Dead horse: OME MD vs HD springs

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
Remember that OME HD = TF Med. Also, ideal shock valving and spring rates are correlated, but most shocks are one-size-fits-all for manufacturing efficiency. In general, aftermarket shocks are stiffer to varying degrees. It's difficult to get an ideal setup with mass produced products unless your vehicle fits the theoretical vehicle setup the manufacturer targeted. This is where adjustable valve shocks are helpful.
 
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nosivad_bor

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2004
6,059
63
Pittsburgh, PA
I’m going to chime in on this one. My RRC will not be going off-road. It has TF springs and shocks and it’s nowhere near the ride I had back when I was rocking big blues and OME shocks on my 89RRc , which had no mods that added to sprung weight.

my plan is to get factory springs and shocks and add spacers to get a 2-3” lift to make the LWB look less long. and replace my 235/85 E class tires with 265/75 D class. The tire wall stiffness makes a big difference in my experience.
 

Al Swearengen

Member
Sep 19, 2017
11
4
Los Gatos
I've got a 1990 RRC with OME HD all around and whatever OME shocks they offered @ 2000. I think it's the shocks that make the difference.
The ride is better than my 2004 D2 with OME MD all around and the latest OME Nitrocharger sport shocks. The D2 ride is stiff as a wedding night f.s.
That's why I have an RTE suspension kit ready to install. Castor corrected radius arms, 3" lift Progressive spring, custom valved Bilstein's, etc.
 
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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Bringing interim resolution to this thread:

I ordered the following setup
  • Fronts OME medium duty 2761
  • Rear OME medium-heavy duty 2781

They should arrive by Friday and I'll install them over the weekend, just in time to load up the Disco and head down to California. For what it's worth, John at Expedition Exchange also recommended this combo. I'll report back in mid-November after I return from my 2-week desert trip.
 
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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Installed the new springs yesterday. Ride height is taller than I was expecting, hopefully that will settle down a bit. The rear in particular looks out of proportion with my 245/70/16 tires, which are slightly larger than stock. Ride quality is improved, at least on my short test drive - no surprise there. Here is the 6 (or 7?) year old Terra Firma next to the sparkly new OME for comparison. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way that it's better to spend more and buy quality in the first place.

IMG_20221015_132253674.jpg

IMG_20221015_145804320_HDR.jpg
 
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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Funnily enough, that's the only place it shows up on the vehicle. That and the outer rim face of the rotors.
 

Howski

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2009
1,483
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Alabama
If those rear springs don’t settle you could always swap in some D2 spring seats to lower it 1/2” or so
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
Looks good. That should settle down a bit. Forgot how much mine settled but it was probably a good half-inch.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Thanks. In five days I'm going to put about 800 pounds in it for a 660-mile drive, so we'll see what that does. Of course my first thought when I finished was "Maybe now I should add 235/85/16 tires" but my current set has covered only about 6,000 miles.
 

waveridin1959

Member
May 17, 2004
14
4
NC
I ran OME HDs on both my 90 and D1 with no issues. The rears should settle a little bit. Once you put some weight in the back it should level out.

I had to put spacers on the rear springs to bring my Classic level with the 3 inch RTEs. I had a lot of weight in the rear of the truck though.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Field tested: just returned from a 10-day trip off-road through Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego. Disco had 3 occupants, full cooler, 2 Scepters, spares, tools, food boxes, camping gear, photography gear, recovery gear, and more personal gear than we needed. Safety Devices roof rack was nearly full. Estimated total weight in/on vehicle 800-900 pounds. Suspension was smooth and solid, the Disco felt planted and composed on every terrain, from soft sand to rock crawling to off-camber to full articulation axle-twisting descents. After this trip I'm feeling satisfied with my spring choice and would not change it. Thanks to everyone whose helpful input informed my decision.

IMG_20221108_081126351_HDR.jpg
 

p m

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Apr 19, 2004
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La Jolla, CA
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Wish I knew you were there! We had a club trip to Anza Borrego last weekend.
Judging by the "full articulation axle-twisting descents" comment, you went down Diablo Drop-off - cool.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Judging by the "full articulation axle-twisting descents" comment, you went down Diablo Drop-off - cool.

We did. Fun times. Also Borrego Wash Drop-Off and the smaller descent at Inspiration Wash. We did the entire overland route, or something like it, from Ocotillo to the Salton staging area with worthwhile side trips up Sandstone Canyon, Mud Palisades, Coyote/Sheep Canyons, and the obligatory late afternoon visit to Fonts Point. I had only been to Coyote Canyon before so it was great to get a sense of scale for the place. Gorgeous area, parts of it reminded me of Namibia. Looking forward to going back. But first, I have an appointment with the northern California overland discovery trails (Trinity/Shasta/Lassen) if the snow melts before I head back to Seattle.
 
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