bilstein/koni shock options and dimensions collected

[semlin]

I have been doing some research on bilstein and konis. It is amazing how hard it is to find out info about these shocks so I thought I would share.

The OEM replacement Bilsteins b461477 and 1478 are recommended by Bilstein Australia for up to a 2" lift. Bilstein here does not rate them for a lift. You can pick these up online for $65US each including shipping which is less than OME. Their dimensions are:

b461477 594mm 365 mm front (extended/compressed)
b461478 591mm 380mm rear

According to specific discussions with Bilstein Australia they are too short for a 2.5" OME lift. However, I suspect they may have picked the 2" cutoff line on purpose to eliminate most lifts from their warranty. If you compare them to the OME specifications below they have the same travel as the n73/74 shocks but are an inch shorter. The question is how much leeway OME has built into their shock length.

I do not know what you guys mean by "HD" bilstein shocks but all bilstein custom series shocks (5100-9100) are eye/eye fittings which do not fit on an 80 stud/stud front, stud/eye rear setup without adaptors (in which case to compensate for the adaptors you need a shock 2" shorter on the front and 1" shorter on the rear). I udnerstand you can special order from bilstein but I guess price becomes an issue plus I can't get past voicemail at bilstein usa to see if they have anything custom recommended. Bilstein australia has no standard setup sold for larger lifts and the stock shocks apparently get used a lot on bigger lifts.

Koni has no stock recommended shock for an 80 in north america.
The Koni Heavytrack and Raid shocks designed for the 80 series can be special ordered into north america from holland. I am still waiting for prices but have been warned to brace myself. Their dimensions are as follows:

30-1427 353mm 578mm front heavy track gas (no lift)
30-1426 355mm 584mm rear
90-5389 368mm 620mm front raid (up to 50mm lift)
90-5390 384mm 609mm rear

Note that the first "non-lifted" heavy track is shorter than the bilsteins.
I have also found additional heavytracks listed for australia only for up to 50mm lift but I have no dimensions and not sure yet if you can get in north america.

82-2385 front
82-2386 rear
82-2385sp1 front
82-2386sp1 rear

The Koni Raid series above seems like it would work for a bigger lift than 50mm if you compare it to OME lengths which are as follows:

N70 ......... 614 .......... 354 f (neutral lift)
N71E ........ 620 .......... 370 r
N74E ........ 620 .......... 370 f (2.5" lift)
N73 ......... 614 .......... 354 r
N73L ........ 667 .......... 387 f (3.5" lift)
N74L ........ 667 .......... 387 r

It is also interesting that the OME zero lift shocks are so long which makes me think length may be a little arbitrary for OME. If someone could measure the length of their OME 73/74s at full extension with a specific spring then we would know how much leeway they have built in and sort out whether the shorter bilsteins might be fine for the medium/heavy ome lifts.

I do not have stock oem shock measurements other than a recent comment by cruiserdan that they are 1 7/16" (36 mm) shorter than the OME regulars which would be about 584mm. If anyone knows exact length and travel for a baseline that would be great.

Koni Australia also sells a special "88 series" shock for lifted 80s which is apparently a special custom shock put together by the Austyralian distributor. I am trying to get the exact specs on it because in north america an 88 series Koni shock is a motorhome/commercial shock widely available in numerous models. Unfortunately Koni Australia does not seem to want to share.

Koni Australia sells the RAID shocks there as a "90 series". In north america a 90 series shock is a heavy commercial vehicle/bus line of shocks one up from the 88 and, again, there are lots of different shocks available.

Here is the 2004 Koni heavy duty catalog showing the dimensions for 88 and 90 series individual models but not the valving. You can see these are big twin tube shocks with lots of alternatives for length out there, some of which have the stud/stud or stud/eye combo needed for an 80.

www.koni-na.com/pdfcatalogs/KONI004Catalog.pdf

Going back to the part numbers listed above for Koni heavytrack and raids you can now see that the first 2 numbers designate the series. The no lift heavytracks are 30 series (monotube 5/8" piston rod). The australian lifted heavytracks are 82 series (not sure what these are) while the Raids are 90 series (twin tube 17.5 or 18 mm pistons). The www.koni4x4.com site lists a number of features for the RAID shock

The Koni 88 and 90 series are sold direct in north america at www.konirv.com priced at US$120 and $161 each retail. So far I have not tried to find a discounted price.

Right now I am leaning towards the bilstein stockers if I am sure they will fit because the price is so good, or else ordering an 88 or 90 seires from koni, possibly with custom valving in case i move up in lift.

