Sorry to re-ask this question, but:
Let me ask it this way, will I notice a significant decrease in ride / handling with an OME package, or will it be comparable to stock? Since I am naive of the awesomeness of high dollar shocks, will I be blissfully ignorant with OME?
I am going to have a couple days off at the end of this week and I'd like to try to tackle the suspension then.
Thanks!
Travis, I'll try and explain as best as I can. You need to not use words like "decrease in ride", because they mean different things to different people.
Here's my original truck setup: OME t-bars and 865 springs with Nitrocharger shocks. Slee step-sliders and a TJM T3 front bumper. Slee diff-drop. Negligible additional weight. The sliders are nicely centered front to rear, and the TJM isn't all that heavy (no winch or cradle). I run 295/75/16 Nitto TG's. 3rd row seats usually in. No Drawer system or meaningful extra weight carried on a regular basis. Due to sucky fuel economy, the gas tank is rarely full...
I should note that I bought this truck from a Mudder in CO (pint) and he had Slee install all this stuff. He also drove around the state with fairly heavy loads in the truck all the time for business.
In my currnt usage, the truck runs empty 99% of the time. The ride was very firm, and the truck cornered well, meaning there was very little body roll. You could take corners fast. Speed "humps" - the long ones used to keep speed down - were a blast at 45+ MPH as you got a satisfying little compression and bounce-back as you came off of them. They were completely ineffective at slowing the rig down, in fact, I used to speed up for them! But you did feel every little crack in the road, and speed bumps and potholes were jarring. The "cush" ride of the OEM setup was not there. However, off-road, if you are travelling over high-speed washboard/whoop-dee-do's it was hard to bottom out, but harsh. It DID handle big loads well. I take a group of Scouts camping on a pretty regular basis, and it was no biggie to load it up with gear and kids and the ride smoothed out a bit. But this is only 8-10 times per year. It is my wife's Daily Driver.
So I removed the OME setup, bought new OEM shocks, and got some OEM t-bars and springs from a Mudder. I added 30MM spacers in the back, and also Airlift air bags to handle the occasional load. Cranked t-bars to match. Around town the ride is much softer, drainages in the road, speed bumps and potholes don't loosen fillings. I DO have to slow down for speed humps, but not bumps. There is a little body roll around corners, especially if you go fast. Off road, with tires aired down you can absolutely BOMB down fire/forest roads without rattling the car apart. However, I have bottomed out the front on occassion if I'm going too fast and hit too big of a bump. It is a tradeoff. I prefer the softer ride and easier articulation most of the time, and am willing to slow it down a bit in the rough stuff. For loads and towing, I just air up the air bags to an appropriate pressure and the ride is just fine. No wallowing, sagging, or bouncing.
For ME, and MY usage, having a stock-ish ride (softer suspension, a little corner roll, and bump-soaking compliance when EMPTY) makes sense since the truck is unweighted quite literally 99% of the time. Some people LIKE the stiffer ride, the ability to feel some bumps, and less roll in the corners and are willing to trade that "cush" stock ride for a more "truck-like" ride. Pure preference, and they will label that as an "upgrade" or "increase" in handling. Others might label it the opposite. It is what it is - a change as noted above. The rest is up to your preference.
If I can ever pry the truck from my wife's DD duties (read- with a newer one). I'll put a winch, rear bumper, and dual batts in. At that time I will DEFINITELY go with a heavier suspension, as this will quickly overload the stock suspension in any kind of off-road rough terrain at any kind of speed. Until then, I'm happy with what I have (OEM).
I should also note that some trucks seem to ride rougher than others as noted by some posts here, and by driving mine side-by-side with another mudder's. His was on '03, completely stock, mine was with OEM suspension as noted above. Obviously, tire choice plays into this as well (LT v P metric, D or E rated sidewalls, etc) as does overall condition of all the other suspension components and bushings. I have replaced ASB ends and rear lower control arms (Slee), but still have more harshness than a completely stock rig. I have rear upper control arms ready to go in (new OEM) and the front diff support arm/bushing as well, to see if that helps take the edge of any of it. Some of it may just be the larger LT tires. I have just under 200K on the truck. Had it since ~147K.
Hope this helps...
