Disco 1 Recommendations re shocks anyone?

Ady Gancz said:

Greetings,

The front shocks on my 1998 disco are officially dead. I think they are an older model of Bilsteins (in black).

The Disco is mainly used off-road, in rocky desert tracks etc. It is usually not loaded (driver+ maybe 100kg of equipment. probably less)

The car is lifted by King Springs. I bought it with them and would like to keep them. I assume it is a 2'' lift.
Looking at the various options for shocks and reading many threads got me confused.
First of all - lengthwise, will standard 8'' or 8.5'' (travel) shocks do, or do I need longer ones (10''?)
Secondly, specific recommendations would be appreciated, especially if you have a similar configuration on your disco. Here are some of the options I was looking at:
Bilstein B4/ B6/ 7100 ?
Koni Heavy Track/ Raid
Old man emu
Terrafirma TF118 (can buy all 4 for less than the price of a pair of the above...)
Monroes?
Armstrong?
Other?

Your help is needed!!!!

Ady

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Sirronluap said:

Since having the Def 90, however, (on very old muds) I have had all replaced with FOX shocks from the afor fitted ProComps and boy are they superb.
I have the standard cheapest +2" in the range (no external reservoir and all that specialist stuff), fitted for me this time, yet still a damn good option.
Completely transformed the truck from hard cornering, green lane to general motoring.
HTH.....

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Gazbo said:

Definitely get the longer shocks, tried standard length on my D1 with a slightly better spring length and tore a rear shock in half on a rough track, it must have "topped out" pretty hard. Unless you have lots of money to put about I think the Monroes are sufficient for most work your Disco will do, the fancy shocks will do better in extremes, corrugations for mile after mile etc, but can also eventually fail at greater replacement cost and usually an arguement if you try to claim warranty.
Shocks, like tyres are a very subjective matter, and I do not believe the most expensive are always proportionally better than the cheaper ones, but your money, your choice

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Ady Gancz said:

Thank you Gazbo. I agree, it's probably not woth spending an arm and a leg on shocks as they will all fail at about the same time, and are more often replaced than rebuild.
I wonder if I should not change all 4 as the rear ones are old, likely on their way out, and I don't know how well the D1 will perform with a pair of new ones in front and old ones on the rear. Does Monroe have long shocks? What about Terrafirma? They seem to be popular in the UK, but perhaps less so elsewhere. I any case, I need to get them ASAP as the car is unsafe to drive as it is.
Regards
Ady

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Sirronluap said:

I'm sure most of your Q's will be answered as soon as a grown up comes along but for now I should like you to know that on my Disco 1's I always replaced with Munroes - perfectly good and reliable.
Since having the Def 90, however, (on very old muds) I have had all replaced with FOX shocks from the afor fitted ProComps and boy are they superb.
I have the standard cheapest +2" in the range (no external reservoir and all that specialist stuff), fitted for me this time, yet still a damn good option.
Completely transformed the truck from hard cornering, green lane to general motoring. The faster you take really rough stuff (not a recomendation) the better they perform so that you know in the unexpected even they will perform.
Now with new BFs - a good set up which why I wanted you to know.
Probably a tad more pricey per corner but my next Disco or lrc will have these too no question!
HTH.....

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ER1C said:

Terrafirma is popular in the UK as its cheap... but its crap.... I could not steer you away from this shoddy brand enough.

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bankz5152 said:

I dont agree. Most of the TF shock failures ive seen have been down to incorrect fitting.

I had some +2 ones on my 90, ran very well for around 18 months when I sold it. Jim Marsden of Gigglepin commented on how well it drove, he assumed I had remote res!

Got the TF +2 big bores on my 110, ride is great and they have taken some abuse over the past year. Friend of mine has had them on for the past 4 years harsh off roading and some expeditioning zero issues regarding the dampers.

What I will say is the paint finish is awful.

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Ady Gancz said:

Thank you Gazbo. I agree, it's probably not woth spending an arm and a leg on shocks as they will all fail at about the same time, and are more often replaced than rebuild.
I wonder if I should not change all 4 as the rear ones are old, likely on their way out, and I don't know how well the D1 will perform with a pair of new ones in front and old ones on the rear. Does Monroe have long shocks? What about Terrafirma? They seem to be popular in the UK, but perhaps less so elsewhere. I any case, I need to get them ASAP as the car is unsafe to drive as it is.
Regards
Ady

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Gazbo said:

I have vague recollection that the shock that ripped apart was "Terrafirma", but as said it did not appear to be the correct length travel for the lift of the vehicle, the Disco was set up this way when I bought it.
I went to a 4x4 expo show after that had happened and was having a talk with the guy on the "Terrafirma" stand and he pointed out that incorrect fitting will cause them to fail.
I went to my local Landy expert workshop, he recommended the bog standard hydraulic Monroes in the longer version, they have faithfully served for the past 6 years on some of the worst corrugated terrain you'll ever experience, the cost of these shocks was minimal compared to what all the "big gun" brands were asking, I let my wallet make the decision.
Not sure if you'll be able to get the same Monroes in your part of the world, but good hunting!

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Ady Gancz said:

I will likely have a friend bring them over, as for some reason everything costs X2 or more here. I just need a link or a part number.
Cheers

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