what old man emu spring rate should i get?

Im getting ready to order my old man emu lift kit from DPGoffroad. and was wondering what springs i should get, heavy, medium or light duty springs? My xj is a DD and will be seeing some trails and light offroad. i was planning on doing the 3.5" kit and just want some feedback on the springs and how they feel on and offroad. i plan on putting new bumpers and armor on it from JCR what would ride best with the added weight? thanks

i put the 3" OME springs on my '01 in 2005 and they are still working well. i really like the ride on/off road; much better ride than stock imo (but i had the "up-country" factory springs that were very stiff). i do moderate off-roading and its my DD, tow rig, etc. imo they are great springs for all around use.

My advice would be to tell Dirk how your are going to wheel, build and use your XJ to Dirk at DPG. I told him exactly how I was going to build it, what bumpers, skid plates, winch, etc I was going to install. In addition, how I was going to wheel it. His recommendations were perfect for my use. The ride and how it works is just what I wanted. The ride was to stiff until all items were installed and then it was great. I would trust him to make the right choices.

I don't know anything about OME spring rates, but generally I like a stiffer spring on the front of an XJ. I'd say get the medium if you won't have a winch, and heavy if you'll get a winch.

I can tell you from experience, having had full OME suspension on two of our Cherokees in the past, that you need to order the HD springs, without question. Youll thank me later.

I've had two sets of OME leafs on my XJ - an HD pack on a relatively stock Jeep (no armor or other heavy accessories) and a MD pack with a OME add a leaf on a armored Jeep.

The HD pack was too stiff for my liking since I didn't tow or haul heavy weight. I'm very pleased with the MD pack with the AAL. It stiffens up the spring rate nicely, adds an inch of height and is built to work in with the existing pack.

For the front I had the OME934 springs which were 180lb spring rate I believe. These rode great but I swapped them out for something with more lift and could better handle a heavy bumper and winch.

The 934 coils and the MD leafs are a solid choice in my opinion if you are looking to stay in the ~3" range. Right great on road and handle nicely off. Add a shackle relocation kit while you're at it for superb ride and flex.

I dont really plan on towing that often and i wasnt planning on mounting a winch in the front but rather have a winch mounted to a plate with a hitch mount so i could use it front or rear depending on the circumstances. plus being a DD i dont want to leave it out with thieving fingers everywhere in this state. once i get a truck and trailer then i will go all out since its really not legal to wheel in CT and id have to bring it out of state

dcampbell98XJ said:

I dont really plan on towing that often and i wasnt planning on mounting a winch in the front but rather have a winch mounted to a plate with a hitch mount so i could use it front or rear depending on the circumstances. plus being a DD i dont want to leave it out with thieving fingers everywhere in this state. once i get a truck and trailer then i will go all out since its really not legal to wheel in CT and id have to bring it out of state

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The way to secure a winch mounted on the bumper is to put a tack weld on one or two of the bolts. Can't be stolen. If you're going forward and get stuck, don't you want to continue to go forward? Multi-mount winches are close to useless in my opinion and experience. They are a PIA to deal with when you're stuck, they are downright dangerous to have inside the car, and sometimes there is no clearance to either mount the winch or the mounted winch sticks out too far and gets in the way of actually pulling yourself out. I've seen all of this in the real world. Many with multi-mounts abandon them and front mount the winch, no one with a front mounted winch wishes they had a multi-mount.

Get the HD springs.

Don't mean to threadjack (but I kinda am) I have the exact same question as the OP however. Is DPG the best source for this stuff (and advice?) Getting ready to drop them a line. Think I want a 2.5" w/ HD springs but not sure if that's the right choice. Not really a wheeler but need new springs and it seems to be the path of least resistance (and cash outlay) to just go with a mild lift rather than stay stock. Plans are really for a bad weather/bad road driver and possible occasional tow vehicle. Probably going to go with a bumper with a receiver just because I've had no luck finding a cheap used hitch.

I went with the 3" Ultimate kit from DPG about 2 years ago on my 2000 XJ. Honestly for the price its a very complete kit with quality stuff in it. The only things I added were longer braided brake lines and ended up having to shim the rear pinion angle just about 2.5 degrees to kill some rear vibrations.

I did get the heavier rear springs since I planned to tow and add a full sized spare down the road. It does sit about 3/4" higher in the rear unloaded but with the trailer its dead on level and tows excellent. I did have to press the spring eye bushings in now that I think about it. Its not a big deal unless you don't have a press available.

It clears both my winter 31"s and the summer 245's I run and flexes pretty well for a stock arm setup in the front. It will rub just a tiny bit on the lower control arms at full turn but thats only because I'm to lasy to mess with the steering stops.

