Vrot SFA Steering Stabiliser/Damper

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:13 am

Hi guys,

Want to pick you brains... 2 years ago I replaced the original Toy steering stabiliser with a Gabriel, it now appears the Gabriel is vrot, it's got no damping effect in the center where it's most needed, I probably wouldn't have noticed with smaller tyres on, but the 33's(and up) require a damper, especially for travelling at speed on the highway. My question... what reasonable priced options(heavy duty) are out there and what has your experience with them been like?

I know the OME one is great, but @ about R1400, it's a bit expensive for me for now!

Thanks,
B

Post by **LouisZ** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:11 am

The Toy one is not bad, reason is that mine lasted for 16years befoere it broke. I wonder what Toy ask for them tese days?

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:13 am

4x4megaworldpta wrote:I wonder what Toy ask for them tese days?

R1405.00 plus VAT.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:26 am

4x4megaworldpta wrote:The Toy one is not bad, reason is that mine lasted for 16years befoere it broke. I wonder what Toy ask for them tese days?

As far as I know the Toy one is not suitable for 33's, it's simply too small!

B

Post by **LouisZ** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:27 am

Eish

Did not think it was so much.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:01 am

Even the Iron Man one is expensive, just R150 cheaper than OME.

I'm thinking I'm just going to get another Gabriel, 2.5 years @ R 450.00's not bad!

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:19 am

snipes wrote:Even the Iron Man one is expensive, just R150 cheaper than OME.

I'm thinking I'm just going to get another Gabriel, 2.5 years @ R 450.00's not bad!

B

I think one should accept the accelerated wear as a product of enjoying 33" Muds

Oom Ralph did my lekker deal for a bit less and through in a wheel alignment so:

Don't forget to get a wheel alignment nê :!:

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:39 am

Wheel alignment and balancing just done, this is what showed up the defective damper. I have found another decent option, Monroe make a heavy duty 4x4 damper:

http://www.monroe.com.au/products/steering-damper.html

The part no. in SA is SC2914, but the agents in Cape Town are fully of cr@p

, saying to me they won't order a single unit, they only place large orders... :? what kind of service is that, phoned JHB Monroe, they say they stock it

, and told me to contact Parts Incorporated(Midas)... Midas CT HQ said UH :wth: , we are only the workshop, contacted Midas call centre, totally useless couldn't find a number for Midas Bellville :x , I gave up and phoned Supa Quick Brackenfell, who will call me back in a mo....

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:44 am

snipes wrote:Wheel alignment and balancing just done, this is what showed up the defective damper. I have found another decent option, Monroe make a heavy duty 4x4 damper:

http://www.monroe.com.au/products/steering-damper.html

The part no. in SA is SC2914, but the agents in Cape Town are fully of cr@p , saying to me they won't order a single unit, they only place large orders... :? what kind of service is that, phoned JHB Monroe, they say they stock it , and told me to contact Parts Incorporated(Midas)... Midas CT HQ said UH :wth: , we are only the workshop, contacted Midas call centre, totally useless couldn't find a number for Midas Bellville :x , I gave up and phoned Supa Quick Brackenfell, who will call me back in a mo....

B

Let me know if you battle to get one bru, though Supa Quick should sort you out nê

Ps... you're still in for a 2nd wheel alignment after the new damper is fitted

King Rat · Post by **King Rat** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:48 am

Dadz Toy BFI wrote:
snipes wrote:Wheel alignment and balancing just done, this is what showed up the defective damper. I have found another decent option, Monroe make a heavy duty 4x4 damper:

http://www.monroe.com.au/products/steering-damper.html

The part no. in SA is SC2914, but the agents in Cape Town are fully of cr@p , saying to me they won't order a single unit, they only place large orders... :? what kind of service is that, phoned JHB Monroe, they say they stock it , and told me to contact Parts Incorporated(Midas)... Midas CT HQ said UH :wth: , we are only the workshop, contacted Midas call centre, totally useless couldn't find a number for Midas Bellville :x , I gave up and phoned Supa Quick Brackenfell, who will call me back in a mo....

B
Let me know if you battle to get one bru, though Supa Quick should sort you out nê

Ps... you're still in for a 2nd wheel alignment after the new damper is fitted

I think mine is also due for replacement Britney...Thanks for all the legwork

Why do you need wheel alignment when the damper is replaced?

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:51 am

No need to redo alignment, the damper does not affect the steering geometry, checked with First Wheel Alignment as well!

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:54 am

snipes wrote:No need to redo alignment, the damper does not affect the steering geometry, checked with First Wheel Alignment as well!

I wouldn't be so sure Britne

to remove my old one we had to loosen and rotate the track bar substantially

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:01 pm

That's strange Richard, I've already removed mine, no rotating or moving anything(except 2 nuts), just remove the 2 nuts, 1 x 14mm, 1 x 19mm, 2 minutes... not sure if yours is different??

