time to replace the stock shocks

[racer_inboston]

Hey gang, this my custom car that I have built myself over the yrs. I have been running all stock suspension with exeption to 20" rims, 305/35/20 rears and 255/35/20 fronts. It rides beautiful as it is my daily driver and I have put 35k on the clock. I noticed while changing my oil on the lift that the passanger side rear shock had leaked oil. So now I'm in th emarket for a replacement rear. I have lost my job and I'm on a really tight budget. what do you guys recommend for a replacement? my streets aren't smooth (boston roads) and i drive slow in the city untill i let loose in the city highways but I've been good with my stockers until recently. I dont want to go race part since I'm not racing, but I woul dlike a nice option other than an oem replacement.
any advise on this?

thanks

 

[GreyDiesel]

I can sell you my stock shocks for $20 plus shipping. I took them off when I installed my aftermarket Steeda suspension, and they are just sitting in the garage, good as new. (well, they had 45k on them when I took them off, but they are not leaking and they look good as new)

If your not interested in mine, I am sure there are loads of folks with some stock shocks sitting in their garage.

 

[racer_inboston]

Ok, I think I'm going to go with replacement stockers, I'm still looking for more opinions but sure, if I definetively decide to go with the stockers I'll buy them off of you , thanks. by the way how do you feel about changing from your stockers to the ones you have now? I just dont want to roughen my ride quality with aftermarket ones, ya know?

 

[GreyDiesel]

suspension is a tricky beast. I went with a Steeda Dampers, Steeda Springs, and Steeda rear sway bar. The dampers are much stiffer than stock. If you value a "smooth" ride, you probably dont want aftermarket dampers. However, I put smooth in quotes, because there are times when the stiffer dampers actually provide a better ride. Here are two case scenarios:

1) A cement road near my home has a speed limit of 35mph. On the stock suspension, I drove this road every day and never gave it a second thought. With the performance suspension, this road is annoying. The cement is laid down at slightly different levels. It is a minor thing, and you would not notice it, but at 35mph, its just a bit jarring. I now avoid this road, and take either slower roads, or faster roads, or asphalt roads.

2) A major interstate near my house is asphalt and has a speed limit of 55. It is an elevated section through the city and has expansion joints about every 100 feet or so. On the stock suspension, this road was a nightmare. The car would nearly bottom out on the joints, and I hated it. On the performance suspension, I hardly know they are there. The same can be said for many railroad crossings in my area --taken at about 40mph, they used to be a major headache, and now are a pleasure to glide over.

So, give and take on the bumps. The cornering however, is a leaps and bounds better, obviously... as that is the main reason to buy a performance suspension.

 

[walter]

I'm going to assume that you're going to replace all your shocks/struts with newer more performance but yet streetable setups so here's my recommendations.

Tokico HPs (Blues) are basically cheap replacement shocks with a dab more performance tuned into them (I do mean dab). I'm currently running these on the 350Z with hotchkis springs and sway bar kits (springs are more for show then actual performance as the suspension is already good enough) and they ride very much like stock but a little more tighter in the turns. Price $300-400 total.

Koni SRTs should be the same as the Blues in term of dampening characteristics. Wish I had known about these when I was in the market for the Z as general consensus is that Konis are better built then Tokico shocks. Price $300-400 total.

Eibach Pro-dampers. Eibach quality though judging from the description it seems these are more meant to work with their springs then stock ones AM has them for $440 bucks which isn't bad someone may chime in as to how they work on stock springs.

Bilstein HD's These are the daddy of all shocks especially when it comes to street and performance driving. I was once told at the track by an instructor when asking about what to do for performance mods "just get some bilsteins, get some nice springs and be done with it" they're more pricy hovering around $600 but they are worth every penny. Ride smooth and tighten up when you need them.

Final notable mention Tokico D-Specs. They're very popular with the S197 crowd as the kit is cheap and features adjustable dampening rates these also price at around $500 for all four.

I'm sure there are more shocks out there but like the eibach are more geared toward being a part of a kit with their own springs and such. Definitely the Tokico, Konis and Bilsteins should work well with stock springs.

