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Shocks - monroe or gabriel?

61K views 29 replies 16 participants last post by  cArSiK 
#1 ·
Hey all,
Just about to lower my ED with king spring lows. My shocks are not in the best shape so im wanting to do them at the same time. Im just wanting to know what brand of shocks you guys recommend - keeping in mind i dont want to spend all that much. I ve been quoted $199 for the springs and $255 for Monroe GT shocks (all round). However i can get Gabriel gas shocks from super cheap for $220 (taking into accound their deal buy 3 get 4th free).

What shock would be better? Im after a smoother ride but still would like to handle well.

Also how hard are they to install myself?

thanks
james
 
#2 ·
monroe have a buy 3 get 4 th free as well at the moment as well

i have monroes and i feel they could be a bit tighter doent know about gabriel i think they are supposed to be of reasonable quality
 
#4 ·
thats funny , i heard the monroes give the harsh ride.....
 
#5 ·
Personel preference I prefer Gabriel to Monroe made by the same company.Try Cofab approx. same price but better quality and for a smoother ride fit King comfort springs same ride height but a softer spring rate so a smoother ride
 
#6 ·
The last thing you want on a lowered car is the springs bottoming out and gives the impression that the shocks are too hard and "could" be the opposite.Gabriel are the base shock that Pedders use,revalved talk to them.Have you checked prices on KYB or Tokico ???
 
#7 ·
cArSiK said:
Hey all,
Just about to lower my ED with king spring lows. My shocks are not in the best shape so im wanting to do them at the same time. Im just wanting to know what brand of shocks you guys recommend - keeping in mind i dont want to spend all that much. I ve been quoted $199 for the springs and $255 for Monroe GT shocks (all round). However i can get Gabriel gas shocks from super cheap for $220 (taking into accound their deal buy 3 get 4th free).

What shock would be better? Im after a smoother ride but still would like to handle well.
You are in the exact same position as me!
but the bloke recommended the gabrielle shockies to me, and they are slightly cheaper, i'm also getting "low" gabrielle springs.
Let me know how ya go mate.
Cheers
Mason.
 
#8 ·
LoverBoy , tell me more about the low gabriel springs? Are they the same height as king spring lows? what are they worth??

james
 
#10 ·
Guys, coming from the Suspension game let me spell out a few facts................
*Gabriel Springs ? No such animal !!!
*Gabriel/Monroe same company ? No at all, both large global manufacturers for the oe and aftermarket.
*Cofap better quality ? Brazilian made shock ! Fair quality imo.......
*Gabriel base shock for Pedders ? Infact for the last 5yrs Monroe have been making the car program for Pedders, all 4wd Pedders product is made by Gabriel.
*Base shock ? A shockabsorber factory can make a shock from a base type to a premium product ( like base BA XT to GT etc ), so quality and cost price varies.
*Harsh ride ? Well what do you expect, lower the car the ride is going to suffer, bump stop travel is reduced.
*IMHO the std Monroe/Gabriel is not suitable for anything lower than 25mm, BUT they are bought because of the $$$ ( cheap ) yes I know Konis etc too expensive for many........
*KYB not much distribution, used to be a great product in shocks,using small bore now (cost cutting) but struts still great.
*Tokico good product, no longer distribution in the Aftermarket.
*Gabriel have short stroke heavy duty shocks/struts for E series ( up to 50mm low ) in their catalog.

Best thing is get a few opinions from specialist's and see some of their work, test drive if possible before you buy.......

Sorry for the long thread.
 
#11 ·
I have spent a lot of time and money on my suspension - here are my observations for what they are worth:

About 5 years ago I had Gabriel VST shockies in my ED (std height springs) and they were absolutely brilliant - the only problem was that they only lasted about 7000km!!

I have been told since that there might have been a bad batch of Gabriels in circulation for a while - the time period mentioned did fit in with when I got mine.

A cannot stress how good I found those Gabriels - they instantly increased cornering speed and stability an amazing amount and high speed stability was terrific + they simply eliminated axle hop when cornering hard on uneven surfaces. My testing grounds were the ranges behind Cairns (Kuranda, Gillies, Palmerston and Rex range roads) - not to mention winding and undulating roads on the tablelands and in the backblocks on the coast.

I since tried Monroes, Konis and KYB's (went to low springs - ie. std XR6 height - with the Konis and KYB's) - I finally fitted Bilsteins about 6 months ago and have gotten back the fantastic handling and ride that I had with the Gabriels.

