Specific suspension lift questions..

my 97 has a 3'' Body lift on it that is soon coming off (bought the truck w/ it on).

Then 31X10.5 tires are going on it and after that I want to do a mild suspension lift (1.5-2''). My stock leafs are worn and will be replaced with new packs

Right now I am looking at wheeler's 5 leaf pack good for 1.5'' and bilstein 5100's for the rear.

The front is where I am having some trouble deciding. I want to run bilsteins up front, but dont know what coil to go with. Wheelers has a "matching" coil for the 5 leaf pack, or should I go with OME coils up front?

Another factor is in the near future I am going to be running a trail gear lo-pro bumper and winch up front, so I need to compensate for that.

So I was thinking of running 882 coils on the bilsteins to compensate for the winch/bumper and still get some lift in the ball park of 1.5-2''.

Will running OME coils on the bilsteins be okay, or will it be too stiff?

I like the bilsteins because they are cheaper and I currently have bilsteins on the front of my truck and have liked them....or should I go with OME...

SO MANY CHOICES!! Help...and sorry for all the questions

And if it helps I dont do any super hardcore off-roading. Lots of washboard fire roads, tight trails, sand and mud. No 'baja' stuff

 

I had 5100s with my 881s, and I thought they were nice at first, but too stiff later. I swapped in OME Nitrochargers, and I like them better. Still firm, but less harsh than the 5100s. Yes they cost more, but now I wish I had just bought them in the first place. They are very beefy, too

Of course, I have a stock bumper and no winch, but a v6.

 

with the OME coils did you run the billys at stock height, or on a lift notch? And how much lift did you get?

Do you have the OME's in front and back now? And how do you like the Wheelers 5 pack?

 

Billies on zero. You do not want to use the Billie setting above zero on the much stronger aftermarket springs. They aren't designed for that. Same for Eibachs.

I got just about 2 right after install. It is all relative, though, because I had worn out springs before.

Did you check out the Wheelers Offroad's site? It explains some of this, but it assumes the v6, not 4 banger. You can call and ask them their advice/experience for your setup with the bumper.

One thing they don't mention is that each OME coils adds 10mm of spring height (not lift height, which is different), so 882s are 20mm longer (coil height) than 880s.

 

Yeah, my springs have 175k on them...so the front coils are worn out just as much as the rear leafs...

And I have read over wheeler's website...good site but I just wanted some insight from my fellow TW's. Wheelers also carries a coil that "matches" their 5 pack. I will probably shoot them an email to see what they think.

I really want to run the billys for a couple of reasons, they are $100 cheaper for the front, they are zinc plated, and have a life-time warranty.

But if the ride will be too harsh I may just go for the OME's.

 

Hey, I just remembered this link, it may help you:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/117492-first-gen-ome-coil-info.html

Yeah, the Nitros are spendy. But for a daily driver 90%, I appreciate the slightly smoother ride on long, crappy highway drives. I can't remember the OME/ARB warranty, but I really didn't care because the ride quality was more important to me. They are made for the Australian Outback, so that is good enough insurance for me...

 

Good read...but according to that I need to be somewhere between the 881 and the 882...The 882 offers a bit too much lift and the accessory weight is too high (I am only going to run a winch and bumper, nothing else) And the 881 only has 1.46'' of lift...a bit short.

But as you mentioned my springs are probably sagging b/c of the truck's age. So I will probably get more than that.

This truck is my DD, but probably not for too much longer (turn it into my trail buggy). But I offroad very often (almost every week, several times a week) So the billys may be a good choice.

I'll def talk to the guys at wheelers and see what they say

 

You should get the 5mm taco lean spacer for the driver side (don't have pic handy, but little gold ring that goes at the bottom of the spring between it and the spring perch on the shock). This helps compensate for the driver, battery, and gas tank all on the same side.

They also have a 10 trim packer for the top to tweak the overall height; maybe that's for you.

Good luck, man. I know it seems pretty complicated.

 

good recommendations...thanks for your help man, much appreciated!

 

If your plannin of a bumper and winch, get the 882s man. You'll just wear out the 881s fast with a plate bumper and winch. Thats close to 120lbs gross of extra weight.

 

I'm going with a trail gear low-profile tube bumper, which is significantly lighter than a plate bumper. Probably similar in weight to the stock bumper.

Wont the 882's give me more lift than what I need?

 

If you are not running a plate bumper and have a 2.7, 882s would be pretty tall and stiff. It's odd that Wheeler's doesn't provide the lift height, but I would think you will get about 2.5 in. from 882s.

WO sez: PLEASE NOTE THE 882 COIL SET IS ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR DOUBLE CAB TACOMA'S OR V6 EXTRA CABS RUNNING A WINCH AND BULLBAR. WE PREFER TO RUN THESE ONLY ON OME STRUTS

EDIT: Wait, so are you still going to run a winch, too? All I can adivse is add up all the weight of the tube bumper and winch, subtract the weight of the stock bumper, and you'll know how much extra weight you'll net. And then call Wheeler's again. With so many variables and unknowns, it is hard for any of use to provide precise numbers unless we have the exact setup you do...or will.

 

I just sent WO an email... I am not sure how much the bumper weighs (need to email TG) but the winch I want (ramsey rep 9.5e) weighs 88lbs...

 

just got this email from Dan at wheeler's:

Looks like I will be going w/ the 881's! Gotta start saving...