Which shocks for African expedition

[Arierep]

Hi all,

I'm getting my 90 ready for and upcoming Africa expedition by the end of the year. It's basically following the course of the old Lisbon-Dakar.

My 90 currently sits on OEM shocks, but I'd like improved durability for the constant loaded beating.
Trying to chose between Bilsteins B6 and OME Nitrocharger Sports.
The whole Bilstein set would be €200,00 cheaper for me...
Any opinions?

Thanks in advance

[BigBlueOne]

I can't comment on the OME shocks as I've never used them but I'm currently running Bilstein shocks with King springs and the ride is great both on and off road.

[Arierep]

B6s?
How do you like them on long washboard roads?

[steveG]

Can't help with choosing shocks, but all the best for an awesome expedition :)

Steve

[justinc]

DeCarbon. I have had a set for 10 years on my rangie saw some hard use too. Still in good nick have them on my 110 now. The same set!

Jc

[Sirocco]

Having driven a lot of bad roads I would recommend OME.

Interested in your route. The old Dakar route after Morocco will pass through some currently very hostile regions of Western Sahara and Mauritania. I would suggest getting some current info from the HUBB forum. Once in Senegal you should be safe.

I was in northern Mali in 2011 and felt like the only westerner in the country.

Some good fish restaurants in Dakar and be sure to drop by the Zebrabar and say hi to Martin in St Louis.

G

[Arierep]

I wont go alone, I'll be with the Sahara Desert Challenge event.
The event is mostly self supported (except for the motorcycle guys) but includes military escort in some sections, event if I believe that will be more related to bribery.... ups, voluntary contributions than anything else

[karlz]

Standard shocks will do it, Billsteins I have had better experience with.

Its a great route (done it myself), I love the transition from Saharan to sub-saharan.

The Sahara crossing is awesome, just when you think your alone and no-one lives here, all of a sudden someone will appear - thats Africa.

The sand is most of the time medium packed, but at times its damm soft.
I met an ex-Raf bloke with a Series 2, he had some minor problems on all but a standard setup - you will be right. Just take heaps of fuel, the sand chews it up.

Two warnings.
1. Once you end up on the beach ~200kms before Dakar, be careful, those little humps on the beach can cause rollovers.
2. Believe the warning you get about landmines at then Mauritania border.

ps. Agree with Sirocco. St Loius is awesome. Stay longer
Cheers

[Arierep]

Thanks for all the great advice guys.

Wouldn't mind to spend some time in Senegal, but I'm on a tight schedule.

So you think the genuine shocks will do it? Most people I spoke to told me they tend to overheat a lot.
But it would be great to spare the purchase of the shocks, the budget is not growing, lots of stuff to buy yet (south europe salary not helping either)

[Arierep]

Just take heaps of fuel, the sand chews it up.

By the way, I was planning to take two 20L jerry cans (plus the stock 55L tank), which is the minimum on the event regulation. Should this be enough?

[justinc]

I'm presuming the 90 is a new one? If so the oem shocks are gas charged unlike the td5 and tdi era ones and are a lot better however if you decide to change them out then out of your 2 choices bilstein definately. The other most important factor for shock absorber performance is correct tyre pressures for the terrain. Lower and slower for corrugations especially if experiencing high ambient temps.

Jc

[Michael2]

Between the OME and Bilsteins, I'd recommend the Bilsteins.

I had OME on my 110 and found that on the rear axle the limited downward travel, resulting in air under a tyre on many occasions. This caused the shocks to bottom out and prematurely fail. When I made some measurements, I found that they were bottoming out (on extension) and holding the axle in place, when the spring had another 10cm of down travel before looking like dislocating. I spoke to ARB about this, but they said that's how they were designed to work.

I replaced them with Bilsteins, and fitted dislocation cones. Now the back axle articulates well and the shocks offer good control with a variety of payloads.

There was an aussie couple who did an Australian / African / European trip in a Land Cruiser troopy recently, and on their return they removed their Bilsteins to have them checked, and the resultant test machine graph was the same as when they went on the car new.

I think that the only option other than Bilstein is KONI.

[strangy]

I'd agree with the above.
Same experience with OME shocks (though on a D2) good shock, but reduction in travel.
If changing out from originals I'd choose the Bilsteins over OME.

[Sirocco]

I wouldn't recommend Koni. Blew a full set of 4 in 38,000 km.

Hard driving though so I wasn't surprised.

G

[Arierep]

Thanks for all the help,

If I upgrade I'll go for the Bilsteins B6.
Trying to decide now if I really need to upgrade or not

[steane]

I wouldn't recommend Koni. Blew a full set of 4 in 38,000 km.

Hard driving though so I wasn't surprised.

G

Which Koni shocks?

I would recommend Koni 90 Raids to anyone, having seen what they'll deal with.

[Leyland1980]

When talking about parts (particularly shocks) it is useful to make an obvious distinction between OME (original manufacturers equipment) and OME (Old Man Emu).

I suspect the the OP has OME (original manufacturers equipment) shocks on his vehicle. Some subsequent posters seem to be offering opinions on OME (Old Man Emu) shocks as they understand that is what the OP has.

In my opinion stick with what you have and take spares (one front, one rear) that are reasonably priced. I drove Cape Town to UK on well worn OME (Old Man Emu) shocks. I snapped one of the rears in Tanzania and bought a replacement (Armstrong) in a small town without any problems, I also had the broken shock repaired. Once I arrived in Nairobi I got a full set of Britpart super gaz. I have since used Britpart as they are cheap to replace and easy to obtain.