The Monroes I found to be harsh with no special handling traits; the Konis.... well lets just say that I simply threw them in the dump after about 5000km and $$ spent on other parts of the suspension to try and make these supposedly great shockies feel even half decent (last straw was when the LH front one shit itself and the Aussie distributors were not the slightest bit interested in helping fix it); and the KYB's are well made and work ok but have no specialness about their handling (they're like very good quality OEM items as far as I' concerned) - unlike Gabriel and Bilstein which instantly feel excellent and special.

IMO the Gabriels I had were just about as good as these Bilsteins (possibly actually better for high speed stability) - If the Bilsteins had been a flop as have the Monroes, Konis and KYB's I was going to go back to Gabriels and just put up with changing them twice a year if necessary - which wouldn't be necessary if the first lot I had were just a dud batch.

My $.02 worth anyway - hope it helps :)
 
#12 ·
thanks for they reply boyz.
Im going for the gabriels , not only do they work out the cheapest but sound the best. For $220 for the set of 4 i cant go wrong.....

thanks for the advice

james
 
#13 ·
EDFUTURA said:
I the Konis.... well lets just say that I simply threw them in the dump after about 5000km and $$ spent on other parts of the suspension to try and make these supposedly great shockies feel even half decent (last straw was when the LH front one shit itself and the Aussie distributors were not the slightest bit interested in helping fix it
I agree 100% on Konis. I experienced the exact same situation with the shock absorbers (it was even the LH front that died!) and the Australian Distributor and won't go near them again. IMHO they are over-rated, although I did once have an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire (1953, 346 MkI 6-light with MkII front suspension for those who know what I'm talking about) with Konis and it did drive very nicely.

You can't go past Bilstiens for a road car. And they are rebuildable when they wear out and can be rebuilt to whatever valving you like (even from new, which is what I do). Speak to Quadrant in Melbourne or Sydney Shock Absorbers in Sydney.

Of course if you are really serious, just get Proflex.....
 
#14 ·
how much are bilstiens?, i know Mick webb swears by them
 
#15 ·
Funny that this thread should come up now. I fitted Gabriel VST all 'round on my VS wagon. The OE Monroes were completely stuffed after 178,000km! To say it improved the car is an understatement. Where's previously the car would bottom out, standard suspesion, and bounce sideways when hitting bumps, it would thump but not move. The only problem I have with them is that they have found even more rattles in the bloody car. We are also about to fit Gariel Gas Ryders to the wife's VK. Very happy with Gabriel. Might even choose them again.
 
#16 ·
whats the diff between gas ryder and VST?`
 
#18 ·
I just got the shocks , all 4 for $220 , so im happy. The only thing is that the fronts arnt labled VST , but the rears are so maby they arnt VST?.....

Part numbers are G55695 fronts , 69664 rears...

i ordered my springs so ill let you know how it all comes together loverboy.
 
#22 ·
EDFUTURA said:
the Konis.... well lets just say that I simply threw them in the dump after about 5000km and $$ spent on other parts of the suspension to try and make these supposedly great shockies feel even half decent (last straw was when the LH front one shit itself and the Aussie distributors were not the slightest bit interested in helping fix it)
Interesting...
I've also used Konis, Bilsteins, and Monroe.
I've found that the Monroes are good value for money, they handle respectable, ride nice, and last long enough.
Koni and Bilstein have both been nothing short of excellent for me, they both handle superb, though IME, Koni have always been slightly better at low speed undulations, with the Bilsteins a bit harsh in that situation.
None of the above brands have ever failed prematurely in my use.

I'd buy all 3 again depending on the application.

BTW, both Koni and Bilstein are rebuildable.

Rick.
 
#25 ·
I know of another guy who had the same problem with fluid coming out from around the adjuster on one of the front struts on his Konis - he also had a similar experience with the distributors and simply put up with paying about the same amount to have it repaired as a new shock would have cost.

I also found them entirely unsatisfactory in the handling department (ballance shifting on curves) - I actually did think it was either myself or some big fault with the car that wasn't immediately apparent (after spending $$ on sway bars, top arms, bushes, alignments etc.). Their ride was excellent - as long as there were no corners or bends they were fine - in short: ride great, handling shit. When the front one shit itself I put Pedders shockies in and found the instability disappeared but they felt just like Monroes. - nothing special. Then I put KYB's in and found them to be a tad better than the Pedders but still not anywhere near what I'd experienced with the VST's.

Finally I put Bilsteins in and bingo - that "special something" was immediately apparent again the way it was with the VST's.

I used to have the car jacked up every other day trying to tweak the suspension into feeling decent - but since the Bilsteins went in six months ago I haven't touched it - it's simply brilliant - the cornering speed I can acheive still dazzles me!.
 
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