Questions about modding my stock 2002 100- OME lift, bumpers, etc.

[Brettski]

Hello all. Since we sold our tundra/ATC camper combo, I'm getting back to loving the cruiser as it should be. There a couple of things I'd ultimately like to do, and I'd like anyone and everyone's thoughts on them.

1. OME 1.5" lift. My concern here is how it will affect the ride and handling. I was able to life my Tundra 2" through adjustable shocks and new shackles on the leafs, the ride was unchanged. I'm concerned what the lift will do to the 'cruiser though. Can anyone comment? I'm thinking the lower 1.5" lift and the 'medium' load with this package is sufficient for my needs. My goal, besides looks, is a little more clearance, possibly bigger tires, maybe bumpers (see below), but we do not need serious off-road capabilities- just a tad more than stock (I've taken it stock to plenty of places, but always wished for just a bit more). I really want to understand what the lift will do to the ride.

2. Rear bumper. Looking at ARB. Any suggestions? Will the weight necessitate more than the 'medium' suspension?

3. Front bumper- again, looking at ARB. Always open to thoughts.

4. Tires. Currently running 265/75/16 Michelin LTX A/Ts. Love these and they have only 10K on them, so new tires aren't in the cards soon. But I'm wondering how big I could go stock (if I choose to not do the lift)? Ultimately, I think 33s. I'm not seeing 33" in a P-rated tire in these sizes though, does that mean you all are running D or E-rated tires? Without trying to start a debate, BFG's or Michelin? (can of worms now open....)

Thanks!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

1. You have two basic options, crank your stock torsion bars to increase height or replace with an aftermarket torsion bar (OME would be my recommendation ) and adjust to the desired height. The benefit of the OME torsion is increased spring rate, thus additional load capacity with the front bumper. Any plans for a winch? Any plans for additional front loads? Dual batteries? Diesel swaps, etc? If you only plan is the bar sans winch you may try just cranking the stock bars for the interim and see how you like the ride. If its too 'soft' with the bumper, upgrade to the OME torsions and your good to go. Your not really repeating any notable work.

2-3. I'm a big fan of the ARB front & rear bumper (and not only because I deal with them ), while there are a lot of great bumper solutions on the market (Slee for example has a very nice rear option), I chose the ARB for my personal build based on my experiences installing about every rear bumper on the market for customers. You should have no problem finding a matching coil for your needs, medium may be on the light side depending on how you build the rear bumper. You can see the thoughts I had on the subject in my build thread here: www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/87769-Project-Hundy-Build-Thread-2000-UZJ100-Land-Cruiser

 

[Brettski]

Thanks, cruiseroutfit. I'll admit up front that I know nothing about torsion bars I'm wondering how the ride will change with the medium kit (OME Emu 60000 Shocks) compared to stock? Let's say unloaded, lift/shocks/bars/coils vs stock? Also, with lift and ARB front and back bumpers compared to stock? A noticeably different ride? Nice build you did there too, by the way!

 

[SirCampalot]

Are you on ih8mud? If not, join ASAP. Tons of good info there. =]

 

[natvet]

I have a 100 series with front and rear bumpers(ARB front BIOR rear) with 18" tundra wheels all on a stock supension. I turned the torsion bars to keep the ride with some rake and added Bilstein shocks. The ride was still awesome. I replaced rear springs 1 month ago with iron man sport springs and it still rides great.
I think the biggest difference in feel was when I added different shocks. So if you want OEM ride I would keep the OE shocks or buy new OE shocks and use whatever springs and t bars you want.
Just my .02

 

[Brettski]

I have a 100 series with front and rear bumpers(ARB front BIOR rear) with 18" tundra wheels all on a stock supension. I turned the torsion bars to keep the ride with some rake and added Bilstein shocks. The ride was still awesome. I replaced rear springs 1 month ago with iron man sport springs and it still rides great.
I think the biggest difference in feel was when I added different shocks. So if you want OEM ride I would keep the OE shocks or buy new OE shocks and use whatever springs and t bars you want.
Just my .02

Thanks. What was the "difference" in feel with the shocks? Stiffer? Stiffer than stock before the mods? That's what I'm trying to get a feel for, how the ride changes because I assume it will change.

