Should I buy OME or other brand coil springs

[Marc McKinley]

Here is the situation, I own a 2006 TJ Rubicon and recently purchased the DPG Off-Road Old Man Emu Ultimate TJ lift kit from a person that purchased the kit and sold his Jeep TJ before installing. He ordered the softest coil springs so I knew they would not work for me because I have a hard top, will carry a spare 33" in the rear, after market front (plan to add winch in near future) and rear bumpers. I opted to let him keep those if he would give me a better price for the rest of the kit. This is what I have...

• 4-OME Sport Series Shocks
• JKS “Quicker” Disconnects
• JKS 1.25″ Body Lift
• Upgraded to 1" lift Brown Dog Motor Mounts
• JKS Adj. Track bar (front) JKS Adj. Trackbar (rear)
• DPG 2″ Extended Bump stops (Front & rear)
• JKS Adj Rear Swaybar End Links

There is a part of me that wants to stay with OME coil springs but if there is a cheaper alternative that is just as quality and offer the same ride than I would definitely go that route. Everything I have read says the coil springs have very little to do with ride quality. I have found the OME springs for $350 shipped (all 4). If I go OME what springs stiffness do you guys recommend??? Are there other just as good coil springs out there for less money, if so what do you recommend???

I would like to insure that I gain the 2.5" that everyone reports gaining with the OME kit.
Also, do you recommend coil spacers? What size? Front or back or both?

THANKS in advance for all your knowledge on this subject.

 

[jjvw]

There is no specific requirement to use OME coils. As long as the coils provide the ride height you need, there won't be a meaningful difference with other options. The ride quality comes most significantly from the shocks and the tire pressure.

For 33s, I would lean towards 934 fronts and 940 rears. Your goal is to get close to 4" of total lift so as to, at least, maintain the stock amount of suspension up travel.

The JKS body lift ought to be discarded for one that isn't squishy. Aluminum or nylon is preferable and still allow the stock body monts to function properly. An aluminum 1.25" body lift will always result in 1.25" of lift. JKS wil never deliver its advertised amount. And JKS will always compromise the structural integrity of the body mounts.

 

[Marc McKinley]

There is no specific requirement to use OME coils. As long as the coils provide the ride height you need, there won't be a meaningful difference with other options. The ride quality comes most significantly from the shocks and the tire pressure.

For 33s, I would lean towards 934 fronts and 940 rears. Your goal is to get close to 4" of total lift so as to, at least, maintain the stock amount of suspension up travel.

The JKS body lift ought to be discarded for one that isn't squishy. Aluminum or nylon is preferable and still allow the stock body monts to function properly. An aluminum 1.25" body lift will always result in 1.25" of lift. JKS wil never deliver its advertised amount. And JKS will always compromise the structural integrity of the body mounts.

I've heard good things about the JKS 1.25" body lift. I thought the only people that had issues were over torqueing the bolts. Everyone I've asked has said the aluminum are nice but unnecessary and not worth the cost difference. I guess I'll have to give that some thought.

 

[jjvw]

I've heard good things about the JKS 1.25" body lift. I thought the only people that had issues were over torqueing the bolts. Everyone I've asked has said the aluminum are nice but unnecessary and not worth the cost difference. I guess I'll have to give that some thought.

There are no good things to be said about the JKS body lift. Ask those same people for reasons why it doesn't matter.

I ran the JKS bl for many years before switching to Savvy. Once you can understand how the body mounts/isolators are supposed to work and how the JKS prevents that from happening, you can start to see and hear how polyurethane is not an appropriate material for a body lift.

The squish happens immediately because proper torque is impossible. Jump around the frame and tighten the same way you move around the wheel bolts and you will never get to the recommended torque. Mine ended up being a 7/8" body lift, give or take an 1/8" or more. This immediately results in an unevenly loaded body across it's mounts. Eventually this leads to body ripples, broken spot welds and a noisy Jeep. And the structural connection between the body and frame connection is never as strong as stock. Mine noticably quieted down after installing the rigid aluminum pucks.

 

[Marc McKinley]

Is every body really that down on the JKS 1.25" body lift? I don't want to wast my time with an inferior body lift.

Any advice on springs???

 

[bobthetj03]

BDS makes a decent spring. JKS's 3" dual rate spring is interesting, but if you want the tallest spring possible for the lift you want, I think Currie springs would be the ticket. OME springs are much more predictable though.

 

[jjvw]

Is every body really that down on the JKS 1.25" body lift? I don't want to wast my time with an inferior body lift.

...

The logic is entirely mechanical. And the cost difference between a poorly engineered body lift and a functional one is minor. Body lifts aren't rocket science, but the details are meaningful.

 

[jjvw]

BDS makes a decent spring. JKS's 3" dual rate spring is interesting, but if you want the tallest spring possible for the lift you want, I think Currie springs would be the ticket. OME springs are much more predictable though.

