Dobinsons IMS or MRA (1 Viewer)

[AGENTFJ]

TL;DR looking for reviews of people running the IMS shocks. How’s the ride, are you happy with them, do you wish you had gone with the MRA setup?

I’m trying to decide between the Dobinsons IMS and MRA shocks. Im looking to improve the overall ride on these Colorado paved/unpaved roads. I’ve just switched to their C97-146/7 VT coils. Coming from OME heavy coils those are already an improvement, but I’m still running the OME nitro chargers and want to ditch them.

I have a slee short bus front bumper and winch (about 270lbs) and the slee rear with dual swing out and tire carrier rear (about 450lbs). I also have slee sliders. So I have a bit of weight but not as much as I see on others rolling around. Running Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires if anyone is curious.

Im leaning towards the MRAs but wonder if they’re overkill and if the IMS would be enough. I’m just looking to help improve some of the comfort on and off-road. I drive the LC maybe a couple days a week. 50% of the time off-road on washboard roads. Looking to get a little further from the feel of riding in an old f250 that the OME setup felt like.

Would like to get some thoughts/reviews of people running similar and using IMS shocks and how the ride is and if you wished you had gone MRA. If so why?

 

[Jasonazx]

TL;DR looking for reviews of people running the IMS shocks. How’s the ride, are you happy with them, do you wish you had gone with the MRA setup?

I’m trying to decide between the Dobinsons IMS and MRA shocks. Im looking to improve the overall ride on these Colorado paved/unpaved roads. I’ve just switched to their C97-146/7 VT coils. Coming from OME heavy coils those are already an improvement, but I’m still running the OME nitro chargers and want to ditch them.

I have a slee short bus front bumper and winch (about 270lbs) and the slee rear with dual swing out and tire carrier rear (about 450lbs). I also have slee sliders. So I have a bit of weight but not as much as I see on others rolling around. Running Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires if anyone is curious.

Im leaning towards the MRAs but wonder if they’re overkill and if the IMS would be enough. I’m just looking to help improve some of the comfort on and off-road. I drive the LC maybe a couple days a week. 50% of the time off-road on washboard roads. Looking to get a little further from the feel of riding in an old f250 that the OME setup felt like.

Would like to get some thoughts/reviews of people running similar and using IMS shocks and how the ride is and if you wished you had gone MRA. If so why?

It’s nice being able to reduce the high speed compression with the mra’s to improve overall ride on road. Then being able to slightly increase low speed compression and rebound is great to keep the truck from rocking aggressively while offroad. The IMS come valved down the middle in the settings from my understanding, which in my opinion, can feel a little firm.

 

[COYS]

BP cinco unos

 

[AGENTFJ]

BP cinco unos

I appreciate it, but I’m only considering the two options mentioned.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

If you do Washboard roads, get the MRA shocks. IMS are good but the more oil, the better.

 

[WiscoPat]

MRAs are the superior choice if you go off pavement often, with various terrain and at variable speeds.

Personally, the IMS I have are great, and have been in most all situations I've put them through over the past 2 years. For my use case, I didn't want to bother getting in and out of the vehicle to dial things in frequently; just air down and drive. That, and the price difference, made me pick the IMS and I've been happy with them.

 

[77mustard40]

Agree with @WiscoPat love the IMS but MRA’s would let you dial in your rig to your liking. I haven’t lost sleep over the IMS and I’ve got other things to spend the coin on.

 

[AGENTFJ]

Agree with @WiscoPat love the IMS but MRA’s would let you dial in your rig to your liking. I haven’t lost sleep over the IMS and I’ve got other things to spend the coin on.

