I'm currently in the middle of a bunch of work on my 1996 FZJ80 which includes refreshing the suspension. I purchased the vehicle in 2011 with the OME J lift installed (850J/863J, L shocks, stabilizer, OME caster bushings). I installed 1" poly spacers up front to help with the stinkbug look back in 2013, but I've made no other changes. I'm not sure how many miles are on the lift, but the rig currently has 260k, most of the suspension bushings are in very poor condition, and the vehicle handles like crap.
The rig is my daily driver during the winter, so on-road handling is very important. Most off-road activity consists of overlanding with medium difficulty obstacles mixed in, but eventually I'd like to run the Rubicon/Moab/etc. When the current 33's wear out I'll be upgrading to tires in the 35's-37's range. Current accessories include an ARB front bumper with an S9000 winch, MetalTech sliders, a Kaymar rear tire carrier with a 255/85R16 spare, and roughly 100lbs of gear in it. I'm planning on adding a roof rack as well as a rear bumper with dual swing-outs.
Along with the bushing replacements I'll also be installing 2" MetalTech coil spacers (for leveling), MetalTech 3.5* caster plates (removing the OME bushings), and Man-A-Fre swaybar drops (front and rear). Not knowing how many miles are on the current lift, I purchased brand new OME J springs, OME L shocks, and an OME stabilizer (around $800) to replace the old stuff. I don't know a lot about suspension, so I'm not sure if you can 'feel' when springs or shocks are worn out, but I was surprised when I removed the old springs and shocks and they didn't feel much different than their new replacements. While I'm positive that replacing the bushings (I'm replacing ALL of them) is going to make a dramatic difference, I'm wondering if maybe I should look at other suspension setups to improve on-road and off-road performance.
- I've been reading everything I can on here and it seems like people who have made the switch to other setups haven't regretted it. I think a progressive or dual-rate spring might be better for my use (versus linear springs like the OME's).
- I like what I'm hearing about the Slinky setup, but ~$2,500 for springs and monotube shocks seems very steep (MetalTech sells the full remote-reservoir ICON stage 3 kit for ~$2,900).
- I've also heard good things about the ICON stage 1 kit (~$1,650), and I like that the shocks are rebuildable/revalveable.
- Ironman is another option, and their complete 4" kit is currently on sale for $1,919. Their kit includes adjustable panhard bars (which I don't have but may need) and other stuff which I already have and could sell to recoup some $$$ (swaybar drops, extended brake lines, caster plates).
- Also hear good things about Slee and Dobinson's. Hate the color of the Dobinson's springs, but I suppose they can be painted?
- I'm not opposed to upgrading just the springs or just the shocks.
- I'd like to be able to run 37's with little to no cutting/trimming.
Those who have experience with OME J lifts as well as other setups, do you think it's worth the extra time/money/hassle to upgrade from OME to something else?
The rig is my daily driver during the winter, so on-road handling is very important. Most off-road activity consists of overlanding with medium difficulty obstacles mixed in, but eventually I'd like to run the Rubicon/Moab/etc. When the current 33's wear out I'll be upgrading to tires in the 35's-37's range. Current accessories include an ARB front bumper with an S9000 winch, MetalTech sliders, a Kaymar rear tire carrier with a 255/85R16 spare, and roughly 100lbs of gear in it. I'm planning on adding a roof rack as well as a rear bumper with dual swing-outs.
Along with the bushing replacements I'll also be installing 2" MetalTech coil spacers (for leveling), MetalTech 3.5* caster plates (removing the OME bushings), and Man-A-Fre swaybar drops (front and rear). Not knowing how many miles are on the current lift, I purchased brand new OME J springs, OME L shocks, and an OME stabilizer (around $800) to replace the old stuff. I don't know a lot about suspension, so I'm not sure if you can 'feel' when springs or shocks are worn out, but I was surprised when I removed the old springs and shocks and they didn't feel much different than their new replacements. While I'm positive that replacing the bushings (I'm replacing ALL of them) is going to make a dramatic difference, I'm wondering if maybe I should look at other suspension setups to improve on-road and off-road performance.
- I've been reading everything I can on here and it seems like people who have made the switch to other setups haven't regretted it. I think a progressive or dual-rate spring might be better for my use (versus linear springs like the OME's).
- I like what I'm hearing about the Slinky setup, but ~$2,500 for springs and monotube shocks seems very steep (MetalTech sells the full remote-reservoir ICON stage 3 kit for ~$2,900).
- I've also heard good things about the ICON stage 1 kit (~$1,650), and I like that the shocks are rebuildable/revalveable.
- Ironman is another option, and their complete 4" kit is currently on sale for $1,919. Their kit includes adjustable panhard bars (which I don't have but may need) and other stuff which I already have and could sell to recoup some $$$ (swaybar drops, extended brake lines, caster plates).
- Also hear good things about Slee and Dobinson's. Hate the color of the Dobinson's springs, but I suppose they can be painted?
- I'm not opposed to upgrading just the springs or just the shocks.
- I'd like to be able to run 37's with little to no cutting/trimming.
Those who have experience with OME J lifts as well as other setups, do you think it's worth the extra time/money/hassle to upgrade from OME to something else?