Dobinsons MRA - 3-way adjustable struts/shocks w/resi - 4th Gen
The time has come everyone, time to list the features and details of the long awaited Dobinsons MRA.
Now first up, are they called MRR, MRA, or what?
Well here's the thing - Dobinsons MRR's have been sold out of Australia for many years now, and they have been going thru a constant evolution of upgrades. First they had no valving adjustment at all, and the standard MRR's still do not but they are being phased out, which is also why they weren't ever fully stocked in the USA. So the new 3-way adjustable versions have been nicknamed "MRA" in part numbering for "MRR Adjustable" essentially and so that it's easy to keep track of. So you can call them MRR Adjustable, MRA's, or whatever you like, but for ease of keeping a separation between the regular MRR's and the new adjustable ones, I'll call them MRA's.
3-Way Adjustable - what does that mean?
First, on the external reservoir, it has high speed and low speed compression adjustability. 10 High Speed Compression Adjustments and 20 Low Speed Compression Adjustments.
On struts, the rebound is adjusted at the very top of the strut, via a shaft that goes all the way down inside the strut thru the piston rod. This is done by hand, turning a small knob. On the shocks, the rebound is adjusted at the base of the shock, via a shaft that goes up thru the piston rod. 15 Rebound adjustments. This is done with a small adjuster tool that's basically like a flat head screw driver to reach into the shallow recess to adjust them.
On the reservoir, the high and low speed compression can be adjusted by hand, however the "all-in-one adjuster tool" that comes with the shocks and struts has cut outs to adjust them too if it's hard to reach inside there.
Also, all MRA front struts have a fully threaded body for height adjustment. This isn't included as part of the "3-way" method, but a standard feature of the monotube lineup that Dobinsons has.
More from the engineers:
Built on the Back of the Race Winning Monotube Remote Reservoir (MRR) Shock Absorbers, Dobinsons new range of MRR Adjustable Shock Absorbers combine the best in high performance race-bred Monotube Technology, with an all new 3-way dampening adjustment system to turn your 4×4 into the ultimate off-road machine. Each component of the MRR Shock Absorber has been refined and improved to offer a higher level of ride quality, vehicle control and shock absorber performance.
The new 6063 honed Aluminum reservoir, revised light-weight floating piston, Carbon Fiber / PTFE / Disulphide composite wear band, improved 3 stage sealing system, and the ability to run lower gas pressure with the addition of the reservoir compression adjuster; have combined to provide massive reductions in shock absorber friction, resulting in an improved vehicle ride and dampening performance. The revised sealing design now provides a 3 stage FKM-HNBR shaft seal system that, when combined with the reduced operating frictions, provides a vastly increased service life with reduced wear.
The Micro Polished, Hard Chromed and Heat Treated shock shaft, revised CNC aluminum high flow race piston, and DOM seamless tubing body provides the ultimate in performance and off-road durability. The 3 Way adjustment design reduces the main piston working load, distributing heat more evenly between the main piston and the reservoir piston for reduced operating temperatures, and allows quick and easy damping changes for the ultimate in shock tunability in varying terrain and vehicle loads, to keep you controlled and comfortable.
Attached is the component sheet showing the main features of the MRA's, however here are some quick main points I want to pull out of there.
3mm DOM (steel) thick main body
6061 Aluminum spring seat and reservoir
Fully rebuildable design (No set rebuild mileage or timeframe!!)
Uses existing range of Dobinsons coils and top mounts
Direct bolt on design, no vehicle mods required for strut and shock fitment
Maintains rubber lower and upper bushings for maximum NVH dampening
So what options will be offered for 4th Gen 4Runners. To start, it will be these: MRA59-A220 - For 0-3.5" Front lift - Extended travel MRA59-A701 - For 0-3" Rear MRA59-A575 - For 3-3.5" Rear - long travel.
