About to purchase shocks for my first gen. Thoughts?

[White87sr5]

Yes I know there are a lot of posts out there about this and I've read through about all of them. I'm going to be ordering a new set of shocks for my runner and I can't decide. It's on 31's and its stock height and will be staying that way. It's a daily driver and occasional camping/fishing truck. So it sees more street than anything. I've read tons of reviews and it seems like there are so many mixed reviews on all of them. I can't decide between bilstein hd's or kyb monomax. I wouldn't rule out OME as well. I just don't want to end up with a ride that's too stiff as I already feel every bump in the road.

 

[jtgumy]

I'm in the same boat!

 

[89FourRunner]

You already named the best shocks. Just have to pick a brand. Cant really go wrong with any of those. Honestly though, and this is just MY opinion - the stock ifs setup and bars are so stiff i barely ever feel the difference in shock brands lol.

If you had a soft aftermarket setup then the shocks would come into greater play (as far as feeling the difference goes).

Mono Max is half the price of OME and Bilsteins right? Thats something to consider. That extra dough buys you a steering stabilizer, idle control arm, etc. All sorts of stuff you can also feel driving.

 

[crash813]

Personally, IMHO you're over thinking things. You got a 30 year old truck with an outdated suspension, worn out parts, hard/cracked bushings....nice shocks aren't going to make it ride like a Cadillac. I've been plenty happy with kyb gas-a-just shocks. Plenty of places to spend the extra $$$.

Also, if the ride is that bad, I'd look at the rear too. If you got the normal 4runner butt sag, you're probably bouncing off the bump stops on every pebble.

 

[White87sr5]

I'm not expecting a Cadillac ride at all. It's just a rough ride right now and I know my shocks are blown. Yeah my rear is sagging a bit I'm thinking I'll fix that with a zuk mod. The kyb monomax are about 15-20 less per shock than the bilsteins. The price doesn't matter I just want the best ride I can get.

 

[White87sr5]

Alright thanks for the input everyone. I went with a set of bilstein hd's.

 

[Kean]

Personally, IMHO you're over thinking things. You got a 30 year old truck with an outdated suspension, worn out parts, hard/cracked bushings....nice shocks aren't going to make it ride like a Cadillac. I've been plenty happy with kyb gas-a-just shocks. Plenty of places to spend the extra $$$.

Also, if the ride is that bad, I'd look at the rear too. If you got the normal 4runner butt sag, you're probably bouncing off the bump stops on every pebble.

....agreed. My 30 year old shocks were lifeless when I acquired my truck so I swapped them out with a relatively basic option (Monroes IIRC). Made a noticeable difference in ride quality simply because the old ones were no longer doing their job of dampening the action of the suspension. Also, new rear leafs are not high on my priority list right now so I won’t feel so bad if these blow out sooner rather than later due to the additional stress.

I’m not suggesting the OP feels this way but I notice a lot of people seem to expect more out of shock absorbers than what they were designed for. ….which is essentially to dampen excess, unwanted movement of the suspension during compression/extension. They are not a cure for worn out springs or other suspension components and will likely wear out prematurely if installed in those scenarios. Personally, if I were interested in upgrading, I would definitely throw that extra money at the rest of the suspension first where it would have much more of an impact on overall handling/performance. ….and then get quality shocks.

 

[White87sr5]

No I realize shocks aren't going to fix all my suspension issues. I'm just tired of riding on blown out shocks lol.

 

[Kean]

No I realize shocks aren't going to fix all my suspension issues. I'm just tired of riding on blown out shocks lol.

I hear ya.... Made a big difference in my case replacing my dead shocks. Helps keep the sagging rear from bottoming out on the bump stops as often as it did. When I took the old ones off I could slide them in and out by hand with little effort. ....and when compressed they would stay that way. They don't get much more dead than that.

 

[Nervo19]

I have these and they were really cheap on eBay four years ago. I think $33 each. They are okay:

More Information for GABRIEL 77494

I was wondering if the Bilstein 5100 can be used without a lift? Does anyone know? This seems like a good deal:

Bilstein Front Rear 5100 Series Monotube Shocks for Toyota 4Runner Pickup | eBay

 

[RAD4Runner]

...a 30 year old truck with an outdated suspension...... Plenty of places to spend the extra $$$.

+1

I have these and they were really cheap on eBay four years ago. I think $33 each. They are okay:
More Information for GABRIEL 77494

Installed same on mine (selection and install here). Given the price range it accommodated travel of stock front suspension the best.

OME is not recommended for stock suspension because it is designed to accommodate geometry of one with 2-inch lift. It's too long so it would limit compression travel on stock.

 

[Bad_Vision]

+1 on replacing rubber bushings! Shocks don't mean a thing if your bushings are letting it hit metal.

 

[White87sr5]

I put my bilsteins on the other day and I've noticed a huge improvement in ride quality. I'm still waiting on my black magic coils to show up so I can do a zuk mod. But I'm happy with my purchase on the bilsteins.