ARB’s OME (Old Man Emu) BP-51 5K-Mile Review: Everything You Need To Know About the BP-51s

ARB’s OME (Old Man Emu) BP-51 5K-Mile Review

Pictured: ARB OME BP-51 with 295/70R17 Cooper STT Pro + Ekstrom Designs Strut Shims & Rear 1″ Spacer

OME (Old Man Emu) BP-51 Bypass Shocks Techincal Overview, Height Adjustments & Compression/Rebound Adjustments

We recently installed the OME (Old Man Emu) BP-51s. In that post, we provided the full step-by-step install and our initial impressions. Since then we have put well over 5K miles on the suspension and tested it on-road, and off-road consisting of mud, sand, snow, and on the rocks.

In this post, we are going to dive into a detailed review that will cover a technical look at the shocks, compression/rebound damping adjustments, adjusting the preload, and general on/off-road performance.

If you don’t want to read the whole post, check out our quick trail takeaway.

Find them online:

Quick Trail Takeaway:

The BP-51 Concept

Straight out of the box, the BP-51s are plush. Without any adjustments, they provide a very comfortable yet firm on-road experience (less nose dive, and less body roll over the factory shocks). If you are coming from a stock suspension, you will notice a huge difference in control, stability, and general on-road driving manner improvements.

The on-road experience is great, and if you need to firm the shocks up a bit to increase handling, you can simply adjust the compression/rebound damping.

So on-road is great, what about off-road? 

As the piston speed in the shock increases, the damping firms up quite a bit. That said, off-road the BP-51s have been really nice as well.  When handling whoops and washouts, you barely feel big hits at 30-40mph. The internal bypass design does a great job at soaking up harsh hits with ease.

Coming from an Icon Stage 2 

We are beyond impressed with them so far. After running the Icon Extended Travel Stage 2 shocks for about 2.5 years, I was relieved to have a suspension that isn’t so stiff on road, yet lives up to the hype off-road. What do I mean by that? I don’t think there is anything an Icon stage 2 can do off-road that a BP-51 can’t.

With a set of Icons, you will NEVER find a soft and comfortable on-road experience unless you have them custom-tuned to be more linear or progressive. Some refer to it as “plush” and others more like a “Cadillac” driving experience. At the end of the day, the BP-51s offer the best of both worlds; a great on and off-road experience. To take it a level further, with the BP-51s, you can adjust the shock body’s compression and rebound damping individually on each corner in order to dial in your exact ride comfort.

Compression and Rebound

For example; the BP-51s come with a 5 compression and 7 rebound setting. I thought that was a bit too soft on-road (naturally coming from the Icons) so I adjusted the compression and rebound both up to a 9 – just to get an idea of what that would feel like.

The 9 setting on both compression/rebound was a little too stiff (much like the Icons) so I brought them down to compression (7) and rebound (8) and that seemed to be the perfect setting for my needs personally. These settings allowed me to get them in between super plush/comfortable on-road all while finding a good firm road-handling balance.

For off-road use, we brought the shocks all the way down to a 0 setting on the compression and rebound. This was amazing! It’s comparable to airing down your tires. The suspension doesn’t have to work as hard and the ride is much more comfortable off-road. Instead of being bounced around, the suspension works so well in its ability to soak up the dips, rocks, and washouts.

Quick Q & A: 

  • How do you adjust damping?  There is a shock adjustment tool in your kit – looks like a spanner wrench.
  • To do you adjust preload? The coilover will need to be removed from the vehicle and the spring removed; reference for additional detail.
  • Down travel and up-travel specs? Extended – 550.5mm (21.6″), Compressed – 440mm (17.3″).
  • Are shocks rebuildable? Yes.

Product Highlights 

  • 3-year/37,000-mile warranty
  • Internal bypass shocks
  • Progressive valving
  • Remote reservoirs with advanced heat dissipation (also allowing increased travel of the shock body)
  • Compression adjusters (all corners)
  • Rebound adjusters (all corners)
  • User-friendly valving adjustments
  • Competitively Priced

Find them online:

    Product Options: 

    • 3″ Heavy Kit (Non-KDSS) – OME4RNR10HKBP51
    • 3″ Medium Kit (Non-KDSS) – OME4RNR10MKBP51
    • 3″ Heavy Kit (KDSS) – OME4RNR10HKBP51KD
    • 3″ Medium Kit (KDSS) – OME4RNR10MKBP51KD

    Resources: 

    The BP-51 Concept

    OME BP-51 Shocks for 5th Gen 4Runner

    Before you understand the BP-51, first you should learn about shocks.

