OME full lift w/ aftermarket rear bumper

[doctorres112]

I've read the lift guide posted on the forum, looks like there are a TON of options depending on what I'm after long term, though a lot of this is still new to me and it's a bit overwhelming to be honest.

First I'll state by goals/end state of my T4R, and hopefully those w/ more experience can shed some insight.

I have a '17 T4R ORP

Currently running:
1: 275/70/17 KO2s
2: FrontRunner 3/4 rack w/ a few accessories

About to order:
1: CBI rear bumper w/ swing arm -or- ExpeditionOne rear w/ dual swing arm

Will order (in 1-2 yrs)
1: Roof Top Tent (unsure of model)

Retirement present once I hit my 20 in the Army (in 4 years)
1: Turtleback or similar trailer

What I want:

1: To have a 2-3 inch overall lift, proper weight support for upgrades, a reliable lift that will meet my intent.

My questions:

1: Do you (the community) think I can safely and comfortably run the OME full suspension lift kit with my current set up, knowing I'm going to be buying a rear bumper in the very near future (~150-200 extra lbs)?

2: Will the OME kit provide support for the extra weight I'm going to be adding, while offering a level appearance and suitable capability for light off roading/camping/overlanding?

3: Will this set-up fail/sag/soften quickly, causing me to invest more money when I should've just spend more money the first time?

4: Do I instead need to consider buying new UCAs, adjustable/rebuild coils for the front?

**I'm not looking to make this a serious rock crawler, this truck is my DD, and something I want to make last as I take my 4 kiddos exploring.

Thanks to all that offer opinions/support for my build as my kids and I start this journey!

-Chris

 

[jbstrd]

I've read the lift guide posted on the forum, looks like there are a TON of options depending on what I'm after long term, though a lot of this is still new to me and it's a bit overwhelming to be honest.

First I'll state by goals/end state of my T4R, and hopefully those w/ more experience can shed some insight.

I have a '17 T4R ORP

Currently running:
1: 275/70/17 KO2s
2: FrontRunner 3/4 rack w/ a few accessories

About to order:
1: CBI rear bumper w/ swing arm -or- ExpeditionOne rear w/ dual swing arm

Will order (in 1-2 yrs)
1: Roof Top Tent (unsure of model)

Retirement present once I hit my 20 in the Army (in 4 years)
1: Turtleback or similar trailer

What I want:

1: To have a 2-3 inch overall lift, proper weight support for upgrades, a reliable lift that will meet my intent.

My questions:

1: Do you (the community) think I can safely and comfortably run the OME full suspension lift kit with my current set up, knowing I'm going to be buying a rear bumper in the very near future (~150-200 extra lbs)?

2: Will the OME kit provide support for the extra weight I'm going to be adding, while offering a level appearance and suitable capability for light off roading/camping/overlanding?

3: Will this set-up fail/sag/soften quickly, causing me to invest more money when I should've just spend more money the first time?

4: Do I instead need to consider buying new UCAs, adjustable/rebuild coils for the front?

**I'm not looking to make this a serious rock crawler, this truck is my DD, and something I want to make last as I take my 4 kiddos exploring.

Thanks to all that offer opinions/support for my build as my kids and I start this journey!

-Chris

I will start this off by saying ride quality is very subjective. So, I will give you my take from experience and research I have done. Some of this is opinion, so just keep that in mind.

For the front, I have never run an OME setup. I have a '98 Tacoma and a '13 4Runner. I used to own a 3rd Gen 4Runner. On all of them, I run adjustable front coilovers with 650# springs. Also, all of my rigs have steel front bumpers. From my research, OME front springs tend to sag with the extra weight of steel bumpers and a winch. With a stock front bumper, I don't hear about the sagging issue as much.

With this said, OME's are very reliable. Basically install them and forget about them. They do not require maintenance and they will last for a long time. They offer various spring rates for different weight carrying options, but keep in mind the sagging issues people have had when a lot of weight is added in the front.

I have been extremely happy with the adjustable front coilovers. If they start sagging, crank them up. If you want less preload, add 700# springs. The downside is they require more maintenance. They require a rebuild anywhere from 20k (at the very low end) to 70-100k at the high end (once again from my research and personal experience).

For the rear, I run OME 898's and OME shocks on my 5th Gen. These springs are advertised as a 3" lift when carrying 440# constant in the rear. I have a CBI rear with swingout, hi lift, and spare tire. These springs have been fantastic. I ran them from the beginning without my bumper because I knew I would eventually install the CBI. In my opinion, the ride was not terrible. It was a little stiff over speed bumps, but it was very manageable.

From my experience and research, the rear OME's don't seem to have the sagging issue. When I added my rear bumper, they sagged maybe 1/2" and they have maintained that height for the past couple years. The ride is great for me with the added weight. The shocks are perfect for me since they ride fine and they require zero maintenance.

