On road benefits of OME & 31's

[Coaster]

I understand that an OME lift and 31's will improve offroad performance of my 05 TJ. But as someone who does most of their offroad driving about 7 hours northwest of the Gold Coast, I am wondering what effects they have on ride quality for a 12hour (return) road trip on bumpy bitumen road at 100-110km/hr.(If you know the road between Toowwomba and Roma you know what I am talking about). Smoother?..Bumpier? varies by car? All of the above??

Thanks

Coaster

[Shetani]

Hi Coaster

We have 31's (10.5 Duelers) and a 2" OME lift on our '99. I'm assuming you don't yet have the lift...

We've had the car about 3 months and lifted it after about 2 weeks, and waited about 2 months for our SYE to be fitted, so I honestly can't remember what it was like stock.

What I can tell you is we were one of the small percentage who needed a SYE even for a 2" lift. However now that's done I couldn't be happier with the ride and handling of the car on the bitumen. Before that I had crunchy gears and horror vibes.

The Nitrochargers seem to soak savage bumps pretty well, while letting you ride over the not so bad ones. General handling, cornering are much improved. Remember though that when it comes to bumps - a short wheel base will always give a choppy ride ride compared to long - but that's life.

Hope that helps.
Mike

[ARB87U]

my two cents, forget about the ome shocks, get the springs if you are happy with 2" but get some Bilstein 5100 shocks under that puppy.

[Jeeps]

Coaster, i've driven the stretch between Toowoomba and Dalby a few times with my 2" lifted TJ and that stretch of road is pretty good but it's been a while since i was up at Roma but the road is very similar to some roads around Beaudesert - terrible in places and can REALLY knock you about. I have 2" OME coils & Rancho shocks. And after the last 5 years of owning my TJ and running 29's, 31's, 32's in HT and AT's and MT's i know how it can change driving characteristics. But remember, every TJ is a little bit different...

On rough/potholed bitumen (80klm+) the suspension lift will be an impovement but the 31's will be a step backwards, on normal bitumen they will appear fine. However you may find that the TJ will shake and buck about a bit as the 31's get knocked about as you try to correct the line that the TJ gets thrown off. On rough bitumen roads i can find it a chore to drive with 31's and very, very uncomfortable for me and my passengers, but the same roads can be much more pleasant on GSA's.

On saying that, 31" HT's and AT's will help reduce any deterioration in ride quality but muds may reduce ride quality. I have a a set of 31" MTR's which i find excellent for high speed dirt and smooth bitumen but horrible to drive on rough country bitumen roads at 100klm/hr. I usually run around with my 29" HT's onroad between camping trips for 2 reasons, 1) reduce wear on my MTRs and 2) the ride, comfort, handling, fuel economy is SOOOOOOO much better on GSA's - but the TJ looks a bit poxy with a 2" lift and 29's ;)

All i can suggest is give 31's a go in an AT or HT pattern, you may find it quite acceptable - the ride quality will still be better than some utes ;)

[Coaster]

thanks for all the info so far guys..much appreciated!
Coaster

[Archer]

i just put 31"s on my newish tj and really noticed the difference. The new tyres, while bigger, were a bit harsher that the passenger tyres that were on as stock. a week after that, i did the 2" ome lift and to be dead honest, it feels EXACTLY the same as the stock setup, just 2" taller. I know that sounds odd, but when you think about it, it's the best possible outcome. It drives pretty well as it did before the lift. just taller. The tyres, as i said make it so that it doesnt drive soft and spongy like it did with the gsa wranglers on it.
Thats the suspension part, but I own an auto, and found that the 31" made the tj a bit doey and overdrive almost pointless at 110kph. It now drops down to third at the slightest rise at that speed. On flat highways, it goes great, however. I'm now at the point of looking at prices for 4.1 diff gears in an attempt to get some sort of performance back..........................
Oh, and i do get some very slight vibes between 40 and 50kph, but its not really an issue because its not a speed i drive around in.