OME nitrocharger lifespan?

[SARCruiser]

I've had my OME heavy/heavy lift with the stiff shocks on for about 25k now. About 1/4 of that mileage has been wheeling of various sorts. The last few hundred miles I've started to notice a front to back wobble when coming to a stop. Basically, I can see and feel the front end bob a few times at each stop. I assume this is a sign the shocks are starting to go bad? It just seems like a really short life span for a set of shocks.

Is that about typical for OME shocks?

I should probably note that as it sits on a typical day, my truck sits at around 5800lbs with gear, bumpers, etc.

I've been looking at the Bilstein 5150's but if I go any route, I want them to last longer than these have. For those of you with Bilsteins, how do they typically hold up for longevity? I don't put a ton of miles on my cruiser in a typical year but I'd rather not be putting new shocks on every 25-30k.

Thanks for any input you may have

 

[Trapper50cal]

I can't speak to your issues while coming to a stop, but I can generally tell you that a shock's life is going to be effected by it's application and it's correctness regarding fully compressed and fully extended numbers. If the shock is being asked to extend beyond it's limit (i.e. overextending) it will lessen it's life.

Sidenote: I had very bad luck with 5150's on the front of my Pig...they blew their seals VERY early, and I don't believe I was overextending them. I was unimpressed with them and their "Void Warranty if Used Offroad" caveat.

 

[SARCruiser]

That's about what I figured with the OME shocks. I've always been a bit frustrated that they are the limiting factor on the travel of the OME suspension.

 

[elripster]

Just for context, the vast majority of suspensions (solid axles, leaves, links, MacPherson struts, IFS...) use the shocks to limit travel. It's quite normal. Our Land Cruisers as well as the rear axle on my 4runner do this from the factory.


Frank

 

[Trapper50cal]

Just for context, the vast majority of suspensions (solid axles, leaves, links, MacPherson struts, IFS...) use the shocks to limit travel. It's quite normal. Our Land Cruisers as well as the rear axle on my 4runner do this from the factory.


Frank

I wasn't aware of that...I thought that both compression and extension were supposed to be limited by spring travel or bump stop...

 

[SARCruiser]

I wasn't aware of that...I thought that both compression and extension were supposed to be limited by spring travel or bump stop...

I suppose it may be true in stock configuration for a lot of vehicles since most vehicles don't reach the upper or lower limits of their suspension travel on a regular basis. In a vehicle that is regularly flexing the suspension up and down to the limits, you definitely don't want the shocks to be limiting travel since it will put a lot of undue stress on the seals and cause premature failure.

 

[Trapper50cal]

I suppose it may be true in stock configuration for a lot of vehicles since most vehicles don't reach the upper or lower limits of their suspension travel on a regular basis. In a vehicle that is regularly flexing the suspension up and down to the limits, you definitely don't want the shocks to be limiting travel since it will put a lot of undue stress on the seals and cause premature failure.

That was my thinking on it...