street handling after installing OME springs (1 Viewer)

[mark71]

i would be very interested to hear from everyone with these installed to get a sense of how the road handling changes. JBHorne just made a comment on another thread to the effect that handling improved. i trust your observations JB, but can you please elaborate.

i definately tend to drive fast, and the body roll on off ramps is pretty close to as tippy as i can tolerate. i know that stiffer springs will mean less roll, but are they stiff enough to counteract the higher center of gravity.

thanx in advance to all you pioneering LC modifiers.

p.s. please post whether you used the 702 or 703 springs up front, and if you have the ARB bumper.

 

[chimyz]

Firmer ride with less body roll. The firmer ride translates into more bumps, but I find it gives a better feel for the road. What surprised me the most, is how well the OME handled high speed choppy fireroads over the stock suspension.

I ended up with 703s and ARB bumper.

One thought I can leave with you, and I'm sure others will concur, When you first take it for a ride with the new OMEs on, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[JBHorne]

Firmer ride with less body roll. The firmer ride translates into more bumps, but I find it gives a better feel for the road. What surprised me the most, is how well the OME handled high speed choppy fireroads over the stock suspension.

I ended up with 703s and ARB bumper.

One thought I can leave with you, and I'm sure others will concur, When you first take it for a ride with the new OMEs on, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I will elaborate. What Chimyz said...seriously.

What I immediately noticed was a stiffer ride. This helps greatly on turns. I don't want to say that YOU will be able to take YOUR turns faster, but for me I could if I wanted to. If you jerk the vehicle left-right-left, it holds its grip VERY well for a tall SUV.

I will say, however, that RIGHT after having these installed I noticed a lot more road bumps. This could be a combo of the LT-E tires as well (factory are P-metric...big difference in build). You do feel a lot more of the road vibrations, but the larger tires eat potholes better.

Since I have no weight in the rear (and the lowest ARB spring offered is "medium load"), I do notice the rear jumps more. I usually drive either by myself or with one passenger adult, and the rear kicks upward over speed bumps more. This is not something you will notice on the highway, however, and I'm sure it will be perfect once I load up a few hundred pounds of gear and ammo.

Over the past few days, I would say the ride has actually improved. Maybe as the springs and shocks break in?

For me, I like the "improved" ride. I also have an RX330 and a Cadillac SRX (family vehicles) This truck is nothing like them (as I said....this is a truck after all). Both those vehicles have plush suspension. To me great highway vehicles, but I personally like the "truck" ride more.

I used the 703 springs with the bumper and 9.5xp winch.

Does that help a bit?

 

[donjuanmiguel]

I have the medium duty springs with 400# constant loads in the rear. I was concerned about the stiffness while running empty. While it is stiffer over bumpy or dippy roads I'm not thrown around by any means. You do become aware of the higher center of gravity. I've entered and exited hwys with sharp turns, stock suspension no problem, OME lift feels a bit more flighty.

This is my first suspension upgrade for any vehicle I've owned and the difference is remarkable.

p.s. I have 702 up front and 723 in rear.

 

[mark71]

thanx for the input. that really helps a lot.

and JB, great job on your LC...the body-colored bumper is exactly the route i want to go as well. the only thing that could have made those pics any more mouth watering would be a leggy blonde in a bikini!

 

[JBHorne]

thanx for the input. that really helps a lot.

and JB, great job on your LC...the body-colored bumper is exactly the route i want to go as well. the only thing that could have made those pics any more mouth watering would be a leggy blonde in a bikini!

My girlfriend was with me and we discussed this, but ultimately she refused. Well...she refused to let me post those pics

(and you probably think I am joking...)

 

[JBHorne]

I have the medium duty springs with 400# constant loads in the rear. I was concerned about the stiffness while running empty. While it is stiffer over bumpy or dippy roads I'm not thrown around by any means. You do become aware of the higher center of gravity. I've entered and exited hwys with sharp turns, stock suspension no problem, OME lift feels a bit more flighty.

This is my first suspension upgrade for any vehicle I've owned and the difference is remarkable.

p.s. I have 702 up front and 723 in rear.

Mark71, If Don has highway experience, I'd trust his input more than mine. I barely get on the highway and have yet to have my new suspension above 50mph. Stock I've had it to 130mph. It felt surprisingly stable at those speeds. I would not take my new tires at that speed however.

Don: When you say "the difference is remarkable", is this in a highly positive regard or negative?

 

[donjuanmiguel]

JB, its in the positive. Before the lift, the ride felt somewhat like my wife's 470, soft and water-bed like. Plus putting any weight in the back cause it to drag. Now, it feels more like it should, solid. I'm very happy.

 

[dtt255]

You all said....stiffy....

 

[vxlc80]

any feedback with the ome 720 or 721? i want to keep my truck at stock height but can take up loads

 

[xkennx]

Not sure if they offer something like this for the consumer market yet or not - but We had Tom and Kristian at Ironman design a body roll suppression system for my armored TLC 200's (when finished the curb weight is 3.8 tons)

Its a rubber spring that goes on the chassis and and almost touches the axle. This will eliminate a TON of body roll and stops the shocks from ever bottoming out.

might be worth asking your local Ironman supplier to see if they can get a similar product for the general public.

 

[dtt255]

Firmer ride with less body roll. The firmer ride translates into more bumps, but I find it gives a better feel for the road. What surprised me the most, is how well the OME handled high speed choppy fireroads over the stock suspension.

I ended up with 703s and ARB bumper.

One thought I can leave with you, and I'm sure others will concur, When you first take it for a ride with the new OMEs on, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I will elaborate. What Chimyz said...seriously.

What I immediately noticed was a stiffer ride. This helps greatly on turns. I don't want to say that YOU will be able to take YOUR turns faster, but for me I could if I wanted to. If you jerk the vehicle left-right-left, it holds its grip VERY well for a tall SUV.

I will say, however, that RIGHT after having these installed I noticed a lot more road bumps. This could be a combo of the LT-E tires as well (factory are P-metric...big difference in build). You do feel a lot more of the road vibrations, but the larger tires eat potholes better.

Since I have no weight in the rear (and the lowest ARB spring offered is "medium load"), I do notice the rear jumps more. I usually drive either by myself or with one passenger adult, and the rear kicks upward over speed bumps more. This is not something you will notice on the highway, however, and I'm sure it will be perfect once I load up a few hundred pounds of gear and ammo.

Over the past few days, I would say the ride has actually improved. Maybe as the springs and shocks break in?

For me, I like the "improved" ride. I also have an RX330 and a Cadillac SRX (family vehicles) This truck is nothing like them (as I said....this is a truck after all). Both those vehicles have plush suspension. To me great highway vehicles, but I personally like the "truck" ride more.

I used the 703 springs with the bumper and 9.5xp winch.

Does that help a bit?

X2 I concur with what these guys said. They are spot on with their observations.