Shocks that ride better than OME?

[cadence]

I have OME springs and shock that give approx a 2.5" lift. The ride is very choppy and I suspect it is mostly due to the very low-tech OME gas shocks. Does anyone offer a more sophisticated and refined shock that works well on and off road and is suitable for up to a 3" lift? I am only interested in direct bolt-in options. Maybe something from Bilstein?

I appreciate that they are going to cost much more than the OME shocks!

 

[Ebag333]

From what I've heard, Bilstein's are the bomb, but are serious $$$.

I'm not a huge fan of the OME shock, though I haven't tried the new nitrocharger sport (or whatever they are called). I'm running the Pro Comp ES9000's, which I'm a huge fan of.

Few weekends back had to bomb in on a forest service road going way faster than I would have liked, and the Pro Comp's performed 10x better than the OME's in a similar situation. I was extremely pleased with them, and despite abusing them heavily had zero shock fade.

The price on them is very reasonable as well.

 

[jlm43]

I have had bilsteins on my other toyotas and loved them. Try calling Frankie at F.O.R.. You can buy just the shocks from him. A longer shock will give more travel and should help in the ride quality. The stiffer springs give you more height, now gain the travel to go with it.

 

[yoopercharged]

FYI, Bilsteins used to be my favorite until I've seen several 5150s on Jeeps with broken mounting studs and pissed out seals within a few months. Bilstein wouldn't stand behind their junk, even being less than a year old on light to moderately wheeled vehicles. 90 day warranty. I've seen $20 shocks at Napa last way longer. My .02.

 

[jlm43]

FYI, Bilsteins used to be my favorite until I've seen several 5150s on Jeeps with broken mounting studs and pissed out seals within a few months. Bilstein wouldn't stand behind their junk, even being less than a year old on light to moderately wheeled vehicles. 90 day warranty. I've seen $20 shocks at Napa last way longer. My .02.

I have always had great luck with bilsteins. Just my .02. That being said, I will soon be running Frankies Edlebrock shocks. He swapped from billies to the eldebrock for the same reason you changed. What good is a warranty if they don't honor it when you do actually need it.

 

[sleeoffroad]

I have OME springs and shock that give approx a 2.5" lift. The ride is very choppy and I suspect it is mostly due to the very low-tech OME gas shocks. Does anyone offer a more sophisticated and refined shock that works well on and off road and is suitable for up to a 3" lift? I am only interested in direct bolt-in options. Maybe something from Bilstein?

I appreciate that they are going to cost much more than the OME shocks!

Before you blame the shocks, what OME springs are you running and what is the load on your truck? I believe somewhere you mentioned a 3" kit. What springs are those and how is your truck set up? Too heavy of a spring with no load will produce a pretty bad ride.

 

[Ebag333]

FYI, Bilsteins used to be my favorite until I've seen several 5150s on Jeeps with broken mounting studs and pissed out seals within a few months. Bilstein wouldn't stand behind their junk, even being less than a year old on light to moderately wheeled vehicles. 90 day warranty. I've seen $20 shocks at Napa last way longer. My .02.

I have always had great luck with bilsteins. Just my .02. That being said, I will soon be running Frankies Edlebrock shocks. He swapped from billies to the eldebrock for the same reason you changed. What good is a warranty if they don't honor it when you do actually need it.

That's interesting. I don't think I'll recommend Bilsteins anymore if that's the case....

 

[rhyary]

I am in the same place. I want a better ride on the road then the OME Ls. Let me qualify better, the truck is moving too much on the road. A more control ride will be desirable. I feel that the Slee 4" springs are perfect for me. But the shocks don't quite them quick enough ofter imperfection on the road.

But because the OME Ls are "sort of good enough" I am not going to get anything unless I am absolute sure it is better with Warranty to go with it. Until then, I am on the side line.

Let's start a list of requirements:
Warranty:
Suspension Travel:
Fitment to 80:
Springs:
Truck weight:

Please add more to the list.
It will require a decision matrix of some sort, but it is doable to come up with something. At the minimum will can come up the the list to of requirements.

 

[PIAA]

I would say Koni shockx is run better than OME

 

[Ebag333]

But because the OME Ls are "sort of good enough" I am not going to get anything unless I am absolute sure it is better with Warranty to go with it. Until then, I am on the side line.

Kaoscruiser had a ProComp shock he bought second hand (unsure if the previous owner actually used them or not) replaced at no charge when it started leaking.

Good morning. We have 2 ways to do the warranty on the shock. First you can purchase a new one from us and we will bill you and ups the new shock to you. When you have swapped the shock you can return it to us for credit. The second way you can do the warranty is to send us the shock back first and when we receive the shock, we will send you a replacement at no charge. Please let me know which way you would like to proceed and we will get you handled.

