installed gabriel vst shocks 91 300 sel
 

after reading a post a while ago about these shocks i thought i would try them. bought them at autozone for 84.00 for all 4, plus they had a buy 4 get 1 free rebate. well they work damn good so far. made the old 91 300 sel handle like a different car. it use to float like a boat now the cornering has improved dramatically. they were well worth the money. i will see how long they last, but they have a lifetime warranty and i installed myself in about 1.5 hours start to finish.

I've been thinking about getting these for my 124 as well, as soon as I get the time I will.

I believe you will find that in 10,000 or so miles these shocks will be shadows of their former selves. The top of the line KYB (a better shock the Gabriel) lasts that long.

For something that you 'feel' every day you drive your car cheaping out on shocks doesn't make much sense IMHO. Bilsteins provide excellent/even damping which is suited to our cars and does so for a Very long time. Why mess with what's Known to work?

Jonathan

well, i've been wrong before, and it i'm sure it won't be the last time.

I put Gabriels on my 220D, big mistake. Rides VERY hard, and handling isn't that much better.

A new set of Bilstiens would surprise you. They are very soft on wheel rise -- this is to absorb bumps. They are quite stiff on extension, though, and with the substatial anti-roll bars these cars have front and rear, you get a quiet ride with superb handling. Not sports car, but unless your's were so far gone the nitrogen was out of them (not likely) you didn't have a floaty ride. Bilstiens usually knock and bang when the rod piston hits the compensator piston rising up from the bottom (to keep air out of the shock as the oil leaks out) giving a harsh ride. Very rare for them to go mushy.

Don't confuse the ability to smoothy ride over bumps with a wallowy ride. The suspension doesn't have to be harsh to handle well.

My German friend recommends you leave the worn out Blistiens on if you want to use aftermarket shocks -- unless totally crapped out and non-working, they ride less harshly that the aftermarkets!

Now, if you REALLY want a rough ride, get some 20" wheels with 1" tires....

Peter

Loving the Bilsteins I put on my W126 two years ago now. They have broken in real nice and still seem like the perfect shock for these cars. Not a hint of any leaks or any wear so far.

I don't see any reason why a set of Bilsteins won't last 100k miles. At $70 each they are not that pricey either.

Has anyone tried Boge shocks?

Sixto
93 300SD

I had them on an Audi a few years ago and they were fine. They too are OEM on Mercedes. I have asked several Germans about them and have always been told that in Germany they are considered the equal of Bilstein. Bilstein has just done a much better job of consistently serving the U.S. market and consequently they have a much better reputation here - which is reason enough to buy Bilstein. Boge are usually a little cheaper but for me not enough to make it worthwhile.

Sixto, Oktoberfest JA!

I have tried Boge shocks on several cars and find them quite good. I try to find sales on good products, like this. They are good and maybe better if price is a major consideration, such as on an older car and you quit trying to out run Ferraris and Corvettes, and stick to the Soccer Moms, who are Ruthless! :)

i put the gabriel's best gas filled on my wifes pt cruiser. they were fine but in about a year and less than 10k they were so shot that i thought something was broken on the front end!

i sprang for bilsteins at big bucks for it.

the gabs were life time warranty but who wants to be changing them every 6k miles....especially on a car with front struts!

i tried boges on my bmw bavaria twenty years ago and was not impressed. also tried kybs on my saab 24 years ago and had a similar experience to the above mentioned gabriels.

bilsteins cost a lot more but have never never disappointed. i have taken them off cars with 100k on them and discovered they were as good as new. i even installed them later on another car.

tom w

4 Road Ryder Gas Supreme (aka Gabriel) installed for $175 on the '88 with a lifetime parts & labor replacement warranty @ Les Schwab.

Big difference, as I expected, since the shocks may have been the OE's...

I don't believe I'm going to worry about how long they last, although I have had Gabriel shocks on other vehicles for years with no problems nor any need for replacement.

Just my $0.02's

Cheers!

Someone brought a 123 in recently for a PPI, it had brand new Gabriels on it and I made a deduction of 700 off the price to replace them w/ something proper.

If you guys had the chance to drive your car back to back w/ Bilsteins you wouldn't think twice about spending the extra $$. Suspension is one of the items where one absolutely pays for what one gets..no exception.

Jonathan

No problem: a very clear case of "somebody else's" $700 vs. my $0.02!

Just as an update
 

Installed another set all around of these same Gabriel Gas Supreme shocks on the 1991 420SEL: this is three years+ after putting a set on the '88.

The installed (with the Les Schwab LIFETIME GUARANTEE!) shocks were $7 each more, the labor was $4 each more for a net increa$e of approximately 25% ($219 vs. $175 in '07).

Immediate and noticable ride improvement.

The shocks on the '88 are still good, ride quality is unchanged.

Estimate on KYB's were almost three times as expensive...

Now it's my $0.04 worth...

Cheers!