To lift or not to lift? and shackle rubbers..

[sodafeld1]

1988 hj75 troopy. Pretty happy with my stock suspension. Don't really want to lift, if i don't have to. Recently replaced the front shackle poly bushes with rubber as the poly had chipped and got the classic front 'clunk' with slow turns in the wet. Glad that I did it, as it is a rust spot if not maintained, especially the shackle eyelet welded to the chassis, that would be a pain to replace. Cleaned up the springs, ground the eyelets, rust convert, rubber bushes in, no more clunk. Not a five minute job if done with integrity...

I have the tokico om shocks, probably since 1988, they work ok but probably on the way out. There is many shocks to choose from!

To replace the OME there is either OME or KYB maybe ultima. I am not convinced by kyb, monroe. I am tempted by ultima, they seem straight up, 100000kms they say. Nothing fancy, something I can just bolt in, good quality and don't have to change anything else like brackets and brake hoses. Anyone using ultima shocks on their hj75?

At least ultima supplies bore, compressed and elongated length. I have no idea what the tokico lengths are without pulling them out or where else to look.

I find koni, donaldson and bilstein appealing but these brands seem to require a 2 inch lift to match the leaf springs they supply. I can appreciate that matching springs to matching shocks makes sense. So if I got Koni, bilstein or donaldson shocks, I would be best off getting their matching springs. But my OM springs are good for now. It appears to be a kind of coercion not only to get the same brand if you get springs or shocks but also to lift by 2 inches. Am I right?
Is it that much better to lift?
Sky is the limit of money, if you get some of the full kits.

My stock suspension can handle the occasional 200 brick load, which is good enough for me.

 

[4runnermods]

Dobinsons makes one.

 

[divemedic]

Reach out to the manufactures with dimensions you want. You’ll need upper/lower connection type and travel required. Bilstien is common, Koni makes great shocks but I’m unsure how they perform under the 7X.

 

[sodafeld1]

Yep, thanks for the prompt. Contacted dobinsons, not far from here. Good stuff and better price than online.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Anyone using ultima shocks on their hj75

I put them on my HZJ75, but I found the heavy dutiness of the OME suspension a bit much for them. They may work ok on older suspension that is a bit softer. Truth is , good shocks cost $$$

 

[sodafeld1]

Well I got some ultimas shocks for front and dobinsons for back. Ultima is a bit better for new hardware and bolts, not as crazy with over packaging as dobinsons (one spring washer crushed from dobos recommended torque..). I seriously suspect that they are made in the same factory in china probably, as very little is made in oz anymore. Same hue yellow, same rubber, sizes and dimensions, only a different stamp. Reputation can be built, but times change too... Shall report if there is much diff in future.

 

[sodafeld1]

However, gotta admit the dobinson's anti inversion shackles (a few bucks more than the standard greasable) comes with nuts which protects the grease nipple. I have not seen this design on other manufacturers shackles. But Terrain tamer has holes off centre (which dobo's has) and a flat recess to allow grease travel. May be all voodoo, or, every little bit of strength counts. Makes sense that a greaseable shackle would be weaker , but to avoid rust, regular grease is good. I assume that the shackles don't break to often , it would be heard of more often, especially a 'brand' name. If it happened to me, I would be pissed off.