OME lift discussion

So after months of reading posts on the site, I decided to make a thread to get some more specific info from those with experience with the full OME lift (nitro shocks not bp's) on their 3rd gen before pulling the trigger. Plenty of info on the 2nd gen forum but can't find a whole lot on my specific questions.

For those of you with the OME lift what springs did you go with up front?

I plan on adding the C4 hybrid bumper after I lift the truck, and then eventually adding a winch (money being the constraining factor).

Since I intend to add weight up front, I believe I should go with the heavy 886 springs but I'm concerned the shocks might "top out" and get damaged during uptravel while I still have no added weight up front.

Think I'll be okay adding the heavy duty springs up front?

TL;DR anyone running the full OME kit with heavy duty springs up front? What's your experience?

Any OME lift discussion is welcome!

 

Maybe hit up the suspension threads?

However, these OEM replacement shocks are designed to operate within factory geometry, you shouldn't need to worry about them topping/bottoming out

 

I would say the 650s. 700 lb springs are a little firm, unless you are going dual battery, steel bumper, steel cable winch and roof rack. 600s I would say are more daily driver, while 650s are kinda the sweet spot for medium mods and performance. That’s just my opinion, and you will find plenty opinions I’m sure for why any are good. I have 700s on one of my FJs, 600s on the other, and 650s on my tacoma. I think if I did it again I would do 650s instead of 700s on my blue FJ even though I have dual battery, after market bumper, synthetic cable winch, and full steel roof rack. Good luck. My OMEs have been really good to me.

 

There is some inconsistent data that suggests the 3rd gen coil rate is 717 lbs. I have 700lb coils and they ride ok, if I had to do it again I would bump up to 750

 

I have tried every single possible ome coil on tacomas. they will all top out when you go over bumps and you will have less up travel than stock. The 886 coils are obviously very stiff and the ride will be jarring especially over small edges like potholes or manhole covers etc. Hybrid bumper wont add much weight, I would go with 888s and when you do get a winch thrown some 3/8 spacers in there to compensate for the weight. On my 2nd gen i had 887,888, and 886s all with and without an arb bumper. 887s with a 3/8 spacer was the best ride, on road and off. Regretted 886s every day even with an arb bumper. On my 3rd gen i have no bumper and 887s, ride is firmer than factory (yes, even though lower spring rate). Iw i would get a bumper i would throw in a small spacer rather than getting a longer coil like the 888, you'll have about the same ride height but more droop so it will top out less...

 

What do you mean the bumper won't add much weight, it's about 130 lbs? A Winch will add up to another 80 lbs.

Shocks and shock tuning have a bigger impact on ride quality than the spring or coil

 

Ok i thought the bumper OP wants to put on was something else.. bumper plus winch, 886. Bumper only 887/888. Or just switch coils out, they are cheap.

 

Just installed my third OME suspension; this one in my 2020 Tacoma. I went with sport valving on the shocks, 888 springs and the standard Dakar leafs in the back. I’m running a BA small front bumper and Warn winch with synthetic rope. We took the truck out and did about 100 miles on the potholed asphalt, dirt forest roads, and quite a few muddy logging trails. The suspension rode wonderfully. I’m very pleased with the shock/spring combination ToyTech recommended. Also, adding progressive bump stops was worthwhile.

 

I have OME Full kit. Originally started out with the soft ride shocks and 888 springs with trim packer. EL096R leaf springs and soft ride rear shocks. All was great till I added armor and bumper the 888 sagged and the soft ride was overly spongy, leaning and not stable. Ordered 886 on Firm ride shocks installed and left the rear soft, handles great like it should. The rear has plenty of traction

 

I have front and rear bumpers, soft riding front shocks with 886 springs, trim packer and heavy duty rear leaf's. The winch still has the steel cable but need to install the synthetic one, overall I am happy with the ride and it takes me where I want to go. Latest pic of the setup.

 

After a lot of research, I am planning on running 887 coils with NitroCharger soft-rides in the front. I am not planning on any extra weight, so my situation is different from yours.

 

Subbed for more discussion on this. My plan is to go full OME with standard Dakar’s and 887s.

Does anybody have experience or opinions on sport vs soft ride tune on the front struts? I know this is mainly dictated by spring rate, but does one help the truck to articulate/flex better than the other? I suspect both would ride fairly comfortably on and off road, but what would be the major benefits/drawbacks off road at low speed?

For my truck, I am undecided on daily bed load out, but would like to keep it minimal as I have my mountain bike in and out of the bed a few times a week. So not planning on adding any significant weight there. If I end up with an aftermarket front I think it’ll be something like an SSO slimline, so minimal added weight up front shouldn’t warrant 886’s.

Really good info about adding a 3/8” spacer to the front struts to compensate for added front end weight down the road, without adversely affecting ride quality or strut performance, thanks!

Hope this doesn’t come off as a thread jack, my intention is simply to get as many answers out there in the ether for OP, myself, and any others looking into this specific setup.

 

FWIW, this is how my bumper and winch sits with 888 springs and 255/85R16 tires.

 

You are swapping your steel cable for synthetic line? If you are just be careful, winches with steel cable weren’t designed for synthetic line and will burn them up.

 

Wow, I thought this thread was going to fall into a black hole, thanks for sharing your thoughts/experience everyone!
Lot of info/opinions to sort through, already read through the thread a couple times and know I'll be reading through many more times. And @aStrauss no its not a thread jack, I titled the thread OME discussion because I'd like to keep going with any general OME discussion so myself and others can learn from other members.

As for my situation, for reference, I've got full ARB skids passed the T case (90 lb)
Mobtown sliders on the way (140 lb)
ARE shell (200lb? not sure)
And a bunch of gear the just kind of lives in the bed (about 200lb)

So i decided the HD Dakars would be a good choice for the rear. As @swissrallyman suggested I could switch springs after installing the bumper up front, and that's a good idea but an added expense, trying to ball on a budget here haha. Also wondering if topping out can damage anything. @JoeCOVA If the OEM coils are supposedly 700lb than shouldn't everyone stick with the 886's? I have read posts of folks saying the OME springs all eventually sag and that they havent changed since the 2nd gens. (Also a reason why I stuck this in the 3rd gen forum instead of suspension forum).

OME is a well respected company, especially considering what the Australians put their rigs through, plus their shocks make the bilsteins look like toothpicks. Hoping to make the right choice

 

That’s a good question. Ideally you want a coil rate to support the weight of the vehicle and a shock tuned correctly to dampen the wheel travel. To your point it would make the most sense for everyone to run the 886 with a shock that provides them the best ride quality. However I don’t have a camparison to the 887 and 888 like some of these other guys but it seems dependent on a combination of factors to include personal preference.

What’s interesting is other manufacturers that offer heavier springs go over 700# for example the Dobinson heavy coils are rated for 730#

 

Not to take away from the thread, but first I have heard this as many have done this type of swap.

 

Most winches utilize an internal drum brake to control winching which generates a ton of drum heat under significant loads. Synthetic line is very susceptible to heat and degrades over time, with enough heat can completely fail.

It's doable but not without risk.

https://www.gowarn.com/warn-winches/synthetic-rope.aspx

 

886 vs 888.

 

Nice rigs, any differences in opinion/experience from you and your friend with the different coils?