Iam going to purchase a OME shock and coil kit for my 1997 4Runner and i have a tjm t15 bumper on it as well and i plan on adding a winch in the future, what should i go with heavy duty or medium duty springs? whats the main difference between the two?

 

If you only want about 1" in the front (assuming a winch and bumper) then go with the 881's. If you want more than that up front then you're going to need to make it up by using spacers. The other option would be to run the 4WD Tundra coils up front and then with a winch and bumper you should get about 1.5", but yet again you're going to need to make up any additional height by using spacers there too. If you go with the 881's, get 906 coils for the rear. If you go with the tundra coils, get the 890's out back.

 

to be honest with you, getting a lift out of the setup isnt what i was getting it for but my stock springs just sag and are uneven, the ride isnt much better either but i also want something strong and work offroad/onroad decent, but since iam adding the extra weight should i go for the heavy duty or will medium work just fine?

 

i dont know what OME 881/906 are iv seen them alot on here ( i spend most of my time online here) and i still dont understand what those numbers are/mean

 

They are ARB's Old Man Emu (OME) part numbers...the company that makes them.

 

bighead what duty shocks do you use heavy or med duty i see you have the same bumper as me and the winch i want, what setup do you use and hoe has it worked for you? i just really need a good kit that doesnt cost more than 700 dollars.

 

Matt, it is alot better to talk in terms of actual part numbers instead of soft, medium, firm or heavy duty vs light duty because the conversation gets very confusing quickly. If all you want to do is take the sag out of the rear and run a heavy winch and bumper then you could probably even get away with OME881 springs up front (you'll probably also need a 3/8" spacer up front to sit near level with a winch and bumper) and 99 4WD 4runner rear coils or OME906 rear coils in back. You can see what I have in my signature and click on it for pics.

Here you can get an idea of the different OME part numbers and costs:
http://www.wheelersoffroad.com/ome4runner.htm

If you want to get into serious offroading (anywhere from 1" to 4" then Steve sells some great kits too):
http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_co..._liftkits.html

 

thanks mlt, my problem was the other website i was looking at to get the kit didnt even have the part numbers it just said heavy or medium duty and i also got confused on this, i see why it is better to use part numbers, thank you for unconfusing me! I just want a mild lift and your setup is exactly what i was looking for, you lift looks great!

 

Glad to help. Keep in mind I just have a stock bumper and no winch so you may need to get some topout spacers if you really want it to sit level. I have about 0.75" of rake front to back now but my rear springs haven't settled yet (used to have 890's, but just installed a set of 906's instead). You might also consider going with the 4WD Tundra springs (yep, off of a Tundra pickup) instead of the 881's because they will probably be closer to level with all that weight up front without the need for any spacers. That being said, I still love my all OME setup.

 

okay so before i get myself in a confused state about the shocks and springs, the OME 881 spring set will work with tundra shocks? where on the net could i get the tundra shocks, that you would recommend? i know for the rear iam going to get this spring, OME 906, 2 inchs of lift is all i want, iam not a big fan of insanely raised trucks and suvs. did you have a normal mechanic install this or does it have to be done by a specialist? the reason i ask because at my work we have a mechanic and for him to do work on my car is half price, so to have work done it is only 32$ an hour.

 

Matt, there are 2 setups you can run up front for springs:
1) OME881 front coil springs (about 1.25" lift over stock, without spacers)
2) front springs from a 4WD Tundra (about 1.75" lift over stock, without spacers)
......the addition of a heavy bumper and winch will change those numbers.
Spacers can be used to raise the final ride height as well so either will work well.

If you want to talk about shocks we can do that as well, but thus far I have only talked about springs only. I did all the install myself and there are numerous writeups about changing them here on YT, just do a search and you'll find plenty of info to read. If you want someone else to do it, then no, you don't need any sort of specialist to change front/rear springs on a 3rd gen 4Runner.

 

thanks mlt! sorry i must of put shocks instead of springs, i meant springs sorry about that.

 

mtl one last question, why did you switch from 890 to 906 ?

 

The 890's are a little taller and stiffer than the 906's so since I am running 881's up front with no spacers, those seemed to work better. If I were going to go with the Tundra coils up front, I'd probably stay with the 890's for the rear.

 

I'm running OME N91S shocks and Tundra coils up front and Land Cruiser shocks and coils in the rear...basically I am running kit #1 from Sonoran Steel (with a few deviations).

The front has worked great and has maintained ~2 1/4" lift with all the weight up front. The only thing I would do different would be to use the Tokico shocks so I would not have to use the limiting strap I have now.

The rear has been the best setup I have run so far. The LC coils are nice and
soft on the trail but still allow me to carry the weight I want in back (on top of that heavy bumper I have back there).