OEM shock replacement. Feedback? (1 Viewer)

[Super77]

Taking the 62 for a little light wheeling next month. It's 99% stock right now, down to the shocks, which if not original, appear at least a decade old. So, time for new ones.

Having no lift or other suspension mods, I debated whether this was simply to be a return to factory feel or the start of something bigger. I opted for the former. Boring, but my logic: basic shocks are cheap, and not smart to plunge into upgrades half-assed.

I decided on KYB Gas Adjust. $110 shipped for all 4 corners on Amazon. Any thoughts from those who have tried these? Installation tips? I've only ever done the coilovers on my Miata (also KYBs) Don't quite know what to expect on the 62.

 

[Mace]

I always found them to be a bit rough on a 60..

 

[DOGMARLEY]

A lot of the generic aftermarket shocks have a pretty ruff ride compared to factory. Personally, I would return them and get OE toyota from one of the guys on the forum. Very simple to replace though on our trucks. Good luck.

 

[gregnash]

There is another thread out there that has listing for the new Bilstein 5125s with the stud/eye combo. Looking at their chart quickly it looks like they do offer ones that are close to stock length with the 255/70 valving which seems to be close to OEM valving.

 

[pappy]

I decided on KYB Gas Adjust. $110 shipped for all 4 corners on Amazon.

Not a 62, but I ran KYB on my 4Runner years ago. Very stiff. I have some stock replacement Gabriel from Autozone on the back of my FJ40 and they are fine.

 

[Tapage]

put in the list procomps .. fairly cheap, and not that stiff .. dunno if they have a factory replacement tho ..

 

[SteveH]

I'm happy with KYB Gasadjusts on my FJ62. The front suspension is sagged out, but the rear is still in decent shape. I frequently get KYBs because they are durable and inexpensive, and I like the ride. I think they might be a little much for an FJ40, which already rides like a brick wagon, but on a 60 series, they are ok.

 

[bentonrover]

I love my kyb on my 62. Mine was same price from Amazon.com. for what I use for. Perfect all day

 

[David*BJ70]

I have put OEM shocks on my stock ex-BJ70. Cheap… but I was disappointed with the performance. The OEM shocks act like a single-action shocks instead of double-action shocks. The OEM do not absorb the bump, but only the «conter-bump», the leafs springs do all the job and absorb the bump.

Then, I put KYB shocks on my ex-BJ70 (same shocks as the 62). The KYB (and Monroe, …) are double-action shock. They work both-way. I found a great improvement on the ride. I also have KYB shock on my BJ42 with OME spring.

 

[Super77]

Thanks, everyone. Looking online, it appears that Toyota-branded OE shocks are either unavailable in both front and rear, or hella overpriced for what they are. KYB makes a passenger car grade with a claimed softer ride called Excel-G, but only for a 62's rear. GasAjust seems to be their OE replacement offering for our trucks.

One other question: while I'm underneath, what else can I do to easily snug up the street ride (short of replacing the springs)? Bushings? Lube? I have only worked on more modern suspensions.

Looking forward to correcting tightening up the truck's handling a bit.

 

[Super77]

Following up on this:

Got the KYBs in this weekend. Really much easier of a job than I expected, save for the one non-standard bolt some stoonad had forced into the mounting peg for one shock. The hardest part was safely jacking up the truck to allow the suspension to droop adequately.

The KYBs are a noticeable improvement. Not rough at all, just a smoothing out of all the jarring and rattling I had become used to. I don't get the sense I will be autocrossing this rig, but for daily driving the KYBs seem like good improvement value.

 

[lovetoski]

One other question: while I'm underneath, what else can I do to easily snug up the street ride (short of replacing the springs)? Bushings? Lube? I have only worked on more modern suspensions.

The OEM rubber bushings give a more compliant ride, as in they soften up some of the bumps. They also wear over time, and contribute to sloppy handling. You could replace with OEM, or switch to PU bushings, or even go to after-market shackles with a bit of lift. Replacing bushings and/or shackles can be a bit of a PIA as they get pretty stuck in place over the years. It's a grimy job, as you end up crawling around on the ground alot. And, you may find you need to remove the u-bolts to get the spring back in place. PU bushings will firm up the ride, not a lot, but somewhat.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Replacing the shackle and spring bushing with PU (polyurethane) is a good move. You could also replace sway bar bushings.

 

[C130FE]

Taking the 62 for a little light wheeling next month. It's 99% stock right now, down to the shocks, which if not original, appear at least a decade old. So, time for new ones.

Having no lift or other suspension mods, I debated whether this was simply to be a return to factory feel or the start of something bigger. I opted for the former. Boring, but my logic: basic shocks are cheap, and not smart to plunge into upgrades half-assed.

I decided on KYB Gas Adjust. $110 shipped for all 4 corners on Amazon. Any thoughts from those who have tried these? Installation tips? I've only ever done the coilovers on my Miata (also KYBs) Don't quite know what to expect on the 62.

Hey Super. What model KYB did you use? I looked at a couple of them and Amazon said they are not compatible with the 89FJ...

 

[Honest Don]

I imagine he's using KG5475 for the front and KG4026 for the rear. Those are what I'm using anyway.


For the money, I'd consider them a much better shock than the monroe/rancho that they replaced. That's just me though....

 

[Super77]

Hey Super. What model KYB did you use? I looked at a couple of them and Amazon said they are not compatible with the 89FJ...

I imagine he's using KG5475 for the front and KG4026 for the rear. Those are what I'm using anyway.


For the money, I'd consider them a much better shock than the monroe/rancho that they replaced. That's just me though....

KG5462 & KG5475

 

[Honest Don]

Interesting.

The 5462 has a larger diameter at 43.5mm which may accommodate better ride control, but has a stroke of 7.36 inches(13.62 collapsed/20.98 extended).

The 4026 has a smaller diameter of 39.2mm but gains over an inch of travel at 8.46 inches(13.7 collapsed/22.17 extended).

Both obviously fit, but which one is "correct?" The 4026 is what what rockauto came up with when I searched my 60. I wonder if they make a shock with both the larger bore and the longer travel?




EDIT: Rockauto also calls up a 5462 for an FJ62. Suspension-wise, aren't the 60 & 62 identical?

 

[Honest Don]

Oh yeah, the 62 has a rear swaybar. Maybe that has something to do with the reduced stroke?