New Dobinson Gen 3 Montero/Pajero Lift Kit Option

[MrGideon]

I have been in the market for a lift kit for my Gen 3 Montero now for about 6 months. Yesterday I was looking for more option beyond the typical OME or Bilstein options. I remembered seeing a Dobinson twin tube option available, similar to the OME lift kit, for about $950. But when I went looking for it it was out of stock on all the sites that previously carried it. (I now believe it had been discontinued) After going to the Dobinson Direct website I discovered something amazing, Dobinson is now offering a monotube lift kit! This new kit is designed for Montero/Pajeros from the year 2000 to Current. I think it is great news for the Montero community to have another suspension option, as our options are quite limited. This new kit isn't cheap, its roughly $1485 USD. It is an extra $180 dollars total if you include the strut caps and assembled strut options, but ticking these boxes should hypothetically make it a bolt on kit. Hopefully the performance justifies that cost. If so then there is a new mid tier option for us all now that lies between the baseline OME/Bilstein choice and the very expensive top of the line king shocks. I don't know if I'm going to invest that much in my lift, it would be hard for me to justify with the amount of offroad driving I do. I hope someone here goes for it though, and I look forward to reading about it.

Dobinson Direct

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Yup they are phasing out their other suspension options for these. The earlier models of these had issues with leaking around 10k miles hopefully they are resolved now.

Also there is already a mid-tier option out there - KONI RAID 90s

I created a Gen3 suspension sheet with all the suspension options available. - https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...rmarket-suspension-sheet.202220/#post-2708095

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Beginning at 12:20 - this video explains the gimmicks of OME BP-51 and other shocks of that style. Koni RAID 90s are massive shocks and used in off-road racing. They are available for around the same price as the Dobinsons kit, no coils though.
I am sure these shocks are good but for $1500 you can get better struts and shocks. There coils are pretty good.



-

 

[MrGideon]

This Dobinson kit is $1500 with the coils included, so the price seems comparable to buying the Koni shocks and struts, and a different manufacturers coils separately. Where can you buy Koni raids in the USA?

 

[ChrisCosta416]

This Dobinson kit is $1500 with the coils included, so the price seems comparable to buying the Koni shocks and struts, and a different manufacturers coils separately. Where can you buy Koni raids in the USA?

Good point!

A Koni US distributor will be able to source them for you from Holland. - https://www.koni-na.com/en-US/NorthAmerica/Locator/

Free shipping right now on Ebay from Germany! - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=koni+raid+pajero&_sacat=0

 

[MrGideon]

Are they sold in pairs? That looks to me that they are $1200 for the struts and shocks alone.

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Are they sold in pairs? That looks to me that they are $1200 for the struts and shocks alone.

I updated my response to reflect the new price. They will be worth the money compared to the Dobinsons. They are not sold in pairs on eBay

 

[MrGideon]

Chris, what do you think of the the Koni heavy track shocks and struts? I noticed they are in the same price range as the Bilsteins. Which way would you go?

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Chris, what do you think of the the Koni heavy track shocks and struts? I noticed they are in the same price range as the Bilsteins. Which way would you go?

From riding in a Gen3 with Koni heavy tracks, I would say they are valved better for on-road use while still feeling good/decent offroad.

I would go with Koni Heavy Tracks - they are adjustable a tad and are the OE shock for the Jeep Rubicon

 

[Leeson]

Hi guys, I'm new here. I just picked up a 2002 limited.
I'm looking at the kit in the OP but can't find any reviews. My budget is about $1500, looking for a good mix of on road/ off road performance. For now just want to hit up forest service and BLM roads for remote camping but would like to have the ability for more difficult terrain if needed.

One of my holdups with a DIY suspension kit, like OME springs and Bilstein shocks, is I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know for example if the Bilstein shocks have enough travel for the full range of extension with the lift. If I over-extend them or bottom them out they're ruined, right? So do I need to change the bump stops or adjust the struts?

Looking at shocks for the Montero on the Summit Racing website they list Ranchos, Bilstein, Koni, OME shocks and a few others but it says only the OME will work with a lift. Yet it seems like some of you guys are using the OME springs with Bilstein/ other shocks so is there anything I need to know/ do to make that work?

Also what about sway bar end links, do those need to be changed when fitting these taller springs? Are the brake lines long enough? That Dobinsons kit says up to 2" of lift, I'm sure what problems that might cause elsewhere.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit I posted this in another thread and deleted it; meant to post here.

 

[offthepath]

Based on what your saying, get the old man emu kit. The lift kit is all you will need. Proven, straight forward and easy to get.

Do an alignment after you install it.

