Suspension upgrade time - help me decide... (2 Viewers)

[alpinecowboy]

Ok, I am ready to upgrade my suspension as it is a little rougher than what covered wagons had in the pioneer days... I currently run 33x12.50's and am happy with size, although I've never had a truck with bigger so I'm open to change.

I have narrowed it down to three options, but each has pros and cons so I thought I'd throw it out my fellow 'Mudders to see what the collective thinks.

1) OME full suspension upgrade to OME Heavies - pros: Cost (relatively cheap), well proven, no headaches from a build standpoint. cons: pretty basic upgrade. cost: $2K

2) SOA - pros: potential for improvement in ride quality, cool factor, huge tires easier to run. cons: huge tires aren't great for short people (like me), little bit pricier than option 1 (i'm not doing the work myself - I will paying a professional), I'm not 100% sure if the ride quality will be better than the OME setup cost: $2500 - $3K

3) Coil suspension conversion - pros: massive improvement in ride quality on the road (where I spend 95% of my time in the wagon), extremely cool from a "wow" standpoint. cons: double the price of either option 1 or 2, 2 -3 months at the shop getting built, lots of custom fab work that could be an issue down the road on long trips if something broke. cost: $4500 - $5K

Thanks in advance for the feedback - as I said, the rig spends most of it time on the road and it is my daily driver. My #1 goal in this is to improve the ride comfort on road... pretty much anything above will more than cover my off-road needs.

 

[Texx]

OME ought to be plenty good.

 

[Mace]

Other than the OME setup. Your prices are way under.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

OME is cheapest and the most used option among wagons.

 

[sl33py]

Vote for OME - on the KISS principle.

 

[alpinecowboy]

Thanks for the replies so far. Mace: if my estimate for the coil swap is low then that's definitely off the table.... I trust your view since you've dine that dance already.

 

[Mace]

I can see a well designed coil swap going for 10K without too much issue..

And honestly, most linked suspensions have quirks (because of body/suspension location limitations) that make them interesting.

 

[alpinecowboy]

Yowza. $10k will cover lots of things... And "interesting" is definitely not what I want out ofthe suspension on my daily driver.

 

[DustyFJ]

I voted coils, cause I wanna see more pics of one going together

 

[RockDoc]

OME, it's under mine and I've got no desire to go for something else. If the truck was pretty much a dedicated wheeler I'd likely go for a spring over and learn me some welding skills doing that and bumpers/armor.

 

[mmw68]

#1 - OME, anything else for a Daily Driver would be overkill. IMO

 

[Mace]

I really do like my 1/4 eliptical rear.

But having someone do the design and work kicks the bill up considerably..

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I love my SOA and I DD it. Way more comfortable than SUA and offroad it is godlike, but it costs a lot.

 

[ambulancechser]

just put ome's on mine...heavy front med' rear.i wouldn't pu heavies in back on a street driver,unless you carry at least 300 lbs every time.if you don't have a winch or really heavy bumper/brush guard,go med in front.

new shocks,bushings,and a heavy steering stabilizer should top it off...you may consider new shackles if yours are rusty and a little bent as mine were.

you'll be pleased at the difference.ome's will definitely be the most cost competitive option for a full replacement.the only cheaper route i considered was a set of add-a -leaves and new shocks.

 

[MANUCHAO]

I have OME and like it a lot but dont love it... specially with the whole leaning to the side deal and popping sounds it makes once in a while...

Often I day dream of a coil suspension specially from an 80 donor.......there is a guy round here that has it set up this way and it looks kick ass...

I want to go SOA but I really dont wheel it... (I'll be afraid I might get hooked) more expedition style than anything..and a bike hauler..

I say go Coil.....yeah probably overkill and will have its quirks BUT the cool factor more than makes up for it....me thinks...

 

[CruisinFJ60]

i like my "modified" OME setup but like said above im not in love with it.

I fully plan on going SOA for more flex and clearance as it will better suite my wheeling needs.



what do you use the rig for? if mostly daily driving and some light wheeling you prolly dont need much more than the OME setup but if you like to go after the hard stuff the SOA is a big help.

I have followed some of the "bigger boys" (FJZ80 on 37" Iroks, FJ55 on coils all around and 37" Krawlers) with my current setup, tho it did require the use of slamming the sliders, dragging the bumpers, springs, hangers, axle housings, quarter pannels ect.

oh and nearly flopped it again, but it happens.

 

[ElliottB]

I can see a well designed coil swap going for 10K without too much issue..

Wow. Even at a top end 4x4 shop this would be a pretty penny to pay for a custom 4 or 5 link suspension. I've built a double tri 4-link rear and radius arm front for less than a grand in parts.

 

[Cruzerman]

I'd think OME would suit you well, especially for a DD. Don't forget that with a SOA, you get quite a bit of lift. 33s look way small on a SOA so you'll most likely need at least 35s. This means new tires and also new gears. Lots more $$.

 

[Crelok]

x1000
OME

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I've daily driven my SOA Fj60 for 10 months or so. It's so freakin' huge that all my parking lot homies laugh and shake their heads. It is by far the biggest truck in the hospital parking lot and that includes the delivery vans, utility trucks and a couple of lifted jeeps. When you open the door, you have to worry about the windows of the car parked next to you, not the sheet metal.

The ride is good but you almost need a ladder to get in. If you're short, it will make you crazy.

It's now retired to dedicated trail truck.

Prior to the SOA, I daily drove it for years on OME 2.5 inch lift/33s. That's nice without being huge. In my case the old OME suspension is going on the FJ62 along with the 5 speed, so the process starts again.

If daily driving is part of the plan, I strongly recommend the OME lift for many reasons.

Oh yeah-If you want coils, it will be easier, cheaper and better to just buy an 80 series.