Thank you and @WiscoPat. I’m thinking the IMS would be a huge improvement over the OME nitro chargers I’m currently running. I suppose I’m just curious how smooth the ride is with the IMS. I’m off-road about every weekend or every other and I don’t daily the 80 as I work from home. I’d say 25% of my off-road time is on forest service roads that are pretty rough and the other 25% is on various surfaces, going over rocks (not rock crawling), steep climbs, rutted out roads, off-camber, etc. Various Colorado trails. The other 50% on road are mostly not highway and on city roads/streets that are not smooth (or at least don’t feel smooth currently). I’m hoping to smooth some of this out. While I will get the MRA is I need them, im also great with saving half if the IMS meet my needs. Honestly while the adjustability sounds great I would probably, in reality, find that point that is a happy medium between my use cases and leave it there.

 

[77mustard40]

Thank you and @WiscoPat. I’m thinking the IMS would be a huge improvement over the OME nitro chargers I’m currently running. I suppose I’m just curious how smooth the ride is with the IMS. I’m off-road about every weekend or every other and I don’t daily the 80 as I work from home. I’d say 25% of my off-road time is on forest service roads that are pretty rough and the other 25% is on various surfaces, going over rocks (not rock crawling), steep climbs, rutted out roads, off-camber, etc. Various Colorado trails. The other 50% on road are mostly not highway and on city roads/streets that are not smooth (or at least don’t feel smooth currently). I’m hoping to smooth some of this out. While I will get the MRA is I need them, im also great with saving half if the IMS meet my needs. Honestly while the adjustability sounds great I would probably, in reality, find that point that is a happy medium between my use cases and leave it there.

I think you are on the right track, I can’t imagine you being unhappy with IMS but I could see you wanting it all. You’re call if you want to go all in.

I’m very pleased with the IMS, no comparison to the OME’s. Could they be a little better, probably, but it wasn’t worth the spend for me.

 

[Squeegee]

Just having the ability to crank up the low speed compression to mitigate body roll for daily driving makes the MRA worth it in my opinion

 

[Marco Lau]

If you do high speed desert or washboard road bombing often, I would think the MRA would be your ticket. I do neither, just slow rock crawl and normal Subaru trails. Otherwise, i am super happy with my IMS.

 

[AGENTFJ]

If you do high speed desert or washboard road bombing often, I would think the MRA would be your ticket. I do neither, just slow rock crawl and normal Subaru trails. Otherwise, i am super happy with my IMS.

I don’t do high speed, but the dirt roads here are pretty washboarded in many places.

 

[baldilocks]

Guaranteed you’ll dump the money on MRA’s and still find fault but since these shocks are adjustable and probably modifiable you’ll spend the rest of your days trying to tune those shocks just right in order to feel justified in the purchase.

I don’t run either of the shock’s in question here because I needed 6” lift shocks to suit my front long travel 3.5” VT springs and when I was shopping Dobinson hadn’t come out with the IMS in the long travel version. I ended up with a different brand but still a simple shock that is built heavy duty and contains much more oil than your old OME shocks.

I’ll sacrifice “ultimate” performance potential for fool proof simplicity and save some money doing that.

 

[dbbowen]

Guaranteed you’ll dump the money on MRA’s and still find fault but since these shocks are adjustable and probably modifiable you’ll spend the rest of your days trying to tune those shocks just right in order to feel justified in the purchase.

I don’t run either of the shock’s in question here because I needed 6” lift shocks to suit my front long travel 3.5” VT springs and when I was shopping Dobinson hadn’t come out with the IMS in the long travel version. I ended up with a different brand but still a simple shock that is built heavy duty and contains much more oil than your old OME shocks.

I’ll sacrifice “ultimate” performance potential for fool proof simplicity and save some money doing that.

Adjustable shocks dont have more adjustment than people have days, i dont know where this thought process keeps coming from. When you set them up you just need a little bit of time and use a bracketing system to dial them in to your drive.


On a piece of paper write all your clicks for HSC LSC and rebound, Start in the middle for the two compression adjusters and then open HSC 2-3 clicks and write down how you like the ride. Then open it 2-3 more. Too much? Back it off one click. ETC. Same thing for Low speed.