    In their simplest form, shock absorbers consist of a body containing working fluid (oil) and a piston connected to a shaft. The piston divides the body into two chambers (top and bottom). When the shock is compressed or extended, oil flows through the piston from one chamber to the other. Oil can flow back and forth through the piston fast or slow. The rate at which fluid flows through the piston is typically determined by the size of the holes in the piston and/or the combination of shims stacked on each side of the piston.

    The holes in the piston and the shims stacked on the piston have a job and that is to generate the compression force in one direction and rebound force in the other.

    In simple terms: 

    • More shims on the piston = more restriction to the oil passing through the piston.
    • The greater the thickness of the shims  = more restriction to the oil passing through the piston.
    • More restriction to the oil passing through the piston = more damping force
    • More damping force = slow compression/rebound
    • Slow compression/rebound = more control

    Speed is also important: 

    The shape of the piston and the way the shims are stacked/arranged both affect damping but in general the faster the piston moves, the more damping is generated. This is known as velocity-sensitive damping and bypass shocks handle velocity-sensitive damping in a very specific manner.

    For a better understanding of how shims, shock pistons, and damping works, accutuneoffroad.com has a few good videos that explain it.

    Velocity-Sensitive Damping

    Velocity-Sensitive Damping

    When tuning these progressive bypass shock absorbers, compromise is usually reached at a point. The goal is to achieve a soft and comfortable ride that can absorb smaller bumps and daily driving imperfections while maintaining some control, yet firm enough to provide improved control to keep away from harsh bumpstop contacts and top out events when larger bumps are encountered.

    How Damping is Generated?

    1. Piston Design
    2. Position of the piston in the shock absorbers body

    While most shocks only generate damping based on fluid flowing through the piston, the BP-51 offers an alternative path from one chamber to the other around the piston in the form of bypass passages in the body of the shock.

    What are the bypass passages?

    Compression and Rebound Damping Bypass Passages

    These passages are essentially tubes around the main piston bore towards the outside of the shock absorber body extrusions. Ports from the main piston bore to the bypass passages allow the fluid to pass around the piston from below it to above it in extension, and above it to below it during compression. Bypass flow during the compression stroke is shown by the blue arrow and through the rebound stroke by the red arrow.

    At the end of the bypass passages, the fluid passes a regulator that also has shims to control the rate at which fluid can pass through the bypass passages. The resulting damping is a combination of the flow through the main damping piston and the flow through the bypass passages around the piston. The ports from the main bore that allow fluid to enter the bypass passages are placed at different positions so that different levels of damping can be generated at different positions of the shock absorber stroke.

    Compression Damping

    Compression Damping on OME BP-51s

    In the compression direction, there are four passages of different lengths to provide bypass around the piston.

    When a bump is encountered and the piston moves to compress the shock absorber, it will progressively move past and block ports that provide access to the bypass passages. As the piston approaches the end of the shock housing, four passages become three, then two, then one, and eventually none, leaving the piston as the only passage for fluid to move from the compression chamber to the rebound chamber.

    The result is increasing compression damping as the shock absorber moves towards its fully compressed position.

    There are large improvements to the ride/control compromise that result from this bypass design. During normal on-road use (where the piston is situated around the middle of the stroke), the damping force provided by the shock absorber is relatively low so the ride is comfortable as minimal force is transmitted to passages. However, when the vehicle is driven off-road and subjected to much higher impact forces and travel, the damping force provides significant increases to minimize heavy bump stop contact.

    In simple terms: 

    • Slow = softer ride and less control.
    • Speed = stiffer ride and more control. 

    Rebound Damping

    Rebound Damping on BP-51 Shocks

    In a similar way, two rebound bypass passages contribute to controlling the extension of the shock absorber. When close to fully compressed, there is no access to any ports, so all the fluid has to pass through the piston.

    This provides significant damping to control the potential energy of the compressed spring. As the shock absorber extends back out to its original state, two ports open to provide softer rebound control. As the shock extends further, it moves past one port and then another to ramp up damping as it approaches full extension.

    As with compression, in the rebound end-zone, all fluid must flow through the piston shims so the damping reaches its maximum performance to reduce or prevent top out events.

    Each BP-51 is tuned for vehicle-specific applications, however, compression and rebound bypass flows can be adjusted independently by the user. This is one of the biggest selling points of the OME BP-51 shock. You can essentially fine-tune the shock piston performance by adjusting the compression and rebound damping.

