Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

In that case you might hit up @FloTaco . Had arranged some work with them before deciding to stay closer to home so can't vouch from personal experience but based on our interactions they certainly seem to know their stuff

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mobile-installation-modification-service.727768/

 

Lots of comments in what peeps have installed, but not much on how they ride either street or off-road…
I’ve ordered 5100s all around and EMU 2881 springs soon to be installed.
4x4 V6 with a tube bumper and a winch, 2” lift.
I’m looking for a smoother ride on small bumps more than anything.

 

5100 are digressive shocks so they don't handle small bumps well especially on washboard types of road. They will feel harsher and stiffer. I believe the OME shocks are linear shocks which do much better.

If you mainly drive on the street, the 5100 is fine. I think why they got so popular is because those people don't offroad or do it much. I've used bilstein in multiple street vehicles in the past and they are always harsh on uneven roads. I would go OME before Bilstein if the vehicle is used offroad more. However, you can't beat the price of the bilstein shocks.

 

6112's up front and the OME/Dakar leaf springs in the rear. Too high in the back. I wish it was about 1-1.5" lower in the rear so it would sit level. I don't care for the rake.

 

We’ll I hope they’re better than original shocks, and better than what I have which look to be original struts with a spacer lift up front.
I like to occasionally do some light off-road but really looking for a better street ride.

 

My '04 isn't a total OME swap; 881's with a Wheeler's 3 leaf added pack over stock leaves (leafs?) and Billstein 5100 front and back. I retained the stock overload spring. Definitely taller, but I didn't measure. 235/85-16's. This is loaded about 7 of 10 day surf trip so the water/cooler/beer/firewood is less than what I started with. There's still plenty of weight in gear, tools and make your self comfortable in the desert stuff. I pour the fuel in as soon as I can and strap the empty gas cans to the top of the shell. (Paint sucks on it anyway.) It's still about 1000 lbs of crapola. It's amazing how fast it adds up. I've only used the 5100's since the TRD ones died. I like them on road where I (& most of us) do the vast majority of the mileage. While they are a bit stiff on the washboard when the truck is empty, the truck has enough tire to compensate by airing down. Loaded down on the g-outs the shock/spring combo's handle pretty well. The cost/ride compromise works for me. Most of the time on a Baja coastal track it's better to slow down; driving fast rips the roads apart (locals aren't stoked), it's easy to spill your bevie and I'm too far from anything to walk out for help.

 

I have a good deal of rake from my ARB bumper and winch on a single cab. I am wanting to get it back to level, the rear is 2" higher than the front. Do you think 881s and 5100s on the lowest setting will cause it to level back out or sag?

 

We’ll turns out they are a lot better. Very happy!

 

Question so my sons 2002 Dbl cab has 5100's with 881 springs and it rides kinda rough. If i change over to ome shocks will it ride smoother?

 

I found that my 881/5100 setup was somewhat harsh at first, after reading this thread I swapped out my rear shocks for ones with softer valving and it does seem to ride smoother.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stiff-rear-end-after-lift-you-got-the-wrong-shocks.471164/

 

So the rear is ok but the front does ride harsh so im looking to see if switching over will do the trick.

 

Stock bumper etc up front?

 

All stock

 

Might be that the 881's are for a heavier front end over the 880's. I have a aftermarket tube bumper and winch with the exact same set up and it's pretty much 'fine' but no Cadillac ride. But it was worse with the old spacer lift and beat shocks it had previously.
But lots of opinions here. Bilstein Lifts told me I should be fine with the 881's so I went with that. so...
(V6/Auto 4X4)

 

I’ve got 881s on Tundra 5100s. I like them. 3rz, plate bumper, and winch add up to 50# over 5vz weight.

 

How do you like your setup? I just ordered 881/5100 and concerned they might be too harsh on the road. I have a first gen with 31” tires.

 

Adding this for anyone interested in alignment specifics. All of the following were done at the same time, zero miles on anything, including tires.
BFG K02's 265/75/R16
Spidertrax spacers 5-1/2" x 1-1/4"
Dakars, 882 coils front.
Delphi OEM style upper control arms from rock auto;
Whiteline LCA bushings; OEM steering rack and OEM tierods;
OEM upper ball joints and OEM lower ball joint.

Upper control arms are maxed out as expected. Here is the best that was possible according to the alignment shop:

 

Find a new shop.

That is a piss poor alignment. They didn't touch the caster and that much negative caster is no good. It looks like they never touched the LCA cam adjusters, which is where all of the caster adjustment is done. I assume your cam adjusters are not frozen since you replaced the LCA bushings.

It is important to note that OEM UCAs cannot be adjusted for an alignment. I've never heard of the brand you used but if they are OEM style, there is nothing adjustable on them.

 

I’ll have to take your word on that, I know only the basics on alignment charts. what I meant was that the 882’s have maxed out the sitting angle of the uca with these tires. The delphi branded upper control arms are identical to oem, completely non adjustable as you said.
The cam adjusters control both caster and camber on these trucks, so I assumed they wouldn’t be able to correct that much caster without losing the camber.

 

If your cam adjusters are working correctly, the alignment tech should be able to get a little positive caster without hurting camber. The more lift you have does make it harder to get the caster higher, but they should be able to get between 1.5-2° positive.

It's pretty obvious your tech chose not to touch those adjusters as the caster numbers from the before and after readouts were identical. If the camber changed very slightly, it is only from adjusting the toe and the steering wheel being centered.

If it were me, I'd call them on it. If they choose to do nothing at that point, find a shop who will do the alignment correctly.

FWIW, caster is what gives the truck a great driving feel. The higher the better. Personally, I like +3° of caster. With it that high, no more buffeting from side winds or when passing a semi and the truck is unfazed by ruts in the highway. I'll bet right now yours is very twitchy at highway speeds.