Shocks

[Steve Albert]

What would be the best kind of Shocks to get for a 1996 Beaver Patriot 

[Roy Lewis]

We had Bilsteins on our 02 Marquis and replaced with Konis all around, a huge improvement.

[Gerald Farris]

Steve,
Your question has as many or more answers as there are shock manufacturers. The OEM shock on most all Beaver coaches was Bilstein. If you just have a shock that has failed (leaking), and you want to restore the original ride, you probably want Bilstein. However, if you have not had a failure, but you are having a ride issue like porpoising and you want more ride control than the OEM shocks can provide, you probably want the more expensive Koni shocks that provide the higher ride.

One point to consider when replacing shocks on a 1996 Patriot. Since this was the very first Magnum chassis ever built, some of the shock mounts were prone to failure (breaking) and had to be strengthened, so check your shock mounts carefully for cracks, especially if installing Koni shocks.     

Gerald

[Doug Allman]

If anyone wants to use the Koni shocks one of the best mount resources is KONI NA in Hebron KY   859-586-4100.  They know better than most sales ports what is the mount on a Beaver model. Have had them help us on two Beaver coachs and our 2017 Entegra that we converted from Bilsteins to KONI. As said in another post you eliminate the porpoising and get better side control with a KONI. I have two complete sets of very little used Bilsteins [8] off an 2004 Marquis (32000 miles)  AND 2017 Cornerstone (6) (6000 miles) if anyone wants for a good low price.

[Steve Albert]

Thanks for the info it was very helpfull

[Mike Shumack]

Doug, a lot of people on the irv2 forum have been recommending the Shockwarehouse https://www.shockwarehouse.com/news/motorhomes.cfm for their RV shocks. I have not purchased from them myself. Have you checked their prices? I figure as long as you know/get the correct part number shocks they are the same item except for the price you pay.
What do you think? Thanks.

[Steve Albert]

Thanks Mike

[Doug Allman]

Have always bought our KONI's from Shockwarehouse.
One caution, check with KONI NA to be sure you get the correct shocks with mounts for your unit. We had to drill out the rears on our 2004 Marquis as shockwarehouse sent smaller id than was required but thankfully my son had drill bits and lathe to do this. We consulted with KONI NA before drilling but they indicated that was no problem, just take small steps as you enlarge hole.
KONI NA can get you correct shock part number for your unit if you call them so no modifications necessary.

[Steve Albert]

What shock is better a rv mechanic told me that Bilstein is just as good as Koni and the same price and I should just get what came on the motorhome chassis

[Gerald Farris]

Steve,
Your RV technician is misinformed. Koni shocks are considerably more expensive than Bilstein, and they have higher ride control which is a good thing if you are trying to cure an issue like porpoising.

There are a lot of owners who replace their shocks because they are old or high mileage when they really have no issues with ride or handling. Unfortunately, these owners are usually wasting their time and money.

 On a Beaver coach, you can normally break down your shock buying decision into two simple categories. The first one is that you are happy with your ride and handling, but you have one or more shocks that are leaking or broken. In this case, replace your defective shocks with the OEM shocks that your coach came with (Bilstein). The next category is that your coach has handling issues like porpoising that you are trying to correct. In this case you should use the higher ride control Koni shocks. However, if you just want to spend money and replace your shocks, just go for what ever makes you or the salesman happy that is trying to talk you in to spending a lot of money without a reason other than you have not replaced your properly functioning shocks with something else. Shocks are a profit driver for many shops, and as a result they are badly oversold.

Gerald 

[Steve Albert]

Thanks Gerald