Suspension Help

[C6H12O6]

Trying to prep the 100 for a road trip from Portland, OR to Yellowstone on Saturday. As it sits now, the truck is totally stock, save for some crappy stock-length KYB gas shocks. Loaded down with the drift boat and two weeks full of camping gear, and the suspension is not awesome.

My plans were to replace the KYB garbage shocks with Ironman Foam Cell Pros and OME 865 rear springs. I am picking the springs up tonight, but only the front shocks are available, as the rears are stuck in the port awaiting an agriculture inspection. I thought about installing air bags in the rear, but have been in and out of town all summer since school got out (school teacher), so that hasn't happened. Not sure I can even find anything in town at this point. So...

Options are:
1. Do nothing and just run it stock for the trip and deal with the mushy suspension and squatty rear end.

2. Install OME 865 springs and Ironman FC-Pro front shocks, adjust torsion bars to make height correct and just leave the KYB rear shocks on there. With the weight, overall height might not be outside of limits of shock.

3. Installs as above, but use old OME Nitrocharger N74E shocks from my 80. Extended length is 24.4", compressed length is 14.6". Seems like it should work, at least until the FC-Pro rears show up in a couple weeks. Not excited about the PITA rear shock install twice in two weeks, but might be better than the KYB shocks (22.95" extended; 14.09" compressed).

Thoughts?

 

[Ramathorn15]

Are you offroading or just driving on the highway? Stock shocks should be fine if you're not going off road.

Search stock shocks with lift and I think it's been covered before. You shouldn't have an issue.

 

[Ali FJ80]

Option 2 or atleast the springs since they are going to be what really helps you on the load weight.

 

[C6H12O6]

Thanks. Yeah, I'm just highway and dirt road driving this trip. I'm sure the stock-length shocks will probably work. Mostly wondering if there are any issues running the new shocks on the front and the mismatched KYB short shocks on the back.

My options were listed in increasing order of time I really am getting short on. Just not sure if it's worth the time to swap in the rear, old OME shocks just to pull them out in two weeks for the new Ironman pros.

 

[drjman]

I recently put in OME 2866's and it made a world of difference from the crap Strutmaster springs I had. I loaded up for a trip for the first time and realized the springs were dust. I went with the heavier duty and I'm glad I did (no towing, but I carry a cargo tray with ~200lbs depending on the destination).

Unless your shocks are toast (like serious bouncyness), I would go with springs and deal with the rest later.

 

[Ramathorn15]

I wouldn't swap back and forth. you shouldn't have an issue with stock in the rear and Ironmans in the front.

 

[C6H12O6]

Front shocks are on. Feel great. Rear OME865 springs are on and the torsion bars got a little bump. Rear shocks suck, but they'll work for now. Can't wait to get the other Ironman shocks on in the rear after the trip.