As far as resi mounts, the struts come with universal resi mounts. The rear shocks do come with bolt on resi brackets, but have yet to be tested on a US spec 4th Gen. They do suit a Lexus GX470 and FJ Cruiser without any problems, and that's the same frame, so we're not expecting an issue. Just be aware - it's best to have a professional with the correct tools on hand to mount reservoir suspension. Drilling, trimming, adding nutserts, and hose routing all need to be taken into consideration for proper resi fitment.
Setting coil seat height
The MRA's come with a full threaded body, and the coil seat height needs to be set prior to installing the coils onto them. A proper strut coil compressor is required. Regular rental compressors can have teeth that hold the coil which are too thick, they won't work, as you probably won't be able to get the teeth out once the coil is on the strut. We offer the assembly of the front coilovers with new top mounts for an extra charge.
2 base options:
213mm - Base setting, same as OE, for coil seat height. Use this with lifted coil springs to let the coils do the lifting only
226mm - Taller setting, adds 1" of lift to whatever coil springs you're using. Use this setting with a 2" coil to produce 3" of lift, for example.
Spin both collars down on the strut almost to the bottom. Never use any locktight, it will gum up the threads and it's not necessary once you see the step below.
Slide the coil seat onto the strut, with the flattest side facing down (notch facing upwards for coil to sit against)
Using a tape measure, hold the tape against the lip/notch of the coil seat (where the pigtail of the coil will sit) and measure down to center of the lower mounting hole. Raise or lower the top adjuster collar until the coil seat is in the correct position.
Once the height is set, take both adjuster tools that were supplied. Hold the top adjuster in place, and bring the 2nd adjuster up to the top one, and lock them together. This is the same as "double nutting". This is insurance to keep the top adjuster in position and keep the height where it is.
If ever you need to adjust the coilover up or down, ALWAYS undo the lower adjuster FIRST, slide it down out of the way, then adjust the upper adjuster to the correct position. If you try to move both adjusters at once, the threads will most likely get damaged and you won't be happy.
I'll be making a video and posting it up when I get a chance, as it's a pretty simple process, but worth getting a visual for too.
I've considered running softer valved shocks and an air bag for when loads are really heavy. I have questions - because these seem like a more elegant solution.
1a.Could I theoretically run these rear shocks and adjust the shock to a firmer setting when going max payload and beyond? Then dial it back down to a soft ride for daily driving?
1b. Is it bad to adjust the shocks "frequently" - as in maybe once a month dialing it to firmer settings and then switching back a few days later?
2. I assume these don't do anything for actual ride height, just dampening the springs, and the springs are driving the actual ride height... I've already got some Dobinson's variable rate springs that do fine in terms of ride height unloaded and fully loaded. Is this about right? ...or will firmer settings make the ride height stay higher under load?
3. How large of a difference can you get from softest to firmest settings? Is it more like fine tuning around a middle of the road firmness, or is it closer stock softness to incredibly firm?
I've considered running softer valved shocks and an air bag for when loads are really heavy. I have questions - because these seem like a more elegant solution.
1a.Could I theoretically run these rear shocks and adjust the shock to a firmer setting when going max payload and beyond? Then dial it back down to a soft ride for daily driving?
1b. Is it bad to adjust the shocks "frequently" - as in maybe once a month dialing it to firmer settings and then switching back a few days later?
2. I assume these don't do anything for actual ride height, just dampening the springs, and the springs are driving the actual ride height... I've already got some Dobinson's variable rate springs that do fine in terms of ride height unloaded and fully loaded. Is this about right? ...or will firmer settings make the ride height stay higher under load?
3. How large of a difference can you get from softest to firmest settings? Is it more like fine tuning around a middle of the road firmness, or is it closer stock softness to incredibly firm?
Great questions!! I'll reply in line.
1a.Could I theoretically run these rear shocks and adjust the shock to a firmer setting when going max payload and beyond? Then dial it back down to a soft ride for daily driving?
Yes, absolutely. They're ideal for that exact situation, since how the vehicle is loaded and driven for a trip can be a lot different than daily driving.
1b. Is it bad to adjust the shocks "frequently" - as in maybe once a month dialing it to firmer settings and then switching back a few days later?
