RT 3" Coils and Bilstien 5150's

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JJMyerz

Guest
I'm curious as to how this combo rides, if anyone has this setup that is. I think I will be going this way rather than OME.

Thanks

Justin
 

Steve Rupp

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
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Seattle, WA
www.discoweb.org
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but go with the OME. I'm not saying this because I like EE, but because I've had both. And I'm not saying that I don't like RTE. I use a lot of their products. I just don't like their springs. You can do a 3" lift with OME. The springs are MUCH better than the RTE, and the shocks are awesome. My 3" RTE springs were 1.5" after a year and my Rancho's were junk. I don't know about the billsteins, but I had the OME's and they were great. If you are not going to do a crazy lift, I would reconsider the RTE springs.
 
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rtiqulatendisco

Guest
The new RTE springs are awesome. The old ones were junk. The new ones do NOT sag like the old ones and have been used without fail in baja chase trucks. As far as shocks, Bilstein is just the best, especially since you have control over the valving. I have had all the combos and my Bilstein 7100/5100 set-up with 3inch RTE springs is by far the best...and you actually get 3 or more inches of lift unlike the OME lift which doesn't get you that high, especially with a loaded truck. Oh, the ride is great. Many of the people I wheel with are getting rid of their OME stuff and switching to the RTE/Bilstein combo. OME is not bad, just not great.
 
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Kyle

Guest
Do you mean the new , new , new , new RTE springs that wont sag ? Just like the last new ones that wouldnt sag ? Yeah , they are just great.... Kinda like having the air ride....
 
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DiscoT

Guest
If you want a 3" lift run ome 764 in the front and ome 762 in the rear with a 1 1/2" spacer. im currently running this setup and have no complaints. you will need longer shocks or dropped shock mounts because the springs will top out due to the added height.
 

Robbie

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
1,463
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NOVA
i keep hearing all this talk about the poorily constructed RTE springs, and I have even seen the pictures of someone's RTE's on EE's site showing the collapse of them. so saying all that, i must have the miracle RTE springs. i bought them off Eric N (GRNRVR) over 2 years ago and have put over 30k miles on them (he had put about 3k additional miles on them himself). no sag that I notice, and they handle great. these are the 2" heavy dutys. lucky me :D
 

marc olivares

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,535
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i recently changed my OME (764/762+2" spacer) combo to the 3"RTE HD springs.
i was looking for a slightly higher lift when heavily laden without adding additional spacers.
so far the springs are working out very well, nice flex, nice firm ride and they seem to be fairly balanced with the valving i am running on my fox shocks and no sway bars.
if you want a 3"+ lift go with the RTE, the OME 764/762 lift is not quite 3" and closer to 2" when heavily laden.
 
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rtiqulatendisco

Guest
Kyle,
You must have OME, right? From what I understand, the new grey RTE springs is the third style. I had the 2nd style for 3 years and had no sagging and was very pleased with them. The newest style has solved the problem of occasional sagging. I have yet to see or hear of any problems with the new springs. As with many companies, it takes some R&D to find a weakness and resolve the problem. Unless of course, you are just buying a product from another company and reselling it. Have you tried the new springs?
 
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Kyle

Guest
Thats one thing about owning a web site like this. YOu get tons of mail and info about what is happening out there and you can form a pretty good picture of whats what. There was a ton of sagging springs that people just didnt say anything about. It apears spotty because only a handfull mentioned it. Some people went through as many as 4 sets. RTE isnt making springs. They are simply reselling what someone else is making so please dont start that crapola.
What I have learned is that the ones that lived are mostly on trucks that never really put them to test. If you travel with a can of pepsi and a sandwich in the back they may very well last a long time (And have). The long bump stops save them as well (Very popular amongst the slinky crowd). However , if you use the cargo capacity that your truck has and you cycle those springs , history has proven that the RTE springs will let you down. Its not really a knock against them , as I said , they dont produce them and have very little to do with their manufacturing process. They simply order rates and lengths with wire size...
I have run em both and actually have one of the first sets John ever sold in the front of my truck. They have held up just fine so far and have a shit load of miles on them. But the front springs dont get nearly the abuse that the rears get and I simply dont trust the RTE springs any longer. Time is too valuable to have my vacation screwed up by quitting products...
 

F18Guy

Well-known member
Mar 30, 2004
2,185
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54
Down by the big rock
Kyle,

I rode in a RTE 3" equipped D2 last weekend. That thing performed very well, so well in fact that I was actually considering replacing my OME's with them. The reason I consider this is because the OME's always end up sagging before the 12 month mark. It's gets annoying changing springs this often. Is there a recommendation that you have to cure the sag or is this something I just have to live with?

Current set up is 751a in the front and the 762 rears with the 1" EE spacer.

