Suspension Restoration, How Much Improvement

[navair]

They're probably shot. At 72K I replaced everything, as one shock was leaking profusely (and I found another starting to when pulled). Of course it was a perfect excuse to upgrade to M030 ROW

YMMV as my Box has been heavily autocrossed.

The shock oil loses viscosity from heat and wear. Many 'experts' say shocks are gone by 50K and certainly 100. BUT, if it feels good to you, and you see no leaks, why worry?

[leftfield6]

Another aspect of a properly performing shock/strut is that it helps to protect the rest of your suspension. If the shock/strut is not doing it's job, every other part of the suspension is subject to more wear. The below is directly from the KYB website:

There are two major disadvantages that begin to occur as your shocks (or struts) wear. First, as the shock’s ability to resist wheel & body movement diminishes, it becomes more difficult to control your vehicle. That becomes evident as quick-stopping distances increase and the driver has to compensate for conditions like body roll and nose-diving. The second is increased wear of every other related vehicle component. Since more suspension movement is allowed as the shocks wear, every attached part is subject to additional impacts and wear to those components occurs more quickly. The suspension springs, support arms, bushings, joints and wheel alignment all suffer. That translates to a shorter vehicle life, less vehicle satisfaction and additional repair expenses.