vs
Shock absorbers Dobinsons or OLD MAN EMU
Reviews
Swapped out the Toytec Aluma Boss 2.0 for Dobinsons MRR long travel in the rear & extended travel up front. Added Dobinsons billet UCAs and 600lb rear springs. Night & day difference in ride quality on the 2+ hour drive home
Pros: night & day difference
Dobinsons ims is awesome. Multi stage valves so you get a soft ride without compromise to the handling which is difficult to achieve
Pros: soft ride, good handling
Cons: difficult to achieve
Vehicle:
Toyota Hilux
I went with Dobinsons twin tubes on my GX470 and they’ve been great. Pretty comparable to the sport setting on the OEM shocks I’d say.
Pros: great, comparable to sport
Vehicle:
Lexus
Other than stock, the only "ride" I have personally experienced with specific shocks was on a Jeep with Old Man Emu installed. The quality was great, compared to the OEM's, and I had occasion to ride in that Jeep when it had both, at one time or another. Ride was greatly improved with OME.
Pros: great quality, greatly improved ride
Vehicle:
Jeep
money no problem might wanna just go with the full fat ome bp51. if you get it tuned right it can literally go toe to toe with some airsus systems
Pros: high performance, comparable to airsus
Vehicle:
Toyota Land Cruiser
Part number: BP51
Personally I went Dobinson MRAs which have handled outback travel and tough tracks. Some prefer them revalved but mine is heavy enough to work well with them. Unlike their springs it seems to be a decent product.
Pros: handled outback travel
Vehicle:
Nissan
I ripped them out the same week and went for Dobinsons MRR. Honestly? Night and day. The ride is smoother on-road, planted in corners, and off-road they just eat up washboards and corrugations. I’ve hammered them through tracks that would’ve rattled the Bilsteins to death, and they haven’t skipped a beat.
Pros: smoother ride, planted in corners
I settled on Dobinson IMS, definitely a higher price point but worth every penny.
Pros: worth every penny
Cons: higher price point
Vehicle:
Toyota
It has Old Man Emu Shock absorbers on it already (no idea which or hold old as they came with the car)
Vehicle:
Toyota
I see all the dobinsons positive remarks here. I've also had good experiences, but at the same time on my 80 I had the yellow nitro shocks and those are the only shocks I've ever had leak on any 4x4.
Cons: shocks leak
Vehicle:
Toyota Land Cruiser
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.
Comparisons
Show all
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or KONI
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or KYB
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or Monroe
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or Sachs
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or Rancho
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or Dobinsons
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or FOX
VS
Shock absorbers Bilstein or GABRIEL
Show all
Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The brake pads NIPPARTS got the first review!
The brake discs Hella got the first review!
The brake discs OEM Suzuki got the first review!
For tires OEM Toyota already 25 reviews.
For tires IRONMAN already 25 reviews.
For starter motor OEM Volkswagen already 25 reviews.
In the rating best ignition coil already 13 brands participate!
In the rating best fuel pump already 5 brands participate!
In the rating best turbocharger already 4 brands participate!
In the auto rating headlights for Volkswagen Golf already 5 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for BMW M2 already 5 brands participate!
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
Which shock absorbers to choose — Dobinsons or OLD MAN EMU?
If choosing shock absorbers across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare shock absorbers across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which shock absorbers are better — OLD MAN EMU or Dobinsons?
In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons were overall better than OLD MAN EMU.
- Dobinsons received a PR Score of 91 out of 100, and OLD MAN EMU scored 78 points.
- Dobinsons ranked 5 in the overall ranking, and OLD MAN EMU ranked 8.
- The average rating is higher for Dobinsons (4.4) than for OLD MAN EMU (4.1).
-
Shock absorbers Dobinsons have better feature ratings than OLD MAN EMU:
- Body bounce - owners believe, that this property for OLD MAN EMU is better than Dobinsons.
- Leaks - drivers claim, that this property for OLD MAN EMU is outperforms Dobinsons.
- Bottoming - reviews suggest, that this property for OLD MAN EMU is preferred to Dobinsons.
Which shock absorbers are more popular — Dobinsons or OLD MAN EMU?
In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons were overall more popular than OLD MAN EMU.
By vote balance, shock absorbers Dobinsons surpassed OLD MAN EMU:
- For Dobinsons, the ratio of positive (66) to negative (6) votes is 60 votes.
- For OLD MAN EMU, the ratio of positive (25) to negative (7) votes is 18 votes.
By number of reviews, shock absorbers Dobinsons surpassed OLD MAN EMU:
- For shock absorbers Dobinsons there are 24 reviews: 22 positive, 0 neutral, 2 negative.
- For shock absorbers OLD MAN EMU there are 10 reviews: 7 positive, 2 neutral, 1 negative.
Which shock absorbers do car owners prefer — Dobinsons or OLD MAN EMU?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons and OLD MAN EMU have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of shock absorbers
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of shock absorbers Dobinsons with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, FOX, GABRIEL, OEM Toyota, OEM Volkswagen.
Also available: comparisons of shock absorbers OLD MAN EMU with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, FOX, GABRIEL, OEM Toyota, OEM Volkswagen.
You can also see who is better among other shock absorbers manufacturers: Bilstein or KONI, Bilstein or KYB, Bilstein or Monroe, Bilstein or Sachs, Bilstein or Rancho.