Tom n N
Advanced Member
I had been considering replacing my approximately 20 year old KYB shocks, but of course the old saying “If it aint broke…” kept me from actually doing anything. Well, I returned last week from two weeks in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert to find that the weld holding the lower mount to the rest of my rear shock had separated. Time to finally get around to replacing them.
I had always figured when the time came I’d replace them with a set of Bilstein 4600’s. I made the mistake of doing a little research on this and other forums and of course now it’s much more complicated. Not only did I find out about the whole mono tube vs twin tube issue, but I also stumbled onto a thread on this forum from 2012 stating Bilsteins aren’t even made for offroad??? Now I’m confused! Also saw some great articles by Jon Hansen implying the best brands for my particular usage might be Boss or OME, but of course neither lists an application for my truck.
The particulars of my truck are as follows:
93 4x4 Toyota extended cab V6. It is unlifted. Half the year it only has an empty shell on it and rarely leaves pavement. The other half it has a fully loaded FW Camper on the back and spends a considerable amount of its time well off the road. Like a lot of you out there, when I’m headed out into the sticks, it’s overweight. Front axle is rated 2600# but is 2710# when loaded. Rear is rated 3000# but is 3740# when full. Yes, I’ve done a lot to mitigate this, but that’s a whole other thread. Right now I just want a recommendation on the best available shocks. As far as usage, I spend a lot of time on desert washboards, but at very slow speeds. I am NOT that jerk that passes you at 60 MPH on Saline Valley Road. While I am not a Rubicon rock crawler, I do frequent trails that use every bit of my stock articulation (to use another D.V. example, think Goler Wash / Mengel Pass after a bad storm year).
With that, what do you all recommend? I really appreciate any of you that have read through this long winded question, and look forward to hearing your opinions,
Thanks,
Tom
I had always figured when the time came I’d replace them with a set of Bilstein 4600’s. I made the mistake of doing a little research on this and other forums and of course now it’s much more complicated. Not only did I find out about the whole mono tube vs twin tube issue, but I also stumbled onto a thread on this forum from 2012 stating Bilsteins aren’t even made for offroad??? Now I’m confused! Also saw some great articles by Jon Hansen implying the best brands for my particular usage might be Boss or OME, but of course neither lists an application for my truck.
The particulars of my truck are as follows:
93 4x4 Toyota extended cab V6. It is unlifted. Half the year it only has an empty shell on it and rarely leaves pavement. The other half it has a fully loaded FW Camper on the back and spends a considerable amount of its time well off the road. Like a lot of you out there, when I’m headed out into the sticks, it’s overweight. Front axle is rated 2600# but is 2710# when loaded. Rear is rated 3000# but is 3740# when full. Yes, I’ve done a lot to mitigate this, but that’s a whole other thread. Right now I just want a recommendation on the best available shocks. As far as usage, I spend a lot of time on desert washboards, but at very slow speeds. I am NOT that jerk that passes you at 60 MPH on Saline Valley Road. While I am not a Rubicon rock crawler, I do frequent trails that use every bit of my stock articulation (to use another D.V. example, think Goler Wash / Mengel Pass after a bad storm year).
With that, what do you all recommend? I really appreciate any of you that have read through this long winded question, and look forward to hearing your opinions,
Thanks,
Tom