OME front lift excessive; replaced with Bilstein 5100s @ 0.85
Here is
my experience with the Old Man Emu front struts advertised as "Stock/Light Duty Kit 1.5"- 2" Lift," and replaced with Bilstein 5100s at the 0.85 height setting (second slot from bottom for the C-clip).
My 2005 4Runner was completely stock, and too low. I did not, and do not care about appearance, e.g., "leveling" or "rake." I am not into cosmetic buildups. I am not a poser. Rather, being in the wildland-travel business, function and reliability are what I care about, as my three 4Runners have work to do.
Stock, it had about 8 inches from the front crossmember to ground. That is inadequate for a vehicle that is actually used to travel wildland roads, IMO. It is the location that often impacts roadbed rocks and ledges. So that measurement -- not wheel hub to lower fender lip -- is the distance that matters.
After installation, I found that the OME kit's advertised specs (1.5-2 inches of lift) substantially understated the actual lift all-round. The OME kit (884 springs and OME shocks, with a trim spacer on the driver front to address the known Toyota driver-side lean) put the
actual front clearance at ~14.5 inches from the front crossmember to ground.
I liked the OME kit's handling and ride. The off-road performance was greatly enhanced. I even liked the bold look.
However, the truck immediately began emitting a low, harmonic, rotational groan when cold. The sound disappeared when I switched into 4WD, and after the drivetrain had warmed up. I don't know why.
Also, the OME kit's excessive lift put the CV axles at a substantial angle, upward from the wheel inward. So the boots tore VERY prematurely. As I drive a great deal on unpaved roads, and ford streams from time to time, the axles had to be replaced many thousands of miles before they should have been. (Please don't suggest that I could have just replaced the boots or installed boots for steep axle angles, changed the upper control arms, or added a differential case drop kit ... I had no interest in seeing matters metastasize.)
Also, I've been told that the excessive lift damaged the upper ball joints on both sides, causing an annoying suspension squeak ... meaning they now have to be replaced ($400+).
The lift also caused a loss of about 3-4 mpg in fuel consumption (down to 16-ish), which I anticipated.
Clearly, the OME kit's excessive and inaccurately described lift -- well beyond what ARB and the retailer
still advertise for a stock/light-duty 4th gen 4Runner -- was causing problems that probably would only get worse.
So recently (April 2021), I had the OME front struts replaced with Bilstein 5100s, set at the
0.85 height setting with
a quarter-inch Superior Suspensions-brand trim spacer (~$22) on the driver side to mitigate the common lean (due, it is said, to the battery and fuel tank being on that side, but I don't buy that). With the Bilsteins, I used
the stock springs, which I'd kept. (Keep your old parts!)
(FYI,
the springs are assigned specifically to the driver and passenger sides. Toyota color-codes truck springs with dabs of paint for the driver and passenger sides ... for 4th gen 4Runners,
red & white is driver side;
red & blue is passenger side. You can find Toyota's spring color codes
here.)
The axles are now level, not angled. The harmonic groaning is gone. The ride is fine. While the front is much lower now, MPGs are now 19-20ish, occasionally better.
At the 0.85-inch setting, the Bilsteins put the actual clearance from the front crossmember to ground approximately 1.5 inch higher (9.5 inches) than stock. Again, stock was about 8 inches. (An aside: 9.5 inches is the same clearance as my stock, bought-new 1990 4Runner, which has been capable and reliable in very tough terrain and through years of hard use, and which I still have.)
This suggests that the next slot up on the Bilstein shocks -- advertised as 1.75 inch -- would probably exceed 2 inches
actual. Bear this in mind if you are trying to determine the
actual lift that will result from the several height settings available on the Bilstein 5100s.
Also bear the following in mind:
While the Bilstein 5100s are advertised as "adjustable," in reality that is kind of theoretical. This is due to the labor cost of making a change.
Changing the lift setting on Bilstein 5100s involves total removal and disassembly of the struts, plus front-end realignment. Expect to pay several hundred dollars for a shop to do it. (I will guess someone will chime in here with a DYI method.) If you don't like the change, you'll have to pay again to reset it.
I did keep the OME kit on the rear, since this 4Runner is often heavily loaded with long-term camping gear and supplies. For those concerned with looks, the truck looks good. (Photo is below.)
So, at this point, the Bilsteins are probably what I should have gone with at the outset. Going with OME was a costly error. My lo$$. I am disappointed that the actual results
in my case were inaccurate and problematic. ARB, the manufacturer, does not accurately represent actual results -- and potential consequences. Nor did the reputable and very experienced retailer, who should know better. They just published -- and continue to publish -- ARB's inaccurate specs.
Below, the gray 4Runner has the OME kit installed. For comparison, the black one beside it is a stock '04 that I also own. Both have 17-inch tires and stock wheels.
Here is the gray 4Runner with the Bilstein 5100s, set at 0.85 inch:
So far, so good ...
Oh, in case it's helpful, here is the original, stock, color-coded driver-side spring on a bone-stock 2005 ...