As far as a level ride that you are asking about, these rear springs will not offer that since they lift 3". I have my front at about 3", which translates to a forward rake like factory. I would say it is a little less than the factory rake, however. I prefer a forward rake since I absolutely hate when the rear squats.

Sorry for the drawn out post. Hope this helps.

 

[doctorres112]

I will start this off by saying ride quality is very subjective. So, I will give you my take from experience and research I have done. Some of this is opinion, so just keep that in mind.

For the front, I have never run an OME setup. I have a '98 Tacoma and a '13 4Runner. I used to own a 3rd Gen 4Runner. On all of them, I run adjustable front coilovers with 650# springs. Also, all of my rigs have steel front bumpers. From my research, OME front springs tend to sag with the extra weight of steel bumpers and a winch. With a stock front bumper, I don't hear about the sagging issue as much.

With this said, OME's are very reliable. Basically install them and forget about them. They do not require maintenance and they will last for a long time. They offer various spring rates for different weight carrying options, but keep in mind the sagging issues people have had when a lot of weight is added in the front.

I have been extremely happy with the adjustable front coilovers. If they start sagging, crank them up. If you want less preload, add 700# springs. The downside is they require more maintenance. They require a rebuild anywhere from 20k (at the very low end) to 70-100k at the high end (once again from my research and personal experience).

For the rear, I run OME 898's and OME shocks on my 5th Gen. These springs are advertised as a 3" lift when carrying 440# constant in the rear. I have a CBI rear with swingout, hi lift, and spare tire. These springs have been fantastic. I ran them from the beginning without my bumper because I knew I would eventually install the CBI. In my opinion, the ride was not terrible. It was a little stiff over speed bumps, but it was very manageable.

From my experience and research, the rear OME's don't seem to have the sagging issue. When I added my rear bumper, they sagged maybe 1/2" and they have maintained that height for the past couple years. The ride is great for me with the added weight. The shocks are perfect for me since they ride fine and they require zero maintenance.

As far as a level ride that you are asking about, these rear springs will not offer that since they lift 3". I have my front at about 3", which translates to a forward rake like factory. I would say it is a little less than the factory rake, however. I prefer a forward rake since I absolutely hate when the rear squats.

Sorry for the drawn out post. Hope this helps.

Drawn out? Nope.

Helpful? Very!


First, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, in great detail no less.

I had a few counter questions, I hope that's okay.

1: If I have no intent on adding a front bumper, is an adjustable coil necessary? What about aftermarket UCAs? Again, I'm not exactly looking to go the cheapest route, but I also don't want to buy something that is "overbuilt" just because I can.

2: If going w/ the OME set pictured, and adding the CBI set-up like you have, would you expect an off balance look (rear lower than front?)

Thanks again, this is very helpful!

-Chris

 

[3wbdriver]

I have OME front 885 springs to offset the weight of a slimline front bumper and winch (~130 pounds). They've been in there for going on 3 years and about 60,000 miles with no sag. I'm currently running Toytec +10% Superflex rear springs, but as weight has been added (Bare CBI rear bumper, 80 lb slide out tray, Full steel skids, RTT, and around 200 lbs of gear in the back) I have noticed I've lost most of the 2" lift back there. I conservatively guesstimate I am now carrying around 800 lbs extra around on a daily basis. That said I am heavily considering upgrading the rear springs to either an OME 898, ToyTec Superflex Heavy duty rear Coils, or Dobinson's C59-327 - 200-400LB heavy rear load weight, 2" lift springs.

I still have not replaced my UCA's and don't miss them. I know it's not at optimum caster and it does drift a little in windy conditions on the highway, but I've owned cars that date from 1946 through today, so I don't mind having to "drive" it if you understand my meaning. Tire wear is still normal and I've noticed no other adverse affects.

I'm running Bilstein 5100 shocks all around since those were in my price range when I was buying. In hindsight I think I might have preferred the OME shocks to help with the current load, but the 5100's are still holding up fine 70,000 miles in (dampening fine, but just a tic softer fully loaded than I would prefer). If/when they come up due for replacement I will revisit what I need then.

 

[3wbdriver]

Just for reference my bare CBI (no swing outs) bumper was 175 lbs. My small Tepui Ayer came to about 100 lbs after I fabricated 2" square tube mounts for it. So depending on what size RTT you buy you may be looking at 125 - 150 lbs. Just trying to give you some hard weights for frame of reference. And the little things you add for camping/wheeling add up quicker than you may think. Lol

 

[jbstrd]

Drawn out? Nope.

Helpful? Very!


First, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, in great detail no less.

I had a few counter questions, I hope that's okay.

1: If I have no intent on adding a front bumper, is an adjustable coil necessary? What about aftermarket UCAs? Again, I'm not exactly looking to go the cheapest route, but I also don't want to buy something that is "overbuilt" just because I can.

