Best Shocks for Road Use and towing

[Grey Wolf]

I am looking for some advice. I am an early owner of Grenadier in the UK and rightly or wrongly purchased a petrol commercial version. I believe that the springs are stiffer on the commercial models which is great for towing or when I have a reasonable load onboard but I would like a better ride quality on the road, most of my driving is UK country lanes which are bumpy and pot holed.
I was thinking that changing out the shocks for something like the French Nimbus hydrolic shock or something would hopefully improve my day to day driving and will handle the poor roads which are just everywhere here in the UK. I would really like some input before spending my hard earned cash. . Thanks Daniel

 

[Cheshire cat]

I am looking for some advice. I am an early owner of Grenadier in the UK and rightly or wrongly purchased a petrol commercial version. I believe that the springs are stiffer on the commercial models which is great for towing or when I have a reasonable load onboard but I would like a better ride quality on the road, most of my driving is UK country lanes which are bumpy and pot holed.
I was thinking that changing out the shocks for something like the French Nimbus hydrolic shock or something would hopefully improve my day to day driving and will handle the poor roads which are just everywhere here in the UK. I would really like some input before spending my hard earned cash. . Thanks Daniel

Hi Grey Wolf
I am also very interested in the Nimbus product but as yet, can't find enough feedback. A lot of cash to lay out without some pedigree. They do have a dealer in the UK (Chris) whom I need to meet up with and see how they perform on his Defender.

 

[Grey Wolf]

Hi Grey Wolf
I am also very interested in the Nimbus product but as yet, can't find enough feedback. A lot of cash to lay out without some pedigree. They do have a dealer in the UK (Chris) whom I need to meet up with and see how they perform on his Defender.

The reviews from this forum aren't exactly glowing for Nimbus but it's hard to know if they are fair and unbiased as forums are like Google business reviews, one star or five stars, and I am just left confused.

 

[KristinaM]

I’ve placed an order for the Nimbus Erebus. I should see them arrive in mid or late April at this point.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Will be very interested in hearing your views. There is someone else on here from the US, who has fitted Nimbus. He told me he was very happy with his choice. To me, the engineering definitely makes a lot of sense.

 

[Dokatd]

Nimbus would likely do exactly what you are looking for since they are charged shocks. You will likely want to run the Nimbus just a smidge over factory ride height to fully realize the effects. Maybe .5-1" over.

I cannot speak to the quality of Nimbus but I have run similar products over the years and it does provide a nice supple ride.

 

[pmatusov]

I would not buy Nimbus out of a general principle - the company using a meaningless buzzword for something that is not only not new, but widely used everywhere.
Every single Bilstein monotube shock is oleo-pneumatic. Every Gabriel AirShock from a 40-year-old JCWhitney catalog was oleo-pneumatic.
I believe every glowing review is just because people have to justify spending a large coin on a buzzword.

 

[TheDocAUS]

AIRBAGS
Depending on how heavy the van is, airbags maybe enough to deal with any issues. It is enough for my van, which is 1980kg max.

Short article on towing with airbags on the INEOS here.

KONI
I would suggest you also look at the KONI Raid shocks, see link below. A highly respected shock and more competitively priced than the Nimbus. A couple of members have them and are happy with performance.

NIMBUS
@Adam-Oz has been working on dialing in his Nimbus shocks to tow a 3.5 tonne van. He has some valuable insight if you go that way. It is not straight forward. NImbus is a pricey option.

I know Adam is close to posting a review of his experiences.

View: https://youtu.be/7hkvTdl8CI8

 

[Dokatd]

I would not buy Nimbus out of a general principle - the company using a meaningless buzzword for something that is not only not new, but widely used everywhere.
Every single Bilstein monotube shock is oleo-pneumatic. Every Gabriel AirShock from a 40-year-old JCWhitney catalog was oleo-pneumatic.
I believe every glowing review is just because people have to justify spending a large coin on a buzzword.

Ok, I'm with you, but Nimbus are true air shocks are they not. Standard monotube shocks are not designed to carry any load and use relatively thin shafts. Nimbus to my knowledge use shafts that are 1.25-1.5" in diameter or more. Then they are charged to the point that they carry some load. This provides a wildly different ride over normal charged shocks.

 

[Max]

Nitrogen Gas Shocks

Gas-charged shock absorbers, typically utilizing nitrogen gas, are advanced ride control units designed to reduce hydraulic fluid foaming (aeration) and minimize performance fade caused by heat. They offer improved handling, quicker response, and consistent damping, making them ideal for performance, towing, or uneven terrain.

