OME, Eibach or Bilstien?

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baseballdad5

Joined
Nov 17, 2018
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7
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Location
Oklahoma City
After 260,000 miles, AHC is starting to leak. Left front "shock" is leaking. Not where it is dripping on the driveway, but leaking none the less. I am sure this has been covered ad-nauseam, however I am in need of advise. I have a Dissent rear bumper with single tire swing out currently, but will be adding the second this summer. TJM front bumper is on the way as well and will purchase appropriate winch when it arrives. I only want 1.5" or so lift or close to the H setting on my AHC when completed. Could you guys give me your thoughts on my three options and which springs. I will not be adding anything else to the truck such as drawers. May do armor later but it will probably be aluminum if so.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Last edited:
Dobinson's.

The OME is entry level and known for being a poor ride quality. Bilstein makes a few products for our trucks but for whatever reason, they're not that prevalent or widely used. I didn't even know Eibach made anything for the 100.
 
I very recently installed the Eibach system on my 01 LX and I am very pleased with the results. I also installed a set on OME torsion bars along with a SLEE front diff drop. I have the front hub to fender height set at 22" and the rear is at 23". The ride is very stable, but firm. There is very little body roll on hard turns. The install was easy and straight forward. Since I will venture only onto beaches, I did not require anything with a higher lift or more aggressive ride.

When first installed, we had cranked the TBs to allow for a 23 1/2" height. Too, too much! Ride was extremely bouncy and unstable. The front shocks were maxxed out which is what killed the ride. Over the next few hundred miles, I have dropped down to as low as 21", but settled on 22" as i like the look, the ride and the overall stance. I will put up some pictures tomorrow for your view.
 
If you go the OME route, here's what I can contribute based on my experience: ARB front bumper, rear bumper dual swing-outs, sliders, homegrown drawers. The 2864 springs were too stiff, the 2860 springs would occasionally bottom out but were adequate, I settled on the 2863's. The OME torsion bars are good, but the shocks that come with the kits are harsh and I went with Ironman foam shocks. I chased some handling issues early on and added the diff drop, but also replaced CV's and shocks around same time. I would highly recommend re-banding your CV boots when you do this if you haven't already, as they tend to leak with lifting. I hope this helps!
 
delz05 said:
I very recently installed the Eibach system on my 01 LX and I am very pleased with the results. I also installed a set on OME torsion bars along with a SLEE front diff drop. I have the front hub to fender height set at 22" and the rear is at 23". The ride is very stable, but firm. There is very little body roll on hard turns. The install was easy and straight forward. Since I will venture only onto beaches, I did not require anything with a higher lift or more aggressive ride.

When first installed, we had cranked the TBs to allow for a 23 1/2" height. Too, too much! Ride was extremely bouncy and unstable. The front shocks were maxxed out which is what killed the ride. Over the next few hundred miles, I have dropped down to as low as 21", but settled on 22" as I like the look, the ride and the overall stance. I will put up some pictures tomorrow for your view.
Click to expand...

The front driver sits a little higher than the passenger. Both sides rear are at 23, measured fron center of the wheel hub to fender lip

LX470Truck.webp


Front22.5.webp


Rear23.webp
 
Thanks input fellas.

@MongooseGA I had totally forgotten about Dobinson. From what I have read, they have a good ride quality, correct?

@delz05 Thanks for the photos. Thats about how much I am looking for. When you say "firm", would you say more truck like or jarring? AHC is pretty plush for a truck but my sons 4runner has a firm ride that I feel is more sporty.

@DiegoCrzr I just changed CV's 6 months ago so I should be good. With 1.5"-2" I hadn't considered a Dif drop. I may look into that while I am in there.
 
As far as the diff drop goes, some people do and some don't. After spewing grease, going through CV's, and handling issues, I replaced bushings, shocks, etc. as well as said diff drop. Since you have already done CV's (OEM, I hope) put $$ towards shocks before diff drop and keep an eye on CV boots. It's hard to say what lift height you'll actually end up with when lifting an IFS cruiser depending on accessories and manufacturer of springs, research the forum on what to expect for stiffness too. My buddy has been quite happy with his Dobinson's. Exciting stuff, show us pics after the install!
 
baseballdad5 said:
Thanks input fellas.

@MongooseGA I had totally forgotten about Dobinson. From what I have read, they have a good ride quality, correct?

@delz05 Thanks for the photos. Thats about how much I am looking for. When you say "firm", would you say more truck like or jarring? AHC is pretty plush for a truck but my sons 4runner has a firm ride that I feel is more sporty.

@DiegoCrzr I just changed CV's 6 months ago so I should be good. With 1.5"-2" I hadn't considered a Dif drop. I may look into that while I am in there.
Click to expand...
I would go with 4Runner firm, not jarring at all. My son has an 06 4Runner V8, with yellow Bilsteins we installed in November 2022, the LX is a bit firmer, but also brand new, with less than 500 miles on the new set up.
 
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