If the Bilsteins are reasonable then get them, and NO you won't be sorry.
Rancho are also popular.
Rancho are also popular.
Cheap shock suggestion
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That comment from the mechanic doesn't make sense to me either.
To me, your symptoms aren't indicative of worn-out shocks.
I changed the steering damper last year. It's a Rancho.
If your shocks are truly worn, you will be reaching there limits pretty quickly felt by a jar on bumps, have uneven flat spots on tires, also the vehicle will loose its overall stability, I say get em checked by another mechanic before taking the plunge.
My experience with Bielstein's is that they last well over 100,000 miles. They retain about 90% of their damping until they fail. They are very progressive and stiffen up nicely at high speeds.
Having said that I doubt if bad shocks can cause a vibration. More likely an out of round or out of balance tire/wheel.
Having said that I doubt if bad shocks can cause a vibration. More likely an out of round or out of balance tire/wheel.
I'm waiting for some cash to come in. I have a few things I need to sell on eBay, then I'll have the $$. I did lube the whole chassis and it helped a bit.
I second GMBOYS dissatisfaction with Monroe Sensatracs. I installed a set new and was suprised at how sloppy they were, bottoming out continously on my Chevy Minivan. Jumping on the front bumper revealed that they were softer than any other vehicle I owned by far, you could almost bounce the tires off the ground! A Monroe Factory rep finally authorized a free replacement with the Monroe Reflex, which was much much better. This rep revealed that he considered the Sensatrac too soft for normal use. If you want shocks this sloppy, just pick up some worn out ones somewhere!
I'm going off on a little tangent here, but I've never understood the warranty on shocks. If the shock doesn't outright fail, what defines when a shock is replaceable under warranty? Is there a specific damping rate or range of undamped travel that is used by the manufacturer to determine this?
How long have you had those Gas-A-Justs on? I recently put a pair on the back of my Pathfinder. They were a decent price and appear to be good quality.
They are great. I put on 55K on them. I see that you're not from the US. In the US, the Federal Government withheld funds for building and maintaining motorways if you're state did not change their legal drinking age to 21. Louisiana was the last to change it to 21 and the roads suffered. Imagine going off road, while you're on the tarmac. The roads destroy tires and suspensions. They are the worst roads since the Romans invented roads to promote trade between cities.
I was down there for some oilfield work in August and I do remember experiencing frequent hard jolts from the highway between Lafayette and Shreveport!
Cheap shocks are never worth it. And on a non-independent suspension vehicle they are even more important. BILSTEIN for 2WD or 4WD, and KONI for 4WD.
I have now run two MY2001 XJ's on OME shocks and steering stabilizers. Both 2WD. Cheap, no. Worth it? Every penny on them when shod with just slightly oversized 255/65-16 KUMHO tires. Better than either of the above shocks for this application, IMO.
Convert the anti-roll bars to poly bushings as well.
Cheap shocks and tires are like rebuilt mechanical and electrical parts. Buy them to only sell the vehicle.
I have now run two MY2001 XJ's on OME shocks and steering stabilizers. Both 2WD. Cheap, no. Worth it? Every penny on them when shod with just slightly oversized 255/65-16 KUMHO tires. Better than either of the above shocks for this application, IMO.
Convert the anti-roll bars to poly bushings as well.
Cheap shocks and tires are like rebuilt mechanical and electrical parts. Buy them to only sell the vehicle.
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Serious ?
You can vote, go to war and drive a car, yet can't get a (legal) drink till 21 ?
Not to start a political thread but yes, the saying amongst us here at LSU is, We can fight, defend and die for our country at 18 but can't enjoy a beer after we're done.
we sell and install monroe at my work. we have to look to see if the shock is visibly leaking fluid. they cant just have residue, we have to be able to see fluid dripping down. also if we take it out and compress the shock and it does not rebound at all, or if we take it out and hold it up and the shock collapses on itself then we warrenty it. that is assuming the customer can provide the receipt from when they purchased them and had us install them.
Sounds like a good way to do it. I've always replaced shocks before they hit the point of total failure like that, so I generally don't worry about warranty.
I haven't been a fan of Bilstiens, at least in the OEM application. These shocks failed really early in my '98 Chev K1500 Z71, and in my '04 Avalanche Z71. This is a common complaint on all of the GM enthusiast boards I frequent as well.
Maybe GM got Bilstien to dumb-down the shocks to make them cheaper in the OEM application.
I replaced them in each case with Rancho's and have been really pleased. In the case of the Avalanche, I installed RS9000's all around. These shocks have dials on them so you can set the desired stiffness. Apparently they are a really long-lived shock as well.
Maybe GM got Bilstien to dumb-down the shocks to make them cheaper in the OEM application.
I replaced them in each case with Rancho's and have been really pleased. In the case of the Avalanche, I installed RS9000's all around. These shocks have dials on them so you can set the desired stiffness. Apparently they are a really long-lived shock as well.
Monroe shocks are garbage, in all of my experience. I'm coming to the realization that OE shocks are probably the way to go if you aren't messing with the suspension, and if you are - top-quality brand shocks that also cater to OEs are the way to go.
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