Shocks and Springs for 75 series??? (1 Viewer)

[Fireselector]

@saltycoconuts is right, I run Bilstein on my 74. Overall it rides pretty nice for a leaf spring. Personally I would like to have rear shocks a little firmer, but it rides pretty good.

Fronts - 33-230368 26.38″ EXTENDED, 16.01″ 360/80 valving
Rears -
Bilstein 5125 series: 33-104652 - 255/70 valving
11" travel
Collapsed Length (IN) - 17.01
Extended Length (IN) - 28


I’d suggest measuring your ride height currently, Becuase honestly I don’t know which lift I have. Pretty sure it’s OME but it was put on in Australia Probabaly 20+ years ago.

From the middle of the hub to the fender here are my measurements.
21.5” front
23.5” rear

Now I need to drop the bump stops in the front just slightly.

I was/am still very tempted to run the IMS but those are double the cost and I’m not sure if it will be double the performance. The rebuildable aspect is very alluring and that’s what separates that price difference.

Thanks for the info.

When talking to Bilstein Australia, they recommended the B46 1004lt + BE5 H146 for the 2-inch lift variant.

However, I came across an old thread where @Dprio34 mentioned the front shock as part number 24-010337, and the rear shocks as 24-011877 and 24-011884. (I'm still trying to confirm whether these are the same shocks as those recommended by Bilstein AUS.)

Anyway, I noticed that these are B6 shocks, whereas you have the B8 5125. I assume the factory-recommended B6 would offer fantastic reliability, while the B8 might have better performance. I'm curious to know about your experience with your shocks. How has the reliability been? Have you encountered any issues or breakdowns?

 

[FJBen]

Thanks for the info.

When talking to Bilstein Australia, they recommended the B46 1004lt + BE5 H146 for the 2-inch lift variant.

However, I came across an old thread where @Dprio34 mentioned the front shock as part number 24-010337, and the rear shocks as 24-011877 and 24-011884. (I'm still trying to confirm whether these are the same shocks as those recommended by Bilstein AUS.)

Anyway, I noticed that these are B6 shocks, whereas you have the B8 5125. I assume the factory-recommended B6 would offer fantastic reliability, while the B8 might have better performance. I'm curious to know about your experience with your shocks. How has the reliability been? Have you encountered any issues or breakdowns?

So far, for the price the performance is good. My only complaint has been jarring washboards and potholes, but I still feel that is more of a leaf spring rig issue rather than the shocks.

Now a nice high end shock valved for exact weight could prove me wrong, but I don’t have the money to test that theory. IMS would be pricey for me, and they aren’t exactly high end at all.

Everyday driving is great. Bumps dips etc are pretty smooth. Very comfortable ride. Washboards potholes are jarring. I was on a badly corrugated dirt road and had to slow way down as it was just too much.

The 5125 have been reliable for a couple years, ride good and are very affordable. If I had to do again, I might just save longer and go IMS as it’s got such good reviews on the 60 series side.

 

[TreadingLight]

I have dobinsons extra heavy springs and their IMS shocks on my Troopy (note they have different options for shocks which may account for people's mixed experience). I am really happy with this combo. It eats up washboard roads better than I had expected it would.

 

[Fireselector]

I have dobinsons extra heavy springs and their IMS shocks on my Troopy (note they have different options for shocks which may account for people's mixed experience). I am really happy with this combo. It eats up washboard roads better than I had expected it would.

Does "extra heavy spring" mean the 1100lbs rear leaf (HZJ75-8+2-R)?

According to my chat with Robinsons sales, it looks like the 600lbs (HZJ75-7+2-R) option should work for most cases unless you've loaded up with every kind of mods like rear bumpers, 35+ tires, a full drawer and kitchen, pop top, and whatnot.

Let me know if I've got that wrong.

 

[TreadingLight]

That sounds right. I also have the +150lb front springs. I sized it this way by adding up all the gear I could conceivably carry and discussing with Dobinson's.

I was worried about having a harsh ride since I have never had that much gear in my rig but I have no complaints.

I typically roll with 2 spares, front/rear bumpera, sliders, 180L/48g fuel, 1 passenger, a pop top, and misc gear. Future additions will include a winch and some ki d of cabinets in the back.

 

[Fireselector]

That sounds right. I also have the +150lb front springs. I sized it this way by adding up all the gear I could conceivably carry and discussing with Dobinson's.

I was worried about having a harsh ride since I have never had that much gear in my rig but I have no complaints.

I typically roll with 2 spares, front/rear bumpera, sliders, 180L/48g fuel, 1 passenger, a pop top, and misc gear. Future additions will include a winch and some ki d of cabinets in the back.

Same front spring setup since I have the arb bumper, winch, and lights.

For the rear, I'm keeping it a bit lighter by going with the OEM spare tire mount instead of a full-on rear bumper. While I dig pop-up tops, I can't convince myself to chop off my roof, so I might just throw on a full-size roof rack later. Planning to install a full cabinet system in the future.

I hope the 600lbs rear springs do the job, but if not, I can always go back and snag another set of 1100.

 

[TreadingLight]

OEM spare tire mount instead of a full-on rear bumper.

Once my rear door started sagging I prioritized a bumper with swingouts.

While I dig pop-up tops, I can't convince myself to chop off my roof

It was a great deal of fun. Highly recommended!

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

...There are also Parabolic springs out there for troopies available from Australia.

Sure, what about parabolics?
Several manufacturers from OZ do offer them, e.g.

Terrain Tamer parabolic leaf springs: 4x4 product test

Parabolic leaf springs have been around for decades; Terrain Tamer has bent ’em into the 21st century.

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