Shock absorber Brand Recommendations

Need to replace on my driver side. I found this on sale at a local store.

Here is the part for reference, I will be getting it for much cheaper. Monroe 171347L. Any thoughts on it?

https://partsavatar.ca/monroe-front...47l?make=TOYOTA&model=TUNDRA PICKUP&year=2006

 

ALWAYS replace in pairs. I can't tell if that price is for one or two. As for thoughts? They're OK. I wouldn't expect great handling, but it's going to be far better than a blown strut.

 

Never replace one shock at a time. Always replace in pairs to avoid uneven wear of adjacent suspension/steering components, and other issues. Never use mismatched shock hardware, side-to-side.

I don't recommend Monroe. A lot of people here report them to be "squishy", "too soft", "bad ride", and similar. Very rarely have I ever heard anything positive about them. And, IIRC, the spring size is dissimilar from OEM.

Best bang for buck that will get you to factory/OEM ride and feel is the Bilstein 4600. It should be readily available in the Great North.

 

You want to replace in pairs, if 1 is bad, the other isn't far behind, and you wouldn't want dis-similar suspension anyway...

I originally put Monroe front shocks on my truck (same one you linked above), they were crap. I'd use the term "too floaty" to describe it. Definitely not good, and it would make my wife motion sick. I recently replaced them with Bilstein 4600 shocks (from Suspension Lifts ), and now it rides much better and my wife's motion sickness went away.

 

Should have been more clear. But, yes I was intending to replace both. The driver side was the issue, actually sheared off from lower control arm.

I hit a gnarly pothole a few weeks back, talking, ass off seat lol. But I heard a thunk yesterday and was a real low rider.

 

https://www.tdotperformance.ca/prod...ampaign=ToF_Search_PerformanceMax_&utm_term=_

I will be going with the Bilstein.

 

Good choice. Keep in mind that you're probably going to want to replace the almost 20 year old springs as well. Especially if they look anything like those struts. OME 2883 would be a good choice to keep stock ride height.

 

Not a first gen guru..at all. Nor do I play one on TV.

But I HAVE replaced quite a few shocks and struts over the years on cars, trucks, SUV's, etc.
I've regretted buying Monroes at least 3 times before I finally got smarter.
I've never regretted buying Bilsteins. Can't go wrong with them and they're worth the extra coin.

 

I sort of regret getting 5100. Had to stay on stock 4600 or pay extra for ARB OME shocks.

 

Good choice.

As you'll notice from their pictures, the shock/strut they'll send you isn't pre-loaded, and it doesn't come with a tophat and isolator.

You'll need to transfer those parts over from your OEM, or run them into a shop and ask you to replace, or swap everything over if you want to install but don't have a good quality coil compressor that's generally safe to use. Shops around here I've asked do it for $50-60/side.

If you look at your current tophat/isolator combo and find they're FUBAR, this KYB set will do what you need.

While it doesn't show it's a full set at Summit's site, if I run that part number (SM5442) through other places, it shows it's a set. And I just bought them last year, which is why I had the part number handy. You should be able to get a set, even up there, for under $40CAD. Dont pay the $80-90 USD some places are charging online.

If you do need to wait on springs, I get it. If you want to upgrade the whole shebang without really lifting the truck more than half inch or so, regardless whether it's your DC/2WD or AC/4WD truck, the OME 2883 spring is where you'll want to go. If you want an inch or so of lift, go with the OME 2884, it'll perk up the front end. 2883 may give you a little perk also, but the 2884 will offer up a wee bit more, but probably not get you quite level.

OME springs typically run about $225-250 USD per pair, IIRC.

 

I think I will hold off on the coils for now. I'd like to do it myself, don't have a spring compressor, would need one and I just know that some of the bolts removal will give me a hard time. Probably, off to a shop for me.

 

Can't go wrong with this...

https://www.suspensionlifts.com/sho...-and-rear-shocks-for-2000-2006-toyota-tundra/

 

Yeah, other than that vendor is complete mostly garbage: https://www.tundras.com/threads/bilsteinlifts-com-problems.107187/

Suspensionlifts.com = Bilsteinlifts.com

 

Dayum, this reminds me to never use that tar based undercoating. It's rusting beneath the hard coating.

I'd scape all that undercoating off and go to fluid film ASAP

 

Yeah, the previous owner did that, made it look mint, but yeah keeps on rusting underneath. But, she lasted 20 years and I am in area that rusts, can't complain.

