The Des Sol EV Shock Absorber Series

Overview

The discontinuation of the Gabriel brand of shock absorbers is a sad day for South Africa, especially given their long history regarding this well known local brand, not forgetting the loss of employment of staff at the Gabriel factory in Cape Town. Des Sol have suffered many setbacks during their six year plus existence as a design and engineering company but have survived, not only because of their tenacity in the face of adversity but also as a result of the ongoing support and commitment of many loyal South African 4×4 lovers have towards their Des Sol Branded products.

The Des Sol Engineers have recognised the market need for better handling and stability regarding the Suzuki Jimny and have also seen the need for a long life mono shock absorber design as opposed to current throwaway twin tube designs currently flooding the market. Des Sol are committed to supporting their local client base no matter what, and they believe that this latest in house design and manufactured shock absorber solution will not only meet but exceed many of their faithful clients expectations as current paper and physical on road testing have not only met but exceeded their expectations. Careful selection of valving shim stacks has allowed Des Sol to ensure that even with the stock OEM Jimny, fitted with their EV1Sport series shock absorbers, the irritating Gen4 body sway or body roll has been eliminated entirely.

Why the EV Series

At a very basic level, the Des Sol acronym “EV” stands for evolution in engineering or to evolve. Their EV range of shock absorbers have been designed to do just that. Their EV modular design solution means that your EV shock of today can be upgraded with tomorrow’s technology. Designed by Suzuki Jimny drivers for the Suzuki Jimny, they know the quirks, limitations and irritations of the Jimny and they have the recipe to turn the Jimny into a plush driving vehicle keeping the extremely capable 4×4 characteristics. Their journey has started with the Suzuki Jimny but will be extended out to offer shock absorbers to other 4×4 motor vehicles as well, as they evolve their product.

EV Series Options

EV1Sport – Their EV1Sport shock absorbers can be fitted to a standard Jimny OEM suspension without having to change any of the other suspension components, thus potentially preserving your Suzuki Suspension Warranty.
EV1L50 – Their EV1L50 shock absorbers can be fitted to their existing Des Sol 50mm Suspension lift Kits by directly replacing the old Gabriel shock absorbers. The EV1L50 will also be used on their new upgraded Suspension Lift kits.
EV1A – This exciting new series will be introduced in the coming months
EV1X – Additional shock absorbers series for other class vehicles.

The EVolution of our Modula EV1 Series

The EV1 series shock absorbers will be the base model for all of the Des Sol EV shock absorber ranges going forward.

EV1Sport – The Des Sol EV1Sport shock absorbers can be fitted to a stock OEM Suzuki suspension providing a plush but extremely stable drive for your day to day town and country driving without lifting the vehicle. Loaded or unloaded, the EV1Sport drastically reduces body roll or body sway that plagues the stock standard Suzuki Jimny, giving you confident cornering and unprecedented Jimny stability. The addition of the EV1Sport to your OEM suspension will not affect your warranty as no further modifications need to be made to your existing OEM suspension setup and your ride height remains the same. The EV1Sport unit will allow you to cost effectively upgrade your Jimny ride to your heart’s content, giving you access to all future EV mechanical and electrical series modifications planned by Des Sol.

EV1L50 – This series of the Des Sol EV1 shock absorber can be retro fitted to any of your existing Des Sol 50mm Lift Kits on both the Gen 3 (JB73) and the Gen 4 (JB74). The bonus here is that if you already have a EV1Sport fitted to your stock Suzuki Jimny and decide to upgrade your Jimny to a 50mm lift, you do not have to throw away your EV1Sport shock absorbers as only the shaft and body will need to be replaced.

EV1A – Des Sol have put in place some exciting design programs where further mechanical and electronic enhancements will be made over time to the modular EV1 base unit ensuring that owners of this unique, state of the art shock absorber will be left drooling for the latest technological advancements in their continuous pursuit of the perfect balance between road comfort and bleeding edge technology advancements.

Why is the EV1 Series Technically Superior

This modular EV1 Series shock absorber has been designed, developed and manufactured locally by Des Sol where 99% of the parts are locally available. This means that support turnaround times will be typically one week or a few days in the case of an emergency. This EV1 Series shock absorber is not just another throw away twin tube design that has just recently flooded the market but a precision made mono shock absorber that has an unparalleled, 5 year limited lifetime warranty provided the 2 year service intervals are adhered to. This large bore, mono tube shock absorber with external reservoir boasts a thick walled, hard anodised, Aluminium body for excellent thermal regulation, drastically increasing reliability under punishing conditions and offering unparalleled protection against harsh African outdoor conditions. The large oil volume available also reduces shock fade in extreme conditions. The shock absorber is also rebuildable, serviceable and tuneable, meaning if your vehicle weight changes with modifications (heavier or lighter), you can have your shock re-valved accordingly. Upgrading to their latest shock absorber designs will also be quick, easy and cost effective.

Technical Detail and Attributes

  • 6082 T6 Aluminium
  • CNC Precision Machined Parts, Hard Anodised for Longer Life Span.
  • Heavy Duty DU Bushes
  • External Pressure Wiper Seal
  • Internal High-Pressure Seal
  • X-ring
  • High Strength Steel Braded Hose – Smooth Bore Tefflon Braded Hose
  • High Temperature, High Viscosity Index Oil for Maximum Performance.
  • Injection Moulded Desmopan Bushes.
  • Bronz Infused Tefflon Wear Bands

Warranty

The EV1 series shock absorber comes with a 5 year Limited Lifetime Warranty provided the 2 year or 80 000 km service interval (whichever comes first) is maintained by one of their nominated EV Service Centres located in Durban, Gauteng and Cape Town. Their warranty document must be completed with the purchase date and mileage noted and sent back to Des Sol for their records. If the suspension installation is done by a Des Sol Fitment Centre, the onus is on the client to ensure that this Warranty document is completed by the Fitment Centre concerned and sent back to Des Sol for their records..

How do I have my EV Shock Absorbers Serviced

Contact Des Sol just prior to your 2 year expiry or 80,000km service period and they will book your vehicle in for the service at one of their nominated Service Centres. Each nominated Service Centre will have stock of the required EV suspension kit maintenance packs and will attend to the service which will typically take 2 to 3 hours to complete.

How will I Know if my EV Shocks have been Serviced Correctly

Des Sol have their own Dyno testing equipment and each shock absorber that is sent out will be Dyno tested, labelled and filed prior to being packaged. This data will be linked to a customer or Fitment Centre as the case may be. Their Quality Control Standards and Procedures will ensure that each shock absorber sent out will have a digital footprint linked to their client database with the related Dyno test result which Des Sol will then use to determine if there are any performance issues.