Does Gabriel have a SA website? Can only find: http://www.ci-automotive.com/products/p ... rodCat=198

If not, that's really sleg!

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:09 pm

Good stuff

Problem with mine was different dia. and stroke determined a different positioning; over extending will knacker a stabiliser prematurely - just be careful there bru

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:17 pm

The Monroe one I'm after is specifically made for the 84 to 98 SFA!

King Rat · Post by **King Rat** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:33 pm

snipes wrote: Does Gabriel have a SA website? Can only find: http://www.ci-automotive.com/products/p ... rodCat=198

If not, that's really sleg!

B

I've also in the past tried to find a Gabriel website. Apprently they do not want to deal with the public directly in any way, according to a mate that worked there. No reason was given.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:54 pm

Well they then certainly don't have a marketing department then! The first place I(and many others) look for decent tech data is on the manufacturers official website, if the website is shoddy then I'm often not sure about the product, no website... well that's just sad!

Craig from Supa Quick Brackenfell is assisting me with sourcing the Monroe damper, hold thumbs!

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:12 pm

snipes wrote:Well they then certainly don't have a marketing department then! The first place I(and many others) look for decent tech data is on the manufacturers official website, if the website is shoddy then I'm often not sure about the product, no website... well that's just sad!

Craig from Supa Quick Brackenfell is assisting me with sourcing the Monroe damper, hold thumbs!

B

Don't forget that the Dust Boot is an "Optional Extra" nê

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:09 pm

Yip asked for the price of the damper as well as dust boot, still waiting...

Scorpion · Post by **Scorpion** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:51 pm

And? Would like to know as mine is also due for replacement.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:05 pm

Craig from SupaQuick did give me a call, he's waiting for the agents to get back to him, if it's the same 'agents' I dealt with earlier, well we might be going around in circles... I'll call him later... in fact I've been waiting for my glasses repair for over a week now as well! My 1 year old daughter got hold of them...

B

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:01 pm

Just spoke to the Craig from SQ, the agent is contacting JHB, they weren't aware that Monroe made such a thing, he will let me know in the morning, costs and availability.

B

Post by **Family_Dog** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:21 pm

OME!!!

Why sukkel?

-F_D

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:15 pm

Family_Dog wrote:OME!!!

Why sukkel?

-F_D

OutrageouslyMassive, Expenditure

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:30 pm

Bretton, you frickin brain surgeon, have you ever thought of giving Allan a call to find out what he fits and where he gets it from? You wasted an entire day.

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:48 pm

Kaspaas wrote:Bretton, you frickin brain surgeon, have you ever thought of giving Allan a call to find out what he fits and where he gets it from? You wasted an entire day.

:wth:

Thys at least give Bretton full marks for trying to figure it out alone.....

BenHur · Post by **BenHur** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:48 pm

I heard that an Audi 100's front shock is the perfect length for what we need and is much cheaper :?

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:16 am

JohanM wrote: :wth: Thys at least give Bretton full marks for trying to figure it out alone.....

Nee Johan, mens gee nie volpunte vir sukkel nie...

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:24 am

Thys, jislike! Of course I called Allan, he said contact Johan Tyres, who offered me OME(R 1400+) or IronMan (R 1250)... and so my story started looking for an alternative... My previous damper, a Gabriel, probably killed over cause it didn't have a dust boot! The Monroe one is a potentially lucrative option, it is heavy duty, specifically made for 4x4's, and will (no doubt) be a whole lot cheaper than the OME and IronMan and do exactly the same job!

Eric I would rather spend the 1400+ purchasing a two way radio from you :) soon!

B

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:26 am

snipes wrote:Thys, jislike! Of course I called Allan, he said contact Johan Tyres,

You obviously phrased your question wrong....

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:00 pm

Update... short and sweet...

SupaQuick's Craig is sick... saga/soapie postponed to 18 Feb 2009...

B

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:51 pm

Eric I would rather spend the 1400+ purchasing a two way radio from you :) soon!

B

Yes, that's a much better plan, forget the OME!

Avnic has run out of stock, I have had an order with them for three weeks now. Guess I should increase the order before the new stock arrives and they put up their prices again :roll:

-F_D

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:51 am

Hi guys,

Quick update Craig of SQ called me first thing this morning, JHB have stock, the stabiliser is half the cost of the OME/IronMan equivalent. He has ordered one for me, will take 10 days to get the CT, he's checking if the dust boot is standard or an optional extra!

B

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:30 pm

Another little update on the Monroe steering damper... Craig from SuperQuick called me, the damper has arrived and it's less than 700 bucks including the dust boot! I'm picking it up this afternoon... I'll fit it later today...

