New shocks for lift on IFS hilux - Bilstein, rancho, koni - others ?!

[Shooter114]

I've been spending a lot of time trying to chose new shocks for my 01 IFS dual cab hilux. I'm looking to raise the front end 30-40mm by winding the factory torsion bars up and use new leaf packs on the rear to gain about 45mm over stock. The weight on the rear tray will vary between unladen to close to GVM, which will be about 500kg. (I've found a leaf pack to suit but still deciding on how I'll level the rear end when laden )

I've looked at most well known makes and designs and so far shock choice has been going in circles between the Bilstein 4600 HD B6, Rancho RS9000XL shocks and the KONI heavy tracks. The bilsteins have a great reputation, are rebuildable, have a smooth controlled ride but I'm concerned on the reports on them being a bit too stiff. They can also be revalved but its going to cost about $80 AUD to have them done locally.

The ranchos have the adjustability but I'm concered about the mixed reports I've seen on these regarding quality/longevity.

The koni heavy tracks seem to be the best of the lot, with the best reputation for ride comfort and control, are rebuildable, can be adjusted without having to send them away for revalving (but still have to remove the shock from the car) The downside is from what I can see at the moment is that they come in at a considerably higher price point.

The bilsteins and ranchos for a full set can both be obtained for approx $300 USD before shipping to Australia. So I'd like to hear peoples comparisons of these whilst I'm still finding the best prices on the Koni heavy tracks. I know there is a lot of comparisons, especially from the USA, but I'm struggling to find any comparisons on the IFS hilux for these shocks ( pretty confident its the same IFS torsion front as the 88-95 US delivered 4 runner ).

The conclusion that I've come to so far would be to run the KONI heavy tracks in the front and the Rancho Rs9000xl's in the rear, that way you could fine tune the front end as the weight on it wouldn't vary by much, then adjust the rear end to suit the varying loads.

Anyone have any experiences or thoughts about this ?

 

[v_man]

FWIW I've had two sets of Rancho 9000's . The adjustability factor is pretty meaningless to me . You can't really tell any difference between the stiffest and softest setting . Other than that I've been happy with them , no leaks and I beat on them pretty hard ...

 

[Shooter114]

FWIW I've had two sets of Rancho 9000's . The adjustability factor is pretty meaningless to me . You can't really tell any difference between the stiffest and softest setting . Other than that I've been happy with them , no leaks and I beat on them pretty hard ...

That was one of the concerns I had, is that people reported the adjustability either wasn't noticeable, whether it be from the mechanism being faulty/ breaking or that the effect of it would lessen over time. But good to hear that they haven't leaked after a bit of abuse. Were these the Rs9000XL's with silver body or the older white body 9000's ? and what vehicle did you have them on ?

 

[v_man]

The silver body 2.75" diameter . They're on my 90 4runner , front and rear , I think I paid 90$ on Amazon.

 

[River19]

I've blown more Bilsteins than anything else, Bilstein yellows, Bilstein coilovers etc. I ran Rancho 9000s on my F250 with great luck and there was a noticeable difference among settings. But I think it might be more noticeable on heavier trucks where the suspension is much more actively weighted.
I am in the process of putting Ranchos on my Tundra as I had good luck and the quality was fine.

Silver body 9000s in both cases

 

[Shooter114]

Yeah it seems the bilsteins with the monotube design and high pressure nitrogen puts the most strain on seals especially when doing washboard roads/corrugations, ironically has the best heat dissipation vs twin tube which would make it the best design to avoid shock failure. Most of the suspension stores I've spoken to are either all for or against them for either reason. Curious to know what vehicle they were on though as it seems like you have some decent sized rigs in your signature and if there was any weight on the tray or towing behind and if it was more biased to front or rear blowing. Seems the ranchos are getting a good wrap so far and with their "shocktober sales" could definitely make them an option, however I'm getting mixed messages from many suspension experts so am just going to have to keep researching. Anyone have feedback on the koni's or bilstein 4600's on the front of there 4runner/hilux or vehicle of a similar size/weight with torsion IFS front ?

 

[WillBeck]

A lot of shock failures you see with bilsteins are because they're either too long or too short for the application, and are used as both the bump stop and limit strap. They aren't designed for that. Ranches and other cheap shocks aren't as sensitive, and can take that beating.

 

[River19]

Yeah it seems the bilsteins with the monotube design and high pressure nitrogen puts the most strain on seals especially when doing washboard roads/corrugations, ironically has the best heat dissipation vs twin tube which would make it the best design to avoid shock failure. Most of the suspension stores I've spoken to are either all for or against them for either reason. Curious to know what vehicle they were on though as it seems like you have some decent sized rigs in your signature and if there was any weight on the tray or towing behind and if it was more biased to front or rear blowing. Seems the ranchos are getting a good wrap so far and with their "shocktober sales" could definitely make them an option, however I'm getting mixed messages from many suspension experts so am just going to have to keep researching. Anyone have feedback on the koni's or bilstein 4600's on the front of there 4runner/hilux or vehicle of a similar size/weight with torsion IFS front ?

Bilstein failures were on my Tundra.....one front and one rear Bilstein yellow puked the guts out....opposite sides......Bilstein coilover failures were on fronts......both sides......had them rebuilt, one rebuild pukes in short order and I replaced them with standard Bilstein Yellows again as they were cheap and everyone said I was an outlier and swore by them on Tundrasolutions.......

I pulled some Bils and a pair of some unidentifiable red shocks off my 2001 F250 and replaced them with Rancho 9000s and had great luck.

9000 Quick lift just went on my Tundra, rears might be next.

Ram still has stock shocks.....with a leveling kit up front.

No towing with the Tundra....doesn't even have a receiver on it.....so it wasn't towing that killed the Bils.....just VT logging roads....which isn't a ringing endorsement.