If you want lift, you need new springs or spacers, not just shocks.
when to change shocks
- Thread starter moloss
- Start date
If you want lift, you need new springs or spacers, not just shocks.
nevada
Senior Member
ok?
I dont know what to tell you. general rule for shocks and struts is about 80,000 miles. just because they aren't leaking doesn't mean they aren't bad.
cloh09
New member
Not sure if I get this. Why replace something that works just because someone said to? Just because some fail at 80k doesn't mean they all do. Maybe a general rule of thumb to start inspecting them but it's not like changing oil every 4k miles. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it all rides fine and there is no leakage, what are the signs at 80k when they turn bad? I'd say if you don't want to replace or upgrade the suspension then wait until they show signs of wear/failure., which in my case was twice as long as the magical 80k lifetime that every shock fails at.
If it all rides fine and there is no leakage, what are the signs at 80k when they turn bad? I'd say if you don't want to replace or upgrade the suspension then wait until they show signs of wear/failure., which in my case was twice as long as the magical 80k lifetime that every shock fails at.
I need new ones bad, ride quality offroad is poor.Good point. And everyone drives their car under different situations. Some are mostly highway and other may take them to extreme off-road it which may cause them wear earlier.
There is no rule of thumb that says you NEED to replace your shocks/struts at a certain age or mileage. If person A drives their vehicle the speed limit on a nice smooth highway...their shocks/struts will probably last 2-3 times longer then someone who goes off-roading every weekend.
As for what to replace with...Bilstein 5100's are about as good as they get. I replace my OEM shocks at around 120k miles with Bilstein's. Now approaching 250k miles and they are still giving me an EXCELLENT ride.
As for what to replace with...Bilstein 5100's are about as good as they get. I replace my OEM shocks at around 120k miles with Bilstein's. Now approaching 250k miles and they are still giving me an EXCELLENT ride.
nevada
Senior Member
like a timing belt? they are supposed to be changed at 90k, but many have gone much longer. that's totally up to you.....
cloh09
New member
Correct. Unlike a timing belt that if left unchanged forever and it breaks, serious problems arise or you and your engine. And you're right, if left unchanged then eventually you may have a catastrophic failure with the shocks, but there are usually signs of wear that would help you see that they need replacing.
You can't tell the condition of parts like the timing belt and water pump, etc without taking apart the vehicle. All I'm saying is why replace something that is visually and mechanically fine just because it's a general rule of thumb?
I wouldn't equate a timing belt to shocks/struts. With shocks/struts...they usually start to degrade and you can feel it or even test it. And even if they do fail you can still drive it..but you may have stability issues.
A timing belt.. - Almost impossible to test for. I've seen timing belts that look great...but snap very short time later. And on interference engines...timing belt breaks...then you're talking THOUSANDS of dollars in engine repair costs.
nevada
Senior Member
my point was that timing belts don't just FAIL right at 90k, like a switch.
same with shocks.
yes, you can usually tell when they are bad. but, to be perfectly honest, most people are too stupid to KNOW whats going on. ive driven some that were down right SCARY on the road, all because the shocks were shot. they shouldn't ever be allowed to get to that point.
nevada
Senior Member
JBecker
New member
I'm at 74,000 miles and my stock Tokico shocks are showing their age. It feels a but splashy on the freeway and the nose dive is pretty severe under hard braking. I will be installing Bilstein 5100's shortly after the holidays.
I'm very skeptical of some of you guys claiming your 100,000 mile shocks are fine. I'd bet money that if you replaced them with a new set of factory shocks, you would notice a significant improvement in handling on and off road. Just because a shock isn't leaking, doesn't mean it doesn't need to be serviced or replaced.
I'm very skeptical of some of you guys claiming your 100,000 mile shocks are fine. I'd bet money that if you replaced them with a new set of factory shocks, you would notice a significant improvement in handling on and off road. Just because a shock isn't leaking, doesn't mean it doesn't need to be serviced or replaced.
The amount of dive that you get is more a function of the stiffness of the springs than the shocks. The shocks damp out motions, they don't stop them.
JBecker
New member
If you look at suspension tests, the damping of the shock or strut plays a significant factor in stopping distance. As was said above, a set of worn out shocks can lead to a near double increase of stopping distance over fresh dampers.
BlackWorksInc
New member
There's a lot of data that shows that failing shocks decrease stability and increase stopping distance. Just Google it and read what you find, most of it is pretty accurate and much of what I learned I was told by industry guys who do shocks for a living.
Double?
On the Gabriel shocks web sight, they said 12' at 50 mph and 22' at 70 mph. That is one heck of a lot less than double.
KYB says 11%.
