The one-stop SHOCK ABSORBER Info Thread

[E-ZooZoo One]

I’ve done quite a bit of searching on the subject over the last year or so, and what I’ve discovered is that all of the forum’s shock information is pretty strewn and scattered – there doesn’t seem to be an individual thread that contains all (or even most) of the answers that someone might be looking for.

With everyone’s help (and I want to thank you all in advance!), hopefully this thread will soon become the all-inclusive repository on the subject.


-- These are probably some of the most common questions:

“How can I tell if my shocks are shot?”
“How do you rebuild the OEM shocks?”
“What shocks can I use to replace the OEMs?”
“What RS-9000s will fit my stock VX?”
“What RS-9000s will fit my lifted VX?”
“Which Bilstein shocks should I buy / avoid?”


That ought to be enough to get things started…
But please feel free to submit ANY useful information on the subject, be it great or small – whether it’s a write-up, part numbers, a related link, etc.


THANKS!!!

[kpaske]

I’ve done quite a bit of searching on the subject over the last year or so, and what I’ve discovered is that all of the forum’s shock information is pretty strewn and scattered – there doesn’t seem to be an individual thread that contains all (or even most) of the answers that someone might be looking for.

Have you seen this thread:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ghlight=shocks

Page 2 contains nearly all of the forum's collective knowledge on shocks that fit the VX.

[E-ZooZoo One]

DOH!!!

I have seen that thread... however, I completely failed to notice Page Two - and somehow never ran across the original posts that were quoted therein


I guess you can file this one under:
‘The road to Hell is paved with good intentions’

[kpaske]

It would be nice to get a FAQ and HOWTO written up though. I wish I had the time.

I do plan to take a TON of photos when I do my brake and suspension upgrades, so maybe someday I'll do one, or atleast contribute some photos if someone else wants to do one.

[Reg Hinnant]

Hi Guys,
It will be interesting if you find anything new out there. I finally gave up and at 90,000 miles went ahead and replaced mine with new original shocks.
I did not have any outward visible indications (shock leaking, etc) but when cornering hard you felt some undulation rather than getting firm and solid feeling into the turn. The springs are so hard that trying to test a shock by bouncing the car dosent work. A lot of the owners could tell a rear was bad by how rough it would be over speed bumps/pot holes.
A lot of people got the Bilsteins & Ranchos and raved about them in the beginning. Later, you could get most to admit that they were not as good nor would hold up like the originals. (Guess I'll get flamed for saying that....LOL But its true)
Arm your selves with the distance collapsed & extended and go hunting! Good luck!

[kpaske]

A lot of people got the Bilsteins & Ranchos and raved about them in the beginning. Later, you could get most to admit that they were not as good nor would hold up like the originals. (Guess I'll get flamed for saying that....LOL But its true)

I got the Ranchos after my stock shocks were shot at ~50k miles. I think finding a reasonable shock that worked well in the VX was why most of us were so pleased with them, not that we thought they were better than the originals. However, I must say that I've got over 60k on these Ranchos and they still seem to be holding up.

In retrospect I wish I would have noticed the problem sooner and had them replaced under warranty, but then those might have gone out by now, so we were all kind of screwed either way.

I say that because I was under the impression that shock failure on the originals was extremely common, but you say yours have lasted 90k. I guess what it boils down to is they are great shocks when you get good ones, but they're way too expensive for most people to take a chance on them if theirs go out after their warranty is up. What is the warranty on replacement OEM shocks?

[johnnyapollo]

I've got over 75K miles on my original shocks without issues.

-- John

[E-ZooZoo One]

I test-drove a VX the other day that had 135+ K miles on it - with a set of OEM shocks. --- I don't know if they were the originals or not - or even if they were still as firm as they're supposed to be - but that thing handled so much better than mine, it made me sick (and started me thinking about replacements in a BIG WAY!)

But, like so many others before me, I simply can't justify the cost to pony-up for a set of OEMs right now - so I'm looking for "reasonable" alternatives... something that will at least do the job well enough, without hearing "You spent HOW MUCH???" from Miss Kathy

[Joe_Black]

I'm at 130K on the IronMan with the stock shocks and they're still in "like new" condition. Once I score a full set of OEM 18" wheels (just need one!) my plan is to pop for the Bilstein 7100's from Independent4X4 since a full set would only be $760 and they're fully rebuildable.

[VR4-Quest]

Search under my username, I have info on rebuilding the OE shocks for much less than buying them new!!!

[E-ZooZoo One]

Search under my username, I have info on rebuilding the OE shocks for much less than buying them new!!!

EXCELLENT!!!

Knowing where to look, all it took was a quick search, and BINGO: > LINK <

Thank you!

[E-ZooZoo One]

Also on the subject of shocks...

Does anyone happen to have the e-mail address of the Isuzu engineer that designed the Upper Rear Shock Mount? --- I have a few 'choice words' that I'd like to share


If you don't already know what I'm talking about... Take a moment today and squeeze-in under your VX, with a closed-end 19mm Gear Wrench in your hand, and just TRY to fit that wrench onto the upper shock-mount nut.



Coming soon:
My personal opinion of the Gabriel Ultras

[Moncha]

If someone would take the intiative to write something up and either send it to me or post it. I'll find a nice permanent home for it.
The problem with making a "thread" out of a good subject is, the forum is transient and threads get buried and if no replies within a year have been made they will automatically get tossed into the archives. They won't get deleted, but even in the archives it makes it very hard to dig through the hundreds and thousands of posts and threads.

[E-ZooZoo One]

If someone would take the intiative...

By show of hands...

Who started this thread in the first place -- thinks it would be a good idea to put all of the forum's shock information into one easy-to-find write-up -- and is willing to gather all of that information together and write said write-up?



[** reluctantly raising my hand **]

[Solitude]

calmini might be a place to look..