    Adjusting your BP 51

    Adjusting Damping on the OME BP-51

    The compression adjustment ring is at the shaft end of the shock absorber body and is adjusted using the adjustment tool provided. For more compression damping, turn the compression ring to the right. For less compression damping, turn the compression ring to the left.

    Warning: Do not adjust the shocks while they’re hot.

    Shock absorbers must be clean before adjusting. This will help prevent dirt and grass from entering the shock. To start the compression adjustment process, park your car with the corner you are trying to adjust in a drooped condition to gain access through the coil spring. Simply jack up the 4Runner and droop the wheel hub. You may want to remove your tire to gain access although it’s not needed.

    Compression damping troubleshooting

    • Suspension bottoms out easily on larger bumps: Increase compression damping
    • Suspension feels harsh and does not soak up small bumps: Decrease compression damping
    • Shock absorbers regularly bottom out, even off big drops: Decrease compression damping
    • Shock absorber is not using all of its available travel: Decrease compression damping

    Adjusting damping for weight or towing

    Adding a load to the 4Runner will typically require more compression damping, particularly in the rear of the 4Runner. If you run your 4Runner unloaded, decreasing compression damping will result in improved comfort. If you often tow or run a heavy rig, consider adjusting/increasing the compression of all shocks but more so – the rear shocks.

    Adjusting damping for surface conditions

    Different driving conditions require different levels of compression damping. Driving in sand dunes for example would require significantly increase compression damping to prevent suspension bottoming out. Comfort is usually less of an issue while on the stand as tire pressures are typically reduced. Hard-packed surfaces comprised of small bumps will require less compression damping.

    Rebound damping

    Rebound damping controls the rate at which the shock absorber returns after it has compressed. You will probably find your perfect rebound setting overtime as it changes with load, driving style, and driving conditions.

    Rebound damping troubleshooting

    • The vehicle bounces in carries on repeatedly after large bumps: Increase rebound damping
    • Suspension tops out too hard: Increase rebound damping
    • Wheels lose traction on gravel Corners with corrugated surfaces: Decrease rebound damping
    • The suspension feels harsh: Decrease rebound damping
    • Packing and repetitive bumps: Decrease rebound damping
    • Loss of traction when braking or accelerating on corrugation: Decrease rebound damping

    Ride height adjustments

    ARB BP-51 Preload Adjustments

    The BP-51 spring preload is adjustable. Depending on how heavy your rig is will depend on what preload setting you need in order to achieve the appropriate ride height.

    To achieve “optimal performance” from the BP-51s, ARB recommends that you have 60mm (2.5″) of travel available in the rebound droop. They also recommended that ride height adjustments are performed by a qualified shock installer.

    My biggest problem with this suspension that ARB really pushes the fact that you can’t and should not adjust the shock pre-load on the ground. ARB recommends that you completely remove the coilover in order to adjust the preload. I don’t know about you, but removing a coilover on a 5th gen is not what I wouldn’t necessarily call it quick process – especially with KDSS. Removing a coilover just to adjust a quarter-inch of preload is very frustrating. This is honestly the only downside of this suspension.

    Maintenance

    4" Lift on 5th Gen 4Runner (ARB OME BP-51)

    As with all suspension components, periodic inspection and maintenance can help prevent premature suspension or chassis component failure. You should keep your suspension clean for optimal performance. Clean your 4Runner after use in the mud, sand, or any other abrasive conditions.

    Avoid using a pressure washer directly on the shocks as this can drive dirt past the shaft seal and O-rings. Also, check for damage to the stone guard after extended periods on gravel roads.

    Final Thoughts?

    ARB OME BP-51 Suspension System Lift Kit with Remote Reservoirs

    The only downside of this kit is that ARB recommends removing the coilover for adjusting the pre-load. It’s really pretty irritating that you can’t just droop a corner and adjust your threaded shock body – you literally need to take the coilover out and adjust the shock. Not a deal-breaker but it’s something to consider.

    But as with everything, all things considered – this is an absolutely outstanding suspension system for the money. If you are looking to run a shock that is fully adjustable in terms of ride height and compression/rebound damping all with remote reservoirs on all corners for around $3k – it doesn’t get better. This is the most feature-packed suspension system for the 4Runner (for the money) to date. We have been running this on Jade (The MGM 4Runner pictured) for over 6 months now and it’s done everything the Icon Stage 2 has done and much more.

