Over the winter I replaced the originals on my 91 (130k)

 

I can top that! Replaced my originals at 143K. The old ones? Well, let's just say I don't scrape the front air dam as much. Seriously, When I pulled them off, I could compress them with one hand.

Replaced with Bilstein Z51's. I like them, the car feels niclely planted all the time. They do not like big bumps or rough roads that much, but not horrible either...at least compared to what I had.

 

My 87 had the original shocks, when I replaced them with KYB's at 90k miles, they made a huge improvement

 

Uggh! You guys are killing me!!
Never have I heard anyone brag on how old their shocks are!?!

And then be amazed how much better a new shock is compared to an old worn out shock.

Simply amazing!!
You all should have your Corvette ownership revoked!

 

They're old Chevy's boss, relax.

 

DOH!

 

Though I was kinda thinkin the same thing. You know, after 140K miles, I coulda put on a set of $25 Gabriels and it would've been a huge improvement.

 

I stated my mileage on my 95 "66,000" with the thought that someone with similar mileage might think that shocks wouldn't be bad just because of age. Also when you buy one of these cars for the 'first time' you might think it is normal that the ride is so rough.........just a thought.

 

Having had a brand new Miata from 91, now owning an 04 Crossfire, "rough" wasn't the issue.. she bounced around and acted like a caddy the way she "floated" over bumps .. and floated some more afterwards.. LOL. First vette and new there was no way it should handle like that!

 

I have to ask the question; How old, mileage or time, do you think is the max age of a shock?
Now take in mind the shock is cycled for every revolution of the tire.
A tires' life is four years or about 25K miles. Some will go further...
How many years or miles will you run a set of shocks?

 

I've never heard that before.

 

I for one found value in the information provided about mileage and shock replacement. As a new owner it allowed me to make a replacement decision based on results achieved by others. Why does that bother you so much? Some of us have vehicles that came with an incomplete history, should we replace every part due to age? That is just silly.

Thanks to those that posted mileage/age/results, you have nothing to apologize for.

 

Your welcome........also no apology was given.

 

The suspension is in continuous up/down motion when the car is in motion.
The amount of movement is small but enough to wear the cylinder, piston and seals.
Age will deteriorate the oil and piston rod seals. And you can't change that oil.

My point is car owners have and will neglect their shocks.
Then complain about the ride quality, tire wear and the cost of good shocks.

 

I agree that shocks are often neglected and obviously I'm guilty of it. I'm just having a hard time buying the shocks cycling once for every tire revolution. When I'm traveling down the highway at 75 mph, the tires are spinning pretty darn fast.

 

OK consider that all tires are not perfectly balanced.
For every revolution there is a small bounce of the suspension.
The faster we go, the more work the suspension is subjected to.

Yes shocks are often neglected, just as brake fluid is.....
Look at all those pretty polished engine compartments and the reservoirs are black!
But that's a whole different subject.

 

I agree...
If you want to test this theory, take one rear shock off from your car, and drive it to about 50 mph, and you will experience the wheel hop that otherwise is been suppresed by the shock.... But seriously, you dont need to test that yourself, just look on the highway and eventually you will see a pick up truck with shocks worn out enough so that you can see the wheel hop. That is what cause tire cupping, and enough shake to cause you to loose some grip on the highway too.

 

Just changed 3 of my shocks, I was attempting the fourth and broke my wheel lock key trying to remove my wheel, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to finish the last rear wheel. I wanted to give my impressions so far after the install. First of all, it is pretty straight forward. No big surprises. What did surprise me is that the bilstein shocks that I removed "seemed" to still be in decent shape. I have little to no info from the P.O. so I didn't know if they had been replaced or not.

So anyway, when I took them off and compressed them, they seem to respond appropriately and extended as designed, so I was thinking maybe I replaced them for nothing! However, I went for a drive and wow, what a difference. It got me thinking about what JrRifleCoach said about how your shocks move during each wheel revolution. I found a video online from KYB that stated that each shock moves about 1,900 times per mile! The video continued by describing how shocks actually have a series of valves that dampen road noise, both large and small varieties.

So my point is this. If you do the standard shock test (push down on vehicle) and it responds as it should, it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't getting tired. They may be functioning well enough to avoid the bounce but they may be weak in quieting the finer road vibrations. Like I said with my car, the bilsteins seems to work fine but the new shocks made me realize that they did indeed need replacing.

I am glad I put these shocks on. I bought the KYB shocks and they work fantastic so far. The car feels much tighter and more controllable in the twisties.

 

I figured backing up on a segment of landscaping timbers with a 1x6 ramp was easier than taking the wheel off.. was enough clearance for me to work and no "lower car to ride height before tightening". Only down side was having to compress the shock from there and get on the stud.
Just a thought.

 

I just did new shocks and what a difference. AC Delco units on closeout at rockauto 14x4+18 shipping.
The old ones would just stick in down position.