 

[Wind-Farmer]

I personally think that no matter what shocks you go with, I don't think you will mind the ride. I have had previous cars that yes, the ride was horrible with aftermarket, but the mustang...the ride stayed the same just more stiff. I mean, these cars are comfy and dont rattle much, so I think a little stiffer ride is much worth it.

FYI I did my shocks and struts the same time I did my springs and I don't think the ride is much "bumpier" or more "uncomfortable."

Go Aftermarket, especially if you have aftermarket springs, which it looks like you have judging by the picture. Stock shocks will wear prematurely, once again.

 

[walter]

+1 to what windfarmer was saying. I went form a full racing suspension 240SX which was only good for super time attack days at a glass smooth track or watching the G/F's goods bounce all over the place while shattering some vertebrae of your own to the S197 which felt like a caddy in comparison.

Even when the Roush suspension went on I remember thinking the "harshness" people described was a joke. The only thing unnerving of the whole suspension experience was finding out just by a quick trip around the block how severely undertired the car is for the capability of the suspension system.
That's my only complaint.

 

[racer_inboston]

I personally think that no matter what shocks you go with, I don't think you will mind the ride. I have had previous cars that yes, the ride was horrible with aftermarket, but the mustang...the ride stayed the same just more stiff. I mean, these cars are comfy and dont rattle much, so I think a little stiffer ride is much worth it.

FYI I did my shocks and struts the same time I did my springs and I don't think the ride is much "bumpier" or more "uncomfortable."

Go Aftermarket, especially if you have aftermarket springs, which it looks like you have judging by the picture. Stock shocks will wear prematurely, once again.

all stock springs no aftermarket at all AS AFAR AS SUSPENSION GOES. ONLY WHEELS AND TIRES. the stance was exeptional when i mounted the 20" extereme saleen wheel package.

I may just replace the blown rear shock with a stocker until I make up my mind. as far as handling, my rear rim is a 10" and the fron is a 9" rim..and like I said I'm running 305/35/20's in the rear and 255/35/20s in the front and that combo alone made the car handle 100% better than stock and ride is good stock. my buddy has roush suspension with stock wheels and tires and I kid you not, the sidewall thickness (profile) and with makes a lot of diff already, so I may not want to go stiffer just yet.

 

[Wind-Farmer]

hmmm...your car looks pretty damn low. Many non-lowered stangs with 20's look like trucks..from my previous knowledge.

anyway, i have adjustable shocks and struts (D-Specs) and I have them set to almost full adjustablitly. The ride is GREAT, and the only difference from stock is that if I hit any sort of waviness in the road, the rear really reacts quick, almost to quick, and it...it is just wicked. But non-the-less not uncomfortable.

Once again, Eibach, D-spec; setup....I enjoy it thoroughly.

 

[NastyStang113]

Just blew out the front of my Tokico D-Specs with maybe 10,000 miles on them. I'll be going with Bilsteins or Konis next ...

 

[GOLDENPONY]

My OE shocks/struts now have 60K miles on them. I am going to put the new KONI STR.T dampers on next summer.

 

[Wind-Farmer]

Just blew out the front of my Tokico D-Specs with maybe 10,000 miles on them. I'll be going with Bilsteins or Konis next ...

How did you notice it was blown out...just saw it leaking? was it bouncing on one side more than usual? did you hear it? what?

sorry for the hijack...thanks

 

[racer_inboston]

How did you notice it was blown out...just saw it leaking? was it bouncing on one side more than usual? did you hear it? what?

sorry for the hijack...thanks

I HEARD IT AND CHECK IT. bingo shock showed signs of leakage. was oily wet . it didn't sag , shocks have nothing to do with a car sagging , the springs do that. The shocks just dampen, and in some cases stiffen, they dont control ride height.

oh and Yes these are the stock springs.
example: stock tire height was only about 3/4 of an inch shorter than my current set up. it may look lower than usual on stock springs due to my side exhaust sideskirts and from lip spoiler.

