Yes - OEM Shocks will last 17 years

[JJ300K]

Well, bought a 1998 SR5 Limited in late May with rear E-locker and 181,000 miles on it. Everything works and it drives very much like my 2001 SR5 which I maintained for 10 years until it was totaled last summer with 248,000 miles on it. CARFAX turned up clean, BUT - no maintenance records. PO had none either. So, I took the chance and am working my way through the mandatory maintenance laid out by so many on this forum looking for the fatal flaw! So far: new timing belt and idlers, new cam/crank seals, water pump, cooling system flush with Toyota red coolant, new aux drive belts, new OEM lower ball joints and OEM outer steering tie rod ends. Went after the suspension and found that both the struts and shocks were OEM - original stock. Found some nice rusted out strut mounts and the shock spindles that were about ready to fail! Installed KYB Gas adjust struts and new OEM coils up front and KYB shocks back aft. Up next: new radiator. Still looking for the fatal flaw....

 

[JayRolla]

Nice ride. Welcome!

 

[3bears]

how do you like the ride of the kyb's, since the rear springs always go early and sag why didn't you replace them.
why did you stay stock

just asking as my suspension is on next months list of projects

if that is desert dune color,, there is a thread on desert dune 4runner owners

 

[JohnMc]

My '99 still has the stock shocks on it, and I broke one of the rear shocks wheeling it. The top bolt was partially/mostly rusted through and snapped when it flexed enough. As a quick fix (other than unbolting at the bottom on the trail and tossing it in the back) I got another stock shock from a junkyard, but the real fix is to install a lift with new springs to go with the new shocks. Heh.

 

[Snowb]

My OEM shocks didn't last 17 years. Then again I was 17 when I got the truck so there was a time I thought I could do the Baja 1000 in a stock 1996 4Runner. I am starting to miss the Arizona desert, good times.

 

[jmurphy4296]

Nice ride. Welcome!

Thanks JayRolla. Nothing but lots of knowledge and the inside edge on this forum.

 

[jmurphy4296]

how do you like the ride of the kyb's, since the rear springs always go early and sag why didn't you replace them.
why did you stay stock

just asking as my suspension is on next months list of projects

if that is desert dune color,, there is a thread on desert dune 4runner owners

KYBs ride fine. Had them on my 2001 and they are not too stiff. No sag when I started, but she is actually down by an inch on the drivers side now. Rears are on order. Should have done them. Will do some rust busting with Ospho and POR 15 when I go back under there. I like the height right now, so that's why I stayed with stock coils. May lift after I work through the maintenance I want to do.

 

[jmurphy4296]

My '99 still has the stock shocks on it, and I broke one of the rear shocks wheeling it. The top bolt was partially/mostly rusted through and snapped when it flexed enough. As a quick fix (other than unbolting at the bottom on the trail and tossing it in the back) I got another stock shock from a junkyard, but the real fix is to install a lift with new springs to go with the new shocks. Heh.

Yup. My friends were on me for not going with them over the July 4th weekend. Definitely would have been riding back from North Carolina on some rotten springs!

 

[96LTDrus]

I guess the definition of "lasting" for shocks varies from person to person, I know that mine were totally worn out with little damping left, by 99k miles, but they still were structurally sound. Then again the truck I bought sat a lot (as in, from the year 2000 til 2012). It was scary on bumpy or twisty roads, I likewise put KYBs in front, but kept the OE springs, and did monroe air shocks with Moog springs in the rear. Massive improvement for sure. My brother had an '89 Mazda MPV where the front struts still had good damping with 200k miles on them, a lot of that on fire roads. he finally swapped them out because the spring perches were rusting through.