By lynden on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 12:04 pm: Edit

I recently talked to a guy who has OME hd springs. He relayed some dissatisfaction w/ them in that they are too stiff and not as conducive to four wheelin'. Has anyone else had the same experience??? Do the hd springs not allow the suspension to take up the bumps and cause the chasis to compensate? I want to buy springs in the next month or two but don't want to hamper my off road capabilities. Should I go w/ medium as opposed to heavy duty???

Thanks in advance.
lynden

By Wesley on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 02:33 pm: Edit

Lynden
I have OME HD and love them, but I do more hauling and only mild offroading (I haven't had time for the fun stuff yet). When I was asking the same question, I was initially steered towards MD for offroading purposes (before they knew I did a lot of hauling) due to the factors you stated above.
Hopefully others will chime in with their responses. Also do a search since this has been discussed before.
By the way, if you go with OME, I would recommend matched length springs so you don't get the lean.
Wesley

By Ho Chung (Ho) on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 07:32 pm: Edit

let's say you go with MDs.
you'll be happy until the day you go on a trip carrying some gear and food and beer... and notice that MDs won't cut it. then you'll switch to HDs.

that's how it went for me.

and all this talk about MDs for off roading... because of flex... i just don't buy it.

By MTB on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 12:21 am: Edit

Lynden
I am running BM 2" I would put them in the same class as md's. Well one year later and wanting to add on some toys (skids, winch,RT sliders) I will need too upgrade to a hd spring. I have a ARB bumper and it dropped the front approx. 1/2". Look at everthing you plan to add on in the future and what you plan to do hauling wise.
If you do not plan on adding or hauling things go with the MD's.
Good Luck

Michael B

By Steve (Oz93discov8) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 12:52 am: Edit

Some fit MD springs then add Polyair bags to handle the heavy load situations. With independant air lines they apparently don't hamper articulation. Apparently this gives them the best of both worlds.

By mongo on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 03:38 am: Edit

Hey Lynden,
There's a similar string going on disco2.com, anyways Ijust put hd springs on my dII and on-road the ride remained basically the same, and off-road improved a lot. i also have a winch bumper,sliders,roof rack and you really need the hd if you put a lot off additional wieght when camping...just my .02...

frank

By Mike R on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 04:32 am: Edit

A have to agree with Ho. I don't buy that you cant flex well with HD springs. I had to put HD springs in front because of the winch & bumper. I decided to go for the HD rears in case I was going to haul some heavy stuff in the rear and figured that I'd live with the stiff ride empty. However, I think the ride / flex is fine See below:

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 04:48 am: Edit

So, let me ask the same, but about RTE springs instead of OME.... Does the same hold true?

-L

By Ho Chung (Ho) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 06:13 am: Edit

leslie, i'd say the same applies to RTE springs.

http://www.rovertym.com/springs.htm
gives a list of data on RTE springs.

and a table of data for OME springs can be found here
http://www.expeditionexchange.com/omecoilnew.htm

from there, you can draw your own conclusion.

By Tom P. on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 06:54 am: Edit

I never understoood how you could get by with MD rears. The MD rate is only 220 lbs., while stock is 210! Not much of a rate increase. Factor in any lift and you need to increase the spring rate (i.e. go to HD).

Go to the links Ho pointed out, and decide what you need/like to carry - big dogs, lots of recovery gear, mucho camping stuff, canoes up top or, enough beer for Ho... Then you can make an *informed* spring choice.

Tom P.

By Mike J. (Mudd) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 06:57 am: Edit

I just put on +2"MD's RTE and 245 75 16 I feel a little squirly. I want the RT bumper to level me out and steady things a little. I have bilsteins and wonder if I take off the rear sway will things get real crazy? It looks great.

By John on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 07:35 am: Edit

You have a 285-325 prog. rear springs. In all honesty I am beginning to not like Bilsteins on lifted trucks. I have been running them after running Ranchos and quite frankly I dont like the good solid feel I had with the Ranchos. I know there are a lot of Bilstein people here, but I am curious as to how many are on lifted trucks and what are the opinions. Valving at 360/80 on the Bilsteins.

By Ron on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 07:41 am: Edit

Can't you adjust the nitro pressure on the bilstiens? I know with the LTRs you had to play with it to get it right.

Cheers
Ron

PS I will take the 18in 250# I will call you when you get back from roverfest.

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:05 am: Edit

The RTE MDs for the rear of a Disco, the RR3, is listed at 285-325lb compared to OME's 764 MD at 220lb. For HD springs, the RT ones, the RR1, are up to 300-340lbs as are the OME HD rear Disco springs, the 762. Sounds like the RTE MD are a quite a step up over the OME MD.

The front rates, though, seem odd. The RTE MDs for the front of a Disco, the RR2, are 189 lbs and John's HD ones, the RR4, is 225lb. Looking at the OME front springs, though, the MD-761 are 200lb and the HD-762 are 230lbs. Their lights, though, the 760s, say 180-250lbs! Odd!!

I really don't see why the RTE MDs wouldn't be fine when compared to any of the OMEs in the rear..... seems odd, though, to think about MD in the rear and HD in the front...

Think I might just have to harrass a bunch of people into letting me drive theirs to compare them all....

-L

By lynden on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:14 am: Edit

This is what I like to see, a great coversation where we all are learning. I think I'll probably go w/ the HD's in that we have a full load (3 kids, one dog, and all the accompanying gear). We also pull waverunners w/ the mentioned load so probably OME hd's are going to be my best bet.

