Geometry and OME suspension

[REMOTEPLACES]

Good afternoon, Gents. I want to get some feedback from the members on this forum about the OME suspension. I own a 2002 4runner and have wanted to do a mild lift like that of the OME type but I'm a very conservative and fiscally pragmatic individual. I wouldn't want to change anything that would somehow compromise the geometry, reliability or increase the wear of the moving part. I know that OME prides themselves from what I understand on figuring out the ride quality and geometry issues but I value the opinions of Expo members. Thanks in advance.

 

[4runnerteq]

My opinion. Your gonna change all those things. I have a 97 runner with Sonoran Steel lift. And as with any that I have seen, as far as alignment the caster is not going to come back into specs. You are higher,its gonna turn & brake a little differently. It took about 500 miles or so driving to get my driveshaft to stop vibrating. It immediatley had a vibe after install just from running at a different angle than what it was used to for 150k miles. Theres gonna be a different strain on all the other suspension pieces that very well could cause premature wear. That being said, ive been running the lift for about 20k miles without any other issues as of yet. But as some one has said. One mod leads to another. The OME set up will be great,ride great and provide better load carrying, but anytime you change a stock vehicle there is some type of trade-off.

 

[nickburt]

I've had an OME 2" lift on my UK Mits L200 for getting on for 8 years. The only thing that needed to be rechecked was the front wheel camber.
Because of the double wishbone geometry and torsion bar set up, lifting the front by winding up the torsion bars will throw the camber out. Easily corrected though (on the l200, not sure on a Runner, Surf?? in the UK) by adding additional shims behind the upper wishbone pivot spindle bracket.
Other than that, nothing changed, except it became a much more comfortable and compliant ride, bearing in mind, the L200 is leaf sprung on the rear - was so much better on the OME springs and Nitro charger dampers.

 

[REMOTEPLACES]

Thanks for the input thus far, appreciate it.

 

[keezer37]

With an IFS you'll get a little positive camber as you lift, that you may want to have dialed out. Positive camber can make the vehicle a bit squirrelly over road imperfections. I've had two inches of lift (Icon/OME) for 120k now. Nothing has worn out yet. I'm at 160k. The vehicle had a bit of driveshaft vibe stock which became more pronounced after the lift. I was able to remove most of it (back to stock) by spacing the carrier bearing down a little.
No issues to speak of.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've hundreds of thousands of miles on OME equipped Toyota's including 200+k on OME equipped Tacoma's which share the same front end as your 4Runner. The basics have been covered in which geometry will change, particularly camber and toe, both of which can be corrected back within specs in many cases with just the stock arms and a good alignment shop. If they are not able to get it within spec and 'close enough' doesn't drive right for you, there are a variety of upper control arm solutions that will fit correct and any all issues. CV angles are increased which adds wear but nothing remotely catastrophic, steering links would be the same and racks on 4Runners/Tacoma's are known to get a bit sloppy with big tires, lifts and off-road use but it is all part of the game. If you need the height to enjoy the rig, you need to deal with what I consider minor side effects. All in all, very reliable and trouble free.

 

[pwr2lbs]

I have had my OME 2" heavy kit on for a couple of months now and I am very happy with it overall. I did have an issue with a frozen caster adjuster on my right side LCA, once I replaced that bushing and adjuster with a new one everything set to factory specs with relative ease.

 

[mike h]

I've bought Old Man Emu 2.5 inch suspension lifts for the past 3 of my builds: a '97 Nissan Pathfinder, a '96 80 Series Land Cruiser, and my current 2010 Tundra Crewmax. Really happy in every instance, solid drivability on and off road, never had an issue with vibration or camber. On my Tundra I did buy new UCAs at Slee's suggestion, but many folks get by with stock. There are more expensive lifts (and less expensive) but overall I think Emu is the best for the money.

 

[Applejack]

Adding the OME 'medium' kit to my 99 4runner only made it handle better in all situations. In stock form it was so clumsy in the corners especially when loaded with stuff, now it handles much much better. It's never going to be a race car mind you, but after running this kit for 40,000 miles now, I am nothing but impressed with it. It hasnt caused any issues that wasn't corrected by a proper alignment.