Gatorlaw

So I posted before about the knocking and noise from right rear. Thought it was the wheel bearing. Took it into the shop and they did an inspection and said the bearings and ujoints were good but I need 4 new shocks. He couldn't give me a price as the wharehoise was closed. What should I be looking at for a cost for the shocks and install?

whalepirot

SUggest two things: 1) I ensure it not just a loose shock mounthy or deteriorated rubber, and 2)fill out your profile so we have some idea of the car. than add the odometer and any other info, like how the car reacts to bumps and handling changes.

There's probably 100 threads about shocks here, but my preference is Bilstein "Challenge".

Gatorlaw

It's a 1988 C4 convertible. The car is very stiff on the road you feel every bump hard. The car actually sits about an inch and a half higher after it was removed from the lift that it did before it went on the lift. I can see the oil on the shocks. No doubt it needs done. I just watched a video on changing the shocks and it seems a pretty simple and straight forward job. I'm considering doing it myself though it looks like I need to buy a couple of floor jacks and a pair of jack stands to safely do the job. Was just wondering what to expect the shop cost to be and whether it'd be worth it to buy the jacks and do it myself.

1bdvet

Get idea of the price of shocks from the different catalog stores, like Ecklers, Mid-America, Corvette Central all sells shocks.
Then you will not be shocked by prices.

You might want to check Amazon.

When I had 1989, I used these, great ride along with great price.

Gatorlaw

I ordered KYB gas adjust from rockauto.com. I got them for $29 each. These were the same ones the shop quoted me to use as replacement. By the way the shop quoted a price of 687.80 to do the shocks. They are out of their mind.

warrior4jesus

My 2 cents would be go with the bilsteins because I put Monroe shocks on my car and I hate them. I will be replacing them again with bilsteins shortly. I hate them because it rides like a passenger car not a sports car. There is a vendor advertising 330 bucks for all 4 shocks here on the forum which I think is a good deal and changing them is ridiculously easy. Don't buy and use the cheap ones you will regret it.

Gatorlaw

It's my daughters car. I bought if for her 16th birthday. She wouldn't notice the difference in shocks as she just likes cursing with the top down. If it was driven by me on a more regular basis then I might have ponies up the extra coin for the sporty suspension but it's not worth it for the little I drive.

Gatorlaw

The car had rough suspension from day one but I just thought what an old corvette felt like. It'll be interesting to see what it's like with shocks.

warrior4jesus

in my opinion it's a safety issue. If a person drives a car believing it's a sports car believing it will handle as such and it doesn't that could be bad. Your daughter deserves the best. Don't cheap out on the suspension.

JrRifleCoach

Flat shocks will ride like buggy cart and cannot be compared to anything new.
The KYBs should be just fine and suit your budget as well.

xrav22

I had a rattle for 6 months. Found out the ac delco shocks were making the noise.
They lasted 1 year. Crap
Put 4 monroes to save money, on the way to/from vegas they would slap the road. Crap
Returned to Pep Boys manager gave credit of 120. 2 of the 4 were dead after 3 months.
Bought 4 Kybs Gas adjust and they feel great but still had a light rattle from RR.
Bought 1 more KYB RR and found my emergency brake line was bumping inner fender
well and my lower shock mount was loose. Put the new shock anyway and quiet as
a mouse. No more kicking out.

Cruisinfanatic

Bilsteins didn't come on my car from the factory so I never had any itch to pay 3 times as much for them

warrior4jesus

I can't say anything about the KYB. But I know my 84 had bilsteins and it handled great. I know my 86 has Monroe's and they are absolutely junk garbage. So I speak of that which I have had experience. Not always but usually you get what you pay for and cheap is not the way to go on suspension parts.

gerardvg

Hi

The shock absorber's are easy to replace yourself, a tip check your rear sway bar links. Check the bush is secure in the link bracket, that turned out to be the cause of a rattle in my C4.

cdm747

I replaced the stock Bilsteins on my 88 shortly after I bought it. No complaints at all about the ride.

Cruisinfanatic

Who said anything about KYB?
When you suggest that anything else (besides bilsteins) are garbage and unsafe, you are wrong

warrior4jesus

Gatorlaw said he bought KYB shocks from somewhere for 29 bucks a piece. I said I can't speak for those however they are around the same price as my monroes which I know to be garbage performers on my car. I did not suggest that anything other than Bilsteins were crap. I did suggest that usually you get what you pay for and value brand or cheapo shocks in my experience were garbage compared to the Bilsteins i had on my 84, I do have a very limited experience on shock brands and i was only saying IF he was to purchase Bilsteins he would be happy with what he received and that he might not and it could be a safety issue and is a safety issue in my opinion when equipping a sports car with passenger car shocks.

rocco16

Get the Bilstein Sports for your daughter's C4. They offer the best handling for the dollar and they will last just one month short of forever. If you have basic hand tools (including a torque wrench), you can install them yourself.
I've found the best prices from places like shox.com and shockwarehouse.com.

Mikes93c4

As far as doing the job yourself it is super easy to do. The fronts can be done in no time. If i remeber correctly it's only three bolts. The rears are pretty simple too, although I ran into one of the bolts that wouldn't come off. I had to saw through the old shock to get the mount back off. Well worth the time for the money you will save. I replaced my old ones with KYB and to be honest I didn't care for them. Granted my car was lowered about an inch to an inch and a half, but I could feel every bump with them.

mazdaverx7

I have the KYB shocks on my 86 and the car rides just fine with them.For the price they are a great shock. They don't perform as well as the Bilsteins but they are an adequate shock for a daily driver. Bilstein would be my first choice for a shock but again, for the money and for the ride they offer, they're a good buy.