I would go with Bilsteins.

Bilsteins were too stiff for our vehicle which is why we are looking for alternatives (see post #1). thanks.

i have ranchos adjustables upfront and bilsteins 5100 at the rear, with 1.5'' spacer lift, i recently replaced my broken rear sway bar, and removed my drivers side rear shock for the install, i cud easily compress the shocks with my hand, i am thinking the shoks may be shot, anybody running bilsteins 5100 care to chime in on this? how is the hand compression test

I broke every shock from every manufacturer due to excess weight in the rear. My girls truck has these from Toytec and she runs 980 pounds constant load:

FJBOSS25R-ALM - Toytec Boss 2.5 Aluma Series Rear Shocks (07+FJ/10+ 4Runner/03+GX)

They are great for loaded trucks. The bilsteins are just wimpy and fell apart after a single trail run.

@duffdog , nice, but a lil too rich for me.
truck has been with me for 7yrs & counting, trying to squeeze out 2 or 3 more years from it. guess i may settle for the ranchos

another vote for KYB, excel-g. priced fair & work great.

i used them to replace worn xreas shocks & they are very nice, not too stiff but still firm. rated to be just a tad above stock sr5 shocks.

Not really a fair comparison review but I am using the KYB Excel-G on a different car and while I think it’s a good OE style replacement on a budget, I don’t think it’s quite at the same level as the Bilstein.

That said, it was certainly better than the blown shocks I was running on, and certainly brings the car back to a stock-ish feel.

of course a stock type replacement shock isn't at the same level as bilstein, but then again they aren't at the same price level either...

I consider the Bilstein an OE style replacement as well, if not the 5100, the 4600 which would be a better comparison.

I guess the point I was trying to make was while the KYB was sufficient to repair the car, it falls short in certain areas which makes me question the purchase. If I could have did it over again, I would have liked to try a better shock.

curious why/where you think it falls short vs an OEM shock?

bilstein is not an OE shock, its an upgrade from stock & much stiffer, at least the popular 5100 that every one uses or suggests on this thread when the OP said he got rid of them because they were too harsh for his driving conditions & just wants something a little stiffer than stock.

the KYB is designed with about 10% stiffer valving so its just what hes looking for. on the fronts, the kyb has the stiffer valving but also has a ~10% stiffer spring too, its the same part# for the FJ cruiser so its made to be like an OE shock, just a little stiffer.

It just wasn’t as smooth as I remember it being over bumps. In certain high speed compression examples, specially a bump in the road at speed the compression stroke feels a little chattery in the way it transfers or absorbs some of that energy…

Also, rebound feels a bit slow in some instances. If the rear encounters a bump or some sort of uneven road it feels like the rear wanted to kick out ever so slightly. Like I said it works, but it’s not as confidence inspiring as I would have hoped new shocks to be.

I will admit I have experienced a similar “chatter” from my 5100, but it was primarily over gravel roads, but I am also a bit over-sprung in terms of spring rate so I felt that may have also been a contributing factor. If not lifting, 4600 may be worth considering as well.

I certainly don’t have anything against the KYB, I am using it, I just thought it was going to be better.

interesting description... i have none of that whatsoever with my front & rear KYB's, they are very smooth on highway dips that used to feel "floaty" on the worn out xreas & rough roads are as smooth as you would expect. the initial impact of something like a pot hole you can feel a little more than soft or worn factory shocks, but after that the compression or dampening seems fine & as good as one could expect from a ~$40 shock.

im sure the 5100 or 4600 are a "better" shock in many ways, but for the price & very little offroading or wheeling the kybs are a very good shock & would fit the OP's needs.

i had KYB all around previously and it leveled the front (+1") and rode fantastic. amazon sells the entire kit im pretty sure for around $300

Perhaps I have some other underlying suspension problems which are presenting themselves as shock issues or maybe I just got a bad shock. Either way, for the price point, still the best option that I know of otherwise I would not have bought it.

Wondering if you remember the kit number (or could find it in your Amazon history), I'm not sure I'm seeing what you're describing. Many thanks in advance!