Yes folks... another suspension question thread regarding "A" or "B". I will post up a build thread when I get things going. My tires are officially fawked. Almost 55k on stock 32" MTs. They are so worn down and out of balance that my car shakes like crazy at 55mph. Dangerous stuff let me tell yah. I considered selling the thing because of the trouble I have had with it. The hard top leaks air and is way louder than normal. The exhuast shield is barely attached (all of the dealership repairs unglued). My passenger tail/blinker are out. The inside cabin light wont turn on and the wind shield wipers are fawked. Needless to say.... this build is from lemon to lemonade. I'll be writing up my fixes along the way in the next couple of weeks. It would really help me if you could post up that electrical tech article though Doc! I've been anxiously waiting for it since I am such a newb.

On to the actual topic. Right now I am looking at two options. The Northridge OME long travel kit with the intention of adding a Polyperformance steering correction and stabilizer relocation kit in the next few months OR the Polyperformance stage 2 lift. The poly lift is about 450 bucks more than the pimped out OME, but it does require all of the $ right from the get go. What do you think I should do? I think the main difference between the two kits is that one uses adjustable track bars and one uses brackets. Adjustables can be dialed in so that the axles are perfectly centered under the car. The brackets also center the axles (not as accurate) while correcting roll center issues. The linear vs progressive spring thing is of no difference to me besides the fact that I may have to pay for spring retainers in the future for the OME. I have no experience with either that is why I say it makes no difference. Seems very preference oriented to me. I would expect the OME ride to be more plus while the poly to be more stable feeling. Thoughts?

This is all to clear 35" MTRs btw. This is a DD, but I live in Reno, NV. Reno seems like one of the capitols of offroad activity in the U.S. and I would like to participate a LOT more. I'm planning on Rubicon adventures, crawling moderate river beds, and traveling long distances over the desert. In other words... I'm not a mall crawler!

Any and all help will be extremely appreciated.

~Casey

I'd go with Poly... you can buy their lower stage to get you comparable to the OME and then upgrade when you have the cash. OME coils ride nice, but really isn't a full blown suspension like poly's. The brackets(like poly's) are much better to have than just adjustable track bars on the stock brackets. Handeing is MUCH better & I have see a ton of stock brackets rip off axles.
+++ Dave & Drew @ Poly are great guys & put out excellent products.

I sport Old Man EMU. I've had this kit for about 9K miles now and everyday I get to love it more and more.

This kit has been super impressive on road and off road. It's my DD and I use it 95% around town and about 5% off road. It performs very well off road and it is so comfortable driving.

It's rides better then our Teraflex 3" Long Arm Kit.

If you haven't already seen the massive Old Man EMU thread, check it out:

https://jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39173

oh ya, I run 40 PSI in my tires and my jeep doesn't wander or act up on the freeways.

I'm personally running 38's on OME's w/LT shocks and 1.75 spacers. Rides fantastic, and performs great too. Can't speak about PP's kit, but honestly I think the OME springs & shocks are some of the best out there.



Started with just the springs, shocks rear bracket and a POS JKS front TB. Upgraded and replaced the TB, and CA's as time went by.

If it makes any difference we just reduced the cost of the stage 2 and 3 of the complete Synergy kits by $240 each because they come standard now with fixed length lower control arms... Let me know if you have any more questions.

Synergy Stage 2 Suspension System

Double post

I love my poly kit. The components are all super beefy and fit perfectly. The on and off-road ride are both very controlled and comfortable. I've been out a few times beating on it pretty good and have had absolutely no problems with any part of the kit.

Cant go wrong with Polly, great parts great people

I say Poly. Support a vendor on here when you go to purchase your items.

Poly... enough said! LOL

Like mentioned, if cash is a issue, you can always start small and grow into the kit you want! We have had a lot of customers go this route.

Let us know if you have any questions or if we can help!

-Jason

I do like the poly lift a bit more because it acts to correct suspension geometry as opposed to keeping the same geometry and adjusting the placement of the axles. It would be nice to get rid of that POS track bar mount as well. It seems that loads of people are super happy about their OME lifts and that the poly folks are happy but less enthusiastic. Maybe it's just because they are talking less and wheelin more . I think that the OME lift is so well liked because the shocks are soft. People like their cars to float over bumps, but I have a feeling when you get on it and take a corner the digressive poly shocks will probably keep the thing planted. Anyone have any experience with poly vs ome shocks? I think that a lot of how a suspension "feels" is just the shock/spring combo. Does anyone know the shock specs for the OME long travels? Been looking around and I cannot seem to find them.

The poly shocks are 10.84" front and 11.24" rear. I sort of equate droop to shock length even though I know it really depends more on if the whole shock is being used. OME travel? Still pretty undecided at this point. Things will be decided in the next 2-3 days though. Got to get it going especially because I just found a screw in my tire and my spare is not as worn. This will probably make my current driving situation even more precarious. Lovely...

