Old Man Emu: Questions, Answers & Pictures

Took a grinder to it to remove some excess metal there

 

I had to cut some of the bracket to fit my OME shocks

 

I'm starting on the fronts now. Did you need to do any trimming there too?

 

Finished everything. Here's a messy pic before cleaning up, gained 1.25" in the front with the 886 coils/9000 shocks over my Toytec 2.5" spacer. In the rears I gained 2.5" on the driver side and 2" on the passenger, had the OEM pack with 1.5" AAL previously. Not excited that it's uneven but hoping it'll settle. I installed the ome shocks and Dakar HD pack rear, pack with the plus sign on the driver side and the 0 sign on the passenger.

 

Looks awesome! I love the "after party" of tools and parts after working on the truck all day. I just replaced my CV boots and it was a bit like a bomb went off!

 

Haha it's amazing how many tools you end up with at the end of a job

 

Looks great, post some more pics after your done with that yard sale.

 

Had an alignment done earlier. Gonna take it back for another tomorrow since the camber settings are pulling the truck a bit

 

Decided against doing a flip kit while you had the back end apart?

 

Yep, I asked the guys at headstrong and they didn't think it was necessary. Where the u-bolts secure to the axle it's so close to the wheel it wouldn't be an issue unless you take it over some serious rocks

 

Yeah people debate whether or not to do it quite frequently. I did mine and 5 years later the bolts are dented and scratched to shit but my truck sees rocks too. I figure its one less thing to worry about hanging low.

You're truck looks great.

 

Thanks! I'll have to check on them after a few trips and see how they're holding up

 

Looks great What size tires are you running?

 

285/75/16 grabber at2s, they've been great tires so far. I have 42k miles on them and still decent tread left

 

Looks great!

 

How is the ride quality on the road? I'm thinking about ordering the OME kit with Dakars this week. I have 34x11.50 tires and it looks like you probably have enough room to clear them.

 

so I've been looking at suspensions for a while now. While I haven't had a chance to read this entire thread I am in the process of reading it during my downtime.

I'm looking at either 5100s or OME 90021's with 888 coils and Dakars either way for my "cheap" option. Can someone summarize (or direct me to a summary) of these options? I'm looking at durability, reliability, and on-road feel. I don't mind the stock suspension but if I could get rid of the floaty bounce it occasionally has as well as removing the feel of annoying small bumps on the road (spots where the asphalt has been re-patched, expansion joints, etc) and still net my 2" of lift I would probably be happy. I'm really not keen on the whole rebuilding process of the higher end shocks which is the whole reason I am still considering these two options, however I feel like I really should buy a top end (King or ADS IMO) suspension if I'm here doing it. As TW has taught me, buy once cry once.


So between the Bilstein 5100 and OME 90021,

which of these is more durable in the back country?
which will last longer before needing to be replaced?
which feels better on road? off road?
Is the "clunk" I keep hearing about on the OME's really that bad?

 

Nope

 

With the tires or lift? I went with the stiff 886 springs and firm 9000 shocks, it's pretty stiff compared to the stock stuff. That said, I can yank on my front bumper and it hardly moves, so adding in skids winch and whatever else shouldn't hurt it any.

Tires on the road have been pretty good for road noise but they're heavy and need a ton of weight to balance. I'm happy with them for the mileage I've gotten but I may try something different next time

 

I should have read closer, I didn't realize you have the 886 springs with the firm shocks. That would explain why it looks a little taller than most.