EDIT 06/08/05

More data points.

It looks like there is a fairly close match for the OME 73/74Es in the Konis. Here are the specs for the Koni 82 series heavytrack australia (50mm lift shocks) I mentioned above. You can get them in north america special ordered from holland if you allow minimum 6 weeks shipping through koni usa.

82 2385 617 mm / 373mm front
Forces rebound = 2600 N, compression = 1050N

82 2386 617mm / 373 mm rear
Forces rebound = 2300 N, compression = 1050 N

Price is US$ 122 ea and US$ 114 ea. The rebound stats are when stroked at 33 m/s. These are roughly same length, same rear stroke, but a 19mm shorter front stroke than the OME 73/74e combo so you could use them with 0 lift up to at least the ome heavy springs. The 82 series has a 16 mm piston rod, 33 mm piston and 50 mm reservoir. Koni says their shocks carry a 40% surplus of oil over design needs.

For a big lift the following are suggested for the 80 series by Koni at $165 each
90 5055SP2 - 688 mm 399 front
90 2367SP2 - 702 mm 424 rear

Koni "suggests" but will not warranty these shocks on a lifted 80. You can see the stroke is very similar to OME L series but at 21 mm and 35mm longer you would need a lot of spring lift for these big boys plus you might need to mod the shock mounts. According to Koni the pin mounts require a chassis plate that is roughly 10 mm thick. the shocks are 70mm tubes with 80mm dust covers and they need a 30mm dia hole for the pins and the rear eye has a 1" ID and is 1.97" long (my stock eye is 1.25" long but have not measured an OME). Price = US$165 each.

If interested in these or other 90 series options you need to check the rebound rates in the catalog for these models then talk to Koni about how they would rides. I am not sure I understand the rating system they are using.

There remains the possibility of tracking down the elusive 88 series Australian Konis. These would be bigger shocks than the 82 series heavy tracks above and in the same US$120 price ranges. I have tried Koni USA and they are sure they do not exist outside australia. I have also tried Koni Australia without success.

EDit: koni says the 82 series are twin tube single adjustable

Update

I have more info on the Koni shocks including the elusive 88 series...

The $Can price for the 30 series heavytracks and 90 series Raid shocks noted above.

301427 C$118.26/per monotube
301427 C$118.26/per
905389 C$272.91/per twintube
905390 C$236.52/per

Plus C$40 freight charge. These shocks are sourced from Holland by Koni North America as a special order. According to Koni Australia these shocks are designed by Koni France. Koni Australia does not sell the 30 monotube series, preferring their 82 heavytrack twintube series line, but they do stock a "few" RAIDS. On an australian forum someone commented it is almost impossible to get koni retailers to give any details about the RAIDs which they do not seem to want to sell.

Here are the specs on the other "82 2385/86sp1" series Koni australian heavytrack noted above. You can also order this through Koni North America and it will be sourced from Holland. This is a twin tube shock rated for "zero lift" by Koni Australia. I believe it is the same price as the longer 82-2385/86 series noted above.

82-2385sp1 , 600 & 372
82-2386sp1 , 584 & 373

Note the dimensions and compare to the bilstein stockers rated to 50mm.

Here are the specs for the 88 series shocks for an 80 only from Koni Australia. Koni Australia has them specially built locally and is prepared to sell these direct into Canada on one off orders with permission from Koni-North America. You could try and buy them by contacting Koni Australia directly, but weight for the price...

88-1688, Max, 615 mm. Min. 363 mm.
88-1689, Max 612, Min 369

The price is ... Aus$642 per pair front, Aus$632 per pair rear! Plus shipping and any duties from Oz! Koni Australia notes that the special 88 series is designed for desert conditions because of problems with heat they had with landcruisers, particularly with the upper shock mount inside the engine compartment.

Koni Australia says no "regular" 88 series truck shock would work on an 80 series without valving and fitting changes. They also expressed confidence their shocks will outperform the OME shocks in all conditions. This is borne out by the respect konis get on Australian forums.

There aren't any longer Koni shocks available because company policy prevents them selling any shock that would stretch stock brakelines or other stock components. You have to go custom if you want bigger. Given the price of their best stock, I will leave that alone.

So folks, I think this now covers specs and prices for every possible shock available from Bilstein or Koni that is designed to fit an 80. There are plenty of eye/eye custom bilsteins out there.

