On Patrol & TONI replied:

Geoff
it is hard to better the Bilstein gas shocks in most situations, the Cape trip can be very heavily corrugated and it is here the Bilsteins shine. Mine are as smooth as they get under those conditions, most speeds are their "sweet speed".

As for the RTC damper with a mild lift of 2" it is purely a matter of choice not necessity.

The Bilsteins are not cheap, but they do have a lifetime warranty, that means just that.

Cheers Colin.

Robnicko replied:

I've got Old man Emu all round in my 80 and it's great.
Been in for 9 years and still going strong.

Member - Greg T1 (QLD) replied:

I ran Pedders foam cell shocks for years on my NH Pajero and could not fault them.

Crackles replied:

Funny how everyone recommends the brand they use :-)
Fox shocks I reckon are the best. Race quality.
Bilsteins have excellent performance although can be a little firm for some.
Koni are extremely reliable. Last for ages & rebuildable.
Procomp have the best big bore shock for a reasonable price.
OME are pretty average. (Couldn't give me a set)
Return to centre steering dampers are generally a waste of money & fitted because they look good. That's why they usually paint them bright colors.
Cheers Craig..................

stevesub replied:

I used to use Bilstiens in my old rally car. Bought them second hand of un-known vintage, used then for 15 years and something like 150 events and they were still Ok when I gave the car to my son. At the same time I bought new Pedders for the rear - still OK when the boy got the car.

We are still using the shocks that came with the Troopy which are still Ok and working fine after 240,000km - but we have not done Cape York and will be considering alternatives when we do this trip in a year or so's time.

Stevesub

Member - Troll 81 (QLD) replied:

I use Koni and find them great

Robin Miller replied:

Never liked the idea of hit & miss with shocks so I have just got my second set of Tough Dog adjustables 40mm bore $199 each.

The ability to change the setting in a few seconds is a winner with me and I do this a bit when heading bush.

They do wear out and to a degree you can compenstate , my previous set lasted about 80k before the hardest setting was to soft and I got new ones.
Nothing failed though.

120scruiser (NSW) replied:

I have OME in my 80 only because thats what it had in it when I bought it.
I am a fan of Koni in live axle vehicles and when the OME wear out Koni's will be going in.
I have also found EFS extremely competitive in price and performance.
Scott

Mrbrush replied:

I got a Pro-Comp steer Damper, and put it on then turned the wheel a few times and it started leaking immediately. Took it off straight away, put the old one back on. Got a replacement and it only lasted 18 months.
"Made in Mexico" rubbish.
Now Ive gone Rancho.

ian replied:

Geoff,
I am no expert, but my Konis have done 90,000 kms of very demanding work on my 80 series.
One recently had a slight leak. Koni rebuilt it for no charge.
Since I fitted them koni have brought out a bigger and better shocker, but mine are still very sweet. No complaints at all. My mechanic shop advised me at the time
1/ koni
2/ bilstein
3/ forget it.
ian

Member - Kiwi Kia replied:

Hi Jethro T,

Series question; What's wrong with using Mr Toyota's shock absorbers ?

KK

Tony @ Naomi replied:

Interesting thread as I have to have new shocks fitted what are EFS or Iron man like.

Thanks, Tony

Outa Bounds replied:

We had OME on our '91 80 series, but she was fairly weighty (draws, dual wheel carrier, bull bar, winch etc etc) and we found the shockies were failing too soon even with just your standard bitumen driving. We then went to full Tough Dog (with the Big Bore shocks) and after that it was great. Actually I think the suspension did pretty well considering the weight which we found was borderline when we moved to WA!

On a Hilux which we purchased some time afterwareds we had EFS suspension, initially it seemed much better than the original suspension which was beat, but after a while I didin't think much of the ride, however it would have to be noted that the lux had an alloy tray and generally carried no weight (but still the suspension wasn't the heaviest rated, it was to suit the car).

In summary I think I'd go with Tough Dog again, particularly when Hubby eventually has enough $$ to upgrade the stock suspension on his 79 series. And if your 80 has a few accessories it would be good to check out her weight too. Ours was close to illegal here in WA but the inspector said that the big bore shocks gave it sag and handling as it should have, I imagine for lighter cars it could translate to a pretty rough ride though!