OME
Shock Absorbers | OME Leaf Springs |
Overall Ride and Performance
Ride Quality
The combination
of Old Man Emu springs and shocks have vastly improved the
ride of the WomBAT both on and off-road.
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I was pleased
to find that the stiffness that the springs initially demonstrated,
mellowed as the setup got broken in. Washboards and ruts that had
initially rattled things around began to have less effect. This
was not to say that you didn't know you'd hit something rough. The
noise was still there (mostly from lose items inside and on the
Wilderness Systems roof rack), but there was a peculiar lack of
jarring given the sound.
With time, I
came to flinch less as I approached ruts and holes at speed. I was
especially impressed when I took the truck over a lowland area that
had previously been a gooey mess. Now frozen hard, the endless criss-crossing
of tire ruts were deep and without pattern. And HARD! The last time
I'd traversed the area had been with add-a-leafs and without the
Old Man Emu shocks. It had been a wholly unpleasant experience.
The Trooper had felt like it was being batted around, and I got
pretty shook up. Both hands had to be kept tightly on the wheel,
and I had been knocked around as the tires bashed over frozen ruts.
The springs
provide plenty of flex for a Trooper.
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However, with
the OME suspension I was pleased to find that the noise of things
creaking and rattling was now about the only annoyance of crossing
the area. The same frozen ground now yielded a relatively smooth
ride. This was pretty impressive given the ground's makeup of 4
to 12" deep ruts and pressure in the 32" Bridgestone Dueler
M/Ts at 35 psi.
I have also
been impressed with the ability of the OME suspension to soak up
collisions with big individual holes hit at speed. Holes that in
the past have had me shedding speed through quick braking can be
taken with aplomb now. The truck tends to bang and dive far less
and the rear-end now fails to come out of line from the drop-off's
and launches out.
There is noticeably
less bottoming out from those sudden changes in elevation, as well.
While a lot of that can be attributed to the Nitrochargers, the
difference that has been most significant has been when the truck
is heavily laden. Bottoming out, even with several hundred pounds
added to the already heavier than stock setup, has no longer been
an issue. Moreover, although it was rare with the previous twin
add-a-leaves, bumps and the like are met with firm resistance instead
of "boinging".
The very
overweight WomBAT at full compression.
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On the road,
the OME suspension is again a pleasure to drive. Cornering is smooth
and predictable, railroad tracks are smoothed out, and lane changes
lack drama. A colleague, a fellow Trooper owner has found even greater
improvements in his truck's handling. This is likely because it
is not encumbered by the elevated mass of our Isuzu's roof rack
(e.g., Pull Pal, 60" Hi Lift, full-size spare). Otherwise,
he has made very similar modifications to his suspension.
Conclusion
If your truck has lost the ride quality that it once had, or if
you are looking to ramp up the truck's ability to handle what your
worst trail nightmares dish out, Old Man Emu has a suspension upgrade
to leave you smiling. Built with first-rate materials and featuring
a design meant to carry rigs across the Outback, OME products live
up to their reputation and then some. Are they the cheapest products
out there? Not by a long shot. But they are among the very best.
Size them up for rig, but remember, when OME says a suspension component
"fits" your application, they're talking about a whole
lot more than just shock travel. So be ready to get down to business,
and then get ready for some sweet handling.
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