Which OME for FJ?

[Strider]

I own a 2008 FJ Cruiser that will soon receive an Old Man Emu suspension. It will later get an ARB bull bar, winch, and rear bumper/tire/fuel can rack, some drawers in the cargo area, and will tow an off road camper like a teardrop or T-Van type. The FJ is a daily driver that I will be over landing with-long highway drives as well as long overland trips.

I have a dilema regarding which grade of suspension. The best would be the OME heavy duty, but it will be a few months before the accessories go on. I am worried that the hd lift without the weight it is designed for will cause problems. Anyone dealt with this yet? I have thought of perhaps placing two 80lb sand bags in the back area to make up the weight until I get the number/rack. Installing the regular duty would be a waste because it will not be adequate for the future upgrades. The mid grade I am not too sure about.

Any suggestions, opinions, and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Adventurous]

Could you wait a few months to install the lift? Honestly the front is what I would be worried about more than the back. Having the heavy duty suspension without the presence of the ARB up front will make your front end pretty tall and stiff and could have an adverse impact on the life of your CV joints. If I were in your shoes I would wait until I could put on the ARB + OME HD at the same time.

 

[Strider]

Thank you!
Perhaps waiting would be the best option. I would then have to purchase the lift and the bumper at the same time, and maybe the winch as well. The issue is that, as a school teacher, a $1000 bumper, $1000 winch, and $1000 suspension is steep.

A mechanic quoted me about $500 for labor to put on the OME but I think its way too high. A friend has a garage and offerd to help me do it. Seems simple enough, so that will save me half the cost of the bumper.

Here is a question: Would installing the bumper and winch first be a good idea? Would it make my front end dip or hurt my cv joints?
A mechanic said that I will be needing new shocks soon as at least one is starting to leak a little bit.

 

[Adventurous]

Before I had a chance to install my OME coils on the front of my Tacoma I rolled around with the ARB for a week or so. It will for sure sag out the front end some, even more so with a winch. For the most part it wasn't an issue though if you do hit a good bump it will bottom out. So long as you aren't rallying around the place I would think it will be fine for a little bit.

I would also recommend installing the lift yourself. It's not too terribly difficult and there are plenty of write-ups on the internet about how to do it.

 

[haddix]

I have an 07 fj and installed OME heavy before I had bumpers and there were no issues. I knew I was going to get front and rear Bumpers soon enough and didn't want to regret getting the light duty coils. Go with the heavy. You won't want to regret a $1000 purchase when the bumpers start to sag your new suspension.

 

[2025 deleted member]

Are you set on the OME suspension? If you went with a Toytec ultimate or radflo then you could adjust the coilovers when you add weight.

 

[FreeRangeFJ]

Just a heads up, but I did the OME heavies and installed the Warn front bumper and 9500 winch and even with the heavies I still needed to add the 3/4" toytec spacer on the front springs to level it all out. (which means I had to take the whole mess apart twice!).

 

[blk07rnr]

I've got an 07 4runner which is built on the same chassis as the FJ. So I'll give you my take. I bought the OME heavy springs coupled with the Nitrocharger sport shocks. I went several months without my bumper or winch and the ride was pretty bad but bearable. I had a front shock begin to leak after an offroading trip in Colorado maybe due to the heavy springs. Now that I have my bumper and winch the ride is much better. As far as the rear goes the heavy springs don't flex well without the added weight in the rear.

Long story short, I would go ahead and get the heavy springs all the way around and buy the bumper as soon as possible. Or you can purchase the lift now and wait to put it on until you buy the bumper. You will lose some of your ability to flex with the heavy springs installed without extra weight but I did not see any adverse effects on my driveling. YMMV.

 

[Strider]

Thanks everyone! That is good advice!
I am going to buy the bumper & winch first, then buy/install the OME HD myself ($500+ labor is NUTS in my opinion). I will put one or two 80lb sand bags in the back until I build my drawers and make a rear bumper & tire/fuel can rack. I think that is the best way to go. The trailer will hopefully get made this summer.

I looked at the Toytec ultimate and it seems like a good thing, but I really like the OME and it is less and simpler. I have it on my 97 TJ and my friend has it on his Discovery D1 and it is a really good suspension. I trust it. Plan on putting it on my wife's 09 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.
I am seriously considering installing the spacers though-don't want to have to re-do it if the front end sags!

 

[2025 deleted member]

Pay someone to install the coils on the front struts. Those cheesy parts-store rental spring compressors are a death trap.

 

[Cypher]

Could you wait a few months to install the lift? Honestly the front is what I would be worried about more than the back. Having the heavy duty suspension without the presence of the ARB up front will make your front end pretty tall and stiff and could have an adverse impact on the life of your CV joints. If I were in your shoes I would wait until I could put on the ARB + OME HD at the same time.

I went through the same situation on our FJ. I would say so long as you are to waiting to long, and not doing too much heavy wheeling, you should be good with the install of the suspension before the accessories.

Before I had a chance to install my OME coils on the front of my Tacoma I rolled around with the ARB for a week or so. It will for sure sag out the front end some, even more so with a winch. For the most part it wasn't an issue though if you do hit a good bump it will bottom out. So long as you aren't rallying around the place I would think it will be fine for a little bit.

I would also recommend installing the lift yourself. It's not too terribly difficult and there are plenty of write-ups on the internet about how to do it.

Agree. Speed bumps were brutal before I installed the ARB and Warn 10.5 winch. If you hit a speed bump with any speed you are going to top out the suspension and the sound it makes is unnerving.

I have an 07 fj and installed OME heavy before I had bumpers and there were no issues. I knew I was going to get front and rear Bumpers soon enough and didn't want to regret getting the light duty coils. Go with the heavy. You won't want to regret a $1000 purchase when the bumpers start to sag your new suspension.

Also agree, with everything you are looking to install the heavies are the way to go. Our FJ rides very nice on road and off with the heavies and all the accessories we now have installed.

Just a heads up, but I did the OME heavies and installed the Warn front bumper and 9500 winch and even with the heavies I still needed to add the 3/4" toytec spacer on the front springs to level it all out. (which means I had to take the whole mess apart twice!).

I also went with the Toytec spacer in the front to keep it up a bit more. With out set up the FJ is nice and level. I feared that with the addition of the spaces it was going to look like a desert pre-runner, nose up in the air, but the weight of the ARB bull bar plus the Warn 10.5 with steel cable settled it down nicely. I am very happy with the heavies and recommend them.

 

[Strider]

I'm ordering the struts assembled. I forgot which company offers it for $100 extra. I figure that's something worth having done ahead of time.
Thanks!

 

[2025 deleted member]

I think a couple of them do. You may try TRDParts4U or Wheelers Offroad.

I'm ordering the struts assembled. I forgot which company offers it for $100 extra. I figure that's something worth having done ahead of time.
Thanks!

 

[Strider]

Thanks again everyone! Great information!