~Casey

figure this. if the poly shocks your looking at are designed for 2-4" of suspension lift, the old man emu long travel shocks are designed for 4-6" of suspension travel.

as much as i love my suspension. i would advise against using another brand of suspension and mixing that with another company's shocks. for ie, using poly suspension and ome shocks. normally, suspension systems are engineered and tuned specifically for the components provided in the lift.

I wasn't on planning to mix and match. I don't think it would be too big of a deal, but I am just using them to compare the kits. You wouldn't want a big shock on a small lift anyways. It would bottom out super early and ride like crap. Dave @ Northridge just sent me an email saying that the OME LT shocks are 12". 11" vs 12". Bigger is better . I think that the poly is probably a "better" system, but that does not necessarily mean that I would be happier with it. Lots of things to consider. I wish I could test drive the two. No such luck though. Unless... there are some Reno JKers that have either of these. Speak up if you are out there .

~Casey

do your research before you talk anymore about the old man emu long travel shocks. know what size suspension theyre designed for and it's ok to run them on a 3" suspension.

Put the Poly 3" Stage III on an '09 Unlimited (along with 16" wheels and 35" tires). The ride stiffened up quite a bit, but we used it for a DD for over a year. Handling improved considerably over the stock Rubicon setup. I was amazed at how much better it handled on turns/curves at higher speeds after the mods. Part of it has to go to the wider tires, but there's a lot more to it than tires.

Off-road is great. Feels like I'm cheating now when we head up for a camping weekend in the mountains or a week out in Moab. I would buy Poly again in a heartbeat.

I run ome springs and their lt shocks. Awesome set up

Poly rocks too. Can't go wrong either way. You are going to get people loyal to each because they are both that good.

Suspension is all about compromise.

IMHO, OME rates nothing compared to the Poly Performance Synergy or AEV Dual Sport packages - it really is a budget solution and I would compare it to a budget lift and the Nitrocharger shocks lack control the heavier 4 door guys might appreciate.

On that note, don't forget AEV. If you spend most of your time onroad I reckon the AEV is the pick as it keeps as many factory components as possible. The Poly is a great bit of kit but a bit more focused on the offroader with its emphasis on wheel travel, clearance and strength (replacement lower control arms).

I respectfully disagree. We've owned Poly, AEV, Teraflex, and Pro Comp all on JK's and I can tell you from experience the best money spent was on the Old Man EMU.

You might like the ride but unfortunately everything else is against the OME.

The Old Man Emu package is simply coils and springs. It is not a package. It does not correct any of the issues in the JK wrangler when lifted above 2". Hence, it is a budget solution and should be treated and considered as such.

AEV and PPM wouldn't have throw around as much development time and money as they have if they could get away without it. The JK market demands a geometry corrected lift which OME simply do not provide unless willing to purchase all the required parts separately. This is not a stab at you, it is merely an observation, but your standards of how a vehicle drives is obviously different to many other's. I personally could not stand my JK with just OME lift coils and nitrocharger shocks. It had absolutely rubbish handling but did ride fairly well.

i have the stage 3, 3in kit from poly and no complaints here. my jeep is a daily driver also and sad to say it doesnt see much offroad action

i went with the stage 3 kit right off the bat so i wouldnt have to worry about too many more parts if (prolly when) i decide to go taller.

I agree that the OME is not a complete suspension.

The JK does not demand a geometry corrected lift, people do.

With that said, I purchased my Old Man Emu kit as a package deal which included more items in it than any of the suspensions listed above.

The OME coils and shocks were my favorite out of all the suspensions brands listed above.

Poly is hard to beat.
I've installed different brands of lifts on a few jks and poly just plain rocks.

That said, there's nothing wrong with mixing parts from different manufacturers as long as you realize you may have clearance issues with parts not designed to work with eachother.
But if you like the way brand x addresses a problem but the way brand y does something else- no reason not to try them together.

Of course a complete, super engineered and thought out system like a poly kit will just plain old work awesome straight out of the box.

Currently my setup is mostly poly parts but also some teraflex, bds and aev bits.

Also I have to add, polys quality on their parts is incredible. They have the most amazing welds and manufacturing quality control is off the charts.

So I guess if you just want everything to work out if the box and work well with all of the angles covered, go poly and keep going poly.
But if you want to play and experiment, no reason not to as long as u know it may not be awesome right off the bat.

Scratched into the wall with a dead iPhone.

If Old Man Emu coils are still being made by King Springs Australia then they are definitely one of the better quality coils on the market. My custom coils have been made by them but using their "high stress steel" i think it has been referred to as "Microalloy". http://www.kingsprings.com/default.htm

None of the US coil solutions cater for the weight of the CRD motor and a 50mm (2" lift) so I had to go local. OME released their 50mm CRD coils about 3 weeks after I paid for my custom coils to be made...lol. If they had been available I would have considered them.