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more car talks:) how important are the suspensions and shocks to you?

A

andylawcc

Lifer
my car mechanic friends deeply encourage me to buy new shocks and suspensions. As a total newbie, I don't know do I really need them or not,

let's compare it to computers:

is it "useless" like recommending a computer newbie to buy the Geforce3 Ultra so he could play CS in 200 fps?

or is it as useful as adding more 128 ram to a 64 ram System under win2k?


my car got 100k miles already, the suspensions are pretty soft and I like it, coz my friend's integra has a hella bumpy ride due to its stiff suspension.

well, he told me he can get me nice shocks and suspension installed for 740 bucks US.

__________
"who's going to translate your translations though? -nt"

-Jadius
 
Ditto, if you like your car's ride, leave it alone. With the kind of mileage you have, chances are if you replace all the shocks, you'll have a much harsher ride that you won't like.

BTW, for the most part, I'd use your comparison of recommending a GF3 for a newbie. Shocks and struts last a lot longer than all the tire stores would have you think.
 


<< how important are the suspensions and shocks to you? >>

Too meeee? Pretty important...but I like stiff, I like to be able to corner well...

There are safety concerns as well, though. If your suspension is shot you may not be able to brake as well, and your car will &quot;dip&quot; when you hit your breaks hard (so if you rear end someone, chances are your bumbers won't meet and your hood will be f'd up)...
 
If your car is on the old side (not sure if 100k is nasty because you didnt' say what car you have!) I'd think long and hard, and then decide NO on spending $740 for new stuff that you don't really need. Nothing is a bigger waste of money than trying to &quot;upgrade&quot; an old car.
 
Shocks keep the tires from bouncing off the road like a basketball and keep the ride from bein too floaty. They really smooth out the ride. On a light, relatively stiffly sprung little car like an Integra, worn out shocks will make for a very choppy ride. Most shocks are good for 75-100 thousand miles, and are pretty much totally shot and useless by 150-160,000 miles.

If you like the ride, leave the springs alone, but replace the shocks. That will improve the ride and handling.
 
ok, it's not an integra, not a scooby, so i'll go with celica, cuz i have no idea what you saying. Just keep it the way you like, i guess.
 
Depending on the type of shocks/struts and tuning, often times (especially if you drive on mostly smooth roads) they can last 100k miles with no problems. There is a gradual loss of compression and rebound dampening that will occur over time, however it is often so slight, that until the shock is really bad, you probably wont notice. Some people will mention the issue of loss of handling and braking ability as the reason to replace the shock (since the tires may not be gripping the road as well), again these differences are likely to be minimal unless the shock is in extremely bad condition (and by this time you will definately know.)

-So, if its a fairly reliable car and you like driving it, the additional margin of safety and comfort makes the replacement a good idea. Remember when you get struts/shocks remember to go for ones with higher rebound dampening, so you get more body control (more bmw)...instead of the soft initial compression dampning (more buick).

Edit-now i saw your price, its actually a little high. You have any idea what they are putting in?
 
well, my main concern is the Comfort of the rides...
i can care less about cornering...


so I just go with the new Shocks?
actually, I will find a third party mechanic to check on my old shocks and see whether is it all worn out already...
 
Having a mechanic check it IS the best way of determining the condition of the shock. I believe to do it properly they will have to take it out and put it on somekinda machine...it may cost a bit though...
(oh, btw that bounce test thingy only works if its completely shot.) 🙂
 
You got a pretty high price in my opinion. Suspension just referes to the system that keeps the car in the air, its made up of many many componests. New shocks/struts should run about lets say $300 on the high end. Thats all I'd do if you like how its riding really. Some decent shocks and or struts can make a much less bouncy ride and can improve braking and cornering. You could also replace springs and bushings too, but if you like the ride and the bushing aren't actually bad, then I'd just do shocks/struts and go with it.
 
I will have to disagree with most ppl here. I think it all depends on where you are from. If you live in a pot hole capital like I do it is very important to have good shocks and suspention. If you are to hit a hole or a bad crack with poor suspention you could lose control of your car.
The way I test to see if you need new shocks (and the way I have been told by many mechanics) is bounce your car at each corner. When you let go of the car it shouldn't bounce on it's own more then twice. If it does it is in need of new parts. Some cars are just soft riding compared to others. But it all depends on what kinda car you have. Like what freebee said. If it does bounce it is totaly shot. But you also have to see if they are leaking or rusted away. Good luck....

Wolfie
 
$740 is a lot to pay for normal replacements. I paid almost $800 for my Grex springs/GAB shocks, and those companents were made for autocross/road racing. OEM spec replacements should be much much less.
 
new shocks they are prolly gona put on will be stiff ones which cause bumpy ride....now my car has stiff mcphereson struts so the ride is bumper (in my impreza) but when i take courners fast it handles well and there is less body roll
 
okay, I just &quot;tried&quot; my shocks,
I pushed it Down, it bounced back Up once, and went back Down alittle bit.

well, either way, I will stick with my suspension then.

but I got this squeeking sound when I turn corners at moderate speed though,
is it because the Bushings are worn out?
 
shocks, shocks, don't really make your ride any harsher if you get new ones. If you think bouncing around = a &quot;smooth&quot; ride, then I'm not going to argue with you. If you get new springs, that's another story. Then you also could get gas shocks compared to fluid and there's a difference there, too...
 
I wouldn't sink too much money into it if I were you. I would certainly replace the Shocks as they are the cheapest things on your list and easiest to install (you could do this with the help of a friend quite easily). Struts can be difficult depending on the car so I would leave that to a mechanic if you aren't knowledgeable about it. Shocks are VERY important because they help keep your TIRES in contact with the road. Struts and springs are what give you the ride quality. Since the car has over 100k on it...try changing the shocks first and then go from there.

Oh yeah...squeeking while going around corners could be a lot of things but most likely you just need a lube job. If your struts are REAL bad then you may hear grinding sounds or slight 'bangs or pops' when going over rough road.

Hope this helps
SDC
 
$740 is a very high quote for OEM type replacements. I just did the suspension on my accord, new struts, springs, and sway bars. Went with Tokico Illumina shocks (5 way adjustable damping), tokico &quot;sport&quot; springs, and a pair of Suspension Techniques sway bars. Granted, I had a good friend install all of this, but the parts came out to about $750. If all you want are shocks, shouldn't cost you nearly this much.
Side note: My car will outhandle a majority of cars now 😀 Did I mention its a '91?
 
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