Vitara rear shocks

[michaelpiranha]

So ov Xmas I blow a shock so now I need new ones I was running rancho with a 2inch lift I be leave maybe a little more what would you recommend

[christover1]

Dobinsons or Old Man Emu do 2"over stock.
There are others, but I have no experiences.
My OME rears are very good.
Steer clear of OME front struts, a few bad ones got unto the world.
I fitted Dobinsons, supplied by Dank to my front,
very happy with them.

[gwagensteve]

Steer clear of OME front struts, a few bad ones got unto the world.

I think that might be a little harsh Chris. I'm sure ARB will warranty a strut that failed prematurely. In the early 90's, OME shocks were failing at an alarming rate, but they were replaced under warranty without exception.

I'd run OME struts over anything else in the front of a vitara. I can't comment on dobinsons, but I am aware tough dog struts were too long and would punch the mounts through if the car was bounced hard.

Michael, you're really at a decision point - either replace the shock with another bolt in option, or look at modifying mounts and/or running bumpstop spacing to run a longer shock. There's a lot of tech for running commodore shocks on the rear of a vitara here:

http://www.auszookers.com/forum/viewtop ... 17&t=13142

Personally, I'm a bit fan of Bilstein 5150's, which are available down to 8" stroke, which could work a treat.

The thing is though, you can run the longest shock in the world, but once the spring goes loose, you're not really getting any more traction out of that wheel, therefore, if you're running 2" lift springs or similar, you might want to stay with a bolt in shock option.

Steve.

[michaelpiranha]

It hard at this stage I thing just something bolt in as I have looked at it and I would really need to change the spring and shock mounts to improve the travel and as it is only early stages for the car would like to see how it goes as is first before I invest more money and time in to cutting and welding in new mount for both then working what to run as where would u start with

[Scythe]

Although I have always recommended and used OME previously (MQ and GQ Patrols), from my personal and recent experience I would not recommend OME as a good option for the Vitara. My ARB fitted OME 2” lift failed in just over a year. Both front and rear shocks failed to hold charge, and the front struts both bent. This was despite my 1995 SWB having no additional suspension lift and only running 29” tyres on medium level tracks with normal loads.

I have recently changed to full Dobinsons from Dank with the OME springs and spring spacers (15mm front and 30mm rear). The shocks/struts are a major improvement in handling and feedback, and after a significant hammering on trips to Portland and around the Thompson Dam area, these shocks have so far performed very well. The ride when unloaded is a little harsh, so I will be looking to change the springs/spacers configuration eventually. With this spring-spacer-shock configuration I have gained a little extra ground clearance with no obvious angle or articulation issues. The better construction and strength of the Dobinsons over the OME is also obvious when they are viewed together.

Although this opinion is only based on one experience, I believe my experience with the OME Vitara system was bad enough to warrant me never using it again.

Scythe

[dank]

We've found that the harsh ride is not the coils problem but the rear shock valving. Dobinson offer a soft valve shock option if the standard part number is riding too harsh if you drive alot without any load in the back. The kits are designed to deal with about 150kg of load in the back.

[michaelpiranha]

How much are a pair of shocks to suit a 2inch lift kit could be 2.5 inch lift kit something like that

[dank]

about $120 each delivered.