If I ever delete AHC I’m throwing some dobinson MRAs on. My buddy has them on his GX and not only do they perform well but the build quality is over the top. Everything is so heavy duty.
Shock Brand Longevity... Who's Currently the Best?
- Thread starter OregonLC
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
If I ever delete AHC I’m throwing some dobinson MRAs on. My buddy has them on his GX and not only do they perform well but the build quality is over the top. Everything is so heavy duty.
I ran them on our last GX for 1.5 years and in no way did I find them too stiff. In fact, I find the standard OME lift I am running on the Cruiser now to be stiffer, but of course there are other factors at play like spring rates and vehicle weight.
Agreed, I've got a buddy running them on his GX as well and they are fantastic.
You guys pulling and rebuilding… how are you handling realignments?
I have yet to touch my my cam bolts without absolutely butchering it. And its a sketchy drive to the alignment shop. Getting the thing out without dropping LCA? What kind of witchcraft are you using?
Did finally buy firestone lifetime 4 wheel for $190. Boy are they going to hate me.
I have yet to touch my my cam bolts without absolutely butchering it. And its a sketchy drive to the alignment shop. Getting the thing out without dropping LCA? What kind of witchcraft are you using?
Did finally buy firestone lifetime 4 wheel for $190. Boy are they going to hate me.
Dunbar
SILVER Star
@Tex68w: Your post is right on point with my Icons. I have 52k on the truck with the PO putting Icon Stage one at about 5k miles. I towed my boat twice and now the Icons appear to be blown out. Lots of bouncing, more than just needing the panhard lift bracket, and it ran fine before. So where or how do I rebuild shocks? I don't have time to send them to Icon for rebuilding now or in the future. So I'm guessing I need a whole new setup. But I don't want to have to rebuild shocks every 40k miles unless it's a trivial process on my workbench. I have had the same Dobinsons simple shocks on my FJ62 since I installed their suspension in 2003. I'm just now planning to upgrade those. I don't even know how the Icon springs from stage 1 compare to others. They say they are progressive but what rates? I have the Firestone airbag kit waiting to go in. And I have the Panhard lift bracket recently delivered I have a LRA 12.5 also waiting in the garage. I run around town with just a fridge and a dog in the back but load the piss out of the truck on long cross country trips. 5 people, fridge, utility trailer jammed packed. Or 2 Yakima 21 cuFt roof boxes and a 8000 lb boat in tow with 920 lb tongue weight that stuffs my rear by an inch. Other weight adds are Slee formed sliders, ARB Safari Bull Bar and probably a Comeup winch. ARB dual compressor, Harrop SC in the garage and usually have a dozen or more beers in the firdge along with the 3rd row seats.. Will the Dobinsons MRR's adjust for around town and for the heavy tow? I have heard of the Ozark tech but have not found his MUD handle so inquire of him. Which options on the MRR would you choose in my case? I suppose I'll sell the Icon setup if I can.
bloc
SILVER Star
I can eyeball camber, and use line of sight to the rear tires to get toe close enough in my driveway. This will get me to the shop I use north of town. Caster is up to them
Note that most shops will not run the cam bolts up to specified 207ft-lbf unless asked to. In my experience they are shocked it’s supposed to be that high.
Moby
GOLD Star
Fox, King, Radflo, etc. for our trucks are effectively small race shocks (none of us are running 4.5" versions). Expect them to need to be rebuilt periodically. I had no trouble getting 60k out of the Radflos on my GX460 though and they were still good when I sold it. Hope to get the same service interval from my Kings.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
And the Kings can be easily rebuilt indefinitely. Parts are readily available. You can rebuild four in an afternoon. The only tool most mechanics wouldn't already have is a nitrogen tank and regulator, and that's a worthwhile purchase.
For pure longevity and decent performance, I've run nothing that touches Bilsteins. The 5100s on my Tacoma have 190k miles on them and still perform well. The 6120s on my 200 have 80k miles on them and have had no issues and continue to perform well as well. Neither has any damage to the shock shafts, and no evidence of weeping at the seals. I realize they might not meet king level of performance, but longevity they've got.
I'd replace the Icons with something else honestly. There's noting wrong with their coils and arms though so you can keep those.
