Shock Brand Longevity... Who's Currently the Best? (1 Viewer)

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ADS does make our shocks for us where we have specific shocks for vehicle applications based on our specs and design. We sell their whole range of shocks but 80, 100 and 200 is our design in terms of mounting, valving,, bushings etc.
Any idea when we will see a 200LC kit available ?
 
Question: Do you tow with your Land Cruiser? That is the question that can significantly influence which shocks maintain pressure and last “longer”
1. If I towed with my LC I’d lean toward OEM or a lower pressure twin-tube (non “performance”) shock vs. a high-end King/Fox/Icon/etc., mono-tube/bypass high pressure “performance shock.”

2. I believe that the loads of towing accelerate wear on a high-performance shock—as that isn’t likely what they were designed for.

3. I believe the OEMs and the lower pressure twin tubes, such as the Iron Man FC Pros, OMEs, Konis etc do better with towing and all purpose durability.

NOTE1: I never tow with my coil sprung LC, as I use a leaf sprung F250 PSD for towing (rear airbags, extra spring leaves, and cheap Ford OEM Rancho twin tubes.

NOTE2: Performance shocks would be a waste of money on a tow rig and wear out in short order. I know because I had high end Fox shocks on my PSD and needed rebuilding in 30k miles towing a medium sized camper/UTVs/hunting gear. Stupid on my part, but I knew better—even though the PSD is designed for hauling.
 
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Question: Do you tow with your Land Cruiser? That is the question that can significantly influence which shocks maintain pressure and last “longer”
1. If I towed with my LC I’d lean toward OEM or a lower pressure twin-tube (non “performance”) shock vs. a high-end King/Fox/Icon/etc., mono-tube/bypass high pressure “performance shock.”

2. I believe that the loads of towing accelerate wear on a high-performance shock—as that isn’t likely what they were designed for.

3. I believe the OEMs and the lower pressure twin tubes, such as the Iron Man FC Pros, OMEs, Konis etc do better with towing and all purpose durability.

NOTE1: I never tow with my coil sprung LC, as I use a leaf sprung F250 PSD for towing (rear airbags, extra spring leaves, and cheap Ford OEM Rancho twin tubes.

NOTE2: Performance shocks would be a waste of money on a tow rig and wear out in short order. I know because I had high end Fox shocks on my PSD and needed rebuilding in 30k miles towing a medium sized camper/UTVs/hunting gear. Stupid on my part, but I knew better—even though the PSD is designed for hauling.

Not to be argumentative, but I totally disagree.

The shock does not care if you are towing or driving empty. The shock will care if you are driving on a smooth paved road or high speed washboard dirt road. The shock cares about cycles and speed at which the piston is moving within the shock. Weight of a vehicle is supported by springs (whether leafs or coils).

"High-End" shocks require rebuilding every 20k-30k miles or less depending on your use and abuse (paved roads versus rough dirt roads).

Non-serviceable shocks usually last longer before needing to be replaced, but you cannot fine tune the shock for your specific application.

I also have a F250 that I use for off-road with a camper, I upgraded to 2.5 remote reservoir KINGS because the off-the-shelf shocks could not provide the amount of damping performance I was looking to achieve for my rig.
 
Not to be argumentative, but I totally disagree.

The shock does not care if you are towing or driving empty. The shock will care if you are driving on a smooth paved road or high speed washboard dirt road. The shock cares about cycles and speed at which the piston is moving within the shock. Weight of a vehicle is supported by springs (whether leafs or coils).

"High-End" shocks require rebuilding every 20k-30k miles or less depending on your use and abuse (paved roads versus rough dirt roads).

Non-serviceable shocks usually last longer before needing to be replaced, but you cannot fine tune the shock for your specific application.

I also have a F250 that I use for off-road with a camper, I upgraded to 2.5 remote reservoir KINGS because the off-the-shelf shocks could not provide the amount of damping performance I was looking to achieve for my rig.

@UPR LC

There is no agree/disagree here in my view. It’s all good.

Your reply hits the nail on the head—as we simply have different priorities.

I believe we should ask a lot more questions as needs/goals vary greatly—my ME brain coming out.

This is why I asked the OP the question—about his primary use (towing or not). He seemed concerned about rebuild duration. Comfort is subjective. Heavier leaf/coil springs and airbags are a big help in control. I doubt the OP is flying WFO on a dirt road at high speed loaded with 8000 lbs (my guess).

It depends on what the person prioritizes:

1. OPs stated concern involved rebuild duration. Twin tube low pressure shocks last longer if that is his priority.

2. Ride characteristics. Some consider Iron Man Foam Cells too harsh, while some consider them comfy.

3. Frequency of towing. Towing always, sometimes, never—or constantly driving around in an 8000 lb rig (that’s Super Duty weight if he is always riding like that)—not to mention if he is pulling a trailer. Wow, heavy truck to put it mildly.

4. Money. That’s not a primary concern for me, but I always respect the fact that some care about their budgets.

I choose comfort/control AND mostly rebuild duration. The use of adjustable airbags plus an extra leaf spring on my F250—provide (comfort/control/rebuild or replace duration).

Once my twin tube Ranchos wear out—which will take forever, they are cheap enough to toss. They ride great under load.

If you don’t mind rebuilding your Kings on your F250–then you’ve made the best decision for your priorities.
 
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Twin tubes are great.. cheap, reliable, simple.. but a piston of that size on a roadgoing vehicle will struggle to provide effective damping performance for very long when the road gets rough. The forces are too high for their ability to dissipate heat.

A remote reservoir generally allows the piston surface area to increase which is desirable for a bunch of reasons.. but yes the trade off is specialty components that rarely meet Original Equipment standards for longevity.
 
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Just pulled some KINGS off with easily 100k since last rebuild per PO, no oil leaks, still holding 100psi, with only noticeable wear being absolutely trashed lower spherical bearings and some pitting on the rear shafts, though outside of normal travel. Very very long overdue on the rebuild, but I’m overly impressed at how well they’ve held up with over 150k miles on them since new.

Currently on some ragged OME nitros and I dont hate them, so they’ll stay where they are till late Fall when TX decides to stop chill out.
 
Just pulled some KINGS off with easily 100k since last rebuild per PO, no oil leaks, still holding 100psi, with only noticeable wear being absolutely trashed lower spherical bearings and some pitting on the rear shafts, though outside of normal travel. Very very long overdue on the rebuild, but I’m overly impressed at how well they’ve held up with over 150k miles on them since new.

Currently on some ragged OME nitros and I dont hate them, so they’ll stay where they are till late Fall when TX decides to stop chill out.
I was considering rebuilding mine before sale.. but yours have me thinking I might not with only 30k mostly highway miles on them.
 
I was considering rebuilding mine before sale.. but yours have me thinking I might not with only 30k mostly highway miles on them.
I’m not saying it’s ideal! But if you’re selling, I wouldn’t waste the effort/time removing them from the LC and rebuilding them.
Keep in mind the set I have is over a decade old, so not sure how much KING has changed design/manufacturing since then.
 

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