Dobinsons MRA - 3-way adjustable struts/shocks w/resi - 5th 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 5th Gen 4Runners. To start, it will be these: Front Struts - 700's - suitable for 0-3" front lift. Uses existing range of Dobinsons coils. MRA59-A700 560mm extended, 420mm compressed Rear Shocks - 701's - suitable for 0-3" rear lift. MRA59-A701 609mm extended, 389mm compressed
Extended Travel front struts and Long Travel rear shocks. MRA59-A574 Front Extended Travel - 575mm extended, 420mm compressed MRA59-A575 Rear Long Travel - 730mm extended, 443mm compressed**
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 - MRA59-A700 Base setting, same as OE, for coil seat height. Use this with lifted coil springs to let the coils do the lifting only.
226mm - MRAR59-A574 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.
User manuals that come with the struts and shocks:
Make it easy for us "not as savvy" suspension types.
What size shock body?
How are these valved?
Where are they built and are they rebuildable? If so, where do they need to be sent to be rebuilt?
What are they comparable to? Why these over Bilstein 6112 / 5160, Falcon's, Toytec kits, Icon, Fox 2.5's, King, OME, etc? I don't mean trash the others, but maybe these are progressive so they're a "direct replacement" to those who are thinking about 6112/5160's but don't want a digressive shock setup.\
So finally a true 3in front from Dobi...nice....now we just gotta see what price point they come in at.
__________________
2012 Salsa Red Trail with KDSS
5100's with lift,285/70/17 Duratracs,some extra wattage and speakers in the stereo system.
2003 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 - 20in Rep's, lowered and loud 4x4
2002 Ford Crown Vic Sport - new project
Make it easy for us "not as savvy" suspension types.
What size shock body?
How are these valved?
Where are they built and are they rebuildable? If so, where do they need to be sent to be rebuilt?
What are they comparable to? Why these over Bilstein 6112 / 5160, Falcon's, Toytec kits, Icon, Fox 2.5's, King, OME, etc? I don't mean trash the others, but maybe these are progressive so they're a "direct replacement" to those who are thinking about 6112/5160's but don't want a digressive shock setup.\
For 4Runners and Tacoma's, they're 56mm body with 50mm pistons. Bigger front body wouldn't allow for the huge range of existing coils to fit, and for those who want to upgrade struts and shocks only, they don't need to buy new coils.
They're progressive valving.
They're assembled in China, although this was a requirement for volume requirements. The majority of the parts (as listed in the full parts breakdown above) are imported from many different countries.
Point #3 of my summary was:
Fully rebuildable design (No set rebuild mileage or timeframe!!)
Dobinsons in Miami is working on setting up a shock rebuild facility, but any company that can rebuild any of the other popular brands could rework these if the time comes that they need to be done.
Mostly comparable to Fox and Icon I think at this point. I won't be doing a side by side comparison of the other brands. We open-booked all the parts and specs that go into ours, even as far as listing the brands of seals and components, where many other don't or won't or perhaps can't. So with the details I've listed above, it leaves the consumer to see all the details of this product themselves and then compare it to whatever other brands they're interested in.
What I can say is the most commonly overlooked feature that many people have with "coilovers" is that most brands remove the lower rubber bushing for a heim joint of some kind and those just don't last very long in most cases. They also can't absorb any vibration. Also many brands remove the full almost 1/2" thick upper strut mount and use a direct mount. That upper strut mount rubber does an incredible amount of work for removing "NVH" (Noise, vibration, and harshness - Wikipedia) and therefore producing a nicer ride for the people inside the vehicle, while also not beating up the shock itself. Steel/Aluminum mounts top and bottom of a shock or strut are great for racing, but the average guy would prefer to keep the rubber and reduce NVH if possible.
And one last thing. The Dobinsons MRA without a doubt are using the best possible seals and fittings available for longevity. This is why there isn't a specific rebuild cycle.
My bad missed that part....and may have missed this too but KDSS compliant?
__________________
2012 Salsa Red Trail with KDSS
5100's with lift,285/70/17 Duratracs,some extra wattage and speakers in the stereo system.
2003 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 - 20in Rep's, lowered and loud 4x4
2002 Ford Crown Vic Sport - new project
For 4Runners and Tacoma's, they're 56mm body with 50mm pistons. Bigger front body wouldn't allow for the huge range of existing coils to fit, and for those who want to upgrade struts and shocks only, they don't need to buy new coils.
They're progressive valving.
They're assembled in China, although this was a requirement for volume requirements. The majority of the parts (as listed in the full parts breakdown above) are imported from many different countries.
Point #3 of my summary was:
Fully rebuildable design (No set rebuild mileage or timeframe!!)
Dobinsons in Miami is working on setting up a shock rebuild facility, but any company that can rebuild any of the other popular brands could rework these if the time comes that they need to be done.
Mostly comparable to Fox and Icon I think at this point. I won't be doing a side by side comparison of the other brands. We open-booked all the parts and specs that go into ours, even as far as listing the brands of seals and components, where many other don't or won't or perhaps can't. So with the details I've listed above, it leaves the consumer to see all the details of this product themselves and then compare it to whatever other brands they're interested in.
What I can say is the most commonly overlooked feature that many people have with "coilovers" is that most brands remove the lower rubber bushing for a heim joint of some kind and those just don't last very long in most cases. They also can't absorb any vibration. Also many brands remove the full almost 1/2" thick upper strut mount and use a direct mount. That upper strut mount rubber does an incredible amount of work for removing "NVH" (Noise, vibration, and harshness - Wikipedia) and therefore producing a nicer ride for the people inside the vehicle, while also not beating up the shock itself. Steel/Aluminum mounts top and bottom of a shock or strut are great for racing, but the average guy would prefer to keep the rubber and reduce NVH if possible.
And one last thing. The Dobinsons MRA without a doubt are using the best possible seals and fittings available for longevity. This is why there isn't a specific rebuild cycle.
This is perfect, thanks . Guess I read right past the fully rebuildable part but it's good to know they don't need to go to a specialized facility (and that you're working on getting something set up in the US). I agree on rubber bushings, much nicer for the everyday stuff
__________________
2016 TE : Grocery Getter, 34/10.5R17 Toyo at3, Prinsu Rack, King Coilovers, DuroBumps, ToyTec HD 2.0 springs, King shocks, King hydro bumps, Total Chaos mounts, DirtKing Fabrication UCA, VIVID RACING Tune, URD Y pipe, RCI skids, Marlin Crawler gussets, DRKDSS everything
What I can say is the most commonly overlooked feature that many people have with "coilovers" is that most brands remove the lower rubber bushing for a heim joint of some kind and those just don't last very long in most cases. They also can't absorb any vibration. Also many brands remove the full almost 1/2" thick upper strut mount and use a direct mount. That upper strut mount rubber does an incredible amount of work for removing "NVH" (Noise, vibration, and harshness - Wikipedia) and therefore producing a nicer ride for the people inside the vehicle, while also not beating up the shock itself. Steel/Aluminum mounts top and bottom of a shock or strut are great for racing, but the average guy would prefer to keep the rubber and reduce NVH if possible.
In my opinion this is what puts these coilovers above all else, even Kings. These are 4Runners, not trophy trucks. The comfort of bushings heavily out-weighs any deflection or binding that a heim might solve. Add they won't squeak!
. Guess I read right past the fully rebuildable part but it's good to know they don't need to go to a specialized facility (and that you're working on getting something set up in the US). I agree on rubber bushings, much nicer for the everyday stuff
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