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Hi guys, I'm new here. I just picked up a 2002 limited.
I'm looking at the kit in the OP but can't find any reviews. My budget is about $1500, looking for a good mix of on road/ off road performance. For now just want to hit up forest service and BLM roads for remote camping but would like to have the ability for more difficult terrain if needed.

One of my holdups with a DIY suspension kit, like OME springs and Bilstein shocks, is I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know for example if the Bilstein shocks have enough travel for the full range of extension with the lift. If I over-extend them or bottom them out they're ruined, right? So do I need to change the bump stops or adjust the struts?

Looking at shocks for the Montero on the Summit Racing website they list Ranchos, Bilstein, Koni, OME shocks and a few others but it says only the OME will work with a lift. Yet it seems like some of you guys are using the OME springs with Bilstein/ other shocks so is there anything I need to know/ do to make that work?

Also what about sway bar end links, do those need to be changed when fitting these taller springs? Are the brake lines long enough? That Dobinsons kit says up to 2" of lift, I'm sure what problems that might cause elsewhere.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit I posted this in another thread and deleted it; meant to post here.

Hi there, I created a suspension spreadsheet with a list of all available gen3 suspension options...

Based on the type of driving you are doing I would recommend the following options

- OME
- Koni HT with Lovells or OME coils
- iron man4x4

You do NOT need extended swaybars, extended bumpstops or have to worry about over extension.
I DO recommend you purchase the correct coils based on how much you are carrying or what you will be adding to your truck.

the sheet I made lists weight for coil and stiffness of certain shocks

 

[Leeson]

Thanks guys, been doing more research and managed to answer those questions myself but it's good to have confirmation.

I've been looking at your suspension sheet ChrisCosta and weighing the options. At this point I'm considering either:

• OME springs with a good shock: Koni 82 series Heavy Tracks, Bilstein B6 or possibly Rancho RS9000xl but more research is needed on the Ranchos whether they'll work with taller springs- I think it's a gamble. The OME shocks seem slightly inferior to the above options, from what I've been hearing.
• Dobinson's IMS kit in the OP. It looks to be a premium product that is tuned for the vehicle and the spring rate you choose. The shocks are slightly beefier than the Bilstein, I saw somewhere the outer tube wall is thicker and the piston larger and it has more capacity or something. The cost is double that of an OME/ Bilstein setup and there are no reviews anywhere for this new monotube design from them. It seems hard to justify being twice the price but I'm still considering it.

The Koni RAID 90s don't seem like they'd fit our truck, they're huge. You'd probably need to get some of those custom upper control arms for them to fit, plus the springs, at which point I'm over my budget by a lot.

 

[ChrisCosta416]

Thanks guys, been doing more research and managed to answer those questions myself but it's good to have confirmation.

I've been looking at your suspension sheet ChrisCosta and weighing the options. At this point I'm considering either:

• OME springs with a good shock: Koni 82 series Heavy Tracks, Bilstein B6 or possibly Rancho RS9000xl but more research is needed on the Ranchos whether they'll work with taller springs- I think it's a gamble. The OME shocks seem slightly inferior to the above options, from what I've been hearing.
• Dobinson's IMS kit in the OP. It looks to be a premium product that is tuned for the vehicle and the spring rate you choose. The shocks are slightly beefier than the Bilstein, I saw somewhere the outer tube wall is thicker and the piston larger and it has more capacity or something. The cost is double that of an OME/ Bilstein setup and there are no reviews anywhere for this new monotube design from them. It seems hard to justify being twice the price but I'm still considering it.

The Koni RAID 90s don't seem like they'd fit our truck, they're huge. You'd probably need to get some of those custom upper control arms for them to fit, plus the springs, at which point I'm over my budget by a lot.

Hi there,

Dobinsons IMS are decent but they have very clever marketing.
I would suggest Koni Heavy Tracks (not the raids) and Lovells coils based on wieght.

konis HT will ride less stuff than the Bilstiens.

the RAID90s should clear and not be an issue BUTthere’s a slight chance it’ll rub on full extension with the control arm. All front coils will fit on the Raids.

Personally here is how I would rate the options you listed from worst to best..

Ranchos
Bilstein
OME
Heavy Tracks
Dobinsons IMS
RAID90s

I did a write up on king shocks a while back, on the first page was a very informative video on different shocks and clever types of marketing companies do to sway customers, give it a watch

 

[Leeson]

Yeah I think all of these options are a cost compromise vs a real suspension setup like you have. Maybe the RAIDs aren't. I did watch some of that video but that guy can kiss my butt lol I'm not spending $4000 plus on some shocks and springs to drive down some fire roads.

Is there a particular reason you thnk the Lovell's springs are better than OME? Quality, longevity, spring rate?