[woody]

good numbers to have....

per your numbers:

N74E (front) = 250 stroke
N73 (rear) = 260 stroke

b461477 (front) = 229 stroke
b461478 (rear) = 211 stroke

curious why the Bilstein uses a 18mm shorter rear stroke while OME uses 10mm longer for rear....

[semlin]

i asked if the guy who gave them to me if that was reversed front/rear and was told no. I wondered as well.

[RavenTai]

my shocks are original OEM and need to be replaced, I had been holding out trying to figure out what I want to do, some say they do not like OME shocks for life expectancy and several other complaints, others are very happy with them, info on other shocks was spotty, after the other thread that had dimensions I saw that the bilsteines were not that much shorter than OME's I figured I would go with what I had used in the past and was happy with.

Ordered the Bilsteins from Autozone.com yesterday free shipping but had to pay tax, total came out to just over $250 for all 4 corners, could not find them any cheaper anywhere else. Should be hear later this week or early the next

Koni's were not an option due to price and availability,

the loss of more or less an inch of travel does have me worried about compatibility later down the road, I don’t have any lift right now but plan on standard OME springs later I could not find much info here weather it woudl be a problem or not, I would imagine for most uses you will not get into the extremes of travel, to worry about it.

When I pull the OEM ones out I can get their dimensions, eye to eye shocks are easy enough to measure, but what about stud style? Where do you measure from?


Later down the road I may have to modify it to take some 7100 series with custom mounts but bolt on for now.

[elum]

appreciate all the good work! gracias...

[semlin]

Raventai

stud style measures from the base of the stud. eye style is middle of the eye.

[Augie]

I been waiting to get Koni Heavy Track for my 100 series for a few months. Koni USA would not even give the price. I managed to get pricing on regular KONI and somebody quote me $84 each with free shipping from a dealer in California.

[RavenTai]

Originally Posted by semlin

Raventai

stud style measures from the base of the stud. eye style is middle of the eye.

I would have guessed the middle of the bushing where it meets the mount, now I know better.

[TFS55]

as I have posted in other thread about Bils with OME lifts, I will post it here again on our experinces with that combo. The bils thumps during extensions when combined with OME springs with 30mm spacers in the front. therefore you can use it going to the malls on ly if you have more than 2" lift unless you make shock extensions. also being monotube design i think it is the reason why they cannot extend or compress much more than twin tubed designed shocks. as for the ride we did not notice any difference, sometimes it is softer though in some instances.

[RavenTai]

Originally Posted by TFS55

as I have posted in other thread about Bils with OME lifts, I will post it here again on our experinces with that combo. The bils thumps during extensions when combined with OME springs with 30mm spacers in the front. therefore you can use it going to the malls on ly if you have more than 2" lift unless you make shock extensions. also being monotube design i think it is the reason why they cannot extend or compress much more than twin tubed designed shocks. as for the ride we did not notice any difference, sometimes it is softer though in some instances.

witch springs were you running with the 30mm spacers?

[Fochdog]

So far my combo, 850 & 860 OME springs and B46-1477 B46-1478 Bilstein shocks have been great.

I did some moderate off road this past weekend with no ill effects due to ride travel.

When I installed my Bilstein shocks I compared them to the OE take offs and they measured (roughly) the same travel within a few millimeters.

[TFS55]

ome 50mm springs with super pro 30mm spacers front, ome 50mm rear springs

[semlin]

what model # are these OME 50mm springs? We don't use that designation in north america.

[CharlieS]

The OME med I have are 50mm lift... 860/851 I think....

Charlie

[semlin]

More data points. I will update the first post to include this info:

It looks like there is a fairly close match for the OME 73/74Es in the Konis. Here are the specs for the Koni 82 series heavytrack australia (50mm lift shocks) I mentioned above. You can get them in north america special ordered from holland if you allow minimum 6 weeks shipping through koni usa.

82 2385 617 mm / 373mm front
Forces rebound = 2600 N, compression = 1050N

82 2386 617mm / 373 mm rear
Forces rebound = 2300 N, compression = 1050 N

Price is US$ 122 ea and US$ 114 ea. The rebound stats are when stroked at 33 m/s. These are roughly same length, same rear stroke, but a 19mm shorter front stroke than the OME 73/74e combo so you could use them with 0 lift up to at least the ome heavy springs. The 82 series has a 16 mm piston rod, 33 mm piston and 50 mm reservoir. Koni says their shocks carry a 40% surplus of oil over design needs.

