Old Man Emu: Questions, Answers & Pictures

If you get the right aftermarket UCAs you might not need a cab chop, the adjustments can move the tire far enough. But if they added spacers to the wheels, that may be why they didnt need to trim.

 

I have 265 70 17s with spidertrax on my stock sport wheels with the ome 885's w/ spacers on nitrochargers and dakars and I rub while backing up with my 265's on. I havent trimmed anything. I also run LR UCAs and have my caster set at 2.4-2.5

 

You are probably rubbing BECAUSE of the spacers. I have that exact size tire and lift with no spacers and I don't rub at all. Been off roading several times with it too and no rubbing at full stuff either. Unless you just like the look, i'd take the spacers off.

 

Spacers alleviate touching UCA or frame. They increase the chances of rubbing on the outside edges of the tires.

 

I have 17in ATX Crawl w/ 265/75/17 Nitto Terra Grappler
I had to take the front mudflap off and trim a very small amount. I just ordered my OME kit and will be putting 285s. I am sure some trimming will be required if not a cab mount chop. I have seen some that don't need it and some that do but we shall see. My BS is 4.5"

 

Never heard of a 265/75/17

 

whoops 275/70/17

 

I run 275/70/17 on stock Sport alloys , no rub , flaps on

 

Okay I must not be explaining this clearly. 285s wont touch the frame and no one chops that part. The part that has to get chopped is the body mount. You will hit the body mount more with wheel spaces. Depending on the wheel.

I will go take pictures because this is getting too difficult to explain via text.

 

After ~4 weeks of reading and researching for the ideal solution to my needs, I feel this is likely the best place to ask questions. Following the death (mother rear-ended on interstate :/... She's alright, Taco saved her life) of my '97 Rhino-lined tank of a Taco, I found a '09 blk trd or 4x4 with only 18k on her... Older man owned it, never been off-road..... My new project, gotta get her ready.

So, my dilemma:
The front sits 1.5" low on the passenger front and 2" on the driver's.
According to the VIN#, no tsb's for its production number so non tsb rear, look solid and zero rust.
For mileage reasons, I only intend to run 265/75r16 BFG at's once these crap trail ta's are done (yes, it's a '09 w factory tires haha)

I have a 68lb winch mount on the way and will be adding my old M8000 to the new truck shortly... Guessing ~110 lbs w shackles etc. Note the link, in love with this mount! US Offroad!!!!

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/group-buys/314386-2005-2011-winch-mount-bumper.html#post8142363

I am certain I need a .25" top plate spacer for driver's lean.

I, unlike some, basically love how the factory TRD OR suspension feels. Although I have not had the opportunity to really push it off road (just light riding on trails <20mph), it seems ample for my needs... Graduate student stuck in city only getting home to 500ac farm once every month or two.

I would like to keep the feel/ride of the truck as close to stock as possible while keeping .5-1" of rake with the added weight of the winch and mount. Spacers are out bc this needs to be a solid mechanical upgrade, not a possible Achilles heel. (yes, I do drive the shit out of my vehicles on occasion... Like H2O in floorboards, 150ft of cable, and a John Deere 5500 4x4 to get me out of bad decisions kinda thing).

That being said, I suppose I am not completely against a small spacer lift considering my minimal lift goals, but just doesn't seem right to me when new coils are $160... I'm open to thoughts on top plate/preload combos etc., but don't want more than 1.5" in front with winch weight.

From a budget, functionality, and longevity standpoint, replacing the coils seems to be my best option. I almost ordered the Eibachs earlier this week, but stopped myself bc I had not researched OME enough. I am now convinced that they may be too stiff and maybe a .5" low. This puts me between the 883's and 884's.

I understand the 883's are 1.5" higher and 884's are 2" higher; however, I have seen several posts where guys with 4x4 dblcb tacos only got 1" out of 883's (I need a true 1.5" bc winch will bring it down ~.25")... I am not sure if my winch setup will be enough weight to effect the 883's to the point of needing 884's.

My stock trd bilsteins are essentially new and I would like to utilize them until replacement is necessary. Will they only work with the 883 length?? Does anyone have experience with the difference in actual mounted height between the 883 and 884? Ride difference? Will stock length billies even work with 884's? Any advice is appreciated fellas, Thanks!!

Go Dawgs

 

884s will work on stock shocks, but will wear them out. IMO with a winch and bumper you will need 885s on nitrochargers. blisten 5100 shocks will work but some people don't like the parings of ome coils on blisten shocks.

 

Thanks for the input and apologies if I jumped into a conversation there fellas. Mount should be ready to install w/in 1.5-2 wks and want to do front suspension at the same time.

Reply:
Well, the reason I was looking at 884's was ome has them listed at 2" and increased weight handling of 110lbs, which is right around where I'll be. 885's are about the same as the Eibachs, just a tad longer I believe. Afraid they'd be too stiff.

 

I have that fear, but am under the impression that 883's would have pretty low risk of this.

Maybe this is all speculation until the winch is mounted and see how the stock suspension rides/sits?... Was just wanting to knock it out at once if could get solid advice from experience.

 

I had the same issue.. In reverse I rubbed on that front bumper mud guard flap thing. I removed it and rubbing gone

 

Does anyone know the overall length of an OME front strut vs. a Bilstein 5100?

 

How heavy is your winch mount? I have 885s and sit at around1.25-1.5" with about 200# hanging on the front. And run 265/75r16. My front isn't stiff at all. la0d0g ran 884s for a while with a winch and aluminum bumper. You might check his build out.

 

I got a quick question here. I was pulling off the old leafs on my 09' this weekend and I released the bolts on each end of the leaf springs. There still feels to be some pressure on the leafs as the bolts were pretty tight getting out. Is there a way to release this pressure on the shackles there? I have jack stand under the rear of the truck by the tailgate to support the back.

 

I have seen several people say it is needed and several say it is not. Who actually has the full 3" OME lift with Dakars without extended rear brake lines and what are your experiences? Headstrong Off-road told me they are not necessary. I just want more info than a few people chiming in "yes" or "no" like I have seen on most of the threads.

Thanks,
Simon

 

You only need them if you fully flex out your suspension. When you reach full droop there could be a problem. The Cheap option is creating a spacer where the brake line bracket is on the axle. I have seen people use a bunch of washers and a longer bolt.

 

Anyone here recommend bump stops to help with front rubbage? While offroad my fronts rub on the fender flares and I'm thinking I may need to decrease up travel. I run around with sway bar removed and it's just the 3" OME kit with 1/4" spacer. I've done CMC, clipped the ends of the fender flares, aaaaand removed most of the black inner liner.

Edit: Also have adjusted caster and moved the wheels forward a bit in relation to the TC ucas and have done the hammer mod on the pinch welds.