I would like still pick OME for lift heights in the 0 to high 2" range. After that, skipping up to Currie 4" makes the most sense to me. Building for a 3" spring sometimes feels like a no man's land where you could get more performance for just a little more height.

 

[cdubculvy]

FWIW, I've run BDS 2" springs on 2 different TJ's and have been very happy with the ride each time. Currently have them paired with RS5000x's and it's an excellent combo.

 

[rasband]

I'm pretty happy with my OME springs (HD) so far, but they are likely a shortish term solution for me. 2933 in the front and 2942 in the rear. I wouldn't hesitate to run them for a long while though.

 

[cmitcham]

i just installed that kit. i don't have any spring info for you, but 1 tidbit on the front bumpstops. use the correct drill for the tap size. iirc, it is a standard 3/16 bolt with some little self-tap cuts in it, but the drill in the instructions is bigger than the normally speced size for that thread. it isn't a high stressed joint, so it's not a deal breaker, but it does make for a loose thread engagement.

 

[Marc McKinley]

I kinda expected a lot more people to chime in on different quality spring options and rates.


Any opinion on the JKS 3" dual rate springs??? Would the OME shocks be ok with them?

 

[jjvw]

There isn't much to say. Once you get the ride height you need, move on.

 

[Goatman]

I bought my '06 Rubicon with the OME "soft" spring lift installed already. The difference between it having stock tin foil bumpers and no top and having new heavy bumpers, winch, hardtop, 32" spare on back is somewhere between 1/2"-3/4" less spring height. I read somewhere the difference between the two was somewhere between 20 to 30 lbs per inch. So the soft springs are (making numbers up for comparison as I don't recall exact numbers) 250 lbs/inch compression and the heavy are 275 lbs/inch.
A softer spring will give a more pliable ride while a heavier spring will be more rigid.
But that little bit of difference between the two would be difficult to notice.

 

[JMT]

I kinda expected a lot more people to chime in on different quality spring options and rates.


Any opinion on the JKS 3" dual rate springs??? Would the OME shocks be ok with them?

If you want really technical info there is a relationship between spring rate and coil length, but for your situation it’s meaningless. Get the coil springs that will give you desired ride height. Add a spacer if needed.

Edit: if you want 2.5” of lift, the OME 933/942 combo won’t do it with all that other stuff on your rig. You’ll likely be in the 2” range, even with the 10mm spacers. I have basically the same setup and run 1 1/16” spacer up front to get 3”. Jks is a great option for the 3” range

 

[Marc McKinley]

If you want really technical info there is a relationship between spring rate and coil length, but for your situation it’s meaningless. Get the coil springs that will give you desired ride height. Add a spacer if needed.

Edit: if you want 2.5” of lift, the OME 933/942 combo won’t do it with all that other stuff on your rig. You’ll likely be in the 2” range, even with the 10mm spacers. I have basically the same setup and run 1 1/16” spacer up front to get 3”. Jks is a great option for the 3” range

I know this is probably a dumb question but OME shock generally come with the 2.5" OME springs. Do you think the 3" JKS springs would be too much for the shocks???

I'm really leaning toward the 3" JKS springs. I've seen a few people run 33" tires with just the 3" JKS springs and it looks pretty sharp (no body lift). Do you think this would be a viable option???

 

[tworley]

I cant comment on 2-3" springs as I have never ran them. For a 4" though I recommend Currie. I am running 12" shocks in the rear and the coils are the longest free length, meaning at full droop I am not unseating my springs.

 

[jjvw]

I know this is probably a dumb question but OME shock generally come with the 2.5" OME springs. Do you think the 3" JKS springs would be too much for the shocks???

I'm really leaning toward the 3" JKS springs. I've seen a few people run 33" tires with just the 3" JKS springs and it looks pretty sharp (no body lift). Do you think this would be a viable option???

Ideally the ride height would first be established by the springs. Then the optimal shock length would be determined. The OME shocks intended for a ~2" spring lift will be getting short on the down travel by the time the Jeep is getting up to a 3" lift.

 

[JMT]

I know this is probably a dumb question but OME shock generally come with the 2.5" OME springs. Do you think the 3" JKS springs would be too much for the shocks???

I'm really leaning toward the 3" JKS springs. I've seen a few people run 33" tires with just the 3" JKS springs and it looks pretty sharp (no body lift). Do you think this would be a viable option???

The OME shocks should be fine with the JKS 3” springs.

3” is a bare minimum for 33’s. I usually recommend 32’s. It can be done though. Set your bumpstop correctly. You’ll lose some up travel

 

[Mr. Bills]

OP seems to have a fixation on JKS 3" springs. Is that because most of OP's existing parts are JKS?

There are better spring choices. @jjvw, @tworley and @bobthetj03 are all offering good advice regarding OME and Currie springs.