OME BP-51 Install Report and Height Adjustment

Thank you. Do you know if setting them at 0 or 5 corrected the issue of them topping out?

 

yes. there is a lot of detail in the beginning of this thread.

i believe anywhere from 5-15mm fixed it. that range is for amount of lift combined with how much weight you have on the front end.

I am at 5mm now and that got me 2.25 inches of lift with nothing up front. i am planning on going to 10mm to get closer to 3 plus i ordered an SSO bumper (no winch)

 

Thank you, that’s very helpful! I have no weight up front besides RCI skid plates and sliders. It looks like 5mm would be perfect for me as well.

Thanks again!

 

The 10 mm setting solved the topping out issue?

 

I agree with your logic. When you adjust the height, you’re also adjusting the pre-load of the spring. Ideally you want the spring pre-load to be the same on the driver’s side and passengers side. So I would think you set the heights (pre-load) of the coil overs the same (10 mm for example), and then use a spacer to account for the taco lean.

 

Does this style spring compressor work with the coils installed on the truck?

 

I have some clunking from them. I will reach out to ARB within the next month and try and get things figured out...

 

Alrighty, after thousand miles, I still didn't love the back. It was too stiff and rake was a bit much (no extra weight). Per ARBs recommendation, I removed the third leaf from the Dakar pack today.

So far I absolutely love it now. It rides much smoother and truck sits perfectly level for my taste.

I also set my compression and rebound per their tech's instructions. I'll have to go back and see what it was and post it for those interested.

So happy with this kit.

 

I have a case of taco lean going to run the headstrong spacer up front and see if that fixes it. It also thinking I may need a rear spacer from.ome to resolve it

 

What is the rear spacer part #

 

How do you actually remove the leaf? 3rd one top to bottom? My teuck has an aweful rake

 

There are several videos out there and it's more or less the same as any leaf pack. I removed the pack from the truck, clamped the leafs with two C-clamps, removed the center pin, then removed third leaf counting top-down. Then I installed center pin, removed C-clamps and installed pack back in truck using new ubolts.

You may have to trim the center pin to fit the bump stop.

Voila. No rake, rides like butter and if you ever need to use the leafs, now you have them handy!

 

Has anyone actually removed a leaf? Is it the second or third? My truck seats way too high on the rear.

 

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

 

So how much height did you loose taking out the leaf?

Are you worried about overloading the rear end now?

Why not just raise the front up more?

 

I did 12-15 and it sits 1cm higher on the right side.

 

Thanks to everyone for the tips and suggestions in this thread. Did my install a couple weeks ago, and so far so good. I am running the BP-51’s with the 095 Dakars, Camburg ball joint uppers, and 285/70 KO2’s

One issue I do have is an occasional creak on take off and stop. I think I might need to loosen up and tighten some of the bolts and make sure it’s not a bushing. It’s definitely not the normal metal on metal squeak like leafs rubbing, but I’ve had no luck tracking it down while sitting still.

Overall I’m very happy with the kit and how it performs. Ride is great and the new leafs are so much better than stock, especially when towing my trailer.

 

What is your preload at?

Im about to go from 265/70r17 to 285/70s so I'm just curious. Was thinking of going from 5 to 10mm on the preload

 

I ended up setting it to 14 in preparation for my SSO bumper and winch, whenever my bumper finally arrives.

 

Assuming these questions are for me, sorry for not responding sooner. I've been busy with a mistress I just bought (Jeep).

To answer your great questions:

So how much height did you loose taking out the leaf?

Never actually measured, but eyeballing around 3/4 of inch. It now sits near perfect level with the front, which I personally feel is the best look on these trucks. See function over form note below.

Are you worried about overloading the rear end now?

No. The stock leaf packs have only one overload leaf (I think). This Dakar has two overloads. I would have to exceed the load limit severely to wrap the two massive overloads. That being said, some people erroneously remove an overload to achieve the same height reduction we are going for. That's a wrong approach and is asking for trouble.

Why not just raise the front up more?

Because more than height, I care most about ride quality and performance. Raising the front would certainly bring it level with the full Dakar rear, but at the expense of being unnecessarily stiff. Raising the front won't come free. You will stiffen up the ride while you're doing it.

Form vs function:
All that being said, "looking how I want" is second behind "functioning properly". I almost never carry a (heavy) load in the bed. Almost never tow anything.

The truck is a toy with moderate utility (Home Depot runs, hauling a couch here and there). Losing a leaf was not much concern to me. I did keep it handy to give to the next owner (I'm a vehicle whore and move on often).

According to the ARB tech, I lost about 15% load capability.

Last thing I'll say about function is this: even though this goes against logic, the truck actually handles much better with the removed leaf. The steering is snappier and truck feels more nimble. I didn't expect this, but gladly accept it. FYI, most alignment gurus will suggest to recheck alignment after any suspension adjustments.