Visual symptoms of a blown shock?
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Visual symptoms of a blown shock?
Hi guys,
What are the typical symptoms of a blown shock? Mazda says my front shocks are blown but aside from some squishy noises, they seem to feel the same.
- the front of the car is not sagging
- no visible oil spills on the exterior of the shocks
- flipped up the rubber cover, and the skinny chrome rod part is very clean, no oil
Another question:
Can Mazdaspeed shock absorbers work with OEM springs?
Or have I gotta get the Mazdaspeed springs too?
I'm not talking about the coilovers but the shock absorbers:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/8shocks.htm
Thanks.
What are the typical symptoms of a blown shock? Mazda says my front shocks are blown but aside from some squishy noises, they seem to feel the same.
- the front of the car is not sagging
- no visible oil spills on the exterior of the shocks
- flipped up the rubber cover, and the skinny chrome rod part is very clean, no oil
Another question:
Can Mazdaspeed shock absorbers work with OEM springs?
Or have I gotta get the Mazdaspeed springs too?
I'm not talking about the coilovers but the shock absorbers:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/8shocks.htm
Thanks.
Last edited by K.C.C.; Jun 11, 2011 at 10:53 AM. Reason: Additional question added.
Squishy noises?....that's not good.
Completely trashed shocks will let the car body bounce, if you push down on a corner and the car springs back - even a little, they are toast. The return should be tightly controlled and not springy.
Try to 'bounce' a known-good car to get a feel for the difference.
Completely trashed shocks will let the car body bounce, if you push down on a corner and the car springs back - even a little, they are toast. The return should be tightly controlled and not springy.
Try to 'bounce' a known-good car to get a feel for the difference.
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Shock absorbers are really the wrong term for these parts. The Brits have it right...dampers.
The average layman thinks the job of a damper is to "absorb shock". OK they do some of that, but most importantly, they control the time that motion takes place on the suspension.
So why's that so important?
Long before your car feels like its on jello to you, its on jello....in the terms of grip.
On the average car by the time you roll up 25,000 miles, they've already lost much of the fine metering that keeps the tires planted when punching the pedal (either one) on a washboard surface. Really noticable in the wet - that is if you have a car with new dampers to drive as a comparison.
By 50,000 miles the bypass valves are shot. Most drivers don't recognize that.
Bypass valves are what keep the dampers from exploding over bumps at high speed. The same bump taken at 10 MPH produces 100 times the pressure at 100 MPH. Bypass valves open usually between 300-750 PSI to allow more fluid to bypass (depending on the model of damper). By 50,000 miles that pressure drops to less then half. Its happened slowly so you don't really feel it. Strap on a new set of dampers at 50K and suddenly the car feels new again.
Thats the simple story on "shock absorbers". If you like the crisp feel and push the car a bit, you will appreciate new dampers. If not, then as long as they don't have evidence of leakage and still feel "safe" and quiet you may not appreciate spending the cash on dampers at 50K.
By 80K the driving difference between replacement becomes obvious even to grandma.
Personally I like Bilstiens but they do raise the car about 3/8" due to the higher gas spring force inside the damper.
The average layman thinks the job of a damper is to "absorb shock". OK they do some of that, but most importantly, they control the time that motion takes place on the suspension.
So why's that so important?
Long before your car feels like its on jello to you, its on jello....in the terms of grip.
On the average car by the time you roll up 25,000 miles, they've already lost much of the fine metering that keeps the tires planted when punching the pedal (either one) on a washboard surface. Really noticable in the wet - that is if you have a car with new dampers to drive as a comparison.
By 50,000 miles the bypass valves are shot. Most drivers don't recognize that.
Bypass valves are what keep the dampers from exploding over bumps at high speed. The same bump taken at 10 MPH produces 100 times the pressure at 100 MPH. Bypass valves open usually between 300-750 PSI to allow more fluid to bypass (depending on the model of damper). By 50,000 miles that pressure drops to less then half. Its happened slowly so you don't really feel it. Strap on a new set of dampers at 50K and suddenly the car feels new again.
Thats the simple story on "shock absorbers". If you like the crisp feel and push the car a bit, you will appreciate new dampers. If not, then as long as they don't have evidence of leakage and still feel "safe" and quiet you may not appreciate spending the cash on dampers at 50K.
By 80K the driving difference between replacement becomes obvious even to grandma.
Personally I like Bilstiens but they do raise the car about 3/8" due to the higher gas spring force inside the damper.
Last edited by kartweb; Jun 22, 2011 at 11:44 PM.
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