Klgrayson

Got 80 Thousand miles on my 1984 Vet,time to chage the shocks, what would be the best one to install on the car. I am not racing it just cruising with it. Looking for some good honest opinions.

staketruck05

I stayed with stock bilsteins

aklim

I'd use Bilstein since they will have a lifetime warranty.

desertmike1

I opted for KYB's on my 95 they seem to be a good mid level Shock absorb er.. Someday I would like to get my Bilstein's rebuilt and put back on though.

aklim

You can have it rebuilt. You just have a 90 day warranty

Klgrayson

Let me say this about the shocks on my car,they aren't leaking, I was just going to change them because (1) they are the originals (2) the car just turn 80 thousand. With the z51 Suspension the car to me ride I think the same as it did when I first bought it. Is there a rule of thumb as to how often you should change the shocks. Looking for some good honest opinions.

aklim

It is hard for anyone to remember what it was like before because it changes so gradually. My thoughts are to change or check every 10 years just to be sure. Bilstein has a shock dyno but not sure how else to do it accurately AND WITHOUT using the SOTP dyno which I absolutely distrust.

JrRifleCoach

50K or 5-6 years.

Most people have no clue as to the importance of the shock absorber.
So those will argue that shocks only need to be replaced if they're leaking.
Or any shock that's cheap will work better than those taken off.

The 84 Z51 is a pretty ridged setup and a good set of Bilsteins will hep control the suspension properly.
You might come back and say those are too stiff.
So many will say the KYBs will offer a softer ride.

My opinion is your springs will never offer a smooth ride. Its a C4 Corvette.
Unless your ready to swap out the springs and bars, best to get used to it.
Or sell it for a Buick.....

Klgrayson

Want to thank the room for all the info about shocks,I did learn a thing or two. Believe I will go with the Bilstein,will install the list set on the front,wait a couple of weeks then do the back. Just off hand when the 84's came out what type of shocks were most likely outhouse cars,just curious

DGXR

Lots of existing threads on this topic. For bargain shocks, KYB is probably the best value, they are supposed to be pretty good. If you want a premium quality shock that lasts a long time, go with the Bilstein HDs, they are engineered specifically for this vehicle.

http://www.ajusa.com/1984-Chevrolet-...v7bbq67a9.html

And as JrRifleCoash said the early C4s have heavy springs and there is no shock that will soften your ride very much. Higher profile tires might help though

vader86

I would generally recommend it by 75K, or 10 years unless there are issues.

You are due.

aklim

Kinda wonder if it is specific to C4s or not. I had a 91 F-body that we changed shocks in 94. IIRC, the shocks were 3 years old. You could push it all the way down, go take a **** and come back to find that it is about 3/4 way back to rest position. Obviously they weren't Bilsteins. Just regular Delco. Replaced them with Tokiko and you could see it works better.

QZRBLU

AK,
You are simply describing a gas charged shock that has lost most of it's pressure. The gas pressure is only added to prevent the oil in the shock from foaming during operation. The gas is NOT used to suspend the car or change ride height, only to prevent the oil from aerating.

HTH,
Mick

A Peter C4

If shocks are not leaking or wet and still rebound I would think they are still in good condition if they are Bilstiens. Any advice?

A Peter C4

What do you think about the Tokicos? Good--Bad compairable to Bilsteins?

DGXR

My experience plus everything I have read says: yes

On my 1995 base coupe, I just replaced the original factory Delco Bilstein shocks for brand new Bilstein B6 units.

The old shocks: the fronts were bad (leaking oil) but the rears are functioning just fine and I'm trying to recoup a few bucks by selling them. Nobody is biting, can't really blame them since they look, well... they look 23 years old.

QZRBLU

I'm in the same boat DGXR, I just ordered 4 new FX3 Bilsteins from shock warehouse for $809 rather than have my original 35,000 mile Delco FX3 Bilsteins rebuilt by deltavee.com for $700 with a 90 day warranty vs new with a lifetime warranty. My fronts have a little oil staining on the shock bodies and the rears have similar staining. They would be good for rebuild cores and they work great but I doubt anyone wants them for $200 plus shipping, which is what I would sell them for. Mine are originals and 27 years old.

Mick

James84vette

I just changed out my rears and went with Munro. Pretty big difference going over bumps ect. Mine is just a weekend cruz car and one I drive the odd time to work. I plan on doing the fronts soon.

five7kid

I replaced all 4 originals on my '96 Base Coupe at about 130k miles and 18 years old. I didn't notice any leaks, but they didn't seem to be "absorbing" like they should. I went with Bilstiens, as there didn't seem to be much love for other similarly- or lower-priced options here.

Just by coincidence, I did the left rear last. This is what I found:



To this day, I have no idea how they did that.

James84vette

Wow. That would have had to happen with a big impact.