Thanks for supporting Pro Comp products.

Their response was quick and from what I saw (not being involved) seemed to be excellent.

Kaoscruiser had no paperwork, no proof of purchase, no receipts, nothing, and they still covered it.

I was impressed.

 

[yoopercharged]

That's interesting. I don't think I'll recommend Bilsteins anymore if that's the case....

It's sad. Bilstein had the first monotube shock absorber on a car (Mercedes). They used to be fantastic with their warranty, but they really didn't need it because they were such a great shock anyways. I've used them well before they gained popularity when they were put on the Chevy Z71. The OEM ones on my 83 Mercedes with 230,000 miles still work fine. It bothers me when companies use their reputation to market crap as quality products.

 

[yoopercharged]

Kaoscruiser had a ProComp shock he bought second hand (unsure if the previous owner actually used them or not) replaced at no charge when it started leaking.



Their response was quick and from what I saw (not being involved) seemed to be excellent.

Kaoscruiser had no paperwork, no proof of purchase, no receipts, nothing, and they still covered it.

I was impressed.

That is impressive. That's exactly how Bilstein used to be!! It sounds like you've had good luck with the pro comps. I'll definitely look into those next time. Nice info on your link to your Pro Comp thread BTW.

 

[CharlieS]

"ride is very choppy" is very subjective.

I have the basic OME 2.5 lift, 285 bfgs, arb front (no winch/but SC to add weight up front), ipor rear, rear storage platform, fridge, etc and love the ride. My wife might say it is very choppy....

Also, too many variables to make your task easy - tire brand/size/tread pattern/wear, road conditions, condition of drive train, armor f/r, interior load, passengers, etc. - it is going to be a very ugly matrix.

 

[FirstToy]

Didn't OME just come out with new style shocks?

Maybe give those a try, I thought they were a new design

 

[Kaoscruizer]

That is correct. Got all 4 shocks NEW in box second hand off MUD. The first rear shock started leaking, they sent me a new one. The other rear shock is now leaking, they are replacing that as well. The new rear shock they sent me is great, no issues. Not sure what happened to the originals I got second hand. The front shocks have been flawless. Great ride and cheap!

I would recommend Pro Comp to anyone that wants a good shock at a decent price.

Kaoscruiser had a ProComp shock he bought second hand (unsure if the previous owner actually used them or not) replaced at no charge when it started leaking.



Their response was quick and from what I saw (not being involved) seemed to be excellent.

Kaoscruiser had no paperwork, no proof of purchase, no receipts, nothing, and they still covered it.

I was impressed.

 

[little_joe]

That is correct. Got all 4 shocks NEW in box second hand off MUD. The first rear shock started leaking, they sent me a new one. The other rear shock is now leaking, they are replacing that as well. The new rear shock they sent me is great, no issues. Not sure what happened to the originals I got second hand. The front shocks have been flawless. Great ride and cheap!

I would recommend Pro Comp to anyone that wants a good shock at a decent price.

Ditto, great results w/ the ES9000s on my 80, and thankfully no issues with them.

Bilstein is not a good shock to pair w/ OME springs imho unless you are heavily laden. OME spring rates are way high, and the Bilstein valving is very firm - makes for a rough ride.

 

[jlm43]

I am really enjoying this thread. It makes me feel better about dropping the money on frankies lift and not going with the OME to save a few bucks.
Maybe I will feel differently once I have it installed, but for now, I feel it is worth the money.

 

[Kaoscruizer]

At the time, I didn't know any better! FOR kit or Slee kit is the only way to roll. Takes most of the guess work out of it and prevents having to "piece" things together to get what you want. With all the clowning around I have done with my lift, I am sure I could have had the FOR kit paid for easily. Lesson learned.

 

[cadence]

Before you blame the shocks, what OME springs are you running and what is the load on your truck? I believe somewhere you mentioned a 3" kit. What springs are those and how is your truck set up? Too heavy of a spring with no load will produce a pretty bad ride.

Good point. Here is my set-up.

LC80 with no extra weight, i.e. no big bumpers, tire carrier, etc.

FRONT
OME N73
OME 851 + Slee 1" spacer

REAR
OME N74E
OME 860

Should I change to the "Soft" OME shocks or are there other options?

 

[sleeoffroad]

Good point. Here is my set-up.

LC80 with no extra weight, i.e. no big bumpers, tire carrier, etc.

FRONT
OME N73
OME 851 + Slee 1" spacer

REAR
OME N74E
OME 860

Should I change to the "Soft" OME shocks or are there other options?

No, you have the right stuff on your truck. What do you mean with choppy? Also what tires, load rating and pressure are you running?