4WD Shock Absorbers While standard shock absorbers usually have long service lives on 4WD vehicles that rarely used in the off-road environment, the demands that hard core off-road driving places on standard shock absorbers can be extreme.
Do I Need Special Shock Absorbers On My 4WD? Rapidly repeated compression and extension cycles cause standard shock absorbers to overheat in very short order, which inevitably results in premature shock absorber failures.
While the surest way to avoid this is to replace standard shock absorbers with units that are designed for off-road use, it should be noted that off-road shock absorbers are not created equal.
What you want is shock absorbers that are designed for your specific vehicle with reference to both the vehicles’ expected maximum weight, and its intended use in terms of the types of terrain the vehicle will most often be used in.
In practice, fitting unsuitable off-road shock absorbers is no better than keeping the standard shock absorbers, so consult with specialist shock absorber suppliers to make sure you fit shock absorbers that will cope with the shock damping loads your specific vehicle will generate.
Your local Repco Authorised Service centre can advise you on the right shock absorber to fit to your 4WD, regardless of what conditions you drive in.