I have two friends with Icon on their rigs, one an 80 Series and the other is a 5th Gen 4R. The shocks on the 4R needed a rebuild after about 30K miles, which is absurd to me. Totally bananas. I was considering Icon for my 80 (before my friend's shocks hit the wall at 30K miles), so I called them up to ask about spring rates. They would not give me any numbers. They also only make 1 spring set for the 80 Series. When I called to ask them what type of weight and use their springs were intended for, the guy asked me what I have in mind for my use. Huh? So, you can parrot back to me that your spring is perfect for my use/weight? I don't think so. He literally wouldn't tell me what extra weight and use case their springs were developed for on the 80 Series. Call me a skeptic, but I have no faith in Icon. I got Dobinson's IMS shocks (no remote reservoir) and a set of their springs and I am very happy with all of it. The quality and support, and product range, speaks to years of expertise and development. I don't think Dob's gets enough love or respect, given the quality and value they offer. Just my two cents. And 80 specific, to be clear.
Last edited:
Dunbar
SILVER Star
Looking at their tech info on the stage one kit, there is no way to know what the spring rate is! Therefore I guess I have no option except to replace the lot. Stage one is only coilovers in front and dual rate springs and shocks in rear. With the weight I want to tow, and when unloaded around town, I need to know what I have on the truck. So I'm shopping now. Watched a couple of in depth Filthy Motorsports videos on Kings and imagine that Dobinsons high end products are similar. I'm not sure I need their racing setups but do see the benefit of rebuilding them, just not every 30k miles or so. I'll check in in the Towing with a 200 thread and get help specking out a new suspension and then will rebuild the Icon shocks to see if I can sell the current ICON S1 kit.
bloc
SILVER Star
One potential difference is whether dobinsons has rebuild parts available to the public. Not all shock companies do this, and it is a major reason I went with King.
Not saying they don’t, just that it should be looked into for equivalency.
Hi @Tex68w ,
You speak/type very highly of the OME 2” and the Ironman Foam Cell pros, but then you mention getting rid of them? Can you say why?
I’m just now beginning to contemplate replacing my suspension and am looking for low maintenance shocks.
I’m actually happy with the way the OEM shocks feel (after 45k miles) but with the drawer, sliders, Slee rear bumper and aux tank, I find that my LC sits lower than I would like now. So I want to raise it back up 1 to 2 inches. But I don’t want to install something that will drastically increase maintenance.
I only got rid of the FCP's because I sold the vehicle they were on haha. I liked them very much and consider them one of the best mid market options. The OME's are great for the money but they wear out, have no adjustability and I am not sure they are up to the task of any added weight beyond the factory rating. I will likely be getting Dobinson's MRR's or the newly released Slee/ADS stuff next year once I have added all of my mods/accessories and have a final weight.
UPR LC
GOLD Star
To me it is really hard to beat Old Man Emu regular shocks (not BP51). They are inexpensive to replace. There are a ton of spring options. They have two shock options based on spring rate you are installing.
For long term maintenance-free shocks for a LC, OME is really hard to beat.
Plus you have companies that sell them that are LC tailored, SLEE and Cruiser Outfitters.
My 2 cents.
FYI - I have custom valved set of KING 2.5 on my diesel full size truck with off road camper, they are a must to control a big heavy rig off road. I would not trade the KINGs for that setup.
Standard OME shocks drive around the world. We took the E7 Cruisers to 7 Continents on standard OME shocks including the Canning Stock Route in Aus, Road of Bones in Russia and Pan-American Highway... zero shock failures. No budget and no compromises
Standard OME shocks drive around the world. We took the E7 Cruisers to 7 Continents on standard OME shocks including the Canning Stock Route in Aus, Road of Bones in Russia and Pan-American Highway... zero shock failures. No budget and no compromises
Agree 100%
Only brand i've found close to quality and longevity of OME, is ADS, and I currently have a pricey (but worth every cent) set of 4 of them custom valved for my Uhaul mobile LMFAO
Its not easy getting a 16,000lb pig riding like a cadillac offroad but we did it!
Gawd Dayummmmm They Ride Nice!
I am somewhat baffled that i haven't heard them mentioned here.
Last edited:
Agree 100%
Only brand i've found close to quality and longevity of OME, is ADS, and I currently have a pricey (but worth every cent) set of 4 of them custom valved for my Uhaul mobile LMFAO
Its not easy getting a 16,000lb pig riding like a cadillac offroad but we did it!
Gawd Dayummmmm They Ride Nice!
I am somewhat baffled that i haven't heard them mentioned here.
Ummm, see bove! Haha
