A bit of a rant....

[Disco-Ron]

Why the hell when you buy a Pro Comp uprated steering damper, which is quite clearly going to live underneath the Land Rover, they don't supply a bloomin gaiter to keep the crap out.... Paddocks don't even seem to list them on their site.... surely it should come with one..... or at least when you select the item on their site, it should automatically ask if you want one.... gotta see if they can post me one tomorrow first class so i get it saturday cos i have a trila on sunday and i wanted the damper on..... ARGH>......

[Jim-Willy]

Gators only trap the muck anyway........

[Disco-Ron]

Not if they're sealed surely... gotta be better to have a gaiter, than get sandy gritty crap all over the nice shiney new shaft??

[Drift]

Try http://www.explorerprocomp.co.uk/acatalog/ShocksDampers_Steering_Dampers.html
Ste

[Disco-Ron]

Thanks....

[clbarclay]

Not if they're sealed surely... gotta be better to have a gaiter, than get sandy gritty crap all over the nice shiney new shaft??

How well sealed is sealed?

The gaiters that come with procomps are not exactly the most airtight of items (they haze small holes in them to let air in and out), even if you rip tie them on the crud can still get past them and thenits stuck inside rusting the shaft. Most of the stuff that would damage the damper shaft would also make short work of a gaiter. I don't rip tie the gaiters on my procomps so that after mud etc. i can just lift them up to get the water and majority of the crud out that was going to be there anyway.

The best solution is a metal shroud over the shaft like OEM units which allow the crud in and then back out again whalst protect the shaft against sharp/hard items.

[Ralph]

I ended up buying Monroe Adventure Gas shocks for this exact reason, they have metal shrouds which prevent most of the crap splashing and all of the stone chips to the shaft and i must say i am well impressed. On road it corners like its on rails!!!! and off road superb.
If you are after a standard gas shock to go with standard springs i think these are a good choice.
I gave £99.80 for 4 though i think they are slightly more than that 2 year gaurentee

[offroading.net]

they are better without, gaters trap the moisture against the damper, it may get wet and muddy without but it will dry out and you can see the state it is in  and was it easily. I dont fit the gaters to my shocks either

[Eeyore]

Was gonna say, Pro-Comp don't provide gaitors with any of their shocks that live under 4x4s.

If it's not a problem damping the axles, then why is it an issue damping the steering?  :?

Gaitors and metal sleeves provide a lot less protection than you'd realise.    Both keep the muck in, gaitors don't protect from impact and metal sleeves can dent and inhibit shock movement. There's a plethora of seals in shocks designed to keep the oil in. They're pretty good a keeping crud out, too.

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[MudRat]

I have some Gators for sale (pro comp) £5 each Including P+P. If you want one!

[Range Rover Blues]

I've taken to cutting the gaitors roughly in half, so they just reach the top of the damper body when at rest.  Theyt protect the shiny chrome shaft from stone-chips which is wgat starts the corrosion on mine anyway but as siad they also keep the slaty crud in place, unless they are a nice loose fit which mine are, so I can hose them off withough having to take a wheel off.  On the front I don't bother with gaitors at all on the coil-over but I do on the EAS.

[lenrover]

Pro comp!!! :smack:

Never had them long enough for corrosion to set in without breaking them first  

[Range Rover Blues]

I have the opposite problem, my first set got so rusty they ruined the seals and leaked :roll:

[Eeyore]

Never had them long enough for corrosion to set in without breaking them first  

Any clues as to how yours have failed? Some folk gets years of life out of Pro-comps, some folk get weeks. Just wondering if they're any patterns to the failures (I've got a fair collection of Pro-comps so it's a matter close to my heart and my wallet!).

Any comments appreciated! PMs fine.

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Defender]

I must admit I've never broken the Pro-Comps on either my old Series 3 or the Defender I now have. The chrome on the piston rods always rusts & damages the seals. I don't fit the rubber gaitors as they tend to collect mud & debris.

[Disco-Ron]

Had to have my rear shocks off today, the gaitors were half full of water and crap... so not gonna fit one on the steering damper..... at the end of the day it's a £30 or so item, so if it lasts 2 yrs i'll be happy....

Thanks for the opinions....

[Eeyore]

I must admit I've never broken the Pro-Comps on either my old Series 3 or the Defender I now have. The chrome on the piston rods always rusts & damages the seals. I don't fit the rubber gaitors as they tend to collect mud & debris.

We've got eight on the racer and they've done a season without complaint and are still going strong. Yet folk have stacked Pro-comps with much less abuse than we've given 'em. Hence the question.

Folk have asked we haven't gone for better shocks, but my answer is that I can re-shock a corner of the car for the price of getting a Fox serviced and re-valved (practically a yearly job). I can reshock the entire truck for the price of one King and still have diesel money left at the end of it. 'No-brainer' in my book. But the continuing reports of failures does make me think.

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Range Rover Blues]

I suspect (but wait to hear a definite reason) that it is dues to the welded-on bolt breaking off from the body.  As it is only welded on with 2 splats of MIG style weld I can imagine if it is twisted the wrong way it could be susceptable to damage/failure, but this would be more likely on a lifted motor where the shock mounts are out of alignment, like on the front axle for example.

Like I say, I wait to hear, meanwhile I keep fitting Pro-Comp and trying to stop them rusting.