 

[natvet]

the Bilstein are stiffer(not markedly but noticeable) when going over rough roads, but more control when cornering. The extra weight of the bumpers made the truck lean in the corners. The Bilsteins prevented some of the lean. I put new springs in the rear because when I loaded the truck for hunting it squatted the rear too much and made the truck road walk a little when at highway speed. The new rear spring have corrected that but the feel is the same as with the OEM springs. I have no experience with new t-bars but i think they are in my future.

 

[Sawyer]

I went from a Stock 2000 to an OME 2.5" medium lift from Slee. I liked the ride. But, that is very subjective. My old suspension was worn and so there was definitely a stiffer ride. But, I never felt it was a huge difference nor did I think it was as drastic as everyone had claimed. It was tighter in the corners less bounce on the road, etc. I also went to 295/75R/16 BFG AT at the same time. I did notice more cracks and things in the road, but a again, in my opinion it was minimal. Every one is going to have a different opinion. There are a lot of guys in CO running modified 100's. You should try and meet up with some and look at different options, maybe go for a test drive with them so you can feel the difference and maybe make a choice based on the seat of the pants.

Good Luck!

 

[zimm]

contact bumpitoffroad.com when you price it all out compared to slee/arb/kaymar its 2/3 the cost.

here is the price breakdown for what i got...

i dont have pics of the skids.
front and rear winch mounting plates.
custom removable/tilt-able brush bar deer carrier. (i plan on altering it to hinge lower) with ladder catches for a rtt, not yet installed.

Skid plates $875
Sliders $675
Front bumper $900
light cut outs $100
tilt tube work $300
Rear bumper $900
tire carrier $500
Winch plate $200

Shipping $340.61

Total is $4790.61

i would just crank the stock bars and use a trim packer and airbag in back. the *** will behave almost the same, and the softer feeling front will wheel better. people make it much harder than it needs to be with these. the airbags will give you a range from a better ride quality, to greater load capacity, depending on what you need at the time. with a little 2" lift and few hundred pounds front and rear, all bars and springs do is make retailers money. . . . 4" . . . then you need to start re-engineering.

 

[mph]

My 99 has the ome system in it...love it! A huge difference from the stock ride...got it from kurt, who actually installed it...u will enjoy it! I assume the Australians know what they r talking about!

 

[sleeoffroad]

I would not suggest airbags for a serious overland rig. They can and will fail at the most inopportune time and then your suspension can not handle the weight when you are miles away from home. They do have a place when you need additional load carrying while occasionally towing etc, but I would not rely on them to be the sole support of additional expo weight.

Also, if you add a lot of weight to the front, then cranking the torsion bars does not make for a good ride. You need additional spring rate to hold up the load, just like you do in the rear. That is why we recommend upgraded torsion bars for loaded trucks.

 

[zimm]

Airbags have been an effective common and failure free method of increasing load casity for a truck that will not see a perminant load increase for 40 years. All tossing a set of ome springs will do cause a crappo ride the 80% of the time the truck doesn't have an extra 1000 pounds in the load bay. A 2" lift on a 100 is usually accompanied by a set of heavier 33" tires. If you want to buy something, buy a set quality shocks to handle the increased unsprung weight.

 

[sleeoffroad]

Well, I need to tell that then to the people that call us with airbags that failed.

 

[Flagster]

Wouldn't a broken coil or leaf pack be just as problematic if under load in a remote location?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Wouldn't a broken coil or leaf pack be just as problematic if under load in a remote location?

Absolutely, but it rarely happens whereas airbag failures on high suspension travel vehicles are relatively common. For example I can't think of a single OME coil failure that left the customer stranded, while anything can fail, coils generally don't suffer catastrophic failure. I'm with Christo, I've see far too many airbag failures to consider them a viable long term solution for load capacity. I've installed a few air bag setups and assuming they are not out flexing them regularly (i.d. dd use) they last for years, start putting them through the paces off-road and they seem to fail. We no longer offer them as a retail item for this reason.