Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

My shocks are coming on 5 years now and I'm starting to feel more of a harsh ride.

I'm running Pro comp shocks.

Front 913515
Rear 919520

I like them but would like to give Bilstein a try. Finding a proper part number for the fronts seems to be easy, the rears are a different story. So I contacted Bilstein directly with the collapsed and expanded measurements of my Pro Comps.

This is what they emailed me back with.

Fronts: 24-013369 For a 89-91 Montero. 13.9 ext and 8.86 col
Rear 24-022156 18.8 ext and 12.26 col. eye top has a 12.3mm hardware sleeve. It is intended for a 95-04 Range Rover rear
From doing a bit of research I know that some L300 owners have used the fronts but haven't found any info on the rears being a proper fitment. I'm willing to take a risk and try them. I have a bit of a lift in the back (no seats in the rear of the van) But it will get more rear heavy as I continue to camperize it out.

L300 owners please chime in if you've used this rear shock to success.

I have not used them but I am interested to hear feedback as well. Is your delica the stock ride height?

Bilsteins are awesome quality and I've used them in many vehicles, though I haven't tried them in my van yet.

I still love the ride height adjustability of the Monroe MA-708, which might be an advantage for a camper: loaded up with water and beer? pump them up. Between camping trips and driving around town? Let them down.

Also at US$66/pair (vs US$200 for the Bilsteins) means they're practically disposable- if you don't like them, throw them out (or offer them on here- someone will want them!)

That said, if you do fit the Bilsteins please let us know what you think of them. The Pro-comps are nice, but they seem to go a bit soft over time, it would be nice to have a high quality alternative.

Well... A month later I got the fronts (they had to be backordered from Germany). Installed in about an hour each side. First impressions: Stiff!

The ride is still harsh and jarring over bumps but the handling seems to be much more controlled after replacing the shocks. A lot less nose dive now going slow over speed bumps.

I think I had some delusions of never feeling these dash shaking bumps again....I have to remember I'm driving an old cab over engine bus. The Bilsteins did level out the van nicely as the front was beginning to sag a bit. I don't have a lift kit.

Not sure I'll get the Bilstein rears. Maybe just save some money and get Pro Comp's again.

My L300 Exceed currently has some tired Bilstein B6s on and when I say tired I mean TIRED, i.e. the pin from one of the rears has snapped off completely haha...

I have in replacement some KYB Gas struts (Part numbers - Fronts: 344111, Rears:343226)
I hear good reviews about them and they are far superior to any oil based shockers. I don't know how suitable they might be for green laning/proper offroad excursions when you're actually using the gyro dial!

But my requirements are just mainly as a camper with some offroad capabilities.

As for Bilsteins however, I have some B12s in my Volvo V50 and they are fantastic for handling at the (quite severe) expense of comfort!

I redid the shocks on my L300 last year -bilsteins on the front, and I found that the monroe sensa-tracs that fit the 90s toyota van rear shocks fit the rear on my van nicely. The bilsteins are nice, especially compared to the utterly flaccid stockers. The rears are fine, or at least seem so. Honestly, I can't say that it all of a sudden turned my deli into an MR2 spyder...
bilsteins came from shockwarehouse, and the monroes from summit racing.

Growlerbearnz wrote:Bilsteins are awesome quality and I've used them in many vehicles, though I haven't tried them in my van yet.

I still love the ride height adjustability of the Monroe MA-708, which might be an advantage for a camper: loaded up with water and beer? pump them up. Between camping trips and driving around town? Let them down.

Also at US$66/pair (vs US$200 for the Bilsteins) means they're practically disposable- if you don't like them, throw them out (or offer them on here- someone will want them!)

That said, if you do fit the Bilsteins please let us know what you think of them. The Pro-comps are nice, but they seem to go a bit soft over time, it would be nice to have a high quality alternative.

do you know if anyone has found air adjustable shocks for the front end as well? thanks

Not air adjustables (which just change ride height, not damping), but regular adjustables (which change the amount of damping from harsh to off-road floppy): http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19034

okay thank you Growler, im looking for a bit of height adjustment the damping isnt too critical as anything new will feel better than blown out oems.

Front suspension ride height is already adjustable via the screw threads at the rear ends of the torsion bars. (If you want Range Rover style on-the-fly ride height changes, you're going to be engineering something.)