For a big lift the following are suggested for the 80 series by Koni at $165 each
90 5055SP2 - 688 mm 399 front
90 2367SP2 - 702 mm 424 rear

Koni "suggests" but will not warranty these shocks on a lifted 80. You can see the stroke is very similar to OME L series but at 21 mm and 35mm longer you would need a lot of spring lift for these big boys plus you might need to mod the shock mounts. According to Koni the pin mounts require a chassis plate that is roughly 10 mm thick. the shocks are 70mm tubes with 80mm dust covers and they need a 30mm dia hole for the pins and the rear eye has a 1" ID and is 1.97" long (my stock eye is 1.25" long but have not measured an OME). Price = US$165 each.

If interested in these or other 90 series options you need to check the rebound rates in the catalog for these models then talk to Koni about how they would rides. I am not sure I understand the rating system they are using.

There remains the possibility of tracking down the elusive 88 series Australian Konis. These would be bigger shocks than the 82 series heavy tracks above and in the same US$120 price ranges. I have tried Koni USA and they are sure they do not exist outside australia. I have also tried Koni Australia without success.

[TFS55]

oh sorry

front OME 851
rear OME 860

[Darwood]

Does any one know if the Koni's monotube or twintube shocks?

[Cruiser Jimmy]

Originally Posted by Darwood

Does any one know if the Koni's monotube or twintube shocks?

Raid's are twintubes.
Heavy Track could be TT or Mono.

[Augie]

Semlin,

Where did you get the pricing from. I been trying to get this in the last 3 months and KONI-NA would not even give me the pricing.

[semlin]

the 82 series heavytracks are twin tube single adjustable. just confirmed that today.

the 30 series heavytracks are monotube and the 88/90 series are twin tubes.

the pricing was from koni tech support. I am thinking about the 82 series now over the bilstein since they are twintube and adjustable. they are a lot more money so tough call.

[Cruiser Jimmy]

Originally Posted by semlin

I do not have stock oem shock measurements other than a recent comment by cruiserdan that they are 1 7/16" (36 mm) shorter than the OME regulars which would be about 584mm. If anyone knows exact length and travel for a baseline that would be great.

Semlin,
I've got some baseline info ya. This info is based on the KYB Monomax shocks which are spec'ed to the stock shock.

Front
Max length 571mm
Min length 355mm
Rear
Max length 572mm
Min length 362mm

[semlin]

Update

I have more info on the Koni shocks including the elusive 88 series...

The $Can price for the 30 series heavytracks and 90 series Raid shocks noted above.

301427 C$118.26/per monotube
301427 C$118.26/per
905389 C$272.91/per twintube
905390 C$236.52/per

Plus C$40 freight charge. These shocks are sourced from Holland by Koni North America as a special order. According to Koni Australia these shocks are designed by Koni France. Koni Australia does not sell the 30 monotube series, preferring their 82 heavytrack twintube series line, but they do stock a "few" RAIDS. On an australian forum someone commented it is almost impossible to get koni retailers to give any details about the RAIDs which they do not seem to want to sell.

Here are the specs on the other "82 2385/86sp1" series Koni australian heavytrack noted above. You can also order this through Koni North America and it will be sourced from Holland. This is a twin tube shock rated for "zero lift" by Koni Australia. I believe it is the same price as the longer 82-2385/86 series noted above.

82-2385sp1 , 600 & 372
82-2386sp1 , 584 & 373

Note the dimensions and compare to the bilstein stockers rated to 50mm.

Here are the specs for the 88 series shocks for an 80 only from Koni Australia. Koni Australia has them specially built locally and is prepared to sell these direct into Canada on one off orders with permission from Koni-North America. You could try and buy them by contacting Koni Australia directly, but weight for the price...

88-1688, Max, 615 mm. Min. 363 mm.
88-1689, Max 612, Min 369

The price is ... Aus$642 per pair front, Aus$632 per pair rear! Plus shipping and any duties from Oz! Koni Australia notes that the special 88 series is designed for desert conditions because of problems with heat they had with landcruisers, particularly with the upper shock mount inside the engine compartment.

Koni Australia says no "regular" 88 series truck shock would work on an 80 series without valving and fitting changes. They also expressed confidence their shocks will outperform the OME shocks in all conditions. This is borne out by the respect konis get on Australian forums.

There aren't any longer Koni shocks available because company policy prevents them selling any shock that would stretch stock brakelines or other stock components. You have to go custom if you want bigger. Given the price of their best stock, I will leave that alone.

So folks, I think this now covers specs and prices for every possible shock available from Bilstein or Koni that is designed to fit an 80. There are plenty of eye/eye custom bilsteins out there.

