Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

Thanks. It's getting there but I still have a few things to do. I need to get my All-Pro sliders welded on next week and then decide on a rear bumper. And after driving it around today it's gonna need to be re-geared soon too. Guess I'll do an ARB in the front at that time as well.

 

Dang. I wish I could do these things to my truck! Sounds exciting!

 

Full OME 881/Dakar leaf pack Nitrocharger sports from www.rocky-road.com. Best price I could find. Totally happy with this kit. Ride is significantly better than stock. A little harsh initially, but it's breaking in nicely. Been driving on it for about 2 months now, and it seems to be getting better and better from week to week. No spacers in the coils with my wheel/tire combo-17x9 Black Rhinos w/265/70/17 Duratracs. Really love the Duratracs so far as well.

 

Looks mean! How many miles do you have on them aprox?

 

Thx. I've got about 1800 miles on this set-up.

 

I got a similar kit in 2009(full OME with 881s). About 50k miles lots of offroad. And a lot of salty conditions (beach and winter). Still ride awesome

 

How much lift did the 881 give you? Are you still running stock uca's? How did the alignment go?

 

Not sure the exact amount of lift. I didn't measure it stock. I can tell you, as it sits now, there is 7 inches front/8 inches rear of clearance between the top of the tire and the fender. And she sits 38 inches front/39 inches rear from the ground to the fender. Stock UCA's, and no issues with the alignment.

 

For what it's worth I have 881 w/ 10mm top-spacer.

Coils: 1.75"
Spacer: 5/8-3/4"

Total lift: ~2.5"

I also have stock arms and no issues with alignment.

 

I was just wondering because I'm running 881 coils with 1/4" top plate spacer and I'm sitting at over 39" to front fender. This puts me at 3" of lift if not more. I'm running light racing uca's because that was the only way I could even get close to a desirable caster. What are your guys alignment numbers?

 

Here are my numbers. Please let me know if you see something I should be concerned about. I just assumed, since the shop didn't say anything, that I was good. Remember also my set-up has no spacers.

 

I did my first run with the OME 883/Dakar's and 255/85-16 Cooper ST's yesterday and everything worked great. The only rubbing was at the front of both rear flares. There was no rubbing at all in the front no matter how twisted up I got it. Since I expected some trimming would be needed in the front I consider this a huge success!

There were a few places I missed my Jeep but the Taco held it's own just fine. I did have to back out of one spot due to not having my sliders welded on but that was just to prevent body damage. If the sliders were mounted I could have snaked right through.

Tire placement seems to be more critical too since I'm used to 35's and just leaning out the door to pick my line. The "smear" technique doesn't really work well with the skinnier rubber either. More seat time should get me more comfortable.

One initial concern with the Taco was how "tippy" it was going to feel vs my TJ. With the limited articulation of the IFS I expected more 3 wheeling and pogo issues but the rig felt planted in most spots. I would rate the trail we did as a 3+ and a good representation of the stuff I like to run.

My initial idea of building up a Tacoma was to have a true dual-purpose rig. Something that could get me to the Rubicon in comfort, handle the trail, and then return me back home. So far in the 3 months I've had it everything has worked out better than expected. Just a few more mods to wrap up in the next couple of weeks and it should be perfect.

 

Are you still running with the sway bar? If so consider removing it. You will notice considerable difference off road and very little difference on road. The 883s make up for not having it and your front end will actually articulate to the trail. I was weary about removing mine due to all the highway driving I do, but I will never put it back on.

 

Yeah, the sway bar was ditched when I did the install. I've thrown it around corners to see how it reacts and it handles better than when I had the sway bar and clapped out TRD suspension. My TJ was locked on 35's with a Currie Anti-Rock set full soft so I know squirrely

 

I went with the 880 with 5100/5125's. After a couple of months settled out to about 1.5'' lift up front, perfect for what i wanted. This setup was night & day difference to the stock setup.

 

I need some opinions on the setup I want to order. I have a 99 xcab with the V6, brush guard for now on the front. I am looking at getting 882s, wheelers 1.5" rear AAL, and nitro sports all around. In a few months I may add the Dakars in the rear. My truck is going to be 90% street 10% offroad. Im not sure if I want to do a plate bumper in the front in the future or not. I want reliability more than anything, no blown CV boots, etc.. would this be a good starter setup?

 

Your toe is on the border of almost too much toe in. The only other thing is your caster is low but the only way to fix that is aftermarket uca's.

 

Sounds a lot like my trucks usage. I went with 883s instead of 882s. I think without much extra weight up front with 882s you'll have pretty steep CV angles. 883s are the same height as 881s but with a higher spring rate to accommodate a bumper and/or winch (on order, will be here in a few weeks). I've been running this setup since May and love it. Stiff at first but it's softened up nicely.

I also have dakars with the AAL which I like. I wouldn't buy them without the AAL though.

 

I have a question.... I will be getting some 883s in the future and plan on pairing them with 5100's which I will have set to 0. My only question right now is to get or not get the dust boots for the shocks. What do y'all say?

 

Thanks for the input, this is my daily driver so i want to keep it reliable. I think I will be going with the 883 kit from toytec here in Denver, nice to have a local company who carrys it.