What are your all preferences on offroad shocks?
I'm a RS9000XL guy all the way, but I can appreciate others.
I'm a RS9000XL guy all the way, but I can appreciate others.
Shocks? Bilstein, Rancho, Etc?
- Thread starter OffRoadAcc
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I just had Bilsteins installed on my JKUR. I am shocked at the difference between them and the stock shocks. I cannot speak for Ranchos or some of the other brands, but so far no regrets on the Bilsteins.
Very happy with my Icons. They weren’t cheap, but they are awesome out of the box, rebuildable and can be customized for specific applications which I will wait to do when they need to be rebuilt down the road to tune them for the extra cargo weight I usually haul.
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I've heard alot of good things about icons lately, I also really like the fabtech dirt logic shocks.
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Bilstein is probably the best "disposable" shock on the market. Meaning the type of shocks you completely replace when they are worn out or damaged. It doesn't matter what platform you are talking about, they seem to set the standard. You have Icon, Radflo, FOX, and many many others in the rebuildable custom shocks that are great as well but the price of those are a limiting factor.
I originally wanted to use Radflos on my Xterra, and I may still go that route. However, I NEEDED new rear shocks for my Xterra before a trip this summer to the beach. The factory shocks with 150k miles were completely shot and would not control the rear of the vehicle. I have a set of rear Radflo shocks for 2"+ lift on a shelf at the house, but I don't have the rest of my lift parts. To get something in there, I went with a set of Bilstein 4600 shocks that were the original equipment rear shock on the OffRoad and PRO4x Xterras. I LOVE them. Even being their entry level shock, the ride and control is incredible.
After my experience with those, I'm considering going with the Bilstein 5100 series shocks for lifted Xterras instead of the Radflo shocks. Once they are worn out, I'll just replace them as a whole.
I originally wanted to use Radflos on my Xterra, and I may still go that route. However, I NEEDED new rear shocks for my Xterra before a trip this summer to the beach. The factory shocks with 150k miles were completely shot and would not control the rear of the vehicle. I have a set of rear Radflo shocks for 2"+ lift on a shelf at the house, but I don't have the rest of my lift parts. To get something in there, I went with a set of Bilstein 4600 shocks that were the original equipment rear shock on the OffRoad and PRO4x Xterras. I LOVE them. Even being their entry level shock, the ride and control is incredible.
After my experience with those, I'm considering going with the Bilstein 5100 series shocks for lifted Xterras instead of the Radflo shocks. Once they are worn out, I'll just replace them as a whole.
A bit of an open-ended question here, as my approach will vary drastically according to the vehicle in question, the driving style, and most regular terrain.
-If I was building a 2nd gen Tacoma that I was gonna be zipping around at 50 MPH over dry basins, I'd go with Fox's 2.5 Factory Series DSC. That would allow me to adjust the dampening to the level of cycling the suspension would experience (rockier terrain in Utah compared to more silt and eroded washboards in Nevada).
-On my old WJ for mostly fireroads, I went with Pro Comp ES9000s, as they are an economical and basic setup that wasn't too stiff or harsh when cycling fully in rocks, but firm enough to not roll the body everywhere on the highway.
-On my 3/4 Ram, I ran Ranchos because a stiff, thick shock is almost required. It'll be super harsh around town, but when I'm out and about in a full size truck, I've got half a cord of wood with me. That will keep the shocks a bit more honest once the suspension starts working offroad. When you drive a truck that size, you really shouldn't plan on having an empty bed, so go aggressive and stiff.
-My current FJ is a do-it-all build, although I spend most of time in Colorado driving through rock gardens and whoop-de-doos. As such, I don't need reservoirs. My Toytec Boss 2.0s soak up the full weight of all my armor and gear well, and while they are a bit harsher in the rocks, they run smooth and fast enough to let me get on the throttle still in the desert.
-If I was building a 2nd gen Tacoma that I was gonna be zipping around at 50 MPH over dry basins, I'd go with Fox's 2.5 Factory Series DSC. That would allow me to adjust the dampening to the level of cycling the suspension would experience (rockier terrain in Utah compared to more silt and eroded washboards in Nevada).
-On my old WJ for mostly fireroads, I went with Pro Comp ES9000s, as they are an economical and basic setup that wasn't too stiff or harsh when cycling fully in rocks, but firm enough to not roll the body everywhere on the highway.
-On my 3/4 Ram, I ran Ranchos because a stiff, thick shock is almost required. It'll be super harsh around town, but when I'm out and about in a full size truck, I've got half a cord of wood with me. That will keep the shocks a bit more honest once the suspension starts working offroad. When you drive a truck that size, you really shouldn't plan on having an empty bed, so go aggressive and stiff.
-My current FJ is a do-it-all build, although I spend most of time in Colorado driving through rock gardens and whoop-de-doos. As such, I don't need reservoirs. My Toytec Boss 2.0s soak up the full weight of all my armor and gear well, and while they are a bit harsher in the rocks, they run smooth and fast enough to let me get on the throttle still in the desert.
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Considering the Bilstein 5100 series for my mild lift with the OME springs. I have heard they run soft which is why I'm torn between these and the OME nitro shocks
I have used Bilstein on a number of vehicles Trucks for work, play, DD and now my DD/Overland rig. As well as street cars and track cars - as TerryD said for disposable shocks I think their the best. And they make some really great revalve-able / rebuildable shocks also.
Personally until I go with a truly custom suspension set up I will stick with Bilsteins because to me they have proven to be the best bang for the dollars spent.
But if your doing a total custom rig build and changing suspension pieces to gain more travel then Icon and Fox are great choices if you have the money and will use them.
And as No Known Boundaries pointed out making a vehicle act perfect off road will most likely make it scary on the highway at speed. I have heard of Tacoma per-runners being driven by high school-er turning over going around a city street corner when the tin paddle was pushed a little too hard. And these have empty beds no camping gear on them.
Personally until I go with a truly custom suspension set up I will stick with Bilsteins because to me they have proven to be the best bang for the dollars spent.
But if your doing a total custom rig build and changing suspension pieces to gain more travel then Icon and Fox are great choices if you have the money and will use them.
And as No Known Boundaries pointed out making a vehicle act perfect off road will most likely make it scary on the highway at speed. I have heard of Tacoma per-runners being driven by high school-er turning over going around a city street corner when the tin paddle was pushed a little too hard. And these have empty beds no camping gear on them.
It my depend on the finished vehicle weight? Bilstein off-road tech is usually really go with answering questions.
Ran Bilsteins on all my rigs, from 1st gen 4runner to my current FZJ80. Custom suspension and tuned for my rig and they do great on the highway and off road. Shocks are only part of the suspension equation. So make sure your entire lift is "parts" friendly.
i love the ome nitros. i sell them and i think they did a great job on them.
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I'm still torn as I just found some Fox shocks that'll work with the OME kit. Not sure which route to go as this will go on a daily driven rig.
if you have a part number ill give u a great deal on them.
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