    I love the adjustability in the compression/rebound, and if you wheel often, you will too. This system really lets you dial in your ride quality on and off-road.

    The best part about these shocks is that they focus on both the daily driver and the off-roader. Whatever percentage that is for you, you can really fine-tune these to be the goldilocks of shocks for your specific needs.

    Questions and Comments? Leave them Below!

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    ihavea65
    ihavea65
    6 months ago

    How can these (BP-51) be modified to fit the Gen 4, 4runner?(2003 limited, KDSS removed) Not afraid of grinding or welding or making parts as necessary. Seems like it is just in the mounting to the lower control arm, if anything, just by looking. I have a ’10 FJ too, and would use these on it too! Thanks for any help!

    Joshua Saltmarsh
    Joshua Saltmarsh
    7 months ago

    How much preload are you running?

    Reginald Wang
    Reginald Wang
    1 year ago

    I see that you also installed the ARB Upper control arms. I don’t quite understand the purpose of an after market UCA. I installed the BP51 on my 5th gen 4Runner but kept the stock UCA. One concern I have is that the reservoir hose runs under the UCA. There is always some vertical contact between the hose and UCA, does this hurt the hose? During down travel, would the path of movement of the UCA jam the hose? And would a ARB UCA provide more clearance ?

    alex
    alex
    1 year ago

    Thanks Brenan for all the good details and writeups. Finding information on BP51s is not as easy task, especially preload and lift height. Tried the spacers and the ride is just too cush for a heavily weighted vehicle running 7-800 lbs over stock. After reading this, Im finally convinced 25MM preload is the best choice for my needs.

    Ec
    Ec
    2 months ago
    Reply to  alex

    If you adjust the pre load to 25MM you will void the warranty and have premature failure on your components. Max recommendation to increase the pre load is at 20MM. Anything beyond that you will feel it when driving and eventually topping off.

    currently running into the same scenario and making arrangements to fix this issue.

    20MM is with full metal arb bumper and winch
    15Mm is with full metal arb bumper only.

    hopefully you know how heavy those bumpers are.

    Matt
    Matt
    1 year ago

    How do the BP51’s compare Ironman Foam Cell Pros for on-road comfort? My 2023 ORP should be here in the next couple of months and will be my daily driver with at least one weekend a month including some exploring off road. My weekend exploration will range from mild to moderate.

    Jeff
    Jeff
    2 years ago

    Hope someone knows!! I bought a tacoma with the BP51 already installed. it’s all like new but the ride on the road and even tiny bumps are very hard and stiff. If I run over an ant, I feel it hard. The adjustment tool was not with the truck. Where can I get one? Anyone know the part number? Amazon? Ebay? Thanks!

    alex
    alex
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Jeff

    From what I can tell and have researched, finding tool is a PIA and really unneccessary. The tool itself protects the coil more than anything else from damage. Just make sure your chosen mehcanic knows what they are doing, has a wall mounted adjuster, and does so with care. Also, a spanner wrench is needed once the preload lock is unscrewed.

    Be there to watch and make sure some jacka$$ does not damage your product.

    Let me know if you have any other questions. It’s been countless hours or research and learning all about this setup. Feel I could now qualify for OME sales rep status.

    Jon
    Jon
    2 years ago

    Looks like you guys ran the full 20mm of preload for 7-800 lbs additional front weight and 2 elkstrom spacers for an additional 1 inch of lift. How much lift did that get you? Also what was the lift at say, 5 or 10mm preload?

    alex
    alex
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Jon

    Jon,
    Getting ride height has been no easy task. Running 7-800 lbs front load continuously, I opted for the elkstrom spacers and I’m now running a full 3″ lift and 20mm preload. I’m rethinking this set up and wanting to pull spacers as the ride is way too cush.

    I’m looking to add 20mm preload up to 26mm from my calculations to get the 3″ ride. Knowing the ride cush will improve to a stiffer shock, I’m seeing this as a benefit and not a disadvantage. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Chris
    Chris
    2 years ago

    I have 60k miles on my bp-51s and absolutely love them. I will never use any other suspension. They are expensive but worth every penny. I had OMEs on my Tacoma and hated them. But these are amazing.

    Gil
    Gil
    3 years ago

    Brennan, I purchased a 2021 SR5 4runner (trail edition). I’m thinking to upgrade suspension with the Old Mans OME4RNR10MKBP51. Do you know if i need to make any significant modifications for install?

