Stiff OME Ride

[czenkov]

I have done the searches - no help. The truck rides real stiff. Here are the specs:
2004 ExtraCab SR5 4x4
255/75/16 BFG AT's
ARB Front Bumper w/M8000 Winch mounted
OME 882 Front Coils - Heavies
90004 Front Nitrocharger Sport Shocks
OME Dakar CS 046R A/B Rear Leaf's
N85 Rear Nitrocharger's

I did seem to get more than the advertised 2-2.5" of lift as well - closer to 4.25"(w/spacer, since removed). 1st Pic before lift, 2nd After, and standing level w/KM2's before I changed the tires.

On rough blacktop it basically makes you feel like you are riding a horse - but out of time with the up and down rhythm. It is quite the shock to your internal's - believe me. However, larger bumps off road are like butter. Nice and smooth. They have been installed for a bout a year now. What can I do to achieve a smoother ride? Change springs? Change shocks? To what? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[TangoBlue]

I have no solutions to offer but I ran the same thing for 3 years. I didn't think the ride was harsh and you can see we have basically the same truck except mine is a 2001. It's undergoing a SAC right now so I may be longing for the days of my OME suspension or rejoicing at the transformation in a couple weeks.

 

[ddog45]

Build a sleeping platform or some nice drawers. Or the easiest solution for winter would be to haul around some sand bags. My 100 series rides rough like my jeep did I have resorted to just leaving my gear and 60L fridge in it all the time.

 

[amocaT]

I've been doing some reading about the OME "sport". The sport model uses a high pressure nitrogen (just like the Bilstein 5100) charge. The older models uses low pressure charge system. The HP system soaks up the big hits better...where as the LP system soaks up small wash board like stuff better.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Have you driven my Tacoma? I'm running the same components in fact even stiffer on the rear springs and ~1" taller on the front with 882's and some spacer combos. I'm completely satisfied with the ride particularly off-road but I do prefer a more positive feel . Short of a dual rate/progressive rate coils or bypass shocks on the front your never going to have it 100% dialed in for both on and off-road uses.

Its my experience that the OME coils and leafs really need some good 'flogging' to break in. I'm assuming you've loaded it up pretty good and rallied down some washboard road in the last year?

881's might be a good option in the front to address your height but they won't change the ride as the 880, 881 and 882 all have the same spring rate. If you could track down some N91's they are a tad softer imo (I'm not in front of any specs), I NOS in stock? I would be interested to see your truck parked next to mine. There are a dozen or so local Tacomas running the same suspension setup, all seem to sit within 1/2" with mine likely being on the low end based on the weight I have under the hood and usually loaded into the bed.

 

[RusM]

Looks like my truck.

Switching from 255/85's to 35's seemed to smooth out my ride. :costumed-smiley-007

 

[oxi]

That is typical of an off-road vehicle to have a rough ride on the street...

If you cannot tolerate it, then add weight in the bed and it should run smoother...

 

[Flagster]

I've been doing some reading about the OME "sport". The sport model uses a high pressure nitrogen (just like the Bilstein 5100) charge. The older models uses low pressure charge system. The HP system soaks up the big hits better...where as the LP system soaks up small wash board like stuff better.

I am no expert and have only had the OME nitrochargers and front heavy springs (886) on my 05 tacoma with an ARB bumper for a few months but this makes sense...The suspension handles the big loop de loop bumps on the highway much better than the washboard to my house...rattles and is stiff as heck on the little bumps...
They have settled down a bit since the install but I just thought this was normal...

 

[Box Rocket]

I have the same suspension on my '03 DC and felt like the ride was surpisingly stiff on the road when I first put the lift on. It's always felt great off road.

Kurt's suggestion of a good flogging down bumpy washboard roads with the truck loaded is a good way to break in the springs. After our ~900 mile overland trip over Labor Day, my truck feels completely different on the road now. Still good control but the ride is SO much better. Pretty sure that the heavy load over 900 miles of dirt roads at high speeds did the trick. :ylsmoke:

 

[timmer2008]

exersize it . it will smooth it out some

 

[ntsqd]

I've been doing some reading about the OME "sport". The sport model uses a high pressure nitrogen (just like the Bilstein 5100) charge. The older models uses low pressure charge system. The HP system soaks up the big hits better...where as the LP system soaks up small wash board like stuff better.

