Old Man Emu: Questions, Answers & Pictures

Yes, I received the 112's. For what ever reason, Wheelers hasn't updated their website with the new part #'s.

 

I have a question for you all, we are running the OME BP-51s and was wondering what most appropriate compression/rebound setting would be. The passenger/driver preload is 16/19 mm. Right now both front and rear are set at the max of 10, is that the best? I'd estimate 90% of our driving is pavement, 9% graveled, and 1% off-road.

Our truck is carrying a near-constant weight of around 7,200 lbs; 3,100 on the front and 4,100 on the rear. We have custom deaver springs on the rear as well as Hammer hanger shackles.


The picture above shows the Deavers with a missing bolt!


We're traveling in this full time, we're currently in Croatia

Oh yeah, we're running 275/70/17 range E, BFG KO2 tires

Thanks!

 

Hey all, I had a BP51 front/rear kit installed by a local shop. Overall I am happy, however there are two issues I would like to rectify if possible, looking for input:

• The rear is incredibly squeaky
  • It seems like the leafs, but giving them a close eyeball they look greased to shit its very generous up in there.
  • If the tailgate is down and you just lightly press down on it, the back end whines like crazy.
  • @GHOST SHIP seems to have solved a very similar issue with new bushings from @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/change-the-front-bushings-in-your-dakars.479071/
• The front end "pops"
  • Standing still or moving, the front end will pop when turned fully in either direction.
  • There is also a slight feedback when the pop occurs.
  • It pops again when crossing back over whichever point it popped back to neutral position.

This is a brand new install that gave these problems immediately, used brand new parts, one a brand new (10k mi) truck.

Sure, you might immediately say "take it back to the shop" but I am not a car guy and don't know what to ask for, the #1 tip I've gotten for good customer service is "before complaining, know what it is that will rectify your complaint so you can ask for it."

Frankly, "it's noisy and I don't want it noisy" might not be good enough because of this excuse or that or whatever hot air they need to say that prevents me costing the shop time/$$$ -- and if it's something easy enough like going over the suspension and re-torqueing stuff, I might be able to handle that without bugging anyone.

Either way, with ~$3,500 in parts and $1,400 in labor you'd think this bad boy would be tip-top with no room for complaints, but here I'm is...

 

I'm assuming you installed Dakar leafs. If this is the case then they will squeak, there's not much you can do about it unless you want to take the whole thing apart and try to separate the leafs (I think I recall some people using bicycle tubes with some success). Most people learn to live with it, mine get real bad if they get dirt in between them. Usually a good power-wash will eliminate the squeaking for a while. Mine were especially squeaky when I first installed them (like everyone in the parking lot was looking at me), but they have since "warn in" and the squeaking is not nearly as bad if it squeaks at all.

Regarding your front end, I am less familiar with this but from past reading I recall popping problems can be related to LCA bolts being lose. You may want to check these torque numbers, matter of fact check all your torques. It's a good practice to check all the torques after driving a few miles from initial install.

 

Just a follow up on here for those interested. I went with the OME 886 front springs and EL096R leaf springs. The kit from Wheeler came with their poly bushings, carrier bearing drop, U bolts, and assembled struts. The OME UCAs were backordered until Feb 2022 so I went with JBA high caster UCAs instead (which I think was a good choice!). On stock 16" wheels and tires the front raised up 2 3/4" and the rear raised up 3 3/8". I had 285/70/17s and 17" wheels installed yesterday and the total lift with the full set up (suspension, wheels, and tires) was 4" in the front and 4 5/8" in the rear.

For those not wanting a rake, do not get the heavy leaf springs. I plan on adding a good amount of constant weight over time so I went ahead and got the heavy leaf springs and honestly it looks fine to me. I didn't have to do any trimming or cutting in the fender well, but I most likely will find some problem areas when I take it off road.

Very happy with the look!

 

That looks...

 

Looks great! Did you get a CMC? What were your caster numbers with the UCAs? You may want to look into hammering the pinch weld, that was a problem area for me with 285/70/17s.

 

Howdy folks!
I have been running an OME heavy lift kit with an ARB bumper since 2016. I had initially planned on getting a winch at some point but I think that's pretty far off for me now.
I am considering swapping out my 886 coils for 885s or 884s. Right now my truck sits pretty level with my daily driver-ish load but as soon as I toss a few bikes on the bike rack or start loading up my bed for an adventure it starts to sag quickly and I suddenly get the saggy diaper look going on so I would like to minimize that if I can. I also don't plan to run big tires any time soon so losing some lift isn't the end of the world and would probably actually improve my alignment specs and UCA angles a bit since I'm still running the stock UCAs.
I was wondering if anyone else here had done a similar swap before?
Pic of my truck for reference.

 

I need to get a print out of the alignment specs! I am rubbing in the rear of the front wheel wells when turning on an inclined surface so I'm afraid I might need to get a CMC. I am going to trim some this weekend and see if it helps. I'll report back!

