Shocks or not?

[Babaloo]

I suspected my shocks were freezed up. How can I be sure that is the reason of the unusual harsh ride? Also, how do I know if I need new mounts or not? Anything to watch out for when replacing shocks?
Thanks for the help.

 

[cryptokid]

if youre shocks were frozen solid youre auto would be so jittery on any bumps that you would be chattering teeth going over slow down strips.

more than likely, youre tyre pressure is too high.

 

[eljefino]

You should know what holds the springs in before you start pulling shocks out. Don't want them going flying.

 

[rpn453]

Give each corner a good push down. I guess if your shocks are seized they won't move. The car should depress, then rise up and not bounce down again. If it bounces, they're probably worn out.

 

[JeepZJ4.0]

If you change them.... go for KYB Brand shocks. The best shocks ever made. I have a set on my Jeep and it rides very well.

Tell me what car you have and I can recommend a set for you.

 

[road_rascal]

Sometimes it's hard to tell when shocks are shot. I took my '01 Windstar to the dealer a few years ago before a long family trip and asked them to check out the rear end because I thought the rear suspension was a little bouncy (and it was still under warranty). I didn't see any fluid leaking around the rear shocks but I figured the dealer techs would know more about it than I would. Well after a 2 week 3700 mile trip I still wasn't convinced everything was A-OK. I told my wife to drive the van down the road and I would follow her in my car. Well sure enough the the right rear wheel hopped all over the place. I removed the right rear shock and I could compress the whole assembly and it would just stay there. The left side took about 30 seconds to return to normal length. The van only had about 36,000 miles on it so I was surprised the shocks were totally worn out as the van never tows/ hauls heavy loads. I ended up replacing them with Monroe super duty somethingoranothers with load-leveling helper springs. Talk about a huge difference in ride quality

.

 

[Ugly3]

quote:

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Originally posted by Babaloo:
I suspected my shocks were freezed up. How can I be sure that is the reason of the unusual harsh ride? Also, how do I know if I need new mounts or not? Anything to watch out for when replacing shocks?
Thanks for the help.

---

What vehicle, how many miles are on the shocks, and what type of driving in done with the vehicle?

 

[Babaloo]

First of all, thanks for all the suggestions. My car is a 1998 Nissan Sentra SE. It has about 89k miles and I only got this car 2 months ago so I am not sure how many miles were on the struts (front) and shocks (rear). Cryptokid, I am quite sure it is not the tire pressures. I check the pressures every week and they are always between 31-33 psi (spec is 33 psi). I also tried to push it down about a week ago and it was not moving at all. But when I tried it yesterday, it appeared to be fine (go down then up and stop)

. I understand when struts/ shocks are shot, the ride usually go bouncy instead of harsh. I have been considering the KYB GR-2 as replacement and want to make sure I filter out as many possibilities as possible before my purchase.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Matt_S]

Old struts can harden up sometimes, depending on what component is failing. How hard is it? Are we talking typical small car firmness or "OMG, this thing feels like a go kart" harshness? What were you driving previously? 89k miles really shouldn't wear out a set of struts, unless there's a lot of gravel roads in the car's past. I'm actually thinking you should go over the suspension, looking for worn bushings, bad wheel bearings and the like. A bad bearing can cause noise and vibration that can increase apparent ride harshness. To check, lift up a wheel and grab the tire at 12 and 6 o'clock. Try to pull it in and out. You'll feel some movement, but you shouldn't feel any slop. If you do, the bearing is shot.

Hope this helps.

 

[ediamiam]

Chances are that with 89k miles on OEM struts and shocks you will definitely feel an improvement in ride quality with new replacements. I would replace them before they start cupping your tires. I pulled the shocks off my brand new Nissan Frontier in '00 and replaced them immediately. Big improvement. KYB replacements are the biggest bang for the buck.

 

[MolaKule]

Just replaced the shocks on my '01 Frontier this summer. I had to find the stiffest shocks available for the front, however. Seems the third-party supply people spec the front shocks too soft.

In my case, I had a soft bounce and dip with the old shocks.

[ November 05, 2004, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: MolaKule ]

 

[Babaloo]

Matt_S: Definitely "OMG, this thing feels like a go kart" harshness. I am going to look into the suspension components like you suggest this weekend.

quote:

---

Originally posted by ediamiam:
Chances are that with 89k miles on OEM struts and shocks you will definitely feel an improvement in ride quality with new replacements.

---

Ediamiam: That’s exactly what I was thinking. What kind of KYB shocks are you running? What kind of improvement do you feel?

Front suspension

Rear suspension

Would someone please chime in and suggest where I should look into this weekend? Those two pictures are from the factory service manual. Thanks again.

 

[MolaKule]

Looks like you have struts in front and Coil-over-Shocks in back.

I would have the Struts replaced and then see if ride improved.

This is just me, but I prefer a very stiff suspension/ride.

 

[ediamiam]

I used KYB Gas-a-just. Don't know if that model is still available. I looked at the Gabriels but they were too soft for my tastes. The original ride was very bouncy, like the shocks weren't there. When I pulled them, I compressed them very easily - very little pressure. With the KYB you have to really lean into them with some weight to get them to compress. They come compressed with a strap holding it in. It firmed up the ride quite a bit.
MolaKule-What shocks did you go with?

 

[MolaKule]

They are made by Monroe, had Carquest brand on them, so I don't know the Monroe equivalent number; do have the Carquest number.

They had to make a special order out of KC for them; took two weeks.

 

[ZR2RANDO]

I have KYB gas-a-just (not sure about that spelling!!!) on my Nissan 4x4 truck...they are excellent. I put them on when truck had about 10k miles, OEM were wimpy right out of the box. This type of shock has resistance on compression and then positive extension, some others have resistance on both compression and extension, I prefer the KYB. You can also try Bilstein, cost a little more though.

 

[ediamiam]

I've always wondered about the differences in shocking ability between the more expensive brands - Koni, Bilstein, etc - but have never seen any kind of comparison report. I've always considered KYB to be at a good pricing level for the results you get, hence typically just get those.

 

[Cressida]

I believe you will find that the KYB GR-2 and the Gabriel line of struts (that are sold at Autozone) are the same unit and made in the same Mexican plant. So you might as well save a few bucks and get the Gabriel's.

I don't know about the shocks.

 

[ZR2RANDO]

The KYB gas-a-just shocks are very firm monotube shocks, the GR-2 are twin tube. Could be that the same company makes them all, seems like these days corporate takeovers happen almost daily to eliminate competition-sadly. I will say that every Gabriel model that I have tried in the past was too soft, and got returned within the week, I have stayed with the KYB gas-a-just meanwhile. My Nissan OEM shocks had KYB stamped on them by-the way, like I said above they were wimpy right out of the box and were replaced early on. I guess they all have their various quality levels of product. I replaced the factory shocks on our blazer with Bilsteins and they are also doing fine, $50 ea at Autozone with lifetime warranty.

 

[Babaloo]

Should I get a set of mounts for the struts/ shocks?