Suspension question on Trail Edition

[1engineer]

OK,, let me try to clarify.

Main questions:

* Are the OME springs and shocks any better performance wise than the stock components?
*Is the spring rate "firmer"?
*Do the OME springs have an increase in spring rate?
*Do the OME shocks provide better handling off road?
*Do the OME shocks provide better small bump and big hit absorption?
*Will the OME "kit" provide more wheel articulation when combined with sway bar ends and UCA's?

Right now my '15TE 4runner has stock suspension with only a 3" spacer lift added by the previous owner. Nothing else was done to enhance the suspension. It did level it out but did nothing to improve off road performance and I'm not a big fan of spacer only lifts. Additionally,, there is a noticeable "twitchiness" at freeway speed which is why I am adding UCA's. There is also considerable brake dive with the stock springs.
Off road I want it to be able to handle hits on rocks, roots, squirrels, and holes without bottoming out the travel in the suspension. Right now the suspension feels more like a car or crossover type of ride. I can see it being way too bouncy off road with travel getting soaked up on even small hits.
I have a '08 4runner with the TRD suspension package and on asphalt it feels way firmer that the '15 TE. I have not had the '15 off road yet, only have had it a couple of weeks, but I can tell already it will be pretty "soft" off road. The TRD suspension on the ‘08 definitely adds to the "confidence" I have in the truck when in technical situations or really rough terrain and that is what I want with the ’15.
To sum it up, I have no experience with OME bits, but the price point they are at and what my budget (read wife) will allow compels me to consider them first over the plethora of more expensive options. But are they an improvement over stock? I don't need light years of improvement, just something more off road worthy for the reasons noted above.
Comments?

OME, without question, will be "harsher" feeling on a stock weight 4Runner.

Here's the deal: (Don't think about shocks yet) Springs, not shocks, ultimately are your suspension. They decide how far your wheel (except at limits and all 4Runners have the same limits) travels, they decide how soft and how harsh the ride is, both on and off road. Sway bars, for the purpose of this discussion, are part of your springs. So, if you go with heavier springs on a stock 4Runner the ride will definitely suffer on the road. Off the road the ride will suffer too. Imagine going along at 10 mph and hitting a small six inch rock on one wheel. A soft spring will compress further and allow you to go over that rock with minimal jarring. Now, if you added OME 889's and did the same experiment (no shocks yet!) of hitting that six inch rock the springs will not compress as much and you will test the strength of your seatbelt as it struggles to keep your head from hitting the roof! That's what springs do. The OEM springs are tuned to provide a comfortable, if compromised, ride both on and off road. Heavy springs should be run if you have added a lot of weight to the 4Runner, like a thousand pounds, all the time.

Now shocks...
Shocks are simply a device to dampen the springs. Hit a bump without shocks and your vehicle will bounce and bounce. With a shock, when the vehicle hits a rock the vehicle's springs will compress and the shock will dampen the effect of the spring. Simple right?

I wrote the above as a preamble to an article I wrote some time ago here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/161466-5th-gen-shocks-springs-technical-selection.html and please read the whole thread as it has many good links and personal stories on why people run what they do.

Any more questions let me know.

Oh, at the end of the day I think 5100's will be the way you go lol.

 

[zonzin]

OME, without question, will be "harsher" feeling on a stock weight 4Runner.

Here's the deal: (Don't think about shocks yet) Springs, not shocks, ultimately are your suspension. They decide how far your wheel (except at limits and all 4Runners have the same limits) travels, they decide how soft and how harsh the ride is, both on and off road. Sway bars, for the purpose of this discussion, are part of your springs. So, if you go with heavier springs on a stock 4Runner the ride will definitely suffer on the road. Off the road the ride will suffer too. Imagine going along at 10 mph and hitting a small six inch rock on one wheel. A soft spring will compress further and allow you to go over that rock with minimal jarring. Now, if you added OME 889's and did the same experiment (no shocks yet!) of hitting that six inch rock the springs will not compress as much and you will test the strength of your seatbelt as it struggles to keep your head from hitting the roof! That's what springs do. The OEM springs are tuned to provide a comfortable, if compromised, ride both on and off road. Heavy springs should be run if you have added a lot of weight to the 4Runner, like a thousand pounds, all the time.

Now shocks...
Shocks are simply a device to dampen the springs. Hit a bump without shocks and your vehicle will bounce and bounce. With a shock, when the vehicle hits a rock the vehicle's springs will compress and the shock will dampen the effect of the spring. Simple right?

I wrote the above as a preamble to an article I wrote some time ago here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/161466-5th-gen-shocks-springs-technical-selection.html and please read the whole thread as it has many good links and personal stories on why people run what they do.

Any more questions let me know.

Oh, at the end of the day I think 5100's will be the way you go lol.

Good stuff engineer. The articles referenced were very informative. Funny how the shock info there parallels a lot of what I have learned over the years working with mountain bike suspension. Same principles, different application.



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