I need shocks that will last longer

I have a '97 Tacoma 2x4, and my shocks last 13,000 - 14,000 miles (10-11 months). I always have about 300lbs in the truck bed.

I've tried OEM Toyota shocks, KYB shocks, and the heavier-duty KYB shocks, with no luck. Does anyone know of shocks that will last longer?

 

maybe bilsteins?

 

Thanks, I'll look into them.

 

You must be working them pretty hard. Bilstein valving is definitely a step up from stock, but you might want to throw a little more money at the problem to save money in the long run. Look to OME, Fox, Icon, many more to choose from. Are you hauling tools for work in your daily driver? If so, do Ride Rite airbags. I have them on my Taco and my Cummins and they work great for hauling, plus they are adjustable. I'm just shy of three years on stock shocks with the 2 +1 leaf pack and airbags, shocks are fine. If you go this route, do the Daystar cradles so you don't lose articulation for offroad.

 

he said he was using OEM Bilsteins. those are a world different than 5100's

 

,doubt very seriously if there's"a world of difference",the stock bilstein(4600) is a very good shock...ran them for ten years on my 99 prerunner after i swapped them for the originals...the 5100's may very well contain the same size piston,however the difference may be the larger "body" of the unit,which i assume allows for more fluid/higher gas charge...i had a rear (5100) fail after a year,but i never had a failure with the 4600's in over 10 years...go figure.

 

well you just made the counterpoint: more fluid and gas charge. that means more cooling effect, which leads to longer life.

I agree that high end shock are probably the best suited for the situation but he's dealing with 4600's and KYB monomax shocks, not everyone wants to spend $600 on shocks or even cares to. if everyone could go buy camburg they probably would

 

Wow, at that rate seems like a tuff decision- $$ and still fail, or $$$$ and have the best chance if its not impossible all together. IMO its going with 5125s in the rear, and 5100s up front and hope they hold up, or fork out the money for rebuild-able shocks so that you can at least rebuild and recharge them yourself- and they should hold up the best as well having remote reservoirs and being built for off-road beatings.

 

Right after Mr Biscuits suggested the Bilsteins, I looked into them. I ended up having a good conversation with the distributer of Bilsteins who gave me a lot of interesting information. That satisfied me, so I ordered them. A set of four (4600s) from TruckSpring.com came to $310 (no tax or shipping).

If these don't work, I'll look into adding an air ride of some kind.

PS: I'm a salesman, a factory rep for a company that manufactures high quality lubricants for heavy equipment. My truck is full of samples and demo kits. The camper shell keeps my samples dry from the rain, and protected from the sun. But it increases my weight.