OME suspension

[Lancer]

Quick question. I've had the OME setup on for over 115,000 miles (I've got 130,000 miles on the clock); at what point should it be replaced? I don't do hard core offroading, as the KJ is my daily driver, so I don't want to beat it up, but I do tour through the UK and Europe and some of those back roads and mountain roads and tracks are a bit rough- especially in Sicily, Scandinavia and more Eastern bits of Europe, and I do a bit of green laning here and in France and Belgium.

I ask because deterioration is gradual so I may not have really noticed it and just adapted, and I know that a lot of you do pretty hard touring.

[indiedog]

I replaced my front OME springs and shocks a couple of years ago after nearly 15 years of service. You could tell the front was getting sloppy but a lot of that was due to the control arms etc wearing out. I've still got the rear going albeit with some airbags also installed to help out when needed. My driving is similar to yours but I tow our camper with it hence the airbags. I'll replace that within the next year or so but the car is still driving well.

[layback40]

The best way to check spring sag is to measure the height from the wheel center to the bottom of the guard flair & compare it with when the lift was first done. If you dont have that number, use the manufacturers spec + say 50% of your lift. Shocks/struts normally fail by leakage, look for oil wetness near the shaft/seal.

[glend]

I believe OME is no longer produced for the KJ, when I replaced my last OME set I found I could not buy them anymore. I talked to Stu Murchison, who I used to buy them from, and he said he was using Optec or something like that (can't remember now) but he was rebranding them with his own stickers.

https://www.murchisonproducts.com.au...pension-system

I installed those before I sold the KJ and they were fine, but then again I did not pound them up the Cape York tracks and down the Dev Road.

[Lancer]

Thanks lads. I may go to Stu and import from him.

[glend]

Lancer, a set of shocks and struts are going to be pretty expensive to ship halfway around the world. Maybe you should check out what is available locally or in the EU, like Bilstein, or Konis. They are quality items and for your needs they might be fine, and shipping will not kill you. God luck. Let us know what you decided.

[Lancer]

I've now got Koni Shocks to go on, and a new set of OME springs to go with them. Stu no longer does stuff for the KJ as the model has been out of production for too long - at least that's what they told me.