Shockers

Well yu know what ? (this wil give yu a laugh) Ive gone back to good ole' toyo shocks, dey is tuff mon.

Cheers.........BIGDOG

I did a lot research on what you want but for a 90 series prado. Ended up keeping the toyo shocks and getting King Springs. Loved it, cheap as, huge difference to ride and roll and height. So not a 100 series but if that's all you want, i second the first response.

Bob,

If the 100 Series is IFS keep the Toyota shocks on the front and XGS from TJM on the back.

If it is a solid front end XGS all round.

Also every 40,000 km change the shocks all round. They are like tyres and batteries, a throw away item. They were never designed to last the life of the vehicle.

Wayne

Procomp make one of the better big bore replacement shocks around at the moment with velocity sensitive valving making them a good choice for both slow offroad work and higher speed desert touring & at a reasonable price too.
Procomp link.
The few people I know with them are having a great run so far after some pretty rough driving.
Cheers Craig............
HZJ105 with Koni's.

I have been over a lot of bleep shaking roads in the hilux and after seven years they still work just like the rest of the vehicle. I got a lot of faith in toyota equipment and when the shockies give up the next set should see out my driving days. Age and the price of fuel are competing to see which will see me on the bus and train.

Jeez I might have to walk somewhere soon. Any thoughts on exploreoz walk trails? We could swap notes on blisters!

Back in the old days.....

but I am losing the thread now.

Hehe

Owen

After having used a few brands on the cars and the camper, its seems that there is a lot of hype involved as you say - seems to me that we should buy reasonable quality, carry the receipts on trips (because some in every brand will/can fail) ...... and....... carry a spare shock for the front and the back anyway !!
Anyway as Phil (before) and others have said here ........the Toyota standard product seems as good, or better than many - and any warranty type failures might be chased up a little sooner outback. TJM-XGS, Koni Mono and OMEmus have all been ok for me..... what next ?

The question is extremely difficult to answer actually unless you describe the vehicle's use and front and rear axle weights etc.

For example shockers generally are replaced along with springs. Springs provide ride height only and with differing heights to compensate for the weight you may be adding. Like a winch, dual battery system, bull bar etc etc at the front and storage system, long range fuel tank etc at the rear of the vehicle. All these things impact on spring height and strength.

Shock absorbers or dampers which is their correct term have only one function. To slow the bump (vehicle going down) and rebound (vehicle coming back up again) as it is impacted on by the road surface. Road surface ranges from bitumen to rock, sand, corrugations etc. Dampers or shock absorbers do not control ride height the control ride comfort and should be matched to the correct spring rates and heights other wise you end up putting a lot of strain on all of the suspension components. Your tyres also play a big role in suspension setup as tyres with very strong sidewalls will impact on suspension performance to variable degrees.

So what is a good brand of shocks? The set that matches your springs and vehicle needs. All suspension is a compromise particularly on a 4WD where it is supposed to be comfortable around town and capable off-road.

Reputable brands from know suppliers who will back their product and warranty are the best choice. No brand in our experience is better or worse but then we only ever use three brands on our tour vehicles and all three have failed at some point due to manufacturing faults. But on balance we have run up several hundred thousand kilometres with only a few issues so I don't get excited about these sort of issues. But I do get a bit tense if I don't get the support I expect whhen things go wrong.

So in short speak to the suppliers and if they don't ask you any of the above questions about vehicle use, travel needs etc then you are probably in the wrong place.

Suspension setup is a highly person thing and what some folk will say is a harsh riding suspension can be considered too soft by others.

For general information we have standardised our Prado's on TJM's XGS springs and shocks with the springs being extra raised heavy duty as the vehicles have winches, twin battery systems etc and weigh in at around 2940 kgs for a two week Simpson trip. Tyres are Bridgestone D694 and it works well. On the other hand our shorty Jeep is on XGS springs and Tough Dog shocks and they really suit this light car nicely.

Regards

RobA

I've tried several brands and the one I come back to is the Monroe Gas Magnum. The price is right, the guarantee is good - 60.000k or three years - and they have outlasted Toyota, Mitsi and Nissan. There are no doubt better, but for cost effectiveness and reliability they are my choice.

Bob
If you're in Brisbane go to Sunshine State 4WD (over near Archerfield airport) and they'll look after you. I've used their shock absorbers for years (albeit on an 80 series) and have no complaints.
Cheers from the Moose