Sunday, Apr 29, 2012 at 12:08
Blue - How do you get genuine Toyota shocks for $50? Have they "fallen off a mates truck"?? [;-)
I guess you're talking about new shocks that people have discarded from new vehicles, where they've upgraded to another brand?
Let's put it this way. Toyota install shock absorbers that do the job for the minimum amount of expenditure on their behalf, to suit most road conditions - including a lot of bitumen and city work.
If you're travelling in areas where the roads still haven't received their fair share of investment of our fuel and other taxes - then you'd be
well-advised to go for some superior-ability shocks.
A good quality aftermarket 4WD shock has better damping that results in improved ride and better vehicle control. There's less vehicle sway, reduced bounce after hitting potholes - and they perform much better after several hours of pounding over corrugations and potholes.
A standard shock will lose its ability to dampen properly after a couple of hours of pounding. The oil in the shock heats up, gets thin, sometimes even boils or foams, resulting in degraded and poor performance.
The good quality aftermarket shocks are built more robustly, with better grades of oil, containing additives, that withstand high temperatures better, and which resist foaming.
The good quality aftermarket shocks are built heavier, with better sealing, protection from flying
debris such as rocks and mud, stronger mounting eyes - and nearly always bigger diameter, so they contain a bigger piston, and a larger quantity of oil as
well. The bigger piston and increased oil quantity all assist in improved damping on rough roads.
Gabriel make a big noise about their rods being chromed, and state that "other manufacturers" only use plain steel rods that are prone to corrosion. Of course, rod corrosion is a big no-no, as corrosion means that the rusty rod no longer provides a perfect sealing surface for the seal.
However, it's entirely possible the original Toyota rods are chromed, and Gabriel is only comparing cheap aftermarket "competitor" shocks. A lot of vehicle manufacturers provide rod protection such as boots that greatly assist in preventing corrosion.
Boots are generally a pretty vital component for a shock, particularly on a 4WD, because a bare, exposed rod is open to impact by rocks and other road
debris, which will damage the rod sealing surface much faster than corrosion ever would.
One of the best ways of checking shocks is to place both the original and the aftermarket side by side and compare the differences closely. A top quality aftermarket shock will generally have increased size and weight, a thicker rod, and other features that protect it from road damage.
Cheers - Ron.
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