OME Shocks Bottoming Out

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rdoane

Well-known member
Oct 5, 2004
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Houston, TX
I have a feeling another crapy job has been done by the same people that have done other work for me. After i got in a minor wreck i had the springs/bumper replaced on my D2 with an ARB and OME Springs/Shocks. After receiving my disco back right away i relized that the bumper moved, come to find out NO washers were used on the installation and one of the bolts was so loose it was about to fall out. So that shows the caliber of work done by these people (needless to say i have NOT returned to them and have made several adgitated phone calls).

SOOOOOOO recently when going over speedbumps i have noticed a loud pop comming from the rear end of my disco, i know for a fact that it is the shocks bottoming out. So i was wondering if by chance this can be atributed to the crap quality of work i have received in that the front shocks were mounted on the rear and visa versa. So i have arrived at several questions, can the front and rear shocks be reversed? are there any ways to tell the difference between the two aside from pulling them and looking at their length? or is this just a common problem of OME shocks? thanks in advanced.

BTW the shocks are OME N107/108s and im running 2 inch hd springs in the rear + 1 inch EE spacer, and 3 inch hd springs in the front.
 
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Steve Rupp

Steve Rupp

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Apr 21, 2004
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www.discoweb.org
Actually I think your shocks are too short for your lift. I'm pretty sure those shocks are for a 1.5" lift. If this correct then you are topping them out and need longer shocks. Either way, something needs to be figured out. I'd do a little research. Somebody screwed up.
 
J

Jeremy Parkhouse

Active member
May 8, 2004
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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
I remember there was someone else asking a similar question and the answer was as stated..your rear shocks are probably topping out over speed bumps. I believe there are no specific OME shocks that suit the OME 3" lift perfectly. The shocks you have are designed for a 2" lift only.

Someone also mentioned it may be due to the type of rear spring fitted ie how HD they actually are. Some springs rebound more than others. There is a thread somewhere on Discoweb but I haven't found it yet. I remember John Lee from EE gave a very good explaination.

Jeremy Parkhouse
(Dhahran, Saudi Arabia)
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

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Dec 5, 2004
6,010
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Los Angeles, Ca
i believe that the OME shocks are only 1 inch longer than the stock ones. when i called rovertym about a 3 inch lift steve said that i could get the OME shocks and i wouldnt need brakelinnes retainers ect... because the shocks would bottom out first. right now i have 2 inch spacers and my stock shocks bottom out a lot. i say just deal with it or get longer shocks. i chose to deal with mine until i get my new lift.
 
p m

p m

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Apr 19, 2004
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is it my brain fade, or something else?

using too short shocks will result in less downtravel, not less uptravel.
using too long shocks will result in less uptravel, and more downtravel (limited by sway bar or brake line).

"bottoming out" I assume means the jolt and sound when the shock compresses fully before the bumpstop is hit - meaning that the shocks are too long.
 
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mudderducker

Guest
I think the term "bottoming out" is being mis-used also. The shocks are overextending because of the lift. The shocks are too short. I remedied this with rear lowered shock mounts from EE. About $150 and no more problems. It was really bouncy and noisy because the shocks were extending then coming to an abrupt stop at the end of their extension.
 
p m

p m

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mudderducker said:
I think the term "bottoming out" is being mis-used also. The shocks are overextending because of the lift. The shocks are too short. I remedied this with rear lowered shock mounts from EE. About $150 and no more problems. It was really bouncy and noisy because the shocks were extending then coming to an abrupt stop at the end of their extension.
Click to expand...
Man, it takes a MAJOR jump to feel a bump from shocks overextending... still confused.
 
M

mudderducker

Guest
not really, lets talk about this:

ok, just for an easy example, lets say in stock sprung condition, the shocks are 20". My bilsteins appeared to be the same length as my stock shocks but they were blown so who knows. NOW, you add 3"+ of lift through springs. The shocks are still 20" but have less travel in them before they over-extend. To fix it, you lower the mounting point of the shocks, thus giving them 2 more inches of travel.


OR find shocks that are 23" long
 
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p m

p m

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Joe,

theory aside, it is extremely unlikely to _ever_ hear any sound or feel shocks overextending. I believe, if you suddenly yanked your vehicle off the ground by a foot, it would take nearly half a second for the axle to droop all the way to max out the shocks. It will happen slowly, causing very little sound or jolt.

OR find shocks that are 23" long
Click to expand...

And _then_ you'll know what the bottoming out really means. That is, if you aren't riding on the shocks bottomed out on flat ground.
 
M

mudderducker

Guest
I borrowed this from the EE site about their shock mounts. Others sell similar products, but the problem and solution are the same.

https://www.expeditionexchange.com/shockmounts/


"The Old Man Emu N44 Rear Shock is 23" long at full extension. This length is perfect with a 2" lift fitted, but is too short when used with the 3" lift. With a 3" lift fitted, the N44 is very close to its maximum length even when the vehicle is at its freestanding height. This creates two problems. First, the shock maxes out over bumps when the vehicle recoils upward. This is hard on the shocks and could result in shock breakage. Second, suspension travel and articulation are reduced. Unfortunately, both Old Man Emu and Bilstein do not make a longer-application shock with the correct valving. Others have solved this problem by fitting very long junk shocks. We do not believe this is a proper solution and prefer to work around the parameters of the Old Man Emu and Bilstein shocks for the superior ride and performance they provide over the junk shocks."
 
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