Shocks

[RickJ]

So am I getting this right..? By purchasing Pro comp shocks you loose the ECS. I was under the impression that the shocks come in both pin end (ECS) and eye style (non-ECS)...I also bethought that the pin enfd were ECS enabled?

[Firesong]

Yes. You need the special shocks that the van can control for the ECS. The pin style or eye are just different ways to attach a shock to the frame.

[Diver]

That's right, as I said earlier up the thread the ONLY shocks that will work with ECS are the Mitsubishi ones. On non-ECS equipped L400s the top of the rear shock is attached with an eye bolt while the ECS version has a vertical pin (because that's how the actuator attaches). This is the reason why they ask you when supplying Procomps etc if the vehicle had ECS. ONLY so they know which shape of rear shock to supply, NOT because they are supplying you an ECS-compatible shock.
The proper ECS shock from Mitsubishi has a pin inside the main outer pin which the actuator turns to stiffen or soften the suspension. None of these aftermarket shocks have this and that's why you lose the excellent ECS system (which the original owner paid a heap of money extra as an option when he bought it) when you put cheap shocks on.
The difference to the driveabilty is that the suspension will no longer sense your cornering and braking and stiffen or soften your shocks in accordance to keep the 2-tonne, 2.1 m high beast under the kind of control that only ECS can.
Still, boats are fun too

[Artacoma]

The difference to the driveabilty is that the suspension will no longer sense your cornering and braking and stiffen or soften your shocks in accordance to keep the 2-tonne, 2.1 m high beast under the kind of control that only ECS can.

I thought the ECS just adjusted stiffness i.e.. hard or soft when you flipped the switch , are you saying it's an active control system that adjusts automatically as you drive?

[Diver]

The difference to the driveabilty is that the suspension will no longer sense your cornering and braking and stiffen or soften your shocks in accordance to keep the 2-tonne, 2.1 m high beast under the kind of control that only ECS can.

I thought the ECS just adjusted stiffness i.e.. hard or soft when you flipped the switch , are you saying it's an active control system that adjusts automatically as you drive?

Yes. There's a 'G' sensor that tells the system what the vehicle is doing. If you have ECS (and it's functioning), it's possible to remove one of the plates in the floor in the rear and unscrew the actuator from the bracket on the top of the shock while leaving it still attached to the wiring. You can then flip it over and watch what it does while someone else drives. It quickly becomes obvious that the system is constantly adjusting especially when braking and cornering. The same type of system is fitted to other Mitsubishi vehicles (we have the GTO/3000GT as an official import over here) and is really rather sophisticated considering the age of the vehicles. Hence why I always think it's a bit of a shame when people ditch it and put cheapy shocks on.

[VanVonVan]

Yes. There's a 'G' sensor that tells the system what the vehicle is doing. If you have ECS (and it's functioning), it's possible to remove one of the plates in the floor in the rear and unscrew the actuator from the bracket on the top of the shock while leaving it still attached to the wiring. You can then flip it over and watch what it does while someone else drives. It quickly becomes obvious that the system is constantly adjusting especially when braking and cornering. The same type of system is fitted to other Mitsubishi vehicles (we have the GTO/3000GT as an official import over here) and is really rather sophisticated considering the age of the vehicles. Hence why I always think it's a bit of a shame when people ditch it and put cheapy shocks on.[/quote]


I don't know about how other people drive these vans but since it is pretty much a brick on wheels, I drive accordingly. I know I am not gonna "beat" any lights or take a corner at 60 kph because of what I drive. While I see the validity in your comments on how great of a system the ECS is. I can't justify spending $300 plus shipping per shock or more. I mean for that kind of money I could be putting in a lift or buying new tires or a whole bunch of other mods. Now I was under the impression the Procomp 9000 series of shocks are a great after market shock.

[yojimbo]

Bear in mind that Diver lives in the UK, and we have 'bends' and 'corners' over here

[psilosin]

That is interesting, I always thought the ECS shocks were just hard/soft like those in my Toyota. That they are actually adaptive is pretty awesome.

Considering the L400 with procomp shocks is one of the worst handling vehicles I have driven even at stock height, $1200 to restore an adaptive suspension that increases safety comfort and performance doesn't sound that bad when compared to many mods that cost much more and deliver less.

[Diver]

Yes. There's a 'G' sensor that tells the system what the vehicle is doing. If you have ECS (and it's functioning), it's possible to remove one of the plates in the floor in the rear and unscrew the actuator from the bracket on the top of the shock while leaving it still attached to the wiring. You can then flip it over and watch what it does while someone else drives. It quickly becomes obvious that the system is constantly adjusting especially when braking and cornering. The same type of system is fitted to other Mitsubishi vehicles (we have the GTO/3000GT as an official import over here) and is really rather sophisticated considering the age of the vehicles. Hence why I always think it's a bit of a shame when people ditch it and put cheapy shocks on.

I don't know about how other people drive these vans but since it is pretty much a brick on wheels, I drive accordingly. I know I am not gonna "beat" any lights or take a corner at 60 kph because of what I drive. While I see the validity in your comments on how great of a system the ECS is. I can't justify spending $300 plus shipping per shock or more. I mean for that kind of money I could be putting in a lift or buying new tires or a whole bunch of other mods. Now I was under the impression the Procomp 9000 series of shocks are a great after market shock.[/quote]

Yeah, at that price for you guys I would have to give it a lot of thought too. Over here the original ECS shocks are a bit cheaper than Rancho 9000s so it's an easy decision. Here's my original musings from when I was working this stuff out for those who are interested:

http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... sc&start=0