    Russell A Bender
    Russell A Bender
    3 years ago

    I may have missed it, but what lift does this kit give you front and rear right out of the box?

    alex
    alex
    1 year ago

    Depends on your continuous running load or if factory only. Out of box, front comes w/ 20mm preload and in my case was only 2.25 inches as I am running 7-800 lbs contunious weight. Have not yet installed rear so I couldn’t tell you. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Bruce
    Bruce
    3 years ago

    Brenan,

    Truth be told, had a misunderstanding with the shop I worked with for my first suspension and now just ordered the BP-51 for my 2021 ORP. Thank you for your install articles and this review article as well! It really helped me make a great decision for this setup.

    I added in a rear track bar, w/ 3″ springs. Have you noticing anything with your CV angle? Did you already drop the diff a little or did you leave it high for more clearance?

    Phil
    Phil
    3 years ago

    Is the lack of availability on these in North America due to Covid ? No one has even a rough idea when the back order will be in stock. I’m in Canada and tried a few paths.

    david zahler
    david zahler
    3 years ago
    Reply to  Phil

    Phil, I put a deposit down on my BP-51 on March 1 and my install is now scheduled for June 28. The majority of my parts came in mid April IIRC. The major holdout was the front fit kit which arrived this week. This is a hell of a lot better than the 12 month lead time I’m hearing about for Kings 🙂

    Chris
    Chris
    3 years ago

    Now that my BP-51 suspension is fully installed on my 2020 TRD OR, I have to say that the change was extremely noticeable from stock, a massive upgrade, even on stock wheels and tires. 

    Shortly after the install I upgraded to bigger tires (285/70/17) and Method wheels. 

    My mechanic was adamant about selling me P rated tires, specifically Toyo AT3 P285/70/17, he said they were fine for off roading and I’d hate the LT’s. 

     As soon as I switched from the stock wheels and tires over to this new set, the truck feels bouncy, as if on balloons all the time, I feel like instead of rolling over bumps in the road it’s kind of felt throughout the cabin even more. On the highway it seems to want to catch the ruts in the pavement and requires a bit more concentration and not as easily a one handed drive so to speak.

    I presume some of this feeling is simply wider tires, but I wonder if it’s also because it’s technically a softer tire. 

    Truth be told it’s a daily driver and will spend 75% of its life on pavement, even if I’d love to get off road more. 

    What are your thoughts about the road comfort of an LT vs P and if you think an LT is a better choice off road, as I would obviously like to avoid flats and not worry about what I’m driving over when off road. (Not rock crawling) 

    alex
    alex
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Chris

    Just food for thought given conditions, I’m running BFG Ko2s rated E and I’ve never had a flat and even had a screwdriver go through my tire that ended up melting down. Never even noticed the puncture until the wtf moment I saw it. Guy at discount tire company laughed as he’s seen this before w/ these tires. Long story short, choose comfort and possible flats over tire durability. Personally, I’d rather go with the latter. Good luck.

    Toyota.ARK
    Toyota.ARK
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Chris

    Swapped from sl rated atw3’s with your same bouncy experience to c rated ko2’s and the ride stabilized immediately.

    Ryan Phillips
    Ryan Phillips
    3 years ago

    Hi Brenan,
    Thanks for all you do on the site. I have the OME-FR10 suspension and I was just wondering. Since you run the Ekstrom Designs Strut Shims on your lifts, does it change anyway how the vehicle handles? I am so worried about getting a shimmy or death wobble with using any kind of spacer and just wanted some user experience before I purchased 2 for each strut. Thanks!

    Brenan - @Trail4R
    Brenan - @Trail4R
    3 years ago
    Reply to  Ryan Phillips

    That is a really good question, I have had zero problems with them and have run them on three different setups now. I will continue to use them on every suspension moving forward as well.

    Ryan Phillips
    Ryan Phillips
    3 years ago

    Thanks for the reply !

    Jeff - @jeffsteffens2
    Jeff - @jeffsteffens2
    3 years ago

    Hi Brenan,
    How do like the UCA’s? Any noise from the bushings? How often do you need to grease the ball joint?
    Thanks!

    CT Ngo
    CT Ngo
    3 years ago

    Hey Brenan love the article , I have a question what size rim +\- and tires are you runner? Are you using spacer if so what size?

    Nick
    Nick
    3 years ago

    Thinking about ditching the ICON stage 2 on my 2018 ORP for this setup. I chose to run SPC UCA and see you are using the OME UCA. How do you feel the two compare?

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