Anyone replaced their shock absorbers with slightly upgraded ones? I only have a 2in lift and my original, stock shocks are a little short ( they actually are banging around slightly because the top nut loosens after every 1000 miles or so)

I've heard that both hyraulic and Nitrogen gas-charged shocks are available for about 30-40 bucks each. The 4wheel parts places (or similar) say both are good; opinions vary per mechanic. What is the difference other than usually hyros are used on heavier trucks (gmc, ford)? Or am I wrong?

ProComp seems like a good deal; anyone have an opinion or experience?

 

bump?

 

Ive used the procomp 9ks and honestly didn't feel a differance between them and my ranchos. I know billys are highly sought after for wheeling.

 

From what I can remember the gas charged shocks are suppose to help in high stress use which can make hydro shocks start to foam which will decrease their ability to absorb shock and wear out the shock sooner. In other words nitro shocks are suppose to cut back on foaming and make the shock perform better for longer

 

so if they're roughly the same price, why would anyone buy hyros if they don't last as long?

 

one of the 13 wonders of the world. why buy things when they obviously arent worth it? nobody knows, nobody wants to know. it just happens.

 

I like my OME's, but I'll be swapping to Bilsteins for the SAS and whenever I upgrade the rear coils for greater height.

 

I bought hydros because they are a little cheaper and with the driving I do with not to much off roading besides the occasional trips I didn't see the need at the need for a nitro shocks because they would have lasted me just about as long as the hydro. All though the conditions of little rock streets you never know....

 

i'm running procomp 9ks too. compaired to my old set up wiht OMEs they are much stiffer. i love them.. i can still drive her like a race car even though its a lifed sas'ed runner.

 

Actually ALL shocks are "gas charged"..
There are two basic ways to do this.
There are the ones called "gas celluar" which are usually two tube designed, but don't have to be.
They have an inert gas (nitrogen) enclosed in a separate, flexable container.
The some called "gas charged" or "high pressure gas" are pretty much as the name says. They're usually single (mono) tube designed and also have nitrogen gas in them, at a higher pressure than the gas celluar shocks.

All shocks work the same, forcing oil through different sized holes (valves) as they compress and/or extend.
From this point of view they're all "hydraulic" (hydros)..




Fred

 

Granted, I'm feeling some diagrams

"hydro"


"nitro"

 

pretty pictures. however, those 2 pictures are of the different shocks, but they are also different formats. the first one shows how they work, the 2nd one shows what its made up of and the parts.

on the topic of the procomps, they are cheaper, and that 4 for price of 3 thing has me thinkin. are they stiff stiff as in u can feel the stiffness during regular driving, or just around the corners at higher speeds or when hitting the ground after jumping 4 feet in the air, or what? my friends got a whole procomp set up on his jeep, and its a nasty ride, but i rly couldnt believe it was all based off of his shocks.

any reviews of them for a slightly lifted 2wd? im lookin for about 2-4 inches longer travel too.

 

like others here Im running the 9000s. they seem to be holding up pretty well. they are stiff and my truck handels great with them (on and off road) but I might want a more streetable shock next time around.

 

so ur sayin the 9k's are stiffer on road than they should be? lol. course rly i dont care much. probally end up doin it anyways cause of the price. just gotta find the right ones now... ugh.

 

alright, i was lookin up part numbers and such for the procomps, and ive run across something interesting, but im not sure what it is that intrests me exactly. lol. im stuck between the es3000 and the es9000 series. the 3k's say something about 10 stage valving something or another, and im not sure what exactly that means. are they going to be adjustable or just softer? more streetable? i found precisely what i was looking for height wise and everything. just wondering which one to go with now...

 

sounds like alot of people need "shocks 101"....

"10 stage valving"

There are small bendy "washers" that flex and control the flow of the fluid.
The number of valves in the stack can be used my "marketing" folks to make claims like "10 stage valving is better than 8 stage valving"

There are two basic shock types
-- twin tube
-- mono tube

Monotube is expensive to make... and for years was patented (Bilstien).

three basic things affect damper behabior
-- valves
-- oil (viscosity)
-- gas pressure
as well as tthe things that cant be altered as easy
-- type (twin/mono)
-- bypass (we'll leave those out for now)

 

Shocks are, by far, one of the, probably "the", single most contributor to ride quality, as in a stiff/rough vs smooth ride.




Fred

 

I have the Skyjacker Nitros. $34 a piece and love them.

 

have 93 pickup 2wd 22re .. First has set of Tokico Trekmasters for 8 months then took off as was super stiff and choppy ride on roads/fwy and off-road. Got ProComp es3000 lasted a good 5-6 years of off-roading maybe 30 times(fire roads). This set front-only lasted just over 2 years= disappointing ! But when first installed they were super nice ride and loved them.
So now gna try the Nitrogen charged es9000 (was told in past only need for heavy full-size trucks) but after reading posts think they are better, little bit more stiff means they do the job better. States 10 stage velocity specific .. but not self-adjusting ?? Also read a post that states the es3000 don't rebound after long use where the es9000 does !

 

woah necro information but 34$ for skyjacker nitros? is it possible to find this price still? hootin nanny thats cheap