Is there a difference in the valving between these shocks?

The difference in "spring rate" due to the difference in charge pressure is minimal since the total area that the charge pressure acts on is only the area of the shock shaft. Figuring a 14mm shaft OD and a 200 psi difference in pressure it's only 47 pounds of force.

 

[czenkov]

Have you driven my Tacoma? Short of a dual rate/progressive rate coils or bypass shocks on the front your never going to have it 100% dialed in for both on and off-road uses.

Its my experience that the OME coils and leafs really need some good 'flogging' to break in. I'm assuming you've loaded it up pretty good and rallied down some washboard road in the last year?

881's might be a good option in the front to address your height but they won't change the ride. I would be interested to see your truck parked next to mine. There are a dozen or so local Tacomas running the same suspension setup, all seem to sit within 1/2" with mine likely being on the low end based on the weight I have under the hood and usually loaded into the bed.

Kurt,
If I didn't say it earlier this combo does well off road - I feel well connected to the trail - and on flat pavement it does fine. However it is rough pavement or pavement with decent seams that this thing really beats you. I have not driven your truck. I am not opposed to more expensive options (progressive/bypass) I just am hesitant to spend money that may or may not satisfy my need. I feel like I have flogged it decently as I tend to like to drive fast off road rather than crawl. I have had loads in the bed as well - and it does have the shell. One of these days I will get down to Sandy like we have talked and you can see what I am talking about. Maybe I will get out Saturday and see if I cannot find a road to give it another workout.

Also with gear loaded it does behave better. But then it has a serious rearward lean. So then I need to add helpers which I am hesitant to do as that may just compound the problem.
Andrew

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Let me know when you can get out this way, we'll take turns driving eachothers trucks and see how it feels. The additional leaf in the rear will increase the rear spring rate but it might work out for you so long as we can dial in your front setup.

 

[ObGobOobaleeney]

FWIW... I recently put the full OME light kit on my 1999 Tacoma V6 xtracab 4x4, other than the new suspension, its all stock with modest 31.5 tires. I called ARB first, they strongly advised me against the heavy kit/springs for reasons you're now experiencing.

They told me that unless you really have a lot of substantial heavy mod's riding full time on the rig, then the heavy kit will ride too high, too rough and risk damaging the CV joints on the front (last I heard, anything over 3" front lift on our generation tacos is considered risky for CV's unless using a drop dif). So I went with the light spring kit with nitrocharger shocks.

I gained 2.75" height with the OME light / stock kit (2.75" over 11 year old stock suspension with 82k miles-- might have gained less on new suspension).

A couple weeks ago I loaded my truck with my usual 200lbs of crap and my lovely wife in the right seat, and rode it pretty hard and fast on the new suspension, and it rode fantastically, never bottoming out, even when I really thought it would on some fast bumps. But it never rode too stiff.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

FWIW... I recently put the full OME light kit on my 1999 Tacoma V6 xtracab 4x4, other than the new suspension, its all stock with modest 31.5 tires. I called ARB first, they strongly advised me against the heavy kit/springs for reasons you're now experiencing.

Any for a stock truck without bumper/winch/etc I would absolutely agree, however the lighter coils with these items will result in a serious amount of rake and lack of clearance for even 32" tires.

..too rough...But it never rode too stiff...

Again, the 880, 881 and 882 all have the same spring rate, so ride quality difference will be negligible between them all. All you get is height.

My personal experience. I've put a couple hundred thousand miles on 882 coils between my two Tacomas, I in fact started with the 881's on my 96' ex-cab and even with just the ARB winchbar and other amassing accessories, the 881's were dropping. I installed the 882's, added a winch and ended up leaving it with 882's with the 5mm trim spacers offered by OME. Its been in the hands of the new owner for 3 years and its still running the same stuff, he's happy as a clam with it. On my personal Tacoma I started right off the bat with the 882's and spacers but I installed the bumper, winch, etc the exact same day. It worked nicely but as my truck got even heavier it needed a bit more boost. Several renditions later including a brief stint with the Tundra TRD/Bilstein setups and I'm right back to the 882's, now running ~5/8" of spacers. This truck does get beat pretty well off-road, ~5k+ miles in the dirt this year and holding. I would actually be happy with a tad more lift in the front to get me closer to that 3" lift to match the back springs.