Nope, not at all. You're opening/closing different valves inside that control the flow of oil.
2. I assume these don't do anything for actual ride height, just dampening the springs, and the springs are driving the actual ride height... I've already got some Dobinson's variable rate springs that do fine in terms of ride height unloaded and fully loaded. Is this about right? ...or will firmer settings make the ride height stay higher under load?
Correct, as far as rear shocks go, they don't do anything for ride height, just controlling the overall ride quality with the dampening. Front adjustable height struts of course can be adjusted, but that's different.
3. How large of a difference can you get from softest to firmest settings? Is it more like fine tuning around a middle of the road firmness, or is it closer stock softness to incredibly firm?
It's a pretty massive difference, especially with high speed compression. This is why we don't need the comfort and standard rear shocks anymore. I have the MRA59-A701 rears in mine and they're more comfortable than the GS59-705's that I was running, purely because they can be adjusted to how I want it to ride.
The MRA's come with a booklet detailing how the adjustments affect the ride quality and with standard settings as a baseline for where to start and then adjust from there. I haven't run these with a fully loaded camping setup yet, but I did set them to the hardest settings in high and low speed compression, and the difference is massive from where I have them set to for daily driving.
EDIT: And I expect some people will buy rear-only MRA's for the exact reason you're asking about here - ride control under various conditions, but without needing to change the front out if you're happy with it.
1a.Could I theoretically run these rear shocks and adjust the shock to a firmer setting when going max payload and beyond? Then dial it back down to a soft ride for daily driving?
Yes, absolutely. They're ideal for that exact situation, since how the vehicle is loaded and driven for a trip can be a lot different than daily driving.
1b. Is it bad to adjust the shocks "frequently" - as in maybe once a month dialing it to firmer settings and then switching back a few days later?
Nope, not at all. You're opening/closing different valves inside that control the flow of oil.
2. I assume these don't do anything for actual ride height, just dampening the springs, and the springs are driving the actual ride height... I've already got some Dobinson's variable rate springs that do fine in terms of ride height unloaded and fully loaded. Is this about right? ...or will firmer settings make the ride height stay higher under load?
Correct, as far as rear shocks go, they don't do anything for ride height, just controlling the overall ride quality with the dampening. Front adjustable height struts of course can be adjusted, but that's different.
3. How large of a difference can you get from softest to firmest settings? Is it more like fine tuning around a middle of the road firmness, or is it closer stock softness to incredibly firm?
It's a pretty massive difference, especially with high speed compression. This is why we don't need the comfort and standard rear shocks anymore. I have the MRA59-A701 rears in mine and they're more comfortable than the GS59-705's that I was running, purely because they can be adjusted to how I want it to ride.
The MRA's come with a booklet detailing how the adjustments affect the ride quality and with standard settings as a baseline for where to start and then adjust from there. I haven't run these with a fully loaded camping setup yet, but I did set them to the hardest settings in high and low speed compression, and the difference is massive from where I have them set to for daily driving.
EDIT: And I expect some people will buy rear-only MRA's for the exact reason you're asking about here - ride control under various conditions, but without needing to change the front out if you're happy with it.
I can FEEL my wallet getting lighter. I’m just so “broke” from getting long tube headers already. Gonna have to squirrel away some money for a bit.
The free item will automatically be added to your order, no coupons or anything required.
Regarding the IMS (non-resi) and MRA (3-way adjustabl w/resi), ETA's are variable on those products, so your order won't ship right away, but you'll still get the deal. You will be emailed an ETA when the order is placed, or can ask up front.
Hey mike, if I’m running the extended travel struts that automatically give an inch of lift with the two inch spring and I want to buy some mrr’s to swap the springs to will I be at 2 inches of lift at that point?
Hey mike, if I’m running the extended travel struts that automatically give an inch of lift with the two inch spring and I want to buy some mrr’s to swap the springs to will I be at 2 inches of lift at that point?
The MRA have an adjustable height coil seat, so you can set them the same if you want.
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