Bilsteins for 2002 GUIII

[Simpson]

Hi guys. Trying to obtain a set of Bilsteins from the US for my +2" GUIII but as the car was never sold there I can't find a parts listing. Does anyone know part no's apply or even full open and closed shock length? Many thanks in advance.:thumbup:

[Drewboyaus]

Hi guys. Trying to obtain a set of Bilsteins from the US for my +2" GUIII but as the car was never sold there I can't find a parts listing. Does anyone know part no's apply or even full open and closed shock length? Many thanks in advance.:thumbup:

Why? There are so many better or at worst, equivalent choices here......

But to answer your question I doubt you will get that part out of the USA for exactly the reason you're finding difficult, because there were no Y61's sold there. You might get a close approximation but probably not an exact match.
Personally, I'd be buying something local that was designed for the Y61 and local conditions.

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[mudski]

Then you have a local warranty too. Armada's seem to be the pick of the crop if you want top end shocks.

[Drewboyaus]

King, Fox, Koni, Bilstein, Armada, OME, Tough Dog....... Lots of options.
What do you want your car to do?

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[Stropp]

you need to find someone who has those bilstiens and get the part number from them and chase them that way, get a quote from one of the big mobs that sell them.

[Simpson]

Thanks for your responses. Having rallied cars for some years Bilsteins have always outperformed other 'non canister' options. I notice that they can be bought off Ebay but at $800 a set thats over double US price. Happy to take your recommendations though as I'm a total 4WD novice. The car will entirely be used for outback travel - sand, dirt, mud - with very little city driving. I'm encouraged through this forum to fit a 2" uplift kit (King Springs??) plus maybe a RTC damper. What's they opinion from you experienced guys? Don't want a harsh ride

[Drewboyaus]

You will always have a harsh ride when you're not fully loaded. You should calculate your spring rate required based on the weight of accessories you have fitted (will fit) and the equipment like fridges and tents you will be carting around.
If you will be doing outback touring, seriously look at a matched Old Man Emu suspension kit setup from ARB. A couple of the guys here weren't completely convinced until after they did the Simpson Desert this year. A different story now. Not the biggest flex around if setup right but a great all around setup.
You also have the support of their dealer community when travelling remote if anything does actually go wrong, which is unlikely.
But each to their own.....

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[Simpson]

Yes Simpson Desert is the plan for April/May 2015 so I'll check out OME. There also seems to be a lot of 'cheap' stuff on ebay.

[Drewboyaus]

Yes Simpson Desert is the plan for April/May 2015 so I'll check out OME. There also seems to be a lot of 'cheap' stuff on ebay.

Ahh, yes. eBay. Rarely in this game do you find something that is good and cheap. It's normally one or the other. But if you liked using Bilsteins for rallying you would probably already know that.
Some eBay stuff is ok but there is a lot of complete rubbish. Everything from turbos to suspension.

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[Rossco]

I can recomend OME aswell. Happy with the overall performance, still get reasonable flex.

You wont need a return to centre if your steering geometry is set up right. I would upgrade this tho.

[Vinnie]

The most important is the valving of the shock

[paulyg]

I have the Bilsteins and king springs on my Patrol, and I did nearly 5500km through the Simpson desert and surrounding aera this year,
They performed very well, did not fade even after hours on badly corrugated roads.

[happygu]

Go for the OME or Kings and Koni's, for a good touring setup - which you can easily get and replace if you blow one out in the middle of nowhere.

Both are good, reliable, fairly comfortable (depending on your point of view) and will take whatever you throw at them.

Just remember, that you can't have comfort and load carrying ability together in the one package ..... there will always be a little compromise to lean one way or the other.

I run very heavy springs, and compromise everyday comfort, and even though they held the weight well, they still dropped with the weight of all the water fuel, passengers and gear required for a safe Simpson crossing.

If you want comfort primarily, I would look at the progressive rate King Coils, as they will still handle a load quite well, but will give you a softer ride unladen and will sag a little more with load.

Mic