At less than half the OME/IronMan price, I now have R700+ left towards my 2 way radio F_D... 8 )

B

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:04 pm

snipes wrote:SuperQuick

Not so Super Quick Bra.. you been going on this mission for more than a week now...

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:20 pm

Well a week is still less than the 10 days they said it will take, so in essence they were quicker than anticipated!

B

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:57 pm

snipes wrote:Well a week is still less than the 10 days they said it will take, so in essence they were quicker than anticipated!

B

Nope Bretton,

Super Quick would have been overnight,
Quick is 3 days,
Slow is a week ,
Super Slow is 10 days ...

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:58 pm

Jaaaaaaaaa Thys...

:wth:

Post by **Family_Dog** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:37 pm

At less than half the OME/IronMan price, I now have R700+ left towards my 2 way radio F_D... 8 )

Order another two them sell them at R300 profit, then we're there!

Avnic was all out of stock of GX300 radios for a couple of weeks, but I received my deliveries yesterday, so I'm all ready and a-waitning!

-F_D

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:21 pm

Hi all,

This evening I picked up the Monroe steering damper. This is definitely a heavy duty piece of equipment. It's damping effect makes the old Gabriel feel like a joke! I took some pics so you guys can see the kit/installation:

The old Gabriel compared to new Monroe:

What do you get in the kit(note the blue boot Bennie

):

The steering damper fitted:

For the technical guys:

Took her for a spin with the new damper, and it's a vast improvement

, if you are running 31"+ tyres then a steering damper upgrade is worth it!

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:41 pm

So what was the inclusive kit cost bru

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:56 pm

Hey Richard,

At R659.00 incl VAT, incl the boot... it is well worth it, the IronMan is R1250 and the Old Man
Emu is R1500. It's much better than my old Gabriel one and the original Toy one, I can actually feel the effect now!

Takes about 30 minutes to fit!

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:57 pm

snipes wrote:Hey Richard,

At R659.00 incl VAT, incl the boot... it is well worth it, the IronMan is R1250 and the Old Man
Emu is R1500. It's much better than my old Gabriel one and the original Toy one, I can actually feel the effect now!

Takes about 30 minutes to fit!

B

So it steers as nicely as DadzToy nou nê

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:06 pm

Dadz Toy BFI wrote:So it steers as nicely as DadzToy nou nannas

Better

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:07 pm

snipes wrote:
Dadz Toy BFI wrote:So it steers as nicely as DadzToy nou nannas
Better

:roll:

glad you're sorted

Maddoglips · Post by **Maddoglips** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:42 am

Bretton

Cheers for the info on the damper.

Just recieved mine, hit a luck and got it for R320

Just battling to get the boot.

Would you have some sort of part no/ref no for the boot or know if they got from Monroe aswell?

Thanks,

Zane

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 10:21 am

Zane, if memory serves me... the boot was supplied with the damper shock... with the ongoing repairs to my steering(making the draglink length adjustable, another story for another time) I have removed the steering damper... and now for the first time I can actually feel the bump steer effect, the damper suppresses it 100%...

Mr B

Post by **Mud Dog** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:15 am

Zane, is that the Monroe damper? .... and who supplied it at R320.00?

Maddoglips · Post by **Maddoglips** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:15 pm

Andy

The damper I got is identical to Brettons, just battling for the boot though, should with luck have answers today as I have asked another M8 to assist who should be able to get some answers.

I got mine through a M8, don't wanna say where due to the obvious.

If you are wanting 1 though I can probs organise it for you at the same price(will confirm if you're interested) but wouldn't push my luck for more at this price.

PS just before any 1 asks, the deal is fully legal and invoices ect.. are all good no back door shopping. LOL

Zane

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:54 pm

Zane, just remember that this is a heavy duty stabiliser, so it does add a bit of weight/resistance to the steering, this isn't to everyone's liking, but with 33" tyres and bigger it works great...

Mr B

Post by **Mud Dog** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:58 pm

Ok, sound it out to see if you can still get .... then I'll get one from you. The boot I can always organise one way or another if you cannot get .... not too wild about the blue colour.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:06 pm

Mud Dog wrote:...not too wild about the blue colour.

Neither was I, and it's already a bit damaged... essentially this is just another shock absorber, so sure you could just use a normal shock boot??? I may replace it with a black one...

Toybox · Post by **Toybox** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:29 pm

Guys,

I think I have boots for you. I don't use them...

Got 4, first PM's get em...

Toybox · Post by **Toybox** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:54 pm

3 left...

They might be a bit long but I'm sure you can trim to fit...

Post by **Mud Dog** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:56 am

If it's long, one just secures it further down the shock. No need to trim.