Need shocks for the old girl (1 Viewer)

[arich]

I sold this 99 to my brother in law about 4 years ago. It’s got 180,000 flawless miles now.
It’s got at least 100k on the current Bilstein 4200s and they’re shot.
What does mud say are the best replacement shocks? 4200s, OEM or something else. Thanks

 

[FxFormat]

OEMs, are super cheap, i'd probably go with that if he's not doing any serious off roading.

 

[Ohthetrees]

OEM for street and mild/moderate off road. I like Iron Man foam core pros for moderate/serious dirt running. I think there are some higher priced fancier options like icon with remote reservoirs for the most demanding conditions, but I don’t know much about that stuff.

 

[Rolocado]

I sold this 99 to my brother in law about 4 years ago. It’s got 180,000 flawless miles now.
It’s got at least 100k on the current Bilstein 4200s and they’re shot.
What does mud say are the best replacement shocks? 4200s, OEM or something else. Thanks

View attachment 1597367

What a beautiful blue.

 

[Bripars40]

Oem

 

[Spike555]

What would be wrong with going with Monroe or Gabriel with a life time warranty?

 

[wchain]

Did you refinish the wheels yourself in the dark grey? They look fantastic.

 

[dnp]

Did you refinish the wheels yourself in the dark grey? They look fantastic.

^^THIS^^

 

[arich]

I’ll price out OEMs. The Bilsteins lasted 100k.

The wheels are what’s know as shadow Chrome. I had an M5 when I had this truck and loved the finish.
I got the black chrome trim and swapped out the gold (dark time in auto trim!). Then the wheels were done at my brothers in laws shop in New Rochelle,NY.
The wheels are chemically stripped and powder coated gloss black. Liquid chrome is painted on the surface while it’s still hot. You just paint the spokes and lip. The pockets just get the over spray which gives the shadow effect. The whole wheel is then powder clear coated.
I’ll see if I can find a few pics.

 

[arich]

Here are some pics

 

[Rolocado]

That color is unreal. Do you know what the code is?

 

[Rolocado]

BTW I just got OEM Shocks, they're plenty fine for you if you do mostly pavement, even light off the path

 

[C6H12O6]

I had Gabriel shocks on my 100 when I bought it. They were just ok on the road, but even rough paved roads were jarring and terrible. Washboards were just awful. They weren't really dead, but I replaced them with Ironman Foam Cell Pros. Very nice on the road, great on rough patches, and amazing on washboards. Just flat-out great. I bombed down 50+ miles of dirt roads in one stretch on a road trip last summer. Probably way too fast speeds, fully loaded, hot summer air temps, and the shocks were just incredible. Haven't ridden on the ICON setup, but I have a hard time believing they're twice as good.

 

[CA Cruisin]

I had Gabriel shocks on my 100 when I bought it. They were just ok on the road, but even rough paved roads were jarring and terrible. Washboards were just awful. They weren't really dead, but I replaced them with Ironman Foam Cell Pros. Very nice on the road, great on rough patches, and amazing on washboards. Just flat-out great. I bombed down 50+ miles of dirt roads in one stretch on a road trip last summer. Probably way too fast speeds, fully loaded, hot summer air temps, and the shocks were just incredible. Haven't ridden on the ICON setup, but I have a hard time believing they're twice as good.

How would you describe your new Ironmans on the road? Are they stiff and "sporty"? Stiff and bumpy/jarring? Or comfortable? Do they stabilize sway? Thanks!

 

[CA Cruisin]

Among those here who have installed new OEM shocks, did you also replace any of the factory springs? If so, at what mileage and what have you noticed performance-wise?

 

[Simplespirit]

I went OEM a few thousand miles ago and did a t-bar tweak to raise the front a little. Nothing else replaced at the time, but I just ordered OME 865 (2865) springs and plan to put those on this weekend. No issues with the ride unloaded but it squats a lot with 800-1000 lbs in the back.

 

[Jeepster09]

Surprised I do not see OME shocks listed? I like them less body roll on turns than OEM.

 

[C6H12O6]

How would you describe your new Ironmans on the road? Are they stiff and "sporty"? Stiff and bumpy/jarring? Or comfortable? Do they stabilize sway? Thanks!

I would say they are not overly stiff; more of a comfortable ride on the road. I had the crappy Gabriel shocks on there before the Ironman FCPs, so hard to compare to OEM shocks, but the FCPs were a big improvement in firmness and damping. They handle the extra weight of the 33" tires great. I would say they feel softer and less sporty than the OME Nitrocharger Sport shocks I had on the 80. I was not a fan of those shocks, as I thought they were too harsh and stiff. You felt every tar strip on the road. Not so with the Ironman shocks. Really mellow on the road, but they just soak everything up when you're on a crappy dirt road.

I went OEM a few thousand miles ago and did a t-bar tweak to raise the front a little. Nothing else replaced at the time, but I just ordered OME 865 (2865) springs and plan to put those on this weekend. No issues with the ride unloaded but it squats a lot with 800-1000 lbs in the back.

I did the same—cranked up the torsion bars and added OME 2865 springs in the back. The OEM springs just sucked with any weight in the back. Even with just a drawer-less cargo system in the back, if I put my very light drift boat trailer on, I lost several inches and ride went to hell. The 2865 springs are better, but I wish I had gone with the heavier 2866. Only 5 mm taller, but a little higher spring rate to handle the weight. If you are thinking 800-1000 pounds in the back (good Lord!) you will likely not be happy with the 2865 alone. I've also thought about keeping the 865s and adding airbags.

 

[Simplespirit]

I don't carry weight often and the 189k mile OEM springs ride fine with 1000 lbs in the back, it just squats more than I'd like. Went ahead and ordered air lift bags to put in while I have it apart.