Old Man Emu: Questions, Answers & Pictures

Tis true. I get why everyone is on headstrong's nuts, they serve our community well and try to help out all the time which is great. I just prefer to spend my tax dollars else where. It's like the walmart convo, oh well.

 

Long term question. Are any of you noticing a fair amount of rust on your OME components? I have seen some for sell(used) with a lot of rust on both spring and shock. It could have been surface rust, but just wanted to ask.

 

Mine after a year showed a lot of rust on the shock body but none on the springs. Mostly its where rocks get kicked up or the plastic dust boot scraps against the side, doesn't seem to effect much other then appearance.

 

I'm struggling with choosing between the Light Duty and Heavy Duty Dakar leaf pack for me 2014 Tacoma. I have Bilstein 5100's and OME 885 up front which provides a nice amount of lift up front. But my Wheeler's AAL and 5100's in the back are not cutting it. I've calculated around 387 lbs. of weight in the bed with the following: ARE Z-series cap, Yakima bars and towers, fridge, tent, cot, skottle, camp chairs and sleeping bags. That gear is in my truck 95% of the time. Adding additional camp food and gear, I'd estimate a top weight of 487 lbs. And I haven't decided yet if I want to add a Mobtown rear plate bumper with swing out.

I'm leaning towards the heavy duty and wondering if others would agree or disagree with that choice.

I'm also pondering what shock would best match my needs. Leaning towards the Bilstein 5160 when comparing to the 5100 extended, Fox 2.0, and Icon 2.0 extended shocks.

 

Dont know how soon your trying to make the swap, but I just ordered mine from @HeadStrong Off-Road the other day. This is what I ran into. I wanted the HD pack to make sure I am good and if I need more down the road I can just add the AAL and make it heavier duty. Then it turns out the ARB is behind and the HD packs are on backorder till August or September cant remember exactly, but here is what I finally figured out anf I kinda like it since I can just add as I go and need it. The HD pack is the LD pack with an AAL and then you have an HD pack. Then down the road I will just add another AAL to make it an heavier duty pack if needed. I thought they were just two different packs and down the road I would have to buy another set of packs to get the HD if I wanted them. Marie helped me understand that they were the same pack just adding AAL's is the difference. So the long winded answer order the LD and if its not cutting it add a AAL or do like I did order the LD and AAL from the get go and put it together yourself to make the HD so you dont have to wait for the backorder mess. Hope this helps.

 

Just ordered my LD Dakar pack today and can't wait to get them installed. I ordered their "Dakar package" but do you know if I need to buy anything else like U bolts, etc? TIA

 

You really should get new u bolts whenever swapping packs...technically i believe everytime you take them off your supposed to use new bolts

 

Thanks. That kinda makes sense. I'll probably have to call HeadStrong anyway so I'll have them run me through the packages. What shocks are you going to run with the Dakars?

 

The 5100's

 

I was told 5100's are not long enough for Dakars, unless they are the extended length 5100s.

 

They will limit droop. I have extenders on mine and they work alright.

 

So I've had my OME "Heavy sport kit" with 886s, nitrochargers and dakars installed since March. It's been settling pretty nicely however I've noticed recently that my driver side rear distance from hub to fender is about two inches less than the distance on the passenger side. This is strange because the distances are basically the same between sides in the front and I keep most of my weight on the passenger side of the bed.
Are there some basic things I should check for issues or is this just acceptable for settling? I did not do the installation myself but I haven't noticed any other strange suspension issues and it seems to ride great still.

 

Did you check the dakars for ++ or -- signs to ensure they're installed on the correct sides?

 

I should have added that, they are the extended.

 

New to tacoma world and I have literally read every article regarding OME lifts and wanted to know whether to go with 885s or 886s?

Here is what I will be ordering....

LR upper control arms
ARB bull bar or Relentless Fab front plate Bumper (still deciding on which one to get)
OME 885 or 886 full suspension kit with Dakars in the rear
rear bumper from relentless fab
No winch for awhile

I want 2.5 inches of lift. I know the springs will settle over time but wasn't sure if 886 is too much for an access cab for not having a winch or should I go 885.Was curious what others have done with this setup?

Also I am currently running 265/75 hankook tires

Thanks

 

Dakars flex pretty good!

 

886s. But even if you go with 885s and then get a winch, coils are relatively cheap and easy to swap so you could go up to 886s if they sag too much for you.

 

Sweet. Do you have extended shocks?

 

The 886s were designed to handle the added front end weight of an aftermarket bumper. Remember, the ARB is made by OME too.

 

Bilstein 5100 b110

Extenders on regular 5100s wouldn't be enough