In general, what is your opinion of Toyota OEM shocks compared to their aftermarket counterparts? I'm not talking lifted rigs, but stock height for the most part...

 

Here is little I know from my experience.
My stock needed to be replaced so now I am currently running bilsteins. The stock shocks are softer and will give a more plush ride but the handleling (sp?) suffers. You have a bigger nose dive when you brake and more body lean with the stock compared to bilsteins. Bilsteins are more expensive, have a lifetime warrenty and are firmer. You will feel the small bumps more but you still have a smooth ride on highways etc (these are the Bilstein PKBE5-2450). To me the Bilsteins also worked better for some offroad and crusing down dirtroads and I overall like them.
I heard that the KYB were too stiff.
I am sure others can give you some advice on Ranchos

 

gettin ready to put ranchos on mine . . . freakin expensive though cause of the front coilover setup

 

Rancho's are over rated. SKYJACKER. Come on guys a WAY better product than the rancho's. life time WARRANTY. Better price. And they will work with stock height AND 3" Lift.

I killed a set of rancho's on my old 81 Toy Moster. they wouldn't warranty them due to "Offroading" WTF ??? Switched to SKYJACKER and never looked back

 

Sorry correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding has always been that the Bilsteins claim to fame was you'll see a firmer onroad ride, but this translates to better handling offroad because the Bilsteins keep your tire on the ground a bit better giving you better traction.

 

Maybe I didn't write it clearly, but that is pretty much what you get.
Bilstein are firmer ride onroad, I also find this improves the handling onroad compared to stock (toyota/tokino?) shock. Offroad, I have only taking taken the 4runner offroad once since installed the Bils a few months ago, and I like their performance. Now some might want a softer shock for better flex offroad (that you will have to ask the pros about). Finally I did find better traction when cruising dirtroads. Bilsteins are supposes to be a good allround shock on or off road.
Hope this makes sense

 

MOst OEM shocks are manufactured to meet a price point - the cheapest possible cost to build a part that will give the minimum required performance, period (and hopefully outlast the warranty.) No cool technology either, just a basic hydraulic shock. So, how about OEM shocks? Well, price them at the dealership, then compare that price with aftermarket shocks. They will be as expensive as the Good Stuff, twice as expensive as the Affordable Stuff, and will be utterly worn out by the time the aftermarket shocks are just nice and dirty...

I you are on a real budget, check out Monroes. For a couple dollars more you can have the budget ProComp, Skyjacker, Rancho, what have you (they're all alike - pick one.) As you start adding in technology the price starts going up, but some really really good shocks can be had for a decent price. I think the best bang for the buck on the market today is Bilstein. For only a bit more than the "affordable stuff" you can get into state of the art technology. This is possible because they only make shocks, (do you REALLY believe some good ol boys in a 4x4 shop are gonna engineer and manufacture top quality shocks for $49.99 ea?) and they make some of the most high tech stuff in the world, and the technology R&D others pay for trickles down to you and me... Look at the Bilstein OEM (yellow body) shocks for replacement for your factory shocks or step up to the 5100s for some really nice stuff.

 

BILSTEIN. The only name that you need to know in shocks for your Toyota.

 

I just wanna put in another plug for the Bilsteins. I just put a set of HD's on my 4runner today (cabetoyota.com, $169 !!!), and they are awesome. I had a set of Rancho RS5000's on my rig before, and the ride with the bilsteins is so much nicer. Rancho's are much too harsh onroad, although they do a good job offroad.

On that note, if anyone wants a full set of Rancho 5000's to fit a 3rd gen, PM me. They have a tad over 25k miles on them, and still work great - I replaced them because I don't like the on-road ride with the ranchos. If anyone wants them, I could probably send them off for $45 shipped (all 4).

 

I swapped out my stock shocks (which were toast) with Monroe Sensatrac's (front part# 71284 at $70 each, rear part# 37157 at $33 each) and the ride quality has noticably improved. In my opinion the OEM shocks are poor. Consider the Monroes for your stock height Runner if you want a shock that is better than stock, decent off-road, cheaper than Bilstein, and has a lifetime warranty.

 

Well, since this thread is going...

I intend to do quite a bit of towing this spring/summer. My stock suspension is ragged and nasty at 106k miles, and needs to be replaced (mega drop in the back with any load)... I'm thinking the Bilsteins all around for shocks, since I definitely need something heavier-duty than stock and firmer. How about springs? I'd like to stay at about stock height, at most an inch or so of lift... 99% of my driving is on-road and half of that is hauling or towing something.

 

What's the deal on the lifetime warrenty on the Bilstein's? I wouldn't mind getting mine replaced, they are starting to get "squishier"

 

The Bilsteins make the stock shocks feel like this.



Convinced?

I do have the Bils on mine and really like them. The stiffer ride is well worth the handling and cornering you get afterwards. Not much lean. It almost feels like you added swaybars.

 

I kept my stock springs, but there are several options if you want to replace them. Check the tundra springs thread

 

I too have Bils and love them, they are very nice in the corners...even with my spare tire on the Surco the lean is much less that it was with my stock shocks that had over 120k miles on em I do wish the ride onroad was a little smoother but I live on a dirt road, I do work around my land (200 acres) all the time so I need something that can take the abuse of off-roading.

Overall, I love my Bils!

Fink

 

I have a 96' 4 RUnner that needs new shocks. Is this a ob I can do in my garage or does it need to be done in a shop with a lift?

 

Is this a ob I can do in my garage or does it need to be done in a shop with a lift?
You can do it yourself, but the the front can be a pain. There are several writeups on yotatech about it. You will need a couple of jackstands, and torquewrench and coilcompressors (or the it compressed at a shop) and maybe someone to guide you. Took me a good part of the day, but I had never done anything like before.

 

I just sold a '93 v6 xcab 4x4 dx that I bought in '93 with 6k on it. One of the first/best things I did was pull the oem junk shocks and bolt on
the yellow Bilsteins, which were still performing perfectly after 190k hard miles. I also put a set on the wifes '98 4runner. Just bought a new '04 TRD taco, and replaced the oem "Bilsteins" with the yellow aftermarket units (NOT the same shock). In each case there was a huge improvement in handling. I'll probably never have to replace any of these shocks, but there's a 1,000,000 mile warranty on them ifthey stop performing within 5% of new. If anyone wants the oem Bilsteins, I'll ship 'em to ya for $50 (they have 150 miles on them).

 

Are you guys replacing any springs or such when doing the shock upgrade to the Bilsteins?

FWIW, Bilsteins are widely used in my Audi community. They are great shocks. I personally have H&R coilovers though.

 

No I kept my springs, but some have change to tundra or other coils