[PAT303]

Thanks for all the help,

If I upgrade I'll go for the Bilsteins B6.
Trying to decide now if I really need to upgrade or not

My originals have done a lot of outback driving and are still good,most of the Pilbara tracks plus it's going to Maralinga in December and back via the GCR from Queensland and I'm not changing them.The original fitment TDCi shocks are as good or better quality than most of the brands people replace them with. Pat

[Slunnie]

When talking about parts (particularly shocks) it is useful to make an obvious distinction between OME (original manufacturers equipment) and OME (Old Man Emu).

I suspect the the OP has OME (original manufacturers equipment) shocks on his vehicle. Some subsequent posters seem to be offering opinions on OME (Old Man Emu) shocks as they understand that is what the OP has.


Sort of.
He has OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) shocks on the vehicle
He is looking to buy either:
OME (Old Man Emu) or
Bilstein.


My 90 currently sits on OEM shocks, but I'd like improved durability for the constant loaded beating.
Trying to chose between Bilsteins B6 and OME Nitrocharger Sports.
The whole Bilstein set would be ?200,00 cheaper for me...
Any opinions?

Thanks in advance

[Slunnie]

In my opinion the design of the Bilstein which is significantly different to the OME, and is a better proposition for that constant pounding that you'll get when offroad touring on that fast dirt.

The Bilstein gas is separated from the oil which makes them very difficult to fade - as the high pressure gas increases in pressure with heat they probably work better. That design feature is used in all high performance shocks including remote reservoir and also bypass shocks. I tend to think it doesn't matter if you run an OME, a Koni or whatever, they are still a twin shell design that has the gas in with the oil and irrespective of the quality and durability, they will both be similar (valve rates depending) in terms of fade resistance.

For heavy loaded touring (D2, not D90) in rough and fast dirt I put my money down on Bilsteins and they have been really strong where others including Koni have faded off to nothing.

[Arierep]

Just to clarify things, my D90 is on Genuine LR shocks (OEM), sorry if I created some confusion.


One completely off topic question, I'm changing tyres and rims.
I was heading for a set of Wolf rims, but I can get a set of 16x7 0 offset modulars for a killer price.
Do you think the wider stance of the 0 offset (vs the Wolf) brings any advantages for the loaded (with roofrack) car?
Thanks

[justinc]

Wolf have wider offset than std alloys. They are also a better fit. The centres if almost all aftermarket rims don't locate on the hub at all and only rely on the eheel studs for centring.

Jc

[newhue]

I tend think if you drive it responsibly the standard kit will do. After market stuff is really just a industry hacking out an existence with only slightly better results usually. But a lot of hype and wishful thinking chucked in generally to make you feel good about buying it.
The standard OE shock are light and cheap to replace, and will do the job if your not pretending to be competing in the Dakka. I have a friend who did the madigan in a GVM 110 with them and they worked as good as all our more expansive replacements.
I have Koni 90, big heavy things full of oil designed for busses. And though happy with them they are over kill and expansive. Also hard to replace if you ever needed to. I'm not sure they are valved correctly for a defender as one gets a thud if you drop off a gutter. So while loaded they operate nicely, but if you get air it sounds like the springs beats the shock to the ground. They have seen a few hours of a GVM 130 on corrugated roads at 90km/h and barely got warm however.
Koni 82 series I believe are better suited for a Defender. They are a gas oil combo, cheaper, but also would not be easy to replace. I would not get hung up on being rebuildable if you go this way as it cost the price of a new shock. The vehicle should ride like OE on Koni's, and it's nice they are adjustable.

Nothing wrong with Bilstein but they will give you a firmer ride. Also get them early and run them for a bit. Out of the 3 people I know who bought a new set of 4, all of them had 1 leak but was easily replaced on warranty.

From what friends have told me and my own set of Old Man Emu, they will do the job but will die around 80K km. They are a fair shock for the price and capable of getting a flogging and still work.
Koni and Bilstein should last significantly longer so is reflected in the pricing.

Stick with your alloys mate. You have a 90 with limited payload, every extra kg is going to matter. Loading it up with wolf rims because they are tuff as nails only risks breaking other stuff if your overloaded. The alloys will work fine. All rims break if you hit a BIG rock. It really comes down to speed, tyre pressure, and you chosen speed; the you have some control over your luck.

[Arierep]

Thanks for all the great advice,

I'm leaning to keep my current shocks and carry a couple of spares.

Newhue, actually my current rims are 16x7 +8 offset. I'm replacing them because they're rusting and they're the ones with the fake plastic rivets, which I hate.

[newhue]

Ok, just remember there are ways, then there are ways.
Eg, I put 80kg and $2000 worth of sill tanks under my truck to gain 140lt of diesel. I like them for low and central weight distribution. They dont get hung up and give me a pritty big range. However there is also the equilivant of 80lt in plastic jerry cans which weigh nothing once emptied sitting under there. 3x 20 jerries sitting on either side of your internal gards is achievable in a 90. You can free up the space carting them on a roof rack when not in use. Sill tanks, inner guard tanks are good, but there is a price and weight that comes with the convienance. Add a couple wolf rims as spares and there in another 10kg over alloys to be carried around. But the again out of sight fuel tanks are perhaps a better option in Africa, don't know. Just things to ponder and match up with ones wants and expectations. Water can be in the same thought process.

[karlz]

You have a 90 with limited payload, every extra kg is going to matter...

Have to agree.
Dont load it up. When I travelled with these English guys through the then Zaire, they had a 110 fully loaded with just about every spare (including my mates busted motorbike on its roof). They broke coils, shocks, axles... , but they had all those as spares as well.