H ighjacker, lol, go with Dirk, as he is close, lol. I could not see, or justify the shipping costs of his 'kits' to AK. However, 4WheelParts.com people are possibly in your area too. They offer the OME stuff. Could take a bit of extra time for them to source their store/warehouses for the various parts to finally get them into your area store. Also you might have to pay Wa. State tax, unless you obtain an exemption form from that State which will save you a lot.., you'd have to check on that. Anyway they are a direct buyer from USARB, (OME), and are very helpful if you know what you want. Also, they have a few tech. advisors who are very understanding as to the parts that will match up to what you want.

I hate doing things twice. As a DD, I wanted my '89XJ to handle whatever I could foresee as future possiblities.., i.e., Warn 8000 winching/ARB Kangaroo bumper, tire carrier/real rear bumper, hauling an ATV, etc., with the 'tuned' OME setup for a 2" lift. $923.00. That included; HD coils, HD springs, HD shocks, fitting kit, (a warranty thing), and 'U' bolts. For the extra cost over the soft, and medium setups, I now have a vehicle that runs smooth on any repaired highway, and sure footed when I am on one lane dirt/mud/frozen/snow roads with humps, soft shoulders, pot holes, etc., I don't bottom out near as severe as the lessor capable levels. NOTE: As a DD on highways, whenever I hit some repair, similar to speed bumps, for example, at say 35 mph., the rear of my XJ does take a bit of recovery to find asphalt again, sort of a jolt. This is probably due to the fact that my rear bumper has not been installed to date, and I expect that little issue to end. Moreover, hauling a small trailer/atv, or carrying heavy things in the cargo area go a long way for better stability in general.

The Jeep manuals, most all; whether FSM, or aftermarket ones will show you how to somewhat easily install the rubber bushings into the leaf eyes, with just some large sockets, all-thread, etc., (vise is real handy). If your old ones are good, you can recycle them into the new leafs. Maybe you could ask Dirk, (if you decide to go with his co.), to install new bushings for you, before he ships out the set-up.

In this world, in the U.S.A., and I were to worry about someone messing with my 'parked' XJ, I'd go get some training, get a license, and carry. Whatever! hone: Call for help.

Happy Trails all.

Lurch said:

I've had two sets of OME leafs on my XJ - an HD pack on a relatively stock Jeep (no armor or other heavy accessories) and a MD pack with a OME add a leaf on a armored Jeep................I'm very pleased with the MD pack with the AAL. It stiffens up the spring rate nicely, adds an inch of height and is built to work in with the existing pack.

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What AAL did you use? OME? What about the spring clamps. I need another inch.. :anon: (did I just say that in my out loud voice?)

dirtweazle said:

What AAL did you use? OME? What about the spring clamps. I need another inch.. :anon: (did I just say that in my out loud voice?)

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don't use AAL with the OME leafs...ride is horrible..I had this issue in my OME setup ( I bought the HDs with AAL-netting about 5" lift) ..in order to keep it level with the front I removed the AALs and used a relocation bracket...the AALs by them selves were lifting close to 2".
no, I won't ship the AALs, too much hassle for ending with a crappy ride.

OME AAL are meant to work with OME leafs, so ride quality should not be an issue. Shackle relocation brackets should work great, and give you the correct shackle angle you need and some added height.

ingenio said:

don't use AAL with the OME leafs...ride is horrible..I had this issue in my OME setup ( I bought the HDs with AAL-netting about 5" lift) ..in order to keep it level with the front I removed the AALs and used a relocation bracket...the AALs by them selves were lifting close to 2".
no, I won't ship the AALs, too much hassle for ending with a crappy ride.

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I put the OME AAL into my existing leaf pack and the ride did not suffer at all. It stiffened up slightly which was to be expected and added some height, but has not sagged or been harsh otherwise going on 6 months.

Like Johnnie Walker said, they're designed to work with the existing OME pack's spring rate.

dirtweazle said:

What AAL did you use? OME? What about the spring clamps. I need another inch.. :anon: (did I just say that in my out loud voice?)

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PN# is OME-D22XL

I have an OME hybrid 3 inch lift. the ride is great. But I am not a fan of using spacers for height. The lift does tend to be tail high, But it did settle some after many months. I now want to raise the front a little more. I am considering the 934 springs with my spacer.

I have a hybrid lift that I pieced together to meet my needs and it preforms amazing on and offroad. I used hd ome leaf packs in the rear with ironman 4x4 fab 1" lift boomerang shackles. in the front I used Rustys offroad hd 3" springs, with Ironman fab upper and lower control arms, great flex and great ride. i am heavily armored have a winch in front and hd bumper/ tire carrier in the rear with jcr crusher corners.