OME 2" lift with heavy duty springs rides harsh

Right. But since they have a higher spring rate, they will end up giving you more lift.
Correct. Lift height/ ride height is a balancing act between the coil spring's rate and length against the weight of the vehicle.
 
Has anyone had luck painting the Rancho’s? And if so what paint did you use?
Yes.

  1. clean with alcohol
  2. scuff the white paint up
  3. wipe down with alcohol again
  4. self etching primer (2-3 light coats)
  5. topcoat (3-4 light coats and final coat a little heavier) (follow directions on your can for timing)
  6. clear if you want, but that's up to you, I don't
I made my own Rancho stickers you see in the pic below just for fun. 5ml clear over a printout. Used to make all kinds of stickers as a kid. It still works, and I'm somewhat still a kid, we all are.

Remember, they will still get scuffed up over time, but this is a solid paint regiment that is easy. You can do it on bumpers and rock sliders too. Makes it easy to touch up later if you need to.
76268
 
Basic physics says that stiffer springs will result in a rougher ride. The shocks may be the contolling factor but the equation F=MA (where M is the mass of the sprung weight) says that greater spring constants (pounds per inch or whatever) will result in greater acceleration of the sprung mass. I went from the OME HD springs to the non-HD springs and the ride was much better. Of course my lift went almost to zero with the non-HD springs.
Rather than spout theory, take a few minutes, pull your shocks and go for a short drive. Carefully of course and then report back how stiff the springs actually are.
 
While I may not apply as many coats of paint as mentioned above, there is one very important thing to keep in mind when applying extra coats of enamel like from Rustoleum or Krylon. READ THE DIRECTIONS where it describes how long you have to apply an additional coat or two, which is usually 30 minutes to no more than an hour. Then after that initial 30-60 minute window, you MUST wait no less than 48-72 hours for it to completely cure before adding any more coats.

If you try to add another coat of paint after 30-60 minutes but before 48-72 hours have gone by so it can finish curing, the paint WILL craze and the paint job will be ruined.
 
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I'm looking forward to getting the RS5000x's for mine. Those OME Nitro Sports are like riding on a skateboard when you hit certain things in the road like joints where bridges and roads meet, pothole patches, manhole covers, quarters, grains of sand. LOL
 
Thanks for all the updates. I am running 33's, so I guess I better stick with the HD springs, since they fit in there nicely. My Rubi is babied, so I don't have to worry about wheel travel. Thanks again. On a side note, I painted my yellow shocks black. They were done professionally, so scuffed down, prepped and painted in a booth. I would imagine you could spraybomb them, but they might chip. Mind as still all black as I didn't like yellow, or any color on a shock.
 
Rather than spout theory, take a few minutes, pull your shocks and go for a short drive. Carefully of course and then report back how stiff the springs actually are.

I guess I’ve touched a nerve here. Didn’t mean to. But I’ll repeat, I started with the HD springs and the ride was very harsh. After a couple of weeks I swapped them out for LDs and the ride was substantially better. Did my perception change in that amount of time? Maybe, but my wife had the same impression. Yeah, I felt foolish for buying two sets of springs but I don’t think I am just rationalizing having spent the money.
 
I guess I’ve touched a nerve here. Didn’t mean to. But I’ll repeat, I started with the HD springs and the ride was very harsh. After a couple of weeks I swapped them out for LDs and the ride was substantially better. Did my perception change in that amount of time? Maybe, but my wife had the same impression. Yeah, I felt foolish for buying two sets of springs but I don’t think I am just rationalizing having spent the money.

Two considerations...

Can you tell the difference in ride characteristics between a full add empty tank of gas? That is roughly the difference in spring rate between the LD and HD coils.

The is a little over an inch difference in ride height between the LD and HD coils. Did the shocks change with the coils? How did this change affect the shock travels? Why does this question matter?
 
Two considerations...

Can you tell the difference in ride characteristics between a full add empty tank of gas? That is roughly the difference in spring rate between the LD and HD coils.

The is a little over an inch difference in ride height between the LD and HD coils. Did the shocks change with the coils? How did this change affect the shock travels? Why does this question matter?

Same OME shocks. I can’t honestly say whether I’ve noticed the difference between a full and empty tank. I’ll have to pay attention to that.
 
Same OME shocks. I can’t honestly say whether I’ve noticed the difference between a full and empty tank. I’ll have to pay attention to that.
If the differences in gas tank weights (or a dog, small child, etc.) don't stand out similarly to the alleged changes between springs, then whatever differences that were noticed were the result of something other than what you think caused them.
 
I guess I’ve touched a nerve here. Didn’t mean to. But I’ll repeat, I started with the HD springs and the ride was very harsh. After a couple of weeks I swapped them out for LDs and the ride was substantially better. Did my perception change in that amount of time? Maybe, but my wife had the same impression. Yeah, I felt foolish for buying two sets of springs but I don’t think I am just rationalizing having spent the money.

No, not a nerve, repetition of myth. To have any veracity, that swap has to result in a zero change in ride height. If it doesn't result in a zero change in ride height, then you don't actually know what caused the change in ride quality.

Did it result in a zero change in ride height?
 
Does anyone have the part number for the Rancho shocks needed for the 2.5" lift?
 
No, not a nerve, repetition of myth.

I think this is questionable. Someone had HD and then went to the LDs and felt there is a difference. They ARE different springs, so there should be a difference. It just makes sense. If I was doing it all over I would just go with the LDs, but I probably don't care enough to mess around with it. They won't ride the exact same since they are different springs. Better? Don't know, but the person that actually changed them out feels they ride better. I can buy that.
 
I think this is questionable. Someone had HD and then went to the LDs and felt there is a difference. They ARE different springs, so there should be a difference. It just makes sense. If I was doing it all over I would just go with the LDs, but I probably don't care enough to mess around with it. They won't ride the exact same since they are different springs. Better? Don't know, but the person that actually changed them out feels they ride better. I can buy that.
It is not the tiniest bit questionable. If you understand how springs work and how spring rates work, there is no discernible difference between 120 lb per inch springs and 140 lb per inch springs. If anyone would just go and pull the rear shocks and take it for a ride back to back with the two different springs, we could get over the repetition of this myth and the perpetuation thereof.

You notice that when what changed is brought into question, like ride height etc. no one answers. The reason they don't answer is folks need to believe even if their belief is wrong, they still need to do it. So rather than learn something, they choose to believe rather than spend a few minutes actually learning.
 
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I've played the spring rate game to a further degree than most. If there is a discernable difference between the rates commonly available to us, it is so slight that it would take a very attentive daily driver to find it. But not without a great deal of desire behind the effort. That is why I asked about the empty vs full gas tank. If you can't differentiate between those two scenarios, you won't even begin to feel spring rates.

The reason shocks were brought up is that by changing the ride height with an existing shock, the travel bias of the shock is shifted. That has a very real influence in how the shock performs. Too much one direction can put the Jeep into the bump stops far too often on compression or cause the Jeep to start picking up the axle upon rebound. Additionally, changing the travel distances changes how the valving behaves as compared to the previous setup. These changes in dynamics are going to be far more preceivable than a change in springs are ever going to be.