Shocks, do they wear?
#1
Shocks, do they wear?
My rear shocks are about 19 years old. Changed in 2001.
I had an exciting moment on the highway when changing lanes. Almost felt like my rear shocks weren't working properly.
But they pass the bounce test.
I am wondering if rear shocks wear and loose their effectiveness. As far as I know, a shock is just a piston with a hole in it, and oil is forced thru the hole.
Other then leaking, what could go wrong? Hole get bigger? I don't think so.
I would guess they have 50k miles on them.
A replacement pair would be about $70, which on a cost-per-year basis is pretty low, but don't want to replace them if it isn't necessary.
Shocks, Year 2001
I had an exciting moment on the highway when changing lanes. Almost felt like my rear shocks weren't working properly.
But they pass the bounce test.
I am wondering if rear shocks wear and loose their effectiveness. As far as I know, a shock is just a piston with a hole in it, and oil is forced thru the hole.
Other then leaking, what could go wrong? Hole get bigger? I don't think so.
I would guess they have 50k miles on them.
A replacement pair would be about $70, which on a cost-per-year basis is pretty low, but don't want to replace them if it isn't necessary.
Shocks, Year 2001
#3
Rennlist Member
My rear shocks are about 19 years old. Changed in 2001.
I had an exciting moment on the highway when changing lanes. Almost felt like my rear shocks weren't working properly.
But they pass the bounce test.
I am wondering if rear shocks wear and loose their effectiveness. As far as I know, a shock is just a piston with a hole in it, and oil is forced thru the hole.
Other then leaking, what could go wrong? Hole get bigger? I don't think so.
I would guess they have 50k miles on them.
A replacement pair would be about $70, which on a cost-per-year basis is pretty low, but don't want to replace them if it isn't necessary.
Shocks, Year 2001
I had an exciting moment on the highway when changing lanes. Almost felt like my rear shocks weren't working properly.
But they pass the bounce test.
I am wondering if rear shocks wear and loose their effectiveness. As far as I know, a shock is just a piston with a hole in it, and oil is forced thru the hole.
Other then leaking, what could go wrong? Hole get bigger? I don't think so.
I would guess they have 50k miles on them.
A replacement pair would be about $70, which on a cost-per-year basis is pretty low, but don't want to replace them if it isn't necessary.
Shocks, Year 2001
They wear... shocks and struts are supposed to be changed roughly at 50k miles by most manufactuers, they do last longer generally but thats the the number that is thrown out there.
#5
Nordschleife Master
No they don’t, I really cannot understand why the parts stores even stock replacements
Seriously though they can leak internally and externally both oil and gas if they are the charged type, plus they can also corrode and the rubber bushes can wear out.
Seriously though they can leak internally and externally both oil and gas if they are the charged type, plus they can also corrode and the rubber bushes can wear out.
#6
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I had a stack of valving washers a KYB engineer gave me once and wish I had a pic to show you. They were about the size of a nickel and very thin, in the thousandths of an inch range. The holes and slots in them were quite small. The selection of washers, number, and arrangement made up the compression and rebound character of the shock or strut. The body, piston, shaft, oil, and gas were not as important as the makeup of these valving washers in regards to how it performed.
90% of shocks working life is within a 1" or less area of travel from the static area of where the shock sits normally on the car. So 1" up or down. As the valving washers wear, both in deflection and in actual wear, they will allow more fluid to bypass causing a "harsher" ride and more spring movement in this range.
In cases of large compression or rebound events, when the valves are worn, you will get more than the desired amount of spring movement and that can correlate into wheel hop or undesirable handling.
The bounce test will pretty much tell you when you've had an outright failure, but not much more. Oil and gas leakage would be present and a better determining factor.
Hope this info helps.
90% of shocks working life is within a 1" or less area of travel from the static area of where the shock sits normally on the car. So 1" up or down. As the valving washers wear, both in deflection and in actual wear, they will allow more fluid to bypass causing a "harsher" ride and more spring movement in this range.
In cases of large compression or rebound events, when the valves are worn, you will get more than the desired amount of spring movement and that can correlate into wheel hop or undesirable handling.
The bounce test will pretty much tell you when you've had an outright failure, but not much more. Oil and gas leakage would be present and a better determining factor.
Hope this info helps.
#7
Drifting
Interesting!
Say.. anyone ever actually witnessed a failed bounce test? I've had bad shocks yet bouncing the car has never indicated anything. In fact, right now a shock mount broke on our van yet you can jump up and down bouncing away and as soon as you stop, it stops. Seriously.. I think the suspension resists bouncing far more than we think..
Say.. anyone ever actually witnessed a failed bounce test? I've had bad shocks yet bouncing the car has never indicated anything. In fact, right now a shock mount broke on our van yet you can jump up and down bouncing away and as soon as you stop, it stops. Seriously.. I think the suspension resists bouncing far more than we think..
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#8
Banned
Interesting!
Say.. anyone ever actually witnessed a failed bounce test? I've had bad shocks yet bouncing the car has never indicated anything. In fact, right now a shock mount broke on our van yet you can jump up and down bouncing away and as soon as you stop, it stops. Seriously.. I think the suspension resists bouncing far more than we think..
Say.. anyone ever actually witnessed a failed bounce test? I've had bad shocks yet bouncing the car has never indicated anything. In fact, right now a shock mount broke on our van yet you can jump up and down bouncing away and as soon as you stop, it stops. Seriously.. I think the suspension resists bouncing far more than we think..
#9
Drifting
Really? You bounced the rear, stopped, and it kept going? Or did it just feel soft? Maybe I'm misunderstanding this test
#10
Banned
Yes. I bounceed the rear and it bounced many times before stopping. Any kind of bounce is not good. After pushing down on the corner it should just raise back.
#11
> No they don’t, I really cannot understand why the parts stores even stock replacements
There are things that don't really wear -- like sway bars. Or coils. A coil can fail, but it can't really wear out.
It looks like my shocks have been afflicted by the pox!
Left Shock
Right Shock
There are things that don't really wear -- like sway bars. Or coils. A coil can fail, but it can't really wear out.
It looks like my shocks have been afflicted by the pox!
Left Shock
Right Shock
#12
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
This is the reason our cars will lose rear ride height so drastically over time. The torsion bars get weak and can no longer hold the car up, or more correctly, push the wheels down.
#13
Nordschleife Master
#15