OME Rear Lift Droop Affecting Ride

2000 LC · Jan 25, 2015

Hello all,

Currently in the mail are OME860 springs, 60000 and 60002 shocks.

I am in bad need of new shocks especially up front and new springs in the rear however cannot justify the new t bars at over $350 without a front bumper in mind as of yet. Especially considering I got free shipping on these parts.

A trip to Canada hauling lots of gear is coming up and I am worried about the droop from rear to front with the 860 springs and 180k old Toyota t bars.

My questions are:

Has anyone been through a similar situation, and how high were you able to crank the oem t bars? (Currently my front sits very low however the t bars have never been touched in 15 years.)

The front oem shocks were shot 50k ago, how will the new stiffer nitrochargers affect body roll, and will they possibly help lift the front slightly?

If I were stuck with a bad rake, will it affect ride quality/handling? (I can deal with the look for a while)

Finally, any other suggestions for a college student on a budget?

Thank you for your time,

Mike

DFXR · Jan 25, 2015

I have a similar but not identical setup to yours. 865s in the rear, stock original t-bars, nitrochargers all around. Early Slee blueberry bumper, no winch. The springs, shocks and a t-bar adjustment happened at approx 165K. Approx 175K right now.

I left a rake of about 1.5" lower in front. The ride is fine. Not plush of course but who would expect that? Leveling or close to it will give you a much harsher ride up front, and push your t-bars harder, so I would plan on a rake of 1.5" or so.

Of course, you will get more lift out of the stiffer 860s, and a bouncier ride when your cruiser is unloaded. But I think your t-bars will be able to handle some turning, esp since you have the stock front bumper. And as long as you're not expecting a soft ride, you'll be happy. When you've got a load back there is when you'll really appreciate it.

Plan on getting an alignment done after you've adjusted the t-bars.

2000 LC · Jan 26, 2015

Thank you for your response,

The 865's would probably suit my needs a little better however I got a great deal on the 860's.

I guess the final question would be: If I do end up with a considerable rake, say 2.5 inches from rear to front due to the taller springs, will that affect handling/driveability? I know there are multiple threads outlining issues with the front end up being too high causing bump/torque steer, etc. What about the rear being way high up? Might be a dumb question however I am not an expert on all of the 100 suspension geometry.

sdnative · Jan 26, 2015

The 865 and 860 have the same spring rate but the 860 are a little taller. I run 865 unloaded and it rides great. I'm sure the 860 will be similar, just more of a rake.

Hayes · Jan 26, 2015

Excessive front rake will make the truck twitchy. It shouldn't affect ride in terms of how the suspension handles bumps and irregularities.
Keep in mind that some front rake is what is specified to have (I think it's supposed to have about 1 inch or 1.5 inches). If you've got adjustment left on the factory t-bars, go ahead and crank them up a bit. I think if you got within 2 inches of front rake you'd be fine. If you're out of adjustment room, you could re-index the t-bars. Last but not least you could load up the cargo area with extra weight (beer?) to lower the rear.

yotasavg · Jan 26, 2015

I guess the question I'm wondering is why not just reindex the tbars and crank them until you have proper rake? Seems like this would be more ideal than dealing with excessive rake. I'm interested to know how you like the ride. I'm in a similar situation with my shocks and although I'm not really ready for a lift, I'd rather just get 865's and raise it an inch (or 1.5") all around at the same time. Please post back with pics when you get the lift on!

PS. I know you're going with 860's but I'd still like to see and hear your feedback

2000 LC · Feb 7, 2015

Thanks for all of the responses and suggestions. The suspension is finally on and I have to say.. best $500 I've spent in a while. The improvement over my worn out stock components is night and day. The ride is certainly firmer but its not jarring by any means. I have not gotten a chance to test it out on anything more than a dirt road however I have to say the product is well worth the price if you are looking for a suspension upgrade. I'm actually not overly cautious cornering anymore. Originally I was scared about the 860's however the truck actually sits nicely and more importantly does not sag at all when loaded!

Looking forward to getting out there this summer and hopefully attending a trail run event or two hosted by some of you guys.

The rear probably went up over 3 inches and the front t-bars came up about 1-1.5 with some cranking room left.

Pics: