My rear Monroe Shock Absorbers were leaking, and although replacing them is an easy job, I asked a shop to install new ones while doing other work with the Jeep up on a lift. My only request was that, in a world of "Good, Better, Best", I only wanted "Good".
To be honest, I don't know how to comprehend an advertised shocks' performance. They all say things like "Instant Response", "Monotube Muscle Only When Needed", "Seamless Extruded Mount" and the like, but I cannot find a specification that indicates how hard, soft, stiff, recommended load capability, compressive response with weight, or ANYTHING that I can relate to my application and what ride quality to expect. When I bought the now leaking Monroes, the parts guy brought out the appropriate version to fit the Jeep which were labeled "Heavy Duty". It seems everybody wants "Heavy Duty" of anything they buy. I asked about "Normal Duty" shocks for cost savings, he checked and said they were available but would have to be ordered... He had never sold a "Lower Duty" Monroe shock in his memory. He ordered, I got, and life was just fine.
So when I picked up and paid for the current work, the shop owner was quite proud of the shock selection they came up with. He actually put the Jeep on a lift to show me what they looked like, and they were beautiful! Red and Black, with a collapsible dirt sleeve, shiny and securely mounted, they made me wish that shocks were installed on the outside of the body for show. They were KYB MonoMax 565056, at $92.00 apiece. Although manufactured in Japan, I was happy with these, although, as I said, I didn't know any numbers to gauge how these would work and feel.
Being my daily driver, I regularly travel to work over some poorly maintained, patched and rough desert two-lane roads, and right away I felt very uncomfortable with the poor ride quality. The Jeep even sounded like it was taking a beating compared to my old Monroes. However, I was determined to "give them some time", because 1.) my memory and judgement of ride quality may not be forgiving enough, and 2.) I made the decision to pay for these shocks, and I'm going to MAKE them work for me! After awhile, however, I got down on my knees to look at these shocks just to make sure someone hadn't stolen them and replaced them with sections of 2x4's.
So I'm driving in town with two motorcycles behind me as I stopped at a red light. One of the motorcycles, a huge loud Harley ridden by a very big, bearded guy in a much decorated leather jack pulls up between me and the car in the adjacent lane, stops at my driver's side window and knocks on the glass. I was ready to hand him my billfold as he motioned for me to open my window (a slider on a steel half door).
"Hey, I just want you to know that your brake lights aren't working" The light turned green, we all took off and I headed home to troubleshoot my brake lights.
Bottom line, the connector on the brake pedal switch had come loose and was hanging free, no doubt in my mind that the higher vibrations from the rough roads and stiff shocks had played a roll. I also found some tie-wraps in the engine area that had slipped from their friction-fit installation points and were now loose, and the soft top frame had been vibrated loose at the adjusting points.
For me, a Jeep YJ is not a truck or load hauler. It is a lightweight, short wheelbase, maneuverable vehicle that is a bit unstable at interstate highway speeds. Concerning shocks, the key to me is light weight and light-duty versions are needed if you want to keep your teeth from coming loose.
So, I went on Ebay and found a pair of low-end Gabriel 81583 shocks that were being sold as part of an "out of business" garage auction. These were new shocks that were unsold at the time of the business closing, and I paid $30 for the pair. It took me about 40 minutes to swap these out. Easy Peasy.
I can describe the unmounted performance difference between these two versions of shocks in a most non-technical manner. I could exercise the cheap Gabriels in my hands, moving the shock over its entire motion range with dampening resistance in both directions. This characteristic made the Gabriels easy to line up and install the lower through- bolt. I could not move the KYB's by hand at all.
Driving the next day was a forgotten pleasure. A WORLD of difference. Much better ride, and far less SHOCKING!
With a smile, I threw the 3-week old $92.00 each KYB's into the trash barrel.
To be honest, I don't know how to comprehend an advertised shocks' performance. They all say things like "Instant Response", "Monotube Muscle Only When Needed", "Seamless Extruded Mount" and the like, but I cannot find a specification that indicates how hard, soft, stiff, recommended load capability, compressive response with weight, or ANYTHING that I can relate to my application and what ride quality to expect. When I bought the now leaking Monroes, the parts guy brought out the appropriate version to fit the Jeep which were labeled "Heavy Duty". It seems everybody wants "Heavy Duty" of anything they buy. I asked about "Normal Duty" shocks for cost savings, he checked and said they were available but would have to be ordered... He had never sold a "Lower Duty" Monroe shock in his memory. He ordered, I got, and life was just fine.
So when I picked up and paid for the current work, the shop owner was quite proud of the shock selection they came up with. He actually put the Jeep on a lift to show me what they looked like, and they were beautiful! Red and Black, with a collapsible dirt sleeve, shiny and securely mounted, they made me wish that shocks were installed on the outside of the body for show. They were KYB MonoMax 565056, at $92.00 apiece. Although manufactured in Japan, I was happy with these, although, as I said, I didn't know any numbers to gauge how these would work and feel.
Being my daily driver, I regularly travel to work over some poorly maintained, patched and rough desert two-lane roads, and right away I felt very uncomfortable with the poor ride quality. The Jeep even sounded like it was taking a beating compared to my old Monroes. However, I was determined to "give them some time", because 1.) my memory and judgement of ride quality may not be forgiving enough, and 2.) I made the decision to pay for these shocks, and I'm going to MAKE them work for me! After awhile, however, I got down on my knees to look at these shocks just to make sure someone hadn't stolen them and replaced them with sections of 2x4's.
So I'm driving in town with two motorcycles behind me as I stopped at a red light. One of the motorcycles, a huge loud Harley ridden by a very big, bearded guy in a much decorated leather jack pulls up between me and the car in the adjacent lane, stops at my driver's side window and knocks on the glass. I was ready to hand him my billfold as he motioned for me to open my window (a slider on a steel half door).
"Hey, I just want you to know that your brake lights aren't working" The light turned green, we all took off and I headed home to troubleshoot my brake lights.
Bottom line, the connector on the brake pedal switch had come loose and was hanging free, no doubt in my mind that the higher vibrations from the rough roads and stiff shocks had played a roll. I also found some tie-wraps in the engine area that had slipped from their friction-fit installation points and were now loose, and the soft top frame had been vibrated loose at the adjusting points.
For me, a Jeep YJ is not a truck or load hauler. It is a lightweight, short wheelbase, maneuverable vehicle that is a bit unstable at interstate highway speeds. Concerning shocks, the key to me is light weight and light-duty versions are needed if you want to keep your teeth from coming loose.
So, I went on Ebay and found a pair of low-end Gabriel 81583 shocks that were being sold as part of an "out of business" garage auction. These were new shocks that were unsold at the time of the business closing, and I paid $30 for the pair. It took me about 40 minutes to swap these out. Easy Peasy.
I can describe the unmounted performance difference between these two versions of shocks in a most non-technical manner. I could exercise the cheap Gabriels in my hands, moving the shock over its entire motion range with dampening resistance in both directions. This characteristic made the Gabriels easy to line up and install the lower through- bolt. I could not move the KYB's by hand at all.
Driving the next day was a forgotten pleasure. A WORLD of difference. Much better ride, and far less SHOCKING!
With a smile, I threw the 3-week old $92.00 each KYB's into the trash barrel.
