have every reason to trust the Voos and The OME 2.5" is a MASSIVE upgrade from the tired old stock suspension I inherited. The first few days I had the OME I would constantly find myself tensing up and "preparing" for an upcoming bump in the road, only to have the truck handle it with kid gloves. It's hugely better than stock and I don't want to push the envelope too far. The HDJ81 with OME already gives me access to a billion more cool spots than I had in my Surf, so I'm not complaining!
 
I've heard third hand that replacing the OME shocks with high end units pays great dividends in ride. Agreed that any lift beyond 3 inches puts you in that 'limbo' territory that may require DC shafts, adjustable panhards, plates/arms etc. My 3.5 needed plates and a DC shaft, dropped brake lines and LSPV bracket and extended rear bump stops and front sway bar bracket. Guess this is why the 2.5 is so popular (and cheap) You can drive around with bad geometry and uncorrected caster but your emergency handling can be very scary. 1st hand info on that one...
 
What size of tires are you running? You could always try the spacers out down the road. You could try them with some bolt on caster plates, that way you can still use stock or aftermarket bushings, and with less labour involved too. As for the driveline you might get away with the vibration noise, but as the U-joints get worn, you will probably hear the vibration. I know with my 6" lift and one caster correction bushing, it can be a handful sometimes on wavy roads comming to a stop. I've gotten use to it now, but once in a while it catches me off guard. My driveline vibration wasn't too bad when I first got my truck, but I notice as the U-joints got older the more constant the vibes were happening, only when you let off the throttle at high speeds. I have put in a DC shaft in the front and no more driveline vibes yet? The extreme angle put on the U-joints wear them out faster for sure. I think sailor meant OEM than OME.
 
nope, OME. That info was gleaned from reading on the 'net, and there are a lot of 'internet engineers' running around so take it for what it's worth...
 
nope, OME. That info was gleaned from reading on the 'net, and there are a lot of 'internet engineers' running around so take it for what it's worth...

I was wondering if that was a typo. Seems that quite a few Aussies are now buying ProComp shocks but I had not heard of anyone saying OME are not that great. Word is the ProComps are too soft for a loaded expo rig. At under $50 each from Summit Racing, I might be tempted to try them on the wife's rig. I've also heard that the OME gas shocks, while giving a nicer ride, don't seem to be lasting like the hydraulic shocks. Bilsteins still seem to be held in very high regard. They also cost a lot more. Again, all this info is from comments gleamed on the outer-net.
 
ikeedikeed I talked to Phillip and John at ATEB and they said I'd need to do a whole bunch of **** to the front drive shaft and extend the shocks with something-or-other. So, the spacers are now on the back burner.....On another note, does anybody want to buy some MAF 30mm spacers, perhaps???

I'd be looking for some spacers!:D This is the front and rear correct?
PM me if you do want to sell.

Cheers, Paul
 
I'm trying to get a handle on this myself. I really don't like the stinkbug look and have been planning to run front spacers to compensate for that when I get my 850/860 (hvy front, med rear) lift in. I have a bunch of extra weight pulling the front down, but of course I don't know how the trucks going to sit until the lift is in. I just don't want to have to go into the front twice to either add spacers later to compensate for the stinkbug, or remove them if they cause problems. I'm going to correct caster with the "washer mod", so my only concern is driveline vibrations.

Of course I could leave the spacers out, and if the rear is too much higher I can hang more heavy stuff off the rear end to bring it down...
 
Hey Jason,

I went with the 850/860 combo and I have a very slight "stinkbug" stance still. This is with no winch or heavy bumper. I also think that your diesel mill might weigh about 100 lbs more than my fine petrol unit! I'd plan on the spacer.
I did see for sale once in the Mud classifieds a nice set of adjustable spacers. They looked much like the ones that I had for my Cherokee. They have a threaded collar that's used to adjust height. I have no idea who makes or made them.
 
Thanks for the comments, Paul.

I have a set of spacers ready to throw in. They're 1 3/8". Its all a bit of a guess though, since I have a heavy bumper at both ends of the truck. More weight on the front though, esp. with 150' of cable on the 8274.
 

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