Shocks

[MOAK]

OK,, I very rarely am at a complete loss, so here goes. Since all shock absorbers in North America are made by only three companies, Monroe, Gabriel, with KYB taking up the remainder, that means that all those shocks coming from OME, ARB, Rancho, BDS, Black Diamond, Super lift, or any number of after-market shocks, are made by one of the aforementioned companies. I understand high end shocks exist and are not part of the common market. (Bilstein, Fox, etc, comes to mind).. My question is, Why pay big bucks, upwards of $75 each for an " off road " shock, when the top of the line Gabriel, Monroe, or KYB, can be purchased at your local Auto parts store for less than half the cost? I'm looking at some Gabriel Pro Guards, intended for light duty truck and suv's. Auto Zone can get them for 25 bucks each. Supposed to be a bit better than stock. Will I be kicking myself two years from now cause they suck so bad? thanks

 

[fatrat]

I thought the same thing when I was building my Tacoma a few years ago. I installed generic off road shocks that were made by the same manufacturing plant as some other big name shocks. The ride was terribly harsh. They performed bad both on & off road. I ended up replacing them after 3 months with shocks specifically made for the Tacoma. They were 3 times the cost of the generics but definately worth the $$$ in my opinion.

 

[Ryanc]

I thought the same thing when I was building my Tacoma a few years ago. I installed generic off road shocks that were made by the same manufacturing plant as some other big name shocks. The ride was terribly harsh. They performed bad both on & off road. I ended up replacing them after 3 months with shocks specifically made for the Tacoma. They were 3 times the cost of the generics but definately worth the $$$ in my opinion.

Your going to want to match the shock to your suspension. That is why some aftermarket companies sell specific shocks "tuned" to their suspension. You could run a reservoir fox shock that rids like crap, unless you get the psi correct, etc, etc. What is your set up?

 

[MOAK]

1.75" spring lift.. All stock components.. I must keep in mind that 2 or 3 years from now, I'll be installing an OME 2" suspension kit... That's as high as I will ever go.. Naturally the OME shocks in the kit are tuned for light, medium, or heavy, to match the springs.. But with 75k miles on my current shocks, it is time to replace them.. I don't want to flush good money after bad, nor do I want to be disgusted with the .. Shock dilemma,, who whoddathunkit??

 

[redthies]

OME is the suspension division of ARB. You will not find 'ARB' shocks. The OME shocks are NOT made here in N.A. They are, like all things ARB, made in Australia. The quality of their products is top notch.

I am doing the opposite of you Rubicondon. I am running the OME 2.5" coils (They don't make a 2" for the JK), with the stock Rubi shocks (Suggested by ARB tech guy). Once the Rubi shocks die, I will buy the new OME shocks. I think they are called the "super-sport". I have their Nitrocharger shocks on my Land Cruiser matched with 2.5" med weight coils and the ride and handling is amazing.

Will you hate the parts store shocks? I'm not sure, but at $25 each, unless you are a starving student or similar, why not try them? At worst you live with them until you buy the OME kit. If you buy longer "quality" shocks now for a future lift, you may damage them by compressing them too far.

 

[fatrat]

Why don't you buy some slightly used stock Rubicon shocks until you upgrade to OME?

 

[fatrat]

Your going to want to match the shock to your suspension. That is why some aftermarket companies sell specific shocks "tuned" to their suspension. You could run a reservoir fox shock that rids like crap, unless you get the psi correct, etc, etc.

This is so true! Custom valved shocks ******! :sombrero:

 

[MOAK]

OME is the suspension division of ARB. You will not find 'ARB' shocks. The OME shocks are NOT made here in N.A. They are, like all things ARB, made in Australia. The quality of their products is top notch.

I am doing the opposite of you Rubicondon. I am running the OME 2.5" coils (They don't make a 2" for the JK), with the stock Rubi shocks (Suggested by ARB tech guy). Once the Rubi shocks die, I will buy the new OME shocks. I think they are called the "super-sport". I have their Nitrocharger shocks on my Land Cruiser matched with 2.5" med weight coils and the ride and handling is amazing.

Will you hate the parts store shocks? I'm not sure, but at $25 each, unless you are a starving student or similar, why not try them? At worst you live with them until you buy the OME kit. If you buy longer "quality" shocks now for a future lift, you may damage them by compressing them too far.

Cool, I wrongfully thought that the OME shocks were made by KYB,, wrong !! And I think I like your solution, 100 bucks all the way around, should last 2 years, till I get the OME stuff under my frame. No sense in spending big bucks for lifetime warrenties, when I'm just going to dump them later... I'm also going to check out used rubi shocks as well on e-bay, mine are shot, as they fail the bounce test, and the ride has gotten a lot harsher on my wife's neck, etc etc.. thanks!!

 

[JIMBO]

:elkgrin: I run RS9000XL (adj) shocks on my JKUR and I "tune" them for the conditions !!

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

 

[mdnky]

Just because something is made by the same people as another item, that doesn't mean its necessarily the same. Tolerances, designs, components and quality control can all be different. Rancho is made by Monroe, however the Rancho shocks and struts are far superior in quality to the Monroe versions.

Personally, I'd install OME or Bilstein only. Autozone can special order Bilstein for you, or order online. Stay away from KYB and Gabriel...even Monroe has gone down the tubes lately. Their designs are for light-duty use only (on-road light duty).

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I run Teraflex shocks under my Jeep and love them, only cost around $260 and have a lifetime warranty. The dirt road going into my favorite fishing spot has some pretty good washboard going on and I cruise down it at 30-40 with full control and very minimal jarring running full tire pressure. The great thing is that even if you opt for a premium shock right now you can resell them for a decent price when you upgrade in the future, that's one of the upsides to owning a Jeep.

 

[RadoExpo]

Second on OME or Bilsteins with a preference toward the bilsteins. I've run both now. No experience with the teraflex.

 

[redthies]

I loved the Bilsteins on my auto-cross car, but for off-road I am a tiny bit leery of the single wall tube on the 5100s. I know they provide an awesome ride, but would hate to dent one... Don't know how hard it is to dent one but really don't want to find out either!

 

[JPK]

Second hand take off Rubicon shocks sound like a good cheap route.

The other option would be to go ahead and get the OME shocks. You're at 1.75" of lift now, an extra .5" is not a significant difference.

I had OME springs on my LJ and OME shocks too, the spring were ok, the shocks were great.

I have 5100 Bilstiens on my JKU, tuned for AEV to match their springs, a very, very nice combination. So, if you can figure out which Bilstien matches your spring lift, they would be a worthy upgrade. Bilstien 5100's are "cheap" as far as higher end shocks go, at about $75/ea.

JPK

 

[Ryanc]

I run teraflex 3 inch on my JKU. Was using their shocks for the past two years, switched over to bilsteins. They are significantly better on the road. Ill be testing them off the pavement this weekend.