Dobinson MRRs on the 2021+ Bronco: Ride Comfort, Adjustability, Handling, and High-Speed Off-Road

Before you drop $4k+ on coilovers, see how Dobinson MRRs actually behave on a 2-door Bronco we (Shock Surplus) tuned and punished - 60mm remote reservoirs, dual-speed compression adjustment, and true rebound control. We’ll show you the exact click-by-click settings that made washboard feel civilized, kept the nose planted in chicanes, and let us carry real speed through whoops - no forum myths, just tested outcomes. Read on if you want your Bronco to ride softer where it counts and stay composed when it shouldn’t; skip it and you’ll keep guessing why it still bucks, chatters, and pushes.

Adjustability (range and real-world settings)

Probably the most significant and feature of the Dobinson MRR shocks has to be their adjusters. You get 10 settings for high-speed compression, 20 settings for low-speed compression, and 15 settings for that magical rebound adjustment - this alone is a rare feature on truck performance shocks.

• Architecture: Monotube remote-reservoir with 60 mm reservoirs and a 60 mm main piston (Bronco spec) using a very high-flow design.

• Controls: Dual-speed compression (10 HSC clicks, 20 LSC clicks) plus rebound (15 clicks). Included lever makes end-range HSC turns practical.

• Street baseline used in test: ~10 clicks in from full-soft LSC, ~5 clicks HSC, rebound ~mid.

• Trail baseline used: Front LSC ≈ 3 in, HSC 3–4 in; Rear LSC 5 in, HSC 3 in; Front rebound ≈ 2 full turns in from open; Rear rebound left as shipped.

• Takeaway: Range supports plush/floaty or tight/communicative with minimal compromise; rebound authority is a standout on short-wheelbase Broncos and anti-squat-heavy rear links.

Ride Comfort (on-road + low-speed dirt)

Small bump sensitivity is spectacular - “I’ve found these to be able to get so soft that they basically disappear.”

• Driveway drops/speed bumps: No secondary bounce when rebound is tightened; can be tuned to nearly erase harsh parking-lot bumps if you soften LSC.

• Broken pavement/cross-articulation: Tracks straight with little steering correction; markedly more composed than stock (HOSS 3.0 aside).

• Fire road washboard:

  • 15 mph: rear rebound felt a touch firm to the tester’s taste.

  • 25–40–50 mph: “interstate-like” composure with stable traction; current tune favors confidence over pillowy float.

Handling (body control, balance, predictability)

Cornering roll happens progressively and fairly gently. You can kind of set it and forget it in the corner, no battling with the vehicle to maintain a path.

• Body motions: Predictable, progressive roll; you can dial it nearly flat via LSC if desired.

• Balance: Tester ran softer LSC and firmer front rebound to keep the nose loaded on transitions; yielded neutral, throttle-steerable behavior (“zero counter”) with a controlled understeer bias for 2-door stability.

• Net: You can keep communication and mid-corner grip without resorting to harsh damping.

High-Speed Off-Road (whoops and pace)

Through the tough stuff we were able to hit about 40 miles an hour, which for a non-position-sensitive 2 and a half inch body shock is incredibly good. By comparison, the last Bronco Shock Surplus took through this exact same section was on Bilstein 8112s, which clocked over 60mph.

• Whoops section (same settings as trail): ~38–40 mph, one bump-stop touch; +~6 HSC clicks (rear) would add headroom if you chase more speed.

• Context: Not a bypass/IB desert hammer, but punches above class given body size and architecture; prior 8112 test was faster but also pricier ($$$).

• Fast dirt: 40–50 mph fire-road runs stayed planted and confidence-inspiring; no rebound packing at tested settings.

Travel, Springing, and Lift (comfort + control foundation)

After driving it, I would have to put them safely to at least 10-10.5in of travel in the front and at least 12in in the back. A lot of that articulation wasn’t just from all the added travel, but also because spring rates were the most optimized between anything else we’ve tested.

• Estimated travel: ~10–10.5" front, ~12" rear; tire lift was rare—big articulation and calm manners.

• Springs: Correctly split 2-door vs 4-door rates; off-the-shelf tuning supports stock to ~170 lb front and up to ~330 lb rear added load; clear preload guidance provided.

• Lift ranges: Base Bronco +1.5–3.5"; Badlands +1–3"; Sasquatch +0.5–2.5". Test truck sat ~+2–2.5" front over Sasquatch with a healthy travel split (few tops/bottoms).

Installation Notes (what to expect)

They had clearance issues basically everywhere between the springs reservoir hoses and were basically binding so bad through most of the travel it couldn’t steer.” “You can’t get to the rear rebound adjuster with the supplied tool after the coilovers have been mounted…”

• UCA clearance: Rock Krawler fabricated UCAs interfered (hoses/springs) and bound steering; Shock Surplus swapped to Icon Delta Joint Pro tubular and solved it (90° articulation). Dobinsons OE-style/billet adj., SPC, Camburg, Fabtech also called out as likely fits; some billet may need minor grinding (typical).

• Early-kit quirks observed (now believed addressed): Left/right rear labels flipped; one coarse vs fine thread mismatch on an upper mount.

• Hardware/access: Tall Allen-head bolts slowed torqueing in tight rear pockets; rear rebound knob is tough to reach—coin/flathead workaround works, but an access port would be better.

Bottom Line

“I have to say these Dobinsons MRRS are probably my favorite set of coilovers we’ve tested on these Broncos. They’re super plush and composed out on the trail, stable and compliant out on the road, and they could boogie harder than we ever thought they should be able to.” - Sean Bowman, Bronco Driver

• Who it’s for: Daily-driven Broncos prioritizing trail composure, articulation, and comfort, with enough headroom to run fast on dirt when asked—without bypass/IB maintenance overhead.

• Trade-off: You give up some absolute whoop speed vs. top position-sensitive kits (e.g., 8112), but you gain a huge tuning window and lower upkeep.

• Value: About $4,300 (coilovers + springs). More adjusters than peers, correct springing for 2-/4-door, and genuinely useful range make them a strong default choice for most Bronco owners.