OME and Bilstein 5125 advise from Toytec

[flying fuzz]

This post is for people in the future that are searching for Bilstein and OME questions...

I've been torn between which route to take for my suspension. I Decided to go low key and stick with Emu and Bilstein's (Or OME) instead of CO's but I wanted the 5125 shock's becuase in my mind higher model number equal's upgraded product and I wanted more articulation. I searched all over this board and some other forums and still couldn't get a good answer on why/why not to use 5125's or 5100's or just stick with OME shocks, so I asked Toytec and this is what I was told:

Hi,

If you are planning on running OME springs, i would only recommend using the OME shocks with them as they are designed and valved exactly for the springs. I know people that have combined the OME coils with Bilstein shocks but it is not something either company nor we recommend as they were not designed with that in mind.

As for the 5125's, they are a softer valved and a bit longer which is good for offroading. If you are planning on carrying a lot of extra weight, the OME shocks are designed for that and would work better. When we ship out the 5125 shocks, we do swap out the bushings for the correct size.

Let me know if you have any other questions
Thanks
Dylan


Quote:
Originally Posted by flying fuzz
Morning-

I am looking to do a OME lift on my 4runner, if you had to choose between OME shocks and 5100's which ones and why? I have searched and everyone has an opinion but I'd rather hear it from someone who may have more hands on time with them.

Also instead of 5100's in the rear I was going to do 5125's with the medium OME springs (I carry a lot of stuff). I can't figure out what the main difference between these two shocks are... Also I have read that the 5125's lower shock mount is a different size them OE and 5100's is this a big issue? As a larger bushing should fill the gap right?

All parts would be ordered through your website.

Thank you

 

[Michigander]

This post is for people in the future that are searching for Bilstein and OME questions...

I've been torn between which route to take for my suspension. I Decided to go low key and stick with Emu and Bilstein's (Or OME) instead of CO's but I wanted the 5125 shock's becuase in my mind higher model number equal's upgraded product and I wanted more articulation. I searched all over this board and some other forums and still couldn't get a good answer on why/why not to use 5125's or 5100's or just stick with OME shocks, so I asked Toytec and this is what I was told:

Hi,

If you are planning on running OME springs, i would only recommend using the OME shocks with them as they are designed and valved exactly for the springs. I know people that have combined the OME coils with Bilstein shocks but it is not something either company nor we recommend as they were not designed with that in mind.

As for the 5125's, they are a softer valved and a bit longer which is good for offroading. If you are planning on carrying a lot of extra weight, the OME shocks are designed for that and would work better. When we ship out the 5125 shocks, we do swap out the bushings for the correct size.

Let me know if you have any other questions
Thanks
Dylan


Quote:
Originally Posted by flying fuzz
Morning-

I am looking to do a OME lift on my 4runner, if you had to choose between OME shocks and 5100's which ones and why? I have searched and everyone has an opinion but I'd rather hear it from someone who may have more hands on time with them.

Also instead of 5100's in the rear I was going to do 5125's with the medium OME springs (I carry a lot of stuff). I can't figure out what the main difference between these two shocks are... Also I have read that the 5125's lower shock mount is a different size them OE and 5100's is this a big issue? As a larger bushing should fill the gap right?

All parts would be ordered through your website.

Thank you

Getting the shock length correct is important. Just a longer shock is not necessarily a good thing and could do more harm than good.

In theory, if you install a long bodied shock, you will need to extend your bump stops. You may also be running with very little "bump" length, which is not good either.

The best thing to do is remove your shocks, flex the truck to the max, measure the compressed and extended length from shock mount to shock mount on your truck.

Armed with this info, you can shop the shock manufacturers websites and get the different compressed and extended length dimensions for the shocks you are interested in. It will be a compromise for our trucks with where the mounts are located.

In general, a longer shock body will allow a longer extended length and more droop, but you will sacrifice compressed length and you may bottom out the shocks before you hit your bumps tops. This bottoming is much worse than limiting the droop. Think loud bang and jolt up after bottoming, bad situation.

Also, if you allow too much droop that the vehicle was not designed for, you may lose a coil spring out of its bucket when it unloads. So check that as well when you are flexing the truck out.

You also need to get the valving correct for your truck, once you get the length right.

In short, the shock manufacturers do this for you and try to give you the best compromised setup that they offer when you type your truck info into their search engine.