 

Hey everyone

I'm looking at a full OME Nitrocharger with Dakars Kit for a 2013 V6 4WD Access Cab tacoma sr5 with a stock front end and hard topper in the back. I sifted through this forum (yes, I used the search function) and I have only come across a single 2nd gen V6 AC with a stock front end, so hopefully this message reaches the other AC folk or those who might have insight with my situation.

I recently put on new 265/75/16 tires, and now I'm looking for a little more lift to even out the look. I'm wanting around 2-2.25". Mainly the lift would be aesthetic, but I also want to make the truck a bit more capable and I think it would be good to swap put the old stock sr5 suspension. It's a Daily Driver, so I don't need the fancy reservoirs or expensive suspension kits - I'm mainly looking for better ride on fire roads, washboards, relatively mellow off roading.

Here's the setup from Headstrong I'm thinking about:

- OME 90021 soft ride struts in front (Daily Driver, so don't want super stiff ride - let me know if there is any opposition to the 90021s)
- OME 60091 rear shocks
- 884x coils (maybe 885x coils)
- Strut Assembly
- Medium Duty Dakars (EL111R)
- Not getting UCAs at the moment, but I'm not against them - I'll run stock unless I find I need them.

1. Wanting 2" of lift. I've come across old lift charts from HeadStrong on this forum, but I know that the coils have been updated, so I don't think those are accurate anymore (if they were, then I would supposedly get ~2.25" up front with 884x on a 2nd gen 4wd AC, which would be ideal). I know I might be splitting hairs and over-analyzing over lift heights, but just want to be the most informed buyer possible!

2. Another worry for me is too much lift out the rear. MD Dakars are supposed to lift about 2.75" which would give a lot of rake. I'm happy with rake as I'll load up the bed, but I'm afraid it might be too much... has anyone taken a leaf spring out of the newer MD Dakar Packs (EL111R)? I saw others on TW do it with the older Dakar versions (EL095/096 or even older 047 packs).

Any advice is appreciated - thanks for sticking through to the end of the post.

Happy Holidays!

 

You are on the right track, I had an 07'DCSB with the older 886, firm nitrochargers and dakar heavy duty with the extra leaf. I also had ARB with a winch and regularly carried a fair amount of weight in the bed.

One thing to think about is how much weight you may add in the future. Not too much to add an overload spring to the rear if you add a canopy. The 885 is only 5mm longer than the 884. I'd be tempted to go with that.

I just put the newer versions on my '21 DCSB OR.

I'm less concerned on lift than I am on ride and the OME setup is far better both on or off road than the stock ride on either gen of Tacoma.

 

Yeah the 885 and 884 coils are only 5mm different and same spring rate, so I might be splitting hairs here a bit. Thanks for the advice - are you riding the 90000 or the 90021 struts? Which do you prefer? Thanks

 

90000, never considered the lighter ones. It is my work truck, plenty of forestry roads and the or own drill trails and some deactivated roads.

Decide on your use, of you are mainly pavement with occasional forestry roads, then you may be fine with the lighter springs.

 

885s and 887s are the same spring rate (590lb/in)

885 = 395mm
887 = 400mm

1/4” top plate spacer = 6.35mm

Aside from the 1.35mm (~0.05”) gained from the 885+spacer, any reason to not go with the 887s?

Only asking because I am looking to replace my existing 885s + top plate spacers. They didn’t have the 887s back then when I originally purchased/installed. Was always happy with the height but my truck eats CV boots like a champ. Considering going with the 887s or 885s WITHOUT the spacer to increase the longevity of my CV boots.

 

Thinking about getting the OME BP-51 kit. Any other parts I should plan on getting to complete the lift? I noticed it doesn't come with upgraded bump stops or a diff drop. Are those necessary? Are there any other missing parts I should be thinking about?

 

Added a set of airbags because the Dakar 112 had settled to 1.5" of lift once I had the truck loaded. It was 3" without the load. Added enough air to have a 2.5" lift in the rear but still experimenting with air pressure.

The ride is even better than with the OME 886/Dakar setup that made the truck much smoother and more planted than stock.

 

Cross post from another thread.
Full OME EK2301B1 lift kit with SPC UCA's.
Removed the sway bar.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...3rd-gen-today.399305/page-12037#post-27583987

Really not sure why some are saying the 886 springs are too stiff with no armor. Feels 100x more planted and rides better than stock.

 

Replacing my worn out Icon suspension with some Emu, already have the dakars on the truck.

 

Building out my 2015 AC OR. I'm adding the Body Armor Hiline bumper with a Warn VR EVO 10-s winch. RCI steel skids and sliders. In the back I have a Leer shell and a Decked system plus a ton of camping gear when I'm not dailying. Tires will be 285/75r16.

For the lift I'm going with the OME Nitrocharger kit:

OME-90000 firmer shocks w/ driver's side packer shim.
EL112R Heavy Dakar pack in the back
SPC UCA's

The question is 2885 or 2886 coils in the front?

 

with a bumper, winch, skids, and sliders, I'd go 886