Old Man Emu 2" springs?

winkosmosis · 07-13-2008, 11:47 AM

I'm trying to figure out whether I should get light duty or medium duty. OME says that the light sits at 2.0", the medium at 2.5", and the heavy at 3.0".

I posted about them on NAXJA but I only found one guy with these springs, and he says he got 2.0" out of the medium duty with an otherwise stock XJ.

I want to get 2.0", because I want to avoid an SYE. Also though, I'm wondering if skid plates add enough weight to matter. Not planning on new bumpers any time soon.
Anyone have these springs??

**DillsburgXJ** · 07-13-2008, 05:02 PM

I just installed the light duty kit last week. I bought it used. It was on another XJ for about 6 months prior to being on mine, so the springs were already settled. The rear got me about 2.5". I had to add a .75" coil spacer to level the front. If I was buying new, I would have gotten the med duty probably. The kit rides so awesome though. You can't go wrong.

winkosmosis · 07-13-2008, 06:34 PM

Thanks! Finally someone with the light duty. That's weird though that you got 2.5" from the leafs and the guy on NAXJA got 2.0"... maybe a measuring difference.

Well then, I guess I'll get the light and hope I don't get vibes... Med would probably be even higher. Why would you prefer med though?

**DillsburgXJ** · 07-13-2008, 07:26 PM

Lift heights are approximates. I haven't switched out tires yet and I got a true 2.5" from the rear, and 1.75" from the coils. That's why I added the spacers today. I'm now level. The Med duty would be nice because at times I tow a small trailer. That would stiffen the rear up a little. I removed the rear sway bar too (fyi)

**mecompco** · 07-13-2008, 08:24 PM

If I could do it again, I would get the heavy springs. I got the mediums and ended up with not quite 2". They do ride nice, but with armor, bumper, winch, recover stuff, passengers, trailer, etc. they are too soft. I've added an OME AAL to the rear pack and that helped a bit. My next step is a 1.5" TnT boomerang shackle to get some more travel and crank up the front ACOS. Just my .02.

winkosmosis · 07-13-2008, 09:08 PM

Wow, you got less than 2" out of a 3" lift? With a trailer though I guess that's expected

The ACOS and shackle make sense. Jason was saying I could do that if I wanted more height later

BTW, I heard that the heavy duty is actually softer than the medium, until it hits the load leaf

cnskate · 07-14-2008, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mecompco

If I could do it again, I would get the heavy springs. I got the mediums and ended up with not quite 2". They do ride nice, but with armor, bumper, winch, recover stuff, passengers, trailer, etc. they are too soft. I've added an OME AAL to the rear pack and that helped a bit. My next step is a 1.5" TnT boomerang shackle to get some more travel and crank up the front ACOS. Just my .02.

How's the AAL working for you? Harsh ride? Did it change the unloaded height much? Sorry to hijack.

**MGrobe** · 07-14-2008, 01:20 AM

Unfortunately I don't have recent OME spring experience as I bought mine over 8 years ago and they have changed them since then, so take the following with a grain of salt.

I would have a slight concern with using the light duty springs... As mentioned above, if you're planning on buying an aftermarket bumper, larger full-size spare or carrying a lot of gear, it may prove too much for those springs.

I haven't ever spoke with Jason regarding OME gear (wasn't a vendor back in my day). What I have routinely done in the past is to call ARB USA directly and ask them questions such as spring rate and targeted application. Generally they helped clear up any concerns I had and pushed me in the right direction. You still may come away confused or sitting on the fence with your decision, hopefully they will be able to better define the intended usage of their spring line and even reinforce what Jason has told you.

You might want to ask if you choose their LD springs, that if they're compatible with their add-a-leaf in-case you need it later on down the road.

**mecompco** · 07-14-2008, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Wow, you got less than 2" out of a 3" lift? With a trailer though I guess that's expected

The ACOS and shackle make sense. Jason was saying I could do that if I wanted more height later

BTW, I heard that the heavy duty is actually softer than the medium, until it hits the load leaf

Yup, just about 2"--that's w/o any load--here's a pic just after the lift went on:

Not a great pic, but you can get an idea. I actually used the JKS ACOS which gives 1.25" minimum lift in the front instead of the supplied .75" RE spacer that came with the kit.

**mecompco** · 07-14-2008, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnskate

How's the AAL working for you? Harsh ride? Did it change the unloaded height much? Sorry to hijack.

I'd say I probably ended up with about another .5" of lift and the ride is still fine--a tad firmer, but that's what I was looking for--it was really easy to bottom out the rear, even unladen. It was def. worth the $50.00.

winkosmosis · 07-14-2008, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mecompco

I'd say I probably ended up with about another .5" of lift and the ride is still fine--a tad firmer, but that's what I was looking for--it was really easy to bottom out the rear, even unladen. It was def. worth the $50.00.

Share your AAL experience with this guy too

winkosmosis · 07-14-2008, 12:02 PM

I get more confused every day.

JNickel101 on NAXJA says the 930 coils only gave him 1" in the front with stock bumper. I may end up doing medium duty coils with light duty leafs, or maybe it makes more sense to get the light coils and just put in spacers if the front is too low

cnskate · 07-14-2008, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Share your AAL experience with this guy too

Ha, that's my thread that nobody answered for a few days, thanks.

winkosmosis · 07-14-2008, 03:00 PM

OK, found out from Jason the only XJ specific coil is the 930, and the 934 for ZJs also works. I was thinking the light/medium/heavy applied to both coils and leafs but I guess it's just leafs.

The shop estimated $100 for installing front and rear springs. So even if I need to get them to put in spacers or shackles later it won't be too expensive.

**MGrobe** · 07-14-2008, 03:21 PM

I had a set of OME930 years ago with a 3/4"?? spacer that balanced them with the rear at 3.25". This was with factory UpCountry skid plates, rock rails and factory bumpers.

I eventually got a much heavier front and rear bumper that maybe knocked the ride height down to 2.75". When I got a winch I switched to the OME934, which seemed to soft.

In the rear I eventually had a taller shackle and OME add-a-leaf installed, which is all I have to this day.

$100 for front and rear spring install is a great price. Hopefully the price will old for you.