I am thinking 8235/8236s for me...

[Cattledog]

Great post! Thanks for sharing the research.

[elum]

down and dirty question. I could use someone breaking this down for me barney style. If I were to run Bilstein shocks I can do "X" amount of lift... or if I did Koni shocks I could do "Y" amount of lift.. I know there might be some grey area with the use of spacers and stuff... but please explain it to me like I'm a 4-year old... arigato!

[semlin]

ok here are the options in summary form:

a. The cheapest option is the bilstein stock replacement monotubes at US$65 each. These same shocks are rated in Australia for up to a 50mm lift but not in north america so you should be ok on a medium/heavy lift but you might have warranty issues. Based on the lengths noted above you will give up one inch of length and some stroke compared to OME 73/74e shocks. However, the OME's may not be using all their length in a medium/heavy lift so you may not notice much change. Bilstein is the only shock in this list you can order and get right away. Monotube shocks are more vulnerable to damage offroad than twintubes.

b. The next cheapest option are Koni 30 series heavytrack shocks at $Can120 or maybe US$95. These are adjustable monotubes rated for no lift by Koni. They are, however, similar in length to the bilsteins so maybe you could use them for a 50mm lift. These shocks are designed by Koni France and are not sold by Koni Australia which has their own heavytrack line for the 80 series.

c. The 82 series Koni australia heavytracks are US$122 ea and US$ 114 each front and rear. These come in two sizes: no lift or 50mm lift. Koni North America does warranty the lift shocks for 50mm lift so these are the first shocks listed where you should have a warranty on a lifted truck. They are roughly the same dimensions as the OME 73/74E shocks and should work where they work. These shocks are twintube and adjustable and so should hold up better offroad.

d. The 88 series heavytrack Koni australia shocks can only be special ordered from koni australia and are Aus$321 each front (US$246), Aus$316 rear (US$243) plus shipping and any duty. They have roughly the same length as the 82 long shocks but are physically bigger being adapted from a heavy "bus" shock. They were developed by Koni Australia specifically to address outback use including problems with heat in desert conditions. Typical intended use includes high speed driving on washboard roads in hgh temps. These shocks seem to be the "ulitmate" 80 shock in australia.

e. The Koni 90 series RAID shocks for 50mm lift. C$272.91 front and C$236.52 rear (US $218 and US$189.16). These are roughly the same length as the ome73/74s. They are designed by Koni France for a 50mm lift and are sold as a heavy duty offroad shock by Koni. They are twintube adjustable and you can find info about design at koni4x4.com. The only mark against these shocks is that Koni Australia is reportedly unenthusiastic about selling them, which may be simply because they cut into their 88 series.

f. For big lifts there is the Koni rv/commercial 88 or 90 series. These are US$120 and US$165 each and are sold for motorhomes, trucks and ambulances. There is a link to a catalogue above showing many possibilities. Koni did suggest a combo listed above that could work with an 80 that would be longer than the OME "L" series shocks but you would need to work with Koni to determine how they would ride and whether the shock mounts would need modiciation.

e. Also for bigger lifts there are the bilstein custom series starting at 5100 series at $100 each all the way to 9100. The only issue with these is that they are eye/eye shocks while 80s need stud/stud front and stud/eye rears. You could use adaptors (which cost dough and force you to buy a shorter shock sacrificing travel) or you could work directly with Bilstein USA to see if they will customize the mountings for you.

First caveat, Bilstein and Koni rate some of their shocks for up to 50 mm of lift on an 80. This also appears to be the lift rating under which OME medium and heavy springs are sold in australia. We are used to referring to them as a 2.5" lift here, which is 63mm. I am assuming that the 50mm lift rating by the shock manufacturer means they will warranty them with the ome medium/heavies.

Second caveat, in order to buy the Bilsteins you can go surf the web. To buy the konis contact koni north america and special order from holland then wait 6 weeks at least, except for the 88 series where you must buy from koni australia direct.

third caveat, I am not a shock engineer so I can't tell you if any of these shocks will work on a lift over 50mm, but I notice that slee sells the OME L series shocks for its 6 inch lift. Those shocks measure as follows

N73L ........ 667 .......... 387 f
N74L ........ 667 .......... 387

That is only about 50mm/2 inches longer than the various koni 50mm rated shocks noted above, and about half an inch higher on full compression. This seems to make it likely that the Koni 50mm rated shocks would work on larger lifts. For example, you can use the OME 73/74s with J springs so that should be safe with the konis.