Thanks for the info. and keep posting!!!
Lynden

By Ron on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:14 am: Edit

Spring Part
Number Rate
Axle
RR1
300-340 lb/in
progressive
rear
RR2
189 lb/in linear
front
RR3
285-325 lb/in
progressive
rear
RR4
225 lb/in linear
front
RR5
250 lb/in linear
rear

By Ron on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:18 am: Edit

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/7501/springinfo.html

You alway have fronts lighter than rears. Forget this MD/HD lingo, look at the spring rates. If you have two number it is progressive.

I find the happy number to be 220 front, and I am hoping 250 rear. Though I have some friends who like 133 fronts and 180 rears adn D90 people seem to think 220 all around works. A. likes the HDs all around. Drive them and see like you say, but keep in mind a loaded truck will handle much differnt than an unloaded truck.

cheers
Ron

By John on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:24 am: Edit

The OME lights, #760 @ 180# to 250# and only 14.6" long is sounding like a progressive spring of course and is made for the stretchability you so often need in the front. Thats a retained style spring. I am losing 18" long linier springs in the front by several inches and now I have a proto spring set I am testing for the fronts that is 22" long with a duel rate to get the 3" lift plus have the spring long enough at extension to still maintain the spring in the tower. So it sounds odd, but I think theres a purpose for that style spring.

By Leslie on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:31 am: Edit

Ron, that's what I had in my head, about the fronts 'always' being lighter than the rears.

MD/HD thing... it just saves from having to quote the numbers, and one would have thought that it would have been a simple way to compare, but you're right, the numbers behind the labels are what count.

Once I look at the numbers instead of HD/MD, and 'pay attention' to it, I see that the RTE HD springs for the front are lower than the RTE MD springs for the rear... so my earlier comment about HD-front/MD rear has no bearing....

RTE: rear RR3 @ 285-325lb ; front RR4 @ 225lb , all in 2" instead of the 3".
Does that sound like a reasonable setup for a daily driver, only occasional loads, w/ moderate off-roading, going to 235/85/16s?

-L


PS: John, the 2nd half of your 3rd sentence in your last post above doesn't make sense to me...

By John on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:40 am: Edit

My front 18" long springs are falling out of the upper tower....so I have made longer ones 22" long...so to keep the 3" lift with a 22" long spring you have to make a progressive rate, a section of coils are flatter wound in other words...to compress closer in the flatter wound area to get a 22" long spring to compress to a 3" lift under load while still maintaining no locking of the coils under compression. Damn, I cant type the simple picture in my head...lol

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:52 am: Edit

Ah, and also, OOPS... I was actually referring to the 2nd-to-last post, where you said "quite frankly I dont like the good solid feel I had with the Ranchos." My bad on the mis-direction....


-L

By pk on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:23 am: Edit

Well,

I can't stand to get to technical about spring rates. All the numbers hurt my head; it feels too much like work. So I will say this:

I used to have OME MDs and they were good but saggy and I swayed badly without sway bars. Now I have RTE 2 inchers and I like them much better! Less sway, they take a load and the flex is just fine.

pk

By John on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:28 am: Edit

Leslie, I feel I had more body control when using the Ranchos, going firm on the pavement, softer off road, where with the Bilsteins you try to get a happy medium thru valving for on road and off road, and it ends up the on road suffers somewhat
with these naturally top heavy Disco's. Even though I run 300-340 rears the softer shock setting for off road hurts the pavement, where I use to reset the firmness on the Ranchos to compensate. I could go with a road setting on the Bilsteins, but I dont like that ride offroad...just a personal feel.

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:28 am: Edit

pk,

WHICH 2" RT springs??


-L

By Leslie on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:34 am: Edit

John,

Gotcha on the shocks. I have Ranchos on the J**p that I still haven't gotten around to getting rid of, and I liked them... but they were the simple 5000s instead of the 9000s. Personally, I kinda like the "install-n-forget" philosophy... just get used to it in either condition. Also is reason I'd prefer a Detroit instead of an ARB.

What are YOUR thoughts on using: rear, the 285-325lb; front, the 225lb; all in 2"?

-L

By John on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:38 am: Edit

Good combination for weekend offroader, depending on how you load your truck up and is it a RR'er or Disco?

By Ho Chung (Ho) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:55 am: Edit

hehe, pk, i know it hurts to talk about numbers.
but you just can't blindly tell them all to get the RT 2 incher just because it worked for you.

some will want more lift, a 2 inch lift won't cut it. and who knows, they carry more stuff in the back of the disco to feed the crew.... you know how that goes.



so, there, dont' discard the numbers.

By Source on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:58 am: Edit

PK has the 300-340 rears and the 189 fronts

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 01:20 pm: Edit

John,

It's a Disco. Last of the Series I's. (This is DISCO-Web, eh? )

It is my daily driver to and from work, about 45 minutes one-way on the highway. Evenings, in-town around a small town. I go camping when I can, but not heavily loaded (I travel light). Off-roading is more of the weekend bit, and is lighter with the Disco... I use the 88" when I 'really' want to get into it because if I break it, I can still get to work on Monday.

Does Rancho have a model of a shock that would work on a Disco w/ the stock shock mounts, w/ your 2" springs?

-L