Agreed. SPAX are also good shocks, race bred techno. Again, you get what you pay for.

 

I put 2" OME HD shocks on my Jeep Commander. They were just as good 80,000 miles after I put them on and I would venture to guess another 80,000 had the Jeep not been totaled. I got the coils in my kit which were part of every kit I thought.

I bought a 2001 Disco II last week and a 2001 4Runner with the insurance check for the Jeep and have money to customize both which is how I stumbled on this forum. I bought the Disco with a set of street wheels as well as the shocks. It only has 60,000 miles on it and is nearly flawless aesthetically. I have always wanted a LR so I thought this would be how I tested the waters. I bought the 4runner with 124,000 miles for $3,000 and it is dinged up a little. These vehicles will be used for chasing balloons on and off road. Do you think I got a good deal on my Disco? I payed $5,800 for it. I am the third owner. I was a bit stunned to learn from the guy who sold it to me that the day he picked it up with 50,000 miles on it the trans failed So there is a new one in it (well with 10,000 miles on it) which he seemed to think was a selling point. I know these vehicles command a bit more on maintenance but shoot!

I hope to gain and contribute a lot to this forum as I did the Jeep Commander forum I was on.

 

There's no throw-away shock that is going to be any good at 60k miles. OME are throw-aways. The Bilstein 4600 are throwaways too, both OME and those Bilsteins are "glorified throwaways." Monroe and Terrafirma are cheap throwaways. For only a few dollars more than OME, you can get Bilstein 7100, which in my opinion are the lowest acceptable level because they are the least expensive shock you can adjust the valving on yourself. Fox 2.0 are a little more expensive and probably not any better.

The SAW and King 2.0 shocks are fairly pricey. Whether they're better than Bilstein 7100 or Fox 2.0, I don't know. If you were to spend that much, I would recommend you rather fix the mounts, at least the front so you can run 2.5", 60mm, or 3" shocks or coilovers.

Even with the rebuildable/re-valvable shocks like Bil/Fox/SAW/King, they need to be rebuilt after a while. For higher speed offroad use like a Pre-runner, they probably need to be rebuilt and the oil changed every 1000 miles. If the offroad use is just low speed 4x4, then it's similar to streetwear and I'd take them apart after 10k miles and see what they need. It's worth it to check for bent shafts (roll the shaft on a flat surface), check the wipers and seals, and look for any other issues like loose bearings or shot bushings. You might get 20k or even 30k out of a shock but it's pretty common that at least one of them will have a need before then.

 

Are the 7100 bilsteins for a 2" lift?

 

You can order the 7100 in several different lengths. The correct length depends more on your shock mounts than the springs. If you raise your shock mounts, you can use up to 12" travel shocks. Some people have gone to 14 and higher but that usually involves raising the shocks through the hood and cargo area.

 

One only has to look at what the pro offroad trucks use and it ain't OTC cheapo kit. In fact the OEM LR shocks are about as good as they come for everyday use. For my money if I was real keen I'd always run with Koni's but they are big bucks for decent revalveable and repairable shocks. Most other aftermarket OTC shocks have a relatively restricted design life, hence they are cheap. You get what you pay for in shocks and in fact springs.

 

I agree with that. I would also like to include Genuine shocks to this list.


In my opinion the fox shocks are less expensive than the Bilstein 7100s and every bit as good. The price starts to jump when you get into custom valving the shocks and adding the shock mounts.

Let take a look at the real cost involved in jumping up to a Bilstein 7100 or fox 2.0 compared to

OME shock is $98 and the Terrafirma Pro Sport is $78. In my opinion they are Apples to Apples in quality and I give Terrafirma the advantage because their shock has 2 inch extra travel. Just bolt in and your done.

Now moving into the Fox or Bilstein.
Bilstein 10in travel $154 at summit but they come with stock valving that has been proven time and time again to be very to soft on a Disco
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bs...0s06/overview/
Fox with 10in travel from us with custom valving $183

At a minimum you will need lower shock mounts in the front to make this work. They are $45
Lucky8 Llc. - Take the road less traveled...

If you get Remote res shocks you will need to get new front towers.


So whats my point of all this ??

4 OEM shocks $392 Stock length shock
4 Terrafirma Pro sports $312 Plus 2in travel
4 Bilstein with the stock valeving $616 + the lower mounts $45 = $661

The difference is $269 for the OME and $349 Terrafirm compared to the Bilstein and the shocks are not valved correctly.

 

For apples to apples, why not compare an 8" Bilstein 7100 from eshocks for $137.75 ?


I agree that Fox are comparable, but in that past I have not seen them as inexpensive as the 7100. However, checking PolyPerformance today I see they're as low as $116.96 for 8" or 10"


I think moving the shock mounts is essential for any lift. I also think valving the shocks for the vehicle and driving environment and style is essential, and that it probably has to b done 3 to 5 times. I don't see off-the-shelf shocks or one-time custom valving working in any situation.

 

I doubt I'll ever run anything besides Fox, I have them in both my D1/D2