Shock Absorber Gaitor - to use or not to use

[Mark_Solesbury]

My +2 rear shocks have gaiters on them

just took one off and it was crammed full of mud.

Is it worth putting it back on?

Surely the shock shaft will be more susceptible to rust if its constantly in wet mud?

[Drift]

I had them on for a few months after my lift then noticed while working on the car water leaking from them, I tried cutting bigger drain holes in them but they just filled with mud and silt so I cut them all off.
My thinking was the mud and silt could be abrasive to the shaft when trapped in the gaiter and cause the shock seal to leak.
Now the mud just washes off itself.

Ive not had a problem not having the gaiters on for about 3 years now.

[Mark_Solesbury]

Yeah, they are gone now.

Both sides were crammed full of whaddon i think.

They look mean without the gaitors aswell

[Drift]

Ive just fitter even longer rough country shock on the rear today and the old pro comps looked fine and didnt fit gaiters on the new ones.

[Range Rover Blues]

Trouble is without them the piston is prone to getting gravel rash that leads to pitting if it breaks through the chrome surface.

What I do is cut the gaitor down so that it barely touches the body of the shock when the car is at rest so that it can't accumulate muck but the piston is protected.

[dxmedia]

I run with them, just run a hose through them once in a while.  They shouldn't fill with mud unless they come off?  Jubille's are good for keeping them on.

Lot of people say run without though to keep them clean. Shocks are going to rust either way, not much you can do about it unless you want to spend your days washing and polishing them.

I kinda like the look with them on too, with +6" shocks, when they are on full extention there's a LOT of bright red to be seen 

[burgerman]

 i run without um, and seem to keep better condition than my last similar set up which had gaiters on for most of its life, justa good wash down and keep um well lubed near the top where it only goes to when big time articulation  is appening  ;)


If i had a very road biased vehicle i must admit i may run gaiters again

[clbarclay]

Currently I'm using RRBs technique (see above) for those plastic boots, which has worked out better than full length or no boots. The other alternative is just use dampers with the matel shrowds. Also I the boots get between the body and top of the dampers, acting as unwanted bumpstops.


At full travel the cut down boots look a little odd, but they can't make the asthetics of my range rover any worse :lol: