my thoughts on Old Man Emu Suspension

[lambrover]

I have seen alot of threads asking about suspension, so I thought I would share what I have seen and done.

Well ARB should be ashamed for selling there 2 inch kits, bloody hopeless.
When I bought my county it had OME fitted and the shocks only had 20mm down travel left in them, My friend has a new puma and we looked into fitting OME 2inch kit, we got all the measurments and I think it is the most rediculas kit you could buy. We looked at TJM shocks and they make a long travel shock that is much better suited to a 2 inch lift. These coments and observations are only to do with there shocks not the coils.

I currently have custom shock towers to suit my needs, and have Rancho adjustable shocks, the fronts work very well and happy with but the rears even though adjustable aren't valved enough, the rear feels abit floaty not controled enough. I am thinking of fitting adjustable Fox shocks or some Tough Dogs, My friend has a 7 inch lifted Patrol and runs adjustable tough dogs and they work very well.

By converting to eye to eye conections there are more shocks available and you can maximize your travel.

To work out your shock lenghts needed, measure your static height (sitting on flat even ground) I use the the point where the shocks mount too, (for pin/pin connection I measure between the rubber mounts on the shock, eye/eye I measure between the center lines of the eyes) you must all ways use the same measuring points ie: 500mm Now measure your bumpstop clearance ie: 70mm and add 20mm for safety now you have 90mm, subtract that from the above static length and you now have your optimum minimum compressed lenght ie: 410mm. To work out extended lenght either go for the longest shock you can get that works with your compressed lenght. or you can remove your sway bar and shock and flex it up and measure the the distance between the shock mounts.

I hope this helps you guys out who are abit more adventurous and keen to build up there suspension rather than buying of the shelf. I have added photos of the suspension when I bought my car and how it is now.

[Squatdog]

i woulda just like to also say OME shockers are crap i had same 20mm down travel i fitted EFS shockers witch are suited to a 3 inch lift travel an ride are much better do sum dilocation cones thou the spring doesnt fall out but will pop out of place sumtimes , ARB shops wont even let u order any other brand of suspention thru thier stores

[Bush65]

I have some comments about the description given for determining optimum closed length of the shockie.

At the rear, the measurement of the bump stop clearance plus bump stop deflection allowance can be directly applied to the shockie length because the shockie is inclined considerably to the path of the axle.

IMHO 20mm allowance for bump stop deflection is too little.

Unlike the rear shockie, the front is inclined close to the path of the axle, but it is difficult to obtain a good measurement for bump stop clearance. The problem with getting a good measurement is because the radius arms force the front axle to travel in relatively tight arc. At ride height, with lifted suspension, the surface on the axle that strikes the bump stop is at a considerable angle to the bump stop. This results in a large variation in bump stop clearance if the clearance is measured at the front or back.

Because there are so many different shockies to chose from I'm not familiar with the large majority. It seems to me that lengths may go up/down in increments of approximately 2" (50mm) so great accuracy in the optimum closed/open length is somewhat academic.

What is important is to ensure that the shockie is not fully closed before the bump stop limits up travel if you hit a bad washerway or similar at speed - don't be too ambitious in obtaining every extra mm travel and risk breaking a shockie when you are far from home.

Edit: BTW Lambrover, it looks like your suspension setup is working very well

[isuzurover]

OME shocks are manufactured by monroe.

I have OME 110 rear shocks on the rear of my mil-IIA. They seem to work well in this application and are a good length - however one started weeping oil almost as soon as irt was fitted. I doubt I would ever buy them again - and only bought them the first time because I got them very cheap.

[ugu80]

All shocks made in Australia are made by Monroe, to the end users (brand name) specs. Its the only manufacturer of shocks in Aus.

[LowRanger]

Unfortunately,whilst damning the OME shocks,you have stated that you have fitted Rancho shocks!!!!!!!!!!.Now maybe the OME shocks that come in a kit from ARB or the likes,are probably not the best for the job,for the average punter whose 4WD never sees a dirt road or at the most,light 4wding,then they are ok.For anyone that is serious,then they need to be replaced with something more suitable.I agree in principle with your description on determining the optimum closed length of the shock,but with the provisos stated by John.OME actually make longer length shocks that will do the job nicely,especially if you have fitted extended shock towers on the front,and the only way to get the rears to work to their full potential without other major mechanical modifications,is to change the top shock mounts which change the angle that the rear shock work at, and to run pin/pin shocks or use a pin/eye adaptor.Unfortunately with the angle generated with the rear suspension cycling,it is not uncommon to find Rancho and some other brands of shocks,that have a small eye mount,where the eye mount breaks away from the body of the shock.I have had personal experience of this on one of my earlier Rangies,and it is fairly well known in the comp circles.Also,I would advise to stay away from foam cell type shocks,if you are going to do any touring or carrying any loads,as the heat generated in the foam cell shocks,quite often leads to premature failure.Not something that the manufacturers/retailers of these types of shock will admit.But there are a lot of unhappy people about that have thought they would save a buck and have been bitten in the hip pocket.
Fox shocks are very nice and used in a lot of competition vehicles,and are rebuildable and adjustable,but for longevity I would look at something like Koni Raids,which are also rebuildable,and they are made with longevity in mind,as they are very heavy duty and based around a truck shock design.Either way,both are top shelf units and you pay accordingly.

Wayne

[isuzurover]

All shocks made in Australia are made by Monroe, to the end users (brand name) specs. Its the only manufacturer of shocks in Aus.

I thought dobinsons and others made them as well - but it seems not...

[stig0000]

if a shock was to crack at the weld, due to normal use, (it is a 4wd??) would that be a warranty item

[LowRanger]

if a shock was to crack at the weld, due to normal use, (it is a 4wd??) would that be a warranty item

Depends if the shock was actually the recommended fitment shock for that vehicle.

wayne

[Psimpson7]

I ripped the eye of an OME LTR which I bought back in the UK and fitted myself, and ARB warrantied it over here and replaced it.