 

[zoomerman46]

I have a 2005 GT with 20k miles on it found the rear shocks leaking. On one of the other forums a Guy named San Strano was giving some pretty good advise on suppenison components. He was pretty high on the Koni STR.T struts/shocks as a replacement for stock with cars with stock or mild changes to suppension lowered 1-1 1/2 ins. I bought a pair for the rear of my car from Jegs for about $66.00 a peice. Seem to work much better that the stocks. I also have the Roush rear springs.Good combo.
Next is the front struts (Koni STR.T) with Roush springs and GT500 strut mounts. Check out the Koni's

 

[NastyStang113]

How did you notice it was blown out...just saw it leaking? was it bouncing on one side more than usual? did you hear it? what?

sorry for the hijack...thanks

The ride and noise were the first indicators. The ride was severely diminished and felt very floaty. The noise is unbearable and clunks over every little piece that's not right in the road. The fronts will also not adjust like the rears. There is no turning the adjustment.

 

[fallenauthority]

shocks have nothing to do with a car sagging , the springs do that. The shocks just dampen, and in some cases stiffen, they dont control ride height.
.

Thats actually not true. Shocks when blown can greatly effect ride height.

 

[racer_inboston]

Thats actually not true. Shocks when blown can greatly effect ride height.

shocks do not effect ride height. the rear of my car sits evenly on both sides even though I've got a blown shock.
The dampers (wrongly called shock absorbers) DO NOT affect ride height, it's the springs that set the ride height.
The dampers stop the bouncing that occurs in the springs when you drive over a bump or hole, if the springs were changed giving you a 20 mm lower ride height and now the car is higher it's nothing to do with the dampers.

The only case i;ve seen a car sag due to bad dampers, is on bagged vehicles, like lincolns and caddys, but that is a totally different beast.

 

[fallenauthority]

shocks do not effect ride height. the rear of my car sits evenly on both sides even though I've got a blown shock.
The dampers (wrongly called shock absorbers) DO NOT affect ride height, it's the springs that set the ride height.
The dampers stop the bouncing that occurs in the springs when you drive over a bump or hole, if the springs were changed giving you a 20 mm lower ride height and now the car is higher it's nothing to do with the dampers.

The only case i;ve seen a car sag due to bad dampers, is on bagged vehicles, like lincolns and caddys, but that is a totally different beast.

Yes they do. This is why when my explorer had bad shocks, it sat uneven at all four corners, replacing shocks made it sit completely even AND higher than it did with the blown shocks. Im not saying every vehicle with blown shocks/dampers will sit uneven or lower, but it can and does happen. Go ahead and try to take shocks off a car and see how it sits. BTW cars with air-ride do not have shocks/dampers in the rear, they have just air-bags, thats what provides the dampening and cushion, with an air-bag there is no need for a damper, since the bag acts as a damper with a cushion of air, hence why you see a busted ass caddy or lincoln squatting in the rear its got blown bags or a bad pump.

 

[racer_inboston]

Yes they do. This is why when my explorer had bad shocks, it sat uneven at all four corners, replacing shocks made it sit completely even AND higher than it did with the blown shocks. Im not saying every vehicle with blown shocks/dampers will sit uneven or lower, but it can and does happen. Go ahead and try to take shocks off a car and see how it sits. BTW cars with air-ride do not have shocks/dampers in the rear, they have just air-bags, thats what provides the dampening and cushion, with an air-bag there is no need for a damper, since the bag acts as a damper with a cushion of air, hence why you see a busted ass caddy or lincoln squatting in the rear its got blown bags or a bad pump.

YOu just repeated what I said about a lincoln and caddy in your own words. Once again if your explorer had bad shocks and sat unevenly perhaps the insulators were also bad and or springs along with the shocks. For this application and for what its worth on this thread and (s197) mustangs, the shocks have no revelvance to height. We were talking about a mustang not an explorer friend. Perhaps my maste mechanic 10 yrs ago told me a lie when he absolutely told me that shocks dampen aS THEY ARE DAMPERS and control just that. Can you provide literature specifying that dampers control ride height? I'm axious to know.

racer.

 

[fallenauthority]

Bad insulators are not going to account for a 1.5" difference in ride height between corners like I measured on my truck. Plus I did not replace springs either, so only thing changed was the dampers. Like I said in my above post, a bad damper will not ALWAYS cause uneven ride height but it CAN, and it DID in my case. Im not going to go googleing to find you any documentation on this because I know it from first hand experience that it did change and level out the ride height on my truck. And as previously stated, you want to prove me wrong go snag two dampers off your S197 and take a pic of how she sits.