BILSTEIN B8 5160​

Bilstein Suspension Australia
https://bilstein.com.au › bilstein-b8-5160-2




BILSTEIN's nitrogen-infused 46mm monotube design with a floating dividing piston separating the gas and oil, provide consistent, fade-free performance.Read more

 

[pmatusov]

Ok, I'm with you, but Nimbus are true air shocks are they not. Standard monotube shocks are not designed to carry any load and use relatively thin shafts.

So are the Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade shocks!

 

[parb]

I would not buy Nimbus out of a general principle - the company using a meaningless buzzword for something that is not only not new, but widely used everywhere.
Every single Bilstein monotube shock is oleo-pneumatic. Every Gabriel AirShock from a 40-year-old JCWhitney catalog was oleo-pneumatic.
I believe every glowing review is just because people have to justify spending a large coin on a buzzword.

I don't think this is true on merit. I don't have a nimbus shock (i have fox on mine) but i think its well settled that they operate on different principles even if a monoshock has nitrogen in it and superficially looks like they have the same type of ingredients.

the difference between a "gas-charged" shock and an oleo-pneumatic system like the ones Nimbus makes is the function of the nitrogen.

While both use nitrogen, they use it for different things:

• Standard Gas Shocks: Use nitrogen at low/medium pressure just to keep the hydraulic oil from foaming. You still need a metal coil spring to support the vehicle's weight.
• Oleo-Pneumatic Shocks: Use high-pressure nitrogen as the actual spring. The gas replaces the metal coil entirely.

The main takeaway: Standard shocks use gas to improve the oil's performance; oleo-pneumatic systems use gas to hold the vehicle up. If you're looking at specs, make sure you're checking whether the nitrogen is a "damping aid" or the "primary spring," as they handle weight and big hits very differently.

In a Nimbus-style oleo-pneumatic system, the nitrogen acts as the spring, but the oil (the "oleo" part) handles the damping.

Without the oil, the nitrogen spring would behave like a pogo stick—it would compress under a hit and then bounce back uncontrollably. The oil is what makes the suspension feel stable and smooth rather than chaotic.

The Two Main Jobs of the Oil:​

• Damping (Energy Dissipation): When the shock compresses or rebounds, the oil is forced through small valves or orifices. This resistance converts the kinetic energy of the bump into heat. It controls the speed at which the shock moves, ensuring the vehicle settles quickly after a bump.
• Lubrication and Sealing: Because oleo-pneumatic systems operate under extremely high pressure, the oil helps lubricate the internal seals and moving parts. It also acts as a secondary seal to help keep the high-pressure nitrogen from leaking out of the chamber.

How they work together​

Inside the strut, the oil and gas are often separated by a floating piston. When you hit a rock:

1. The Oil is pushed through valves to slow the initial movement (Damping).
2. The Gas is compressed to support the load (Spring).
3. On the way back up, the Oil again restricts the flow to prevent the gas from "snapping" the shock back to full extension (Rebound Damping).

 

[Dokatd]

So are the Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade shocks!

Well, I'm not up on the newest versions, but the older versions most certainly use shocks. Maybe the new ones are "Oleo Pneumatic". I can't answer that. But as Part put it so well, if the "shock" supports a significant portion of the weight or more than its Oleo Pneumatic. Or more specifically not a standard run of the mill shock.

I first started playing with these in about 1999 on my early bronco. Both front and back suspension consisted of only Fox Air shocks. I didn't have a single conventional spring on the truck. It rode like butter over everything. The key was to be sure to have a large enough diameter piston. Otherwise they get goofy. The first early Fox air shocks were 2". The 2.5's changed the game. Now we have versions that you can tune nitrogen pressure on both sides of the piston. That's even bigger!!!

Had I not gone Kings on my Grenadier I would be running Nimbus. But Nimbus was flakey on response when I inquired.

 

[KristinaM]

I would not buy Nimbus out of a general principle - the company using a meaningless buzzword for something that is not only not new, but widely used everywhere.
Every single Bilstein monotube shock is oleo-pneumatic. Every Gabriel AirShock from a 40-year-old JCWhitney catalog was oleo-pneumatic.
I believe every glowing review is just because people have to justify spending a large coin on a buzzword.

FWIW I wouldn’t consider marketing BS of this type somehow unique to Nimbus. The significantly higher pressure N2 spring ( ~100 bar ) and build quality ( per @Dokatd’s comments ) appear to be what sets them apart from other vendors. I’d consider it to be a continuation of what Fournales accomplished.

 

[KristinaM]

Nimbus is French. Consider this to be a benefit or a warning depending upon your level of patience…

 

[KristinaM]

I’ll post an in depth review once they arrive and I’ve broken them in. I think my rig is a pretty decent test vector for this damper type given how heavy it is.