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Shock absorbers GABRIEL or OEM Volkswagen
Reviews
I got mine (07 plate) a year and a half ago on 85k. All it’s needed is 2 rear shocks in that time for £200., other than maintenance of course.
Pros: needed only rear shocks
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Golf
Mileage: 85000 km
I upgraded to Gabriel Strider shocks, best I could afford at the time, and bought Radial T/As to go on the Keystones. Big front and rear sway bars too. So even if my car didn't accelerate like a boss it did corner pretty well.
Pros: cornered pretty well
Vehicle:
Ford Mustang
Got Gabriel on both my gen3s Self installed. They're as good as ya gonna get for these cars
Pros: as good as
Vehicle:
Toyota Prius
I replaced the six year old KYB Excel-G shocks with Gabriel Max Control. The reviews say they are firm shocks. They are firmer than the KYB when they were new, but not too firm . Perfect for my liking. They really handle speed bumps well and almost completely eliminate sway when driving on mountain roads. Also, the truck stays level when coming to a stop. No nosedive.
Pros: firmer, eliminates sway, no nosedive
Vehicle:
Ford Ranger
I put in the Gabriel’s at 151k and have taken my 02 into nasty desert. They’ve held up great. For the last 40k
Pros: held up great
Mileage: 151000 km
Shocks/struts will go soon on this first.
Cons: shocks/struts will go soon
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
Bilsteins are probably best, unless you want to cough up a lot for fox. I have Gabriel premium right now. Pretty good, but not as good as Bilsteins.
Pros: pretty good
Cons: not as good
If you want your car to float and drive like a boat, go with gabriel.
Cons: floaty ride, boat-like handling
I just did my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 and put these on the back.
The springs supposedly add about 500 lbs to the leaf springs. After receiving them, I was a little disappointed by the plastic stop at the top of the springs, and the ride is pretty rough empty. Not recommending them (only had them a couple of weeks) but I'm sure there are similar products.
Pros: add 500 lbs
Cons: ride is rough
Vehicle:
Dodge RAM
i put gabriels on my 2014 impala and I cannot even shake the car by hand its so stiff..
Cons: car so stiff
Vehicle:
Chevrolet Impala
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Which shock absorbers to choose — GABRIEL or OEM Volkswagen?
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 — OEM Volkswagen or GABRIEL?
In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen were overall better than GABRIEL.
- GABRIEL received a PR Score of 63 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 75 points.
- GABRIEL ranked 11 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 9.
- The average rating is higher for OEM Volkswagen (3.7) than for GABRIEL (3.2).
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Shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen have better feature ratings than GABRIEL:
- Body bounce - owners believe, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is better than GABRIEL.
- Bottoming - drivers claim, that by this property GABRIEL does not differ from OEM Volkswagen.
- Leaks - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is preferred to GABRIEL.
Which shock absorbers are more popular — GABRIEL or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen were overall more popular than OEM Volkswagen.
The brands are equal by vote balance:
- For GABRIEL, the ratio of positive (43) to negative (25) votes is 18 votes.
- For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (27) to negative (9) votes is 18 votes.
By number of reviews, shock absorbers GABRIEL surpassed OEM Volkswagen:
- For shock absorbers GABRIEL there are 22 reviews: 13 positive, 2 neutral, 7 negative.
- For shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen there are 11 reviews: 7 positive, 3 neutral, 1 negative.
Which shock absorbers do car owners prefer — GABRIEL or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, shock absorbers GABRIEL and OEM Volkswagen 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 GABRIEL with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, Dobinsons, FOX, OEM Toyota, OLD MAN EMU.
Also available: comparisons of shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, Dobinsons, FOX, OEM Toyota, Rough Country.
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.