And for the record, I ride around with more than a can of pepsi and a sandwich in the back :D
 

Eric N.

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,980
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Falls Church, VA
Kyle, You'll be happy to know that the new springs that Steve at RTE is selling are designed to fully compress over and over again without sagging. Unlike the previous springs that had a set ride hight and weren't designed to compress fully over and over again... They are nice quality springs. Though he has only been selling them for a few months I'm sure that you will see over time that these will hold up. But, like I said, time will tell..

My only suggestion JJMyerz is that with 3 inches of lift you may run into vibe issues which will cause you to spend more money to fix them. Just a warning that if you are on a budget ( well a tight one ) you may want to keep it at two inches.

Robbie, glad to hear that those springs are still serving you well.. I have the same 3 inchers on my truck that replaced those 2 inchers and I haven't had any issues either and I always have about 300 extra pounds of gear in the back of the truck. More so if I'm camping and I'm not a small, skinny guy.
 
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Kyle

Guest
Ho and I both went straight to the SHD OME springs after using everything under the sun and having them sink. 300 pounds in the back is virtually nothing past the norm of what the stock Disco springs would handle just fine ( 7 passenger remember?). Try 2 or so up top and 4-500 inside and then run whatever gets in the way. Then your springs get worked out and completely cycled. The rears always have more on em and they ALWAYS get squashed harder. The HDs that I had always came back to height when I unloaded the truck but they didnt give me the ride height I was looking for while loaded. The SHD fixed that right up.
I realize that alot of guys arent ever gonna really work them out and might not ever see failure. But as Eric said. Time will tell. I will remain a sceptic untill some of that time has passed. As it stands , more folks have been running OME reliably then any of the others. You really cant argue that record...
 

F18Guy

Well-known member
Mar 30, 2004
2,185
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54
Down by the big rock
This is very informative.

Maybe the next spring change will be 751 in the front (same as current) and 763 Extra Heavy Duty (440 lbs.) in the rear.
 

Robbie

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
1,463
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NOVA
i still have to say, mine have held up well. granted, i have not driven anything like you have Kyle, but when I do go out, it is usually three guys, a dog, and a shit load of stuff in the back of the truck (i have never been able to pack light).

average rear load in the picture attached (two riders out taking pictures at the time):


but you are right, they sag a little with all that weight, and maybe the OME SHD's are the way to go for the rear. probably should be looking at new springs for the rear anyway. did 4 loads this week of stone pavers. Each load was over 700lbs, and was just in the cargo area. no seats down. that sagged.
 

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gil stevens

Guest
I have no experience with the RTEs, but Ive been running the SHD OMEs for over a year now and they are impressive. When loaded down they sit at about the same height as the unloaded HDs. The HDs i had prior sagged like a champ with the roof loaded and the entire rear of the truck filled (rear seats out). My only gripe with the SHDs is that when the truck is unloaded they are super stiffand sit about 3/4 inch higer than the front. thats a small price to pay, to be able to wheel effectively with enough gear to live out of a truck for 3 months.
 
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Kyle

Guest
Need soft shock valving Gil to make them ride right.. With heavy valving I can see where they would rattle you a bit.
 
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JJMyerz

Guest
Thanks for all the input guys.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to give RTs springs a chance. I don't go on long wheeling trips, mostly one or two days shots where I don't need to carry a whole lot.

As for vibes, I've already planned to get new Drive Shafts and RTs arms. I'm actulally planning on turning the knuckles for a better castor angle....we'll see

Justin
 
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DiscoDino

Guest
LORD: I agree with Kyle :eek:

Well, I got to say that for springs, I'd go ANYDAY for a company like OME that know their "sit" than any other firm.

Granted, they may sag (especially if you fit the DS/PS spring set-up), BUT that can be easily taken care of, AND, the 764/762+.75" spacer is a winning combo for the right 3" lift. IF you do not achieve the true 3" lift, then you're issue is NOT the springs, its the weight you are carry.

Have anyone broken an OME spring? If the answer is no, then you know what to get

Kyle, sorry to be on the same side as you...I know it ain't fun. :cool:
 
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D Chapman

Guest
The biggest problem I have with my OME springs is the "bounce" and lack of wheel drop. Let me explain; when I try to climb an obstacle with a bit of an incline, my truck wants to "hop" (if i'm getting traction) when the tires start to spin. When the truck hops up, I loose the traction and momentum and have to either pick a less difficult line or winch. Trucks with the RTE springs seem to overcome this "bounce".

I'm not a big fan of allot of "droop", in fact my truck is retained in the rear. But, it would be nice to have a bit more flex on the trail sometimes.

The OME spring may be a little more reliable???, but if you use your truck off-road and want it to perform off-road, IMO the RTE springs are the way to go. I will be swaping out my OME's for the RTE's as my next mod.