I live in Zambia Africa. The shocks I bought were for a 1997/98 Toyota 4Runner (Hilux Surf). The kind of driving I do tends to be a lot of bush, very bad dirt roads and occasional long distance blacktop driving. The blacktop driving includes swerving to miss and occasionally hitting, large potholes. The truck is stock with no lift and standard 165 70 16 tires. The shocks I replaced were original equipment (Tokiko) and the vehicle is a 2.7 liter/automatic/4WD with nearly 100,000 miles on it. I travel with the vehicle either empty, or loaded with up to 10 people and gear. FWIW, I've also installed the Firestone air springs to deal with the saggy rear coils. They absolutely work great and the performance mated to these shocks (I had concerns) is just terrific. My use of these shocks far exceeds anything that folks in the States will experience and I needed the best I could get. After looking at Bilstein, Rancho and the raft of US branded shocks, I went with the KYBs. The Heavy Duty designation is what attracted me initially and past experience with the brand, coupled with the online reviews I read convinced me. The ride is firm and not unlike what you might expect in a sports car. If you're a soccer mom or someone with an excessively delicate derriere, these may not be for you. On the other hand, I just drove 500 miles from Mansa to Lusaka and found the trip to be very comfortable. The handling has improved dramatically and the performance of the truck on uneven pavement and dirt roads is far, far better than it was. There is probably not an ideal shock absorber for what I do, but if there were/is, it would look a lot like these KYBs.
African Road Test, KYB Monomax Shocks
- Thread starter pdubrule
- Start date
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maclean216
Member
Yeah great buddy. I want to see pics of the "10 people plus gear." Are all your friends dwarfs?
Dezert4Runner
Senior Member
Dude, you're from Africa, and you said you fit 10 people + gear, so by default :worthless
Nelsonmd
New member
It's not so unbelievable, last time I was in Africa, we fit 8 into a mitsubishi Pajero for a 3 hour drive. Us 3 guys had to sit on top of each other in the cargo area the whole time. There are no safety regulation in Africa.
awdjunkies
New member
^ That sounds about right. :whipping2
Good catch! Yes, the stock tires for this are 265 70 16s. As for the other naysayers... 4 people will fit in the wayback of the truck. Two on a side facing each other. Four people will fit across the back seat and two in the front. That totals ten people in the vehicle. As for the gear, it fits wherever there's room. Personal space is defined a little differently here than in the US!
4Running Daily
New member
My Dad works for Zambia. His office is in Lusaka. Ever heard of Bradwell International?
Maritimer
New member
Sweet. I run the same shocks, and I'm glad to read your experience. I find they make it hard to slow down on bumpy secondary roads--nothing jostles me enough to want to slow down!
What I like the most is the sense of balance and control they give me when doing turns and sharp maneuvers. I don't do F1 or anything, just that extra control in tight situations.
What I like the most is the sense of balance and control they give me when doing turns and sharp maneuvers. I don't do F1 or anything, just that extra control in tight situations.
steezemcqueen
Moderator
HCurphy
New member
I've had 9 people in my 4runner a few times in highschool. We might not all be all that different. Personal space varies greatly with different situations.
JohnsD90
New member
I love the 130, ive only ever seen one, as they were never released in north america.