2: If going w/ the OME set pictured, and adding the CBI set-up like you have, would you expect an off balance look (rear lower than front?)

Thanks again, this is very helpful!

-Chris

You're very welcome. Just paying it forward since this is how I have learned over the years.

Once again my opinion (and some speculation from research since I don't run front OME's myself), you would probably be happy with the front OME setup. Keep in mind the OME springs have a heavier spring rate than stock. So, the ride will be firmer. I prefer a firmer truck like ride personally, but some people are very sensitive to that.

As far as UCA's you don't HAVE to buy them. With the 3" lift OME coils provide in the front, UCA's will be necessary to get your Caster numbers within stock specs. Caster is not something that affects your tire wear, but it does create wander on the road when it is out of spec. If this bothers you, get UCA's. If not you can save a little money. For what it's worth, ARB's company 5th Gen 4Runner did not run aftermarket UCA's with the 3" lift up front, but I guarantee their Caster specs were off.

OME has different springs with varying rates for each vehicle. For the 5th Gen rear (for example), they are all listed as 3" lift height, but with different constant weight numbers. The 889 is for stock rear weight, but it is still a higher spring rate than stock so you can add some weight and it won't sag too bad. The 898 (what I run) is a 3" lift with 440# constant. Most guys run these at minimum with a big rear bumper like the CBI. The 899 springs are for 3" lift with 880# constant. Some are running these with a rear bumper, swing out, spare tire, drawers, fridge, etc. I would only suggest these if you have a ton of extra gear all of the time.

I am not too familiar with OME's front spring choices, but they are a similar setup with different rates for different weight carrying options. For you, I would suggest their 884 front coils. 3" lift with no added front weight.

Good info on this sight and a great company to order from: https://wheelersoffroad.com/product...-4runner/suspension-17969/old-man-emu-288584/

Straight from ARB (scroll down to OME suspension systems): http://www.arbusa.com/uploads/PDF/accessorizeYourRig/toyota4Runner.pdf

Let me know if you have any more questions. Hopefully someone who is running the front OME setup will chime in to convey personal experience.

 

[doctorres112]

[MENTION=54404]jbstrd[/MENTION] and [MENTION=105481]3wbdriver[/MENTION]


You guys are awesome and I appreciate all the help.

Given my plan of adding either a CBI or exp1 bumper and a RTT in the future, I'm thinking of going w/ the OME kit w/ 884s in the front and 898s in the rear.

Considering both of your experiences, I do think I'll splurge for some UCAs, though that brings a question of its own.

Is there a leading brand for UCAs?

Does it matter which ones I get considering I'm looking at the OME suspension kit?

Does it matter based on what my expectations are for my build?

-Chris

 

[jbstrd]

[MENTION=54404]jbstrd[/MENTION] and [MENTION=105481]3wbdriver[/MENTION]


You guys are awesome and I appreciate all the help.

Given my plan of adding either a CBI or exp1 bumper and a RTT in the future, I'm thinking of going w/ the OME kit w/ 884s in the front and 898s in the rear.

Considering both of your experiences, I do think I'll splurge for some UCAs, though that brings a question of its own.

Is there a leading brand for UCAs?

Does it matter which ones I get considering I'm looking at the OME suspension kit?

Does it matter based on what my expectations are for my build?

-Chris

As with anything else, you will find different opinions and experiences with different UCA's. I don't have any experience other than with what I currently have, SPC (aka. Light Racing) UCA's. These are on the cheaper end and provide a lot of adjustability. They also have a sealed ball joint. I will defer you to a previous post of mine regarding these UCA's and their bad rep http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...nt-ucas-limited-articulation.html#post2786620

You would be fine with any of the UCA's on the market, it really depends what your budget is. The uniball design tends to be higher maintenance and they are prone to squeaking if you don't lube them regularly. With that said, many guys run them with no issues. Check out the previous link I posted for Wheeler's Off Road. They have a good selection of the various UCA's available.

 

[3wbdriver]

Bear in mind it is my understanding that all of the OME fronts springs are only 2" extra in height. They require a spacer to give you 3". I could be wrong but this is what my 885's ended up doing.

Front OME Lift Coils

 

[doctorres112]

Bear in mind it is my understanding that all of the OME fronts springs are only 2" extra in height. They require a spacer to give you 3". I could be wrong but this is what my 885's ended up doing.

Front OME Lift Coils

Thanks for the heads up!

-Chris

 

[jbstrd]

Bear in mind it is my understanding that all of the OME fronts springs are only 2" extra in height. They require a spacer to give you 3". I could be wrong but this is what my 885's ended up doing.

Front OME Lift Coils

Hmm, good to know since ARB and Wheeler's does not mention that.