For rebound set it at full fast and back it off until you like it. You can set adjustable suspension in an hour or two then continue to fine tune it over the course of a few days of experimenting. Its not rocket science, its sjust how fast you let oil sqush through a few small holes

 

[dbbowen]

I have IMS shocks on my 60 and they are valved too stiff for a gas 60, im assuming theyre valved for a heavier vehicle. Im putting 80 suspension on my 60 and will be getting the MRAs. The IMS shocks are good, but on the 60 they need less compression damping

 

[Drift Monkey]

I’m thinking the IMS would be a huge improvement over the OME nitro chargers I’m currently running.

Even the IMS yellows are a big improvement over OME yellows.

 

[lumbee1]

Even the IMS yellows are a big improvement over OME yellows.

The Dobinson yellows are twin tube not monotube but I would agree. The IMS stands for IFP Monotube Shock or Internal Floating Piston Monotube Shock (IFPMS?)

I chose the IMS due to their heavy duty design, simplicity, and price. At the time, nothing came close. I had Fox 2.0 previously and the IMS were a huge upgrade.

 

[Drift Monkey]

The Dobinson yellows are twin tube not monotube but I would agree. The IMS stands for IFP Monotube Shock or Internal Floating Piston Monotube Shock (IFPMS?)

I chose the IMS due to their heavy duty design, simplicity, and price. At the time, nothing came close. I had Fox 2.0 previously and the IMS were a huge upgrade.

I wasn't insinuating that they were monotube, just that the valving is superior to the OME and come in considerably longer sizes. My 80 came with an OME setup and switching to Dobinsons yellows/flexi coils made a significant difference.

I did run IMS on my old 4Runner and was very happy with them, handled higher speed/washboard roads wonderfully...that just doesn't fit what is available to me in my locale, nor is it what I'm trying to set up my personal 80 for. I would consider IMS down the road, but have a feeling I'd drift towards their coilovers if anything...

 

[baldilocks]

Adjustable shocks dont have more adjustment than people have days, i dont know where this thought process keeps coming from. When you set them up you just need a little bit of time and use a bracketing system to dial them in to your drive.


On a piece of paper write all your clicks for HSC LSC and rebound, Start in the middle for the two compression adjusters and then open HSC 2-3 clicks and write down how you like the ride. Then open it 2-3 more. Too much? Back it off one click. ETC. Same thing for Low speed.

For rebound set it at full fast and back it off until you like it. You can set adjustable suspension in an hour or two then continue to fine tune it over the course of a few days of experimenting. Its not rocket science, its sjust how fast you let oil sqush through a few small holes

Thank you for that but it took you longer to compose that post than I care to spend messing with shocks. I’m no racer and neither are the members here driving 80 series Land Cruisers. Simplicity offers reliability and time back to me. Does my current suspension set up leave something to be desired? Yes, but only in situations that I rarely find myself in. No matter how much money and time we spend on setting up a truck, we will always find fault and begin to tire of its perceived short comings. And sooner than later, the next best thing will come on the market to solve these “problems” thus beginning the cycle again.

I must admit, those remote reservoirs make an 80 look ready to take on the world.

Subjectivity ……

 

[dbbowen]

Thank you for that but it took you longer to compose that post than I care to spend messing with shocks. I’m no racer and neither are the members here driving 80 series Land Cruisers. Simplicity offers reliability and time back to me. Does my current suspension set up leave something to be desired? Yes, but only in situations that I rarely find myself in. No matter how much money and time we spend on setting up a truck, we will always find fault and begin to tire of its perceived short comings. And sooner than later, the next best thing will come on the market to solve these “problems” thus beginning the cycle again.

I must admit, those remote reservoirs make an 80 look ready to take on the world.

Subjectivity ……

They are dial adjusters, to make it simple... Too much body roll click more LSC. Truck too jarring and uncomfortable Click Less HSC. Truck too bouncy after bump Click slower Rebound. Its really not that difficult, simply taking an hour or so to to take your time and dial it in nets huge gains

The MRA/BP51 shocks are NOT for racing. They are to dial in a good ride. If you want racing shocks go radflow or King.