Replacing Rear Shocks and Front Struts Question

[insite]

first, the difference between the bilstein HD and sport struts is the length, not the damping. damping on the HD is identical to that of the sport model. the sport model was created for cars that have been lowered; the rods are shorter to prevent the damper bottoming because of the modified ride height.

if you are feeling a 'clunk', it's probably not your shocks. more likely, it's the bearing in the strut mount (at the top of the strut tower) or it's a ball joint.

[ralegen]

At 82K miles, I have a good feeling it's the shocks. I had the same symptoms before replacing some shocks on another car. Maybe the bushings also have some responsiblilty; however, I feel that it is mainly the shocks wearing out. Thanks for your input though!


If I plan on replacing my stock shocks, is Blistein HD the way to go?

[insite]

Originally Posted by ralegen

If I plan on replacing my stock shocks, is Blistein HD the way to go?

If you don't have lowering springs, get the Bilstein HD. Alternatively, you could get the M030 shocks and springs for about the same price if you search hard enough.

Also, I know you feel positive that your shocks are causing the clunk, but worn shocks don't clunk. The hardware that they MOUNT to, does. If you replace your shocks, you should also replace the part highlighted with the red arrow in this pic. It is a common source of the clunk. They are around $75 each and can't be removed without a spring compressor, so neglecting to do them now could mean repeating the labor to get to them later.