Better Control, Safety and Satisfaction

KYB’s Gas-a-Just and MonoMax improve upon OEM performance and capability

Dampers play a critical role when it comes to vehicle dynamics, performance and safety. Yet over time, that capability can be impacted by a combination of use, driving conditions and road surface. When it comes to aftermarket replacements, motorists are faced with a range of different options, yet as more consumers look to keep their vehicles longer, selecting the right shocks and struts becomes not only revolves around cost, but performance and reliability.

For service centres, this represents a major opportunity to not only provide the right products for customers, but build long term retention via those products, delivering superior service, and greater customer satisfaction and long-term retention.

Enhanced performance

KYB’s line of Gas-a-Just and MonoMax dampers are designed to improve upon traditional twin-tube designs, offering superior control, reliability, and overall performance.

According to Sean Fox, Product Manager for KYB Americas, these Monotube shock absorbers deliver a sportier, tighter feel on the road, while also reducing fade. “As shock absorbers heat up, they tend to lose performance. In a typical twin-tube design that happens faster due to aeration, in which little pockets of air form inside the assembly, causing the oil to foam up, particularly under more aggressive driving. On a Monotube design, that doesn’t happen because the air and oil are completely separated, so you don’t get those air bubbles forming.”

KYB Gas-a-Just Monotube shocks are designed to deliver up to a 25% improvement in damping performance compared with traditional OE twin-tube units and as Fox notes, are a popular upgrade for sports and muscle cars, as well as pickup trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles and SUVs. On performance, muscle and sports cars, Gas-a-Just shocks are a good choice because they offer more neutral cornering and better steering response, since the Monotube design doesn’t allow fluid to pass too quickly through the shock valves—a common problem on worn and budget twin-tube designs.

Extra weight

For 4x4s, Fox notes that for popular vehicles like Jeep Wranglers and Toyota 4Runners, which are frequently modified with bigger wheels and tires and aftermarket bumpers, the added weight (up to an extra 25 lbs alone for each aftermarket wheel/tire alone), impacts OE shock performance. Often, by selecting something like a KYB Gas-a-Just, with its high-pressure Monotube design, the result is firmer damping, delivering better control and suspension response, particular with these larger wheel/tire combinations.

Overall, Fox says that for service centres, a customer that wants a little more performance than OE, and tends to drive their vehicle regularly for personal or recreational use, is a good candidate for KYB Gas-a-Just shocks, since they offer a great blend of enhanced performance, durability without sacrificing comfort.

For more severe use, including fleet and heavier-duty truck applications, Fox says, that service centres can recommend KYB’s MonoMax line. “These shocks are designed for maximum control, for people who subject their vehicles to heavier use,” says Fox. This includes extensive trailer towing, or carrying heavier payloads, such as is common on heavier duty pickups used for fleet or contractor purposes, or 4×4 enthusiasts that like to use their vehicles for more extreme off-roading and Overland activities.

“On a Monotube design, foaming doesn’t happen because the air and oil are completely separated, so you don’t get those air bubbles forming.”

– Sean Fox, Product Manager, KYB Americas

Faster response

Fox notes that MonoMax was designed as a “workhorse to deliver maximum control. The body is bigger and these shocks use larger pistons for better heat dissipation.” Additionally, with faster valve response, MonoMax shocks are designed to offer up to 40% more damping compared with traditional OEM twin tube units, and that faster valve response and greater damping ability also translates into better vehicle control and stability, particularly important on lifted trucks and 4×4 SUVs. For those that use their vehicles extensively for towing, the ability to maintain a stable and level ride height is also important for both safety and efficiency.

Fox notes that KYB’s history and experience in the ride control market (the organization was originally founded in 1919 in Japan and has been manufacturing shock absorbers in North America since 1986), reflects the company’s consistent commitment to quality and engineering excellence. “We’ve been manufacturing MonoMax products for 25 years and the Gas-a-Just line was first introduced back in 1974, so we have a lot of experience when it comes to engineering damping and ride control components,” says Fox. That experience translates into a premium product, backed by a solid warranty, resulting in one of the most compelling and competitive offerings in the aftermarket when it comes to shocks and struts.

Service considerations

While installing a new set of shock absorbers can make a significant difference in vehicle handling, safety and performance, particularly if they go beyond the original OE requirements, Sean Fox says that from a service centre perspective, it’s important to note that when a customer is being advised or considers replacing or upgrading dampers, the rest of of the suspension system should also be inspected. “You can upgrade the shocks, but if the control arms or the bushings are worn, it’s not going to make a huge difference,” he says. Which is why it’s critical to look a complete ride control package, to ensure that replacing the shocks, in addition to items like bushings, control arms and ball joints, results in a suspension system that not only restores OE performance but improves upon it, particularly if the customer is also considering a wheel and tire upgrade.