Any Pointers?

Welcome to the forum! You have asked some really good questions and gotten some great feedback. Most important you are planning your build for what you intend on using your jeep for, that might not seem like a big deal but there are a huge amount of guys out there (maybe a few on here) who can share their mistakes with you. Buy once and cry once when you buy your parts. Like @Chris said, avoid the junk lifts and buy quality. I am currently running Metal Cloak's long travel short arm with Old Man Emu shocks and could not be happier with the ride and performance, both on and off road. As other have said OME is definitely worth a serious look.
 
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Chris S said:
Switching to 31s, would I need to do anything with my speedo? Or is that only really if I go 33s or bigger?
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You're speedo will be off. To make it right all you need to do is buy a new speedo gear for your transfer case. 10-15 minutes of your time and a new gear which costs $30-$40. I've left mine original and know that my speed is 10% off and account for that when I drive.
 
Chris S said:
Switching to 31s, would I need to do anything with my speedo? Or is that only really if I go 33s or bigger?
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Take the time, spend the money and change the speedo gear. It's easy to do and cheap plus with your lack of driving experience it will keep you from a ticket.
 
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JMT said:
Good plan. For your desired set-up I would do the following;

1) save for a good 2-2.5" lift. BDS has a 2". The Old Man Emu (ARB) advertises for 2", but the Heavy Duty version will give you 2.5". If you're wondering, you can't use the stock shocks, you will need to get longer ones. These come with the lift kits, but if you're piecing it together you need to know what you're doing. Guys on here can help you find the right size shocks.

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Will this negatively affect the ride quality, i know it's not there for a good ride but for functionality offroad, but this will be a daily and as long is its not unbearable its fine.
 
Chris S said:
Will this negatively affect the ride quality, i know it's not there for a good ride but for functionality offroad, but this will be a daily and as long is its not unbearable its fine.
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The Old Man Emu (OME) is thought by most to be the best 2" lift out there and gives a great street ride as well.
 
Okay I was just asking based on idea that the "heavy duty" OME kit wasn't necessarily meant to be used as a 2.5" lift kit.

https://www.morris4x4center.com/old...-with-nitrocharger-sport-shocks-ometjhks.html

This kit also warned of a decrease in quality when added to a stock vehicle:
"This suspension lift kit is designed for carrying a heavy load (90-180lbs) and if it is fitted to a stock weight truck, the ride will be negatively affected by the high spring rate. Such a misapplication will also "overlift" the vehicle, and result in a lack of wheel down travel."
 
Chris S said:
Okay I was just asking based on idea that the "heavy duty" OME kit wasn't necessarily meant to be used as a 2.5" lift kit.

https://www.morris4x4center.com/old...-with-nitrocharger-sport-shocks-ometjhks.html

This kit also warned of a decrease in quality when added to a stock vehicle:
"This suspension lift kit is designed for carrying a heavy load (90-180lbs) and if it is fitted to a stock weight truck, the ride will be negatively affected by the high spring rate. Such a misapplication will also "overlift" the vehicle, and result in a lack of wheel down travel."
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The also have a light load kit.
 
Chris S said:
Okay thanks, another reason I was looking at the heavy duty lift was because I sometimes use the jeep to pull a garden trailer for dump runs and helping friends move stuff.
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With the OME lift kits, the springs are 2" lift springs. To make it a 2.5" lift kit OME adds 10mm coil spacers to the kit which essentially gives you the advertised 2.5" of lift.
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In this picture you can see the yellow coil spring spaces installed, minus the coil spring. This pic illustrates putting the front axle at "full bump", so I can measure for the appropriate added bump stops. For 31" tires, you shouldn't need any additional bump stops in the front, but you'll need 1" bumpstop extentions for the rear. Those should come with the kit.
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I purchased the HD spring kit since I have a hard top and anticipated a heavy tire carrier. I never did get the heavy tire carrier, but I too occasionally haul a small utility trailer for dump runs and such, and recently built a camp trailer, plus I have 185lbs. of dogs to carry on camp trips, so the HD springs work well for me. When the jeep is empty of cargo, it does ride a bit rougher than stock, but not a deal breaker in the least.
 
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Just for reference, here is a pic of my jeep after installing the OME 2.5" lift kit on 31" BFG mud terrains.
P1040710.JPG
 
If you don't know how to measure your ACTUAL lift, or stock sag for that matter, the front stock should measure 12" from the bottom of the coil spring inside the perch to the bottom of the coil spring isolator. Following the same measurement procedure, the rear should measure 8". My stock were sagging 0.75" so when I put on 1.75" budget boost spacers I actually only got 1" over stock...Everybody was like, "What lift?" Once I got my 2.5" OME (really 2", right!), it looked like my Jeep went way higher, and it did, because I got rid of those saggy stock springs. It changed everything and rides great. I don't have the Nitro charger shocks that come with the OME kit, but I hear they are great. I paired the springs with some Bilstein 5100's. The ride quality is in the shocks, so always get good shocks. If you don't get the full OME kit you could buy the pieces you do need (2933 and 2942 springs, 10mm yellow spacers, rear trackbar re-location bracket) and pair with some RAncho 5000X shocks. Guys around here swear by them...Might save you some coin, just have to do the math...You don't really need the OME steering stabilizer, as it's a 50/50 valve, and they all do basically the same thing, whether they're $30 or $100.
 
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Chris S said:
That looks super clean! Do you have a link to the lift kit you purchased? I was having trouble finding an OME kit that advertised as 2.5" Looking again I found this just now

https://www.4wheelparts.com/Suspension/ARB-2-5-Inch-Lift-Kit-9799L.aspx?t_c=1&t_s=38&t_pt=3533&t_pn=ARB9799L&utm_source=google,google&utm_medium=cpc,cpc&utm_campaign=shopping&emlprox=out&ppcfon=1&gp=1&scid=scplpARB9799L&sc_intid=ARB9799L&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdbLBRALEiwAm8pA5UDG-j1tybemw9LISECNu-K5zQ-qtk5ng8dERP7VRLOIU1QVvQeNHhoC1AUQAvD_BwE#ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_pDetail_productSpecs

I cant verify this is OME though.

Thanks
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I purchased my kit many, many years ago from Quadratec, but there are much better places to get them from these days. Check Allen's Offroad, DPG Offroad, or here...

https://www.northridge4x4.com/fits/...an-emu-complete-sport-suspension-kit-2in-lift

I'm sure Amazon could get them too.

Weird how some places don't offer the 10mm spacers in their kits.
 
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