Dampers (shocks) lasting nearly “forever”?

[Elroy the Brave]

I took some shocks off a minivan and they had no "rebound", unlike the new shocks.

But when they were on the car I couldn't tell a difference.... And the old ones weren't leaking or anything.

I'm not sure if "rebound" on now shocks means anything or not.

 

[dumkid]

most shocks i replace have well over 100,000 miles on them. if you don't have body roll, don't have bouncing, don't bottom out on every pothole, and don't have other issues like cupping tires or leaky shocks, then don't replace them (unless you want the very slight performance gain that comes with new shocks)

 

[D60]

When I got my beater '07 F150 I primarily knew the LF strut was cooked because it'd skip on the road at the same bump/hole and trigger the ABS.

 

[AZjeff]

This thread is going as expected. The OP is challenging responders to prove their reasoning or experience with data but isn't providing any proof that dampers aren't worn out at 100k or whatever.

I just replaced the shocks on a recently acquired 2002 Jeep Wrangler that had a Skyjacker lift of about the same age and the ride and drive-ability is noticeably better. I don't need to have the shocks tested to tell.

Edit: forgot to add the shocks likely had around 100k miles and the Jeep was street driven not offroaded.

 

[AlphaOmega]

2005 E61 BMW msport package that still has its original sachs front shocks with 205,000 miles on. Shocks still function correctly and get a good rebound test everyday I’m at work going over the speed bumps.

Ain’t that lovely!

 

[chris719]

I have a 2005 E61 BMW msport package that still has its original sachs front shocks with 205,000 miles on. Shocks still function correctly and get a good rebound test everyday I’m at work going over the speed bumps.

I would notice pretty quickly if one of my shocks was failing as I do the same route over the bumps in customer cars and see some older Audi ones with high rebound.

So no I would not replace based on age or mileage. As with any car part I would asses it’s function and go from there.

I highly doubt they work like new. Your ride quality would improve if you replaced them almost without question. My father had an F10 535i M Sport with shocks replaced at a little over 100k mi (preventatively) with OEM parts. The difference in ride quality was very noticeable. The degradation is insidious and occurs slowly over time.

Just because they work fine over speed bumps and don't oscillate like an old Cadillac doesn't mean there isn't an improvement to be had. If you only care about getting from A to B, then sure, don't do it. I find that approach much harder to justify with a MB or BMW because isn't part of the point of having one to get that suspension quality?

The construction is often different than the average cheap twin-tube, but there's a reason Ohlins, Bilstein, KW, etc. recommend rebuilds at surprisingly short intervals on their high end street stuff. They are definitely "wear items".

 

[FreedomOne]

Just replaced the front and rear suspension on my 2013 Prius C at 157k miles. They were trashed and probably needed replacing around 125k as it was riding like a go cart for the last year.

 

[AlphaOmega]

This thread is going as expected.

you sound like a Black Lives Matter rank-and-file that expects and sees -isms everywhere. Leave that attitude for the street rioting. We are just talking dampers here - not politics. I promise not to challenge you personally, so as not to take you out of your comfort zone

 

[AlphaOmega]

I am not willing to compromise and use something near the end of its life if performance is going to be degraded

How do you determine that it’s near the end of its life, whether it the damper is leaking, or you have an extra bounce or by some other measure?

 

[chris719]

you sound like a Black Lives Matter rank-and-file that expects and sees -isms everywhere. Leave that attitude for the street rioting. We are just talking dampers here - not politics. I promise not to challenge you personally, so as not to take you out of your comfort zone

What in the F? His post was perfectly reasonable and you just took a jump off the cliff into some insane political ramblings. You might want to seek professional help.

 

[AlphaOmega]

Just because they work fine over speed bumps and don't oscillate like an old Cadillac doesn't mean there isn't an improvement to be had.

If there is no extra bounce and leakage, where do you think the improvement with the new damper will come from? Like, what will be better inside new damper vs old one?

 

[chris719]

If there is no extra bounce and leakage, where do you think the improvement with the new damper will come from? Like, what will be better inside new damper vs old one?

There is extra movement. The damping forces decline gradually over time. It's not rocket science.

 

[AlphaOmega]

There is extra movement. The damping forces decline gradually over time. It's not rocket science.

What is the mechanism behind it, if the shock isn’t leaking and does not produce an extra bounce over a bump - that’s what I’m asking. Do you know?

 

[chris719]

What is the mechanism behind it, if the shock isn’t leaking and does not produce an extra bounce over a bump - that’s what I’m asking. Do you know?

https://www.tirereview.com/what-really-wears-out-inside-shocks-struts/

https://www.kaztechnologies.com/wp-...er-from-FSAE-Book-by-Jim-Kasprzak-Updated.pdf

 

[AZjeff]

you sound like a Black Lives Matter rank-and-file that expects and sees -isms everywhere. Leave that attitude for the street rioting. We are just talking dampers here - not politics. I promise not to challenge you personally, so as not to take you out of your comfort zone

Wow. BLM and politics? You cut/paste opinions supporting your position that shocks last virtually forever but offer no data. Shocks that live an easy life on smooth roads can last a long time. Shocks that haul loads and or drive on rough roads won't. Some shocks are higher quality than others. Doesn't take deep thinking to understand any of that.

 

[GMBoy]

My opinion is that the wear of shocks/struts are so slow over time that you don't notice the degrading ride. Once you put new shocks/struts on you will suddenly realize the difference. So while there may be high miles on people's cars they can't say for sure if they are still fine w/o first trying new - if you get what I am saying. I thought my struts/shocks on my CTS were still fine at 108k miles - they rode good and were not loose or noisy. I replaced them anyhow and what a huge differrence!

 

[AlphaOmega]

https://www.tirereview.com/what-really-wears-out-inside-shocks-struts/

https://www.kaztechnologies.com/wp-...er-from-FSAE-Book-by-Jim-Kasprzak-Updated.pdf

Thanks! What page are referring to that explains your claim?

 

[AlphaOmega]

I replaced them anyhow and what a huge differrence!

What was that difference? Less bounce after hitting an expansion joint on a freeway? No more bottoming out over certain bumps or potholes? Thanks

 

[AlphaOmega]

https://www.tirereview.com/what-really-wears-out-inside-shocks-struts/

https://www.kaztechnologies.com/wp-...er-from-FSAE-Book-by-Jim-Kasprzak-Updated.pdf

I looked at both links. Link #2 is, I think irrelevant to the discussed matter and link #1 (tirereview) is just a bulletin post that repeats “every 50k miles” thesis, but does not explain how a unit that doesn’t leak and does not produce an extra bounce going over a bump can still be a spent one . So, can you explain it in your own words? Because I understand people that say: “no leaking and no extra bounce, therefore my dampers are fine”, but I don’t understand (hence my asking) people’s logic that say: “dampers that don’t leak and don’t produce extra bounce can still be spent”. If I understood correctly, you are in the 2nd camp, so I’m asking if you could explain the mechanics involved that substantiate your claim. If you don’t want to answer - it’s all good, but please don’t get offended like the other guy

 

[GMBoy]

What was that difference? Less bounce after hiring an expansion joint on a freeway? No more bottoming out over certain bumps or potholes? Thanks

More control and firmness. Ride quality was not not noticibly better but the control was. Hitting expansion joints or irregularites in the road didn;'t make car skip or shudder. The shocks just handled better. One expansion joint the car would always go a little sideways when hitting it - afterwards it just went straight over with no hassles. So again -ride wise I just noticed more control.