 

Another thing to be aware of (for everyone) if you replace the coils with OME/ARB, is that you'll need these top isolators, not the KYBs. I had no idea, and maybe it's actually a new thing based on the new-ish OME design as they try to force people not to mix different brand coils and shocks.

I ordered Bilsteins from Summit Racing, OME coils from ARB, then was just looking around on 1st Gen Offroad's website when I noticed they say you'll need those linked isolators if you use OME coils. I was hesitant since I hand't hear that before, but for $40 figured it was worth it.

I don't know enough to know if I could have "made" the KYB isolators work, but they were definitely too wide. The ones 1st Gen Offroad sell fit the OMEs perfectly.

 

Sorry for the late follow up.. I got the bilstein 4600's and needed new tophats so picked up the KYB set, resused springs. New OEM Lower control arm bolts, had to mutilate the originals for removal.
Old shocks
Old vs new, used sketchy spring compressors, don't recommend..


Lookin all new


Had to get rough to get the old top hat off.


It was a battle. Had a hard time getting the lower control arm to drop low enough, driveway mechanic problems.... Got a shop to do the other side. But definitely an upgrade from the old original OEMs that were on there.

Thanks for everyone's input, much appreciated. Cheers

 

Yeah, you really gotta throw a foot on that LCA and pressure it downward to make room to slide the strut in.

But if you don't disconnect the swaybar link, you're shooting yourself in the foot with that endeavor.

 

Yeah, Leverage is hard on the driveway ground. The shop said the other side went in pretty easy. Must be nice on their fancy lift, lol.
Ha, no way I was getting the swaybar link off in one piece. I humbled myself and tried briefly, no chance... Swaybar link replacement is a project for another day...

 

I didn't even know it was possible to get a lifted strut in there without removing the swaybar link

If you lived closer, I'd give you my low-mile OEM swaybar links. I'll never use the damn things. No way I'm gonna try to ship to Canuckistan these days. I need to wait for the cold war to die down

But yeah. It sucks doing this even on a concrete slab driveway. If you have loose gravel, I'm not gonna judge. I know some dudes on here do surgery like that even out on the trails, but that's more a matter of necessity, I reckon.

​

 

Don't even ask how I did it. Let's just I say purchased more than one crow bar and the one side of my torso was completely bruised. And I broke more than one screwdriver not being used for its intended purpose.

Thanks I appreciate that offer. Yeah, I am not buying stuff from you guys these days. Got friends in Florida, not going down though, don't want to risk looking at the border patrol guy wrong and waking up in El Salvador lol. But, hey got a Stanley cup final rematch coming. I Think the north will be having its first cup since 93'

Ugh, I'm so jealous if your non rust situation

 

I did mine on an uneven gravel driveway. It's where I do all my repairs, including the new leaf springs I recently put on. But I'll say that popping the upper ball joint made all the difference when I installed my 2883s. And of course I removed the sway bar link.

I'm now in the habit of holding on to large cardboard boxes. I flatten them and I lay on them when I do repairs. I even use them when I do work in friend's garages. 1/4" of cardboard is way more comfortable than a concrete floor. Not sure why I haven't been doing it for the last two decades...but at least I finally learned.

 

"Grass is always greener", my friend. When you lose one problem, it just opens the space to fill it with another, you know?

 

Why stop there at cardboard! Get one of them cushy mats, be careful though! You don't want the misses to catch you zzzz..

I did this just on the raw uneven asphalt, busted the knees pretty good, I have knee pads, just couldn't be bothered to get them. Picked up a creeper for future projects though.

 

I wouldn't know if it was greener... cant see past the rust. Haha

Cheers brother.

 

Back when I lived in a house and had a garage, I had a creeper. I'm slowly working back toward living less like a transient, and I'm allowing myself to accumulate some stuff again. But I still move too often to justify a creeper. Hopefully before long.

The cardboard works great, for now.

 

Fair enough, cardboard gets the job done.

 

How is the ride?
I'm thinking about pulling my 6112/5160s and going back to stock levels.
I still have my OEM black shocks in the attic, but they ride like a boat in rough water.

The 4600 is the shock I was looking at..

Thanks..

 

Ratchet straps work great to pull and hold the lower A arm down. Just hook one end to a frame hole

 

May I ask why you would go back to stock? I was considering going to the setup you have, but if there's a good reason not too, I won't do it.