Why are my struts continually blowing out?

[95se]

My rear shocks have starting making a lot of rattling noise. AGX's have only last about 3yrs. My first set lasted about the same. Then I had GR2's and one of the fronts was making tons of noise in 9 months. Car has stock springs and no mods besides z32 brakes up front and spl tc rods. I don't drift and its daily driven. I baby this thing. I don't get it. I was told they should last for 70K miles and they only lasted 25K. When I got the car back in '97 the right rear shock was starting to make noise but it had close to 40K on it. I got rid of the stock struts/shocks in '02 (at 60K)

It seems like the oem specs for the struts on the 240sx are weak to me. I have never known a car to go through struts like this.

[KiLLeR2001]

Buy a quality set of coilovers. Instead of buying a new set of shocks every year.

[xoxide]

You got three years out of a pair of shocks... What are you complaining about. We cant answer why they keep going out "so quick" because although you say you baby your car, we dont know your real driving habits.. and its easy to lie on the interwebz. Also, your roads could suck... Who knows.

[eek]

You could just stop using KYB cause its cheap (I had both gr2 and agx before). You can either get some nice coils, or spend the dime on some Koni Yellows which you will not regret.

[95se]

Ok I admit the roads in arlington are not good but still 25K ?? All cars I have seen their struts have lasted longer than that. The reason I've stayed with kyb is because of the lim lifetime waranty. Though, I have to pay for labor and alignment every time.

Koni yellows? Those are pretty expensive and you have to modifications to the car. And coilovers? They don't have warranty and they are very expensive. Do they last much longer?

[RedSiBaron]

get bilsteins if available, those have a lifetime warranty

you also dont have to modify your car to run konis. Every single one of my daily driven cars has ALWAYS had koni yellows on it, and my first car got over 50k out of them before i parked it, and my current daily has about 50k on them and they are still going strong and i've tracked it with it lowered on a decent spring rate.

thats my 2 cents.

dont buy cheap coilovers, if you arent modifying the car much or driving it aggressively, theres no need to buy coilovers, and for the cost of even the cheap shitty ones, youd be able to afford konis or bilsteins which are better dampening than a majority of the coilovers on the market.

[andyv316]

Originally Posted by RedSiBaron

get bilsteins if available, those have a lifetime warranty

you also dont have to modify your car to run konis. Every single one of my daily driven cars has ALWAYS had koni yellows on it, and my first car got over 50k out of them before i parked it, and my current daily has about 50k on them and they are still going strong and i've tracked it with it lowered on a decent spring rate.

thats my 2 cents.

dont buy cheap coilovers, if you arent modifying the car much or driving it aggressively, theres no need to buy coilovers, and for the cost of even the cheap shitty ones, youd be able to afford konis or bilsteins which are better dampening than a majority of the coilovers on the market.

you do have to modify your front struts to run koni yellows. the fronts come as inserts and you have to cut your stock ones out.

[95se]

Can't get bilsteins. They don't sell them here. Konis are an insert for the strut so will have to find someone to make the modification and I lose the warranty of the Agx's bec I cant send them back. Da*n I wish i hadn't just gotten rid of the stock ones laying around.

Originally Posted by RedSiBaron

get bilsteins if available, those have a lifetime warranty

you also dont have to modify your car to run konis. Every single one of my daily driven cars has ALWAYS had koni yellows on it, and my first car got over 50k out of them before i parked it, and my current daily has about 50k on them and they are still going strong and i've tracked it with it lowered on a decent spring rate.

thats my 2 cents.

dont buy cheap coilovers, if you arent modifying the car much or driving it aggressively, theres no need to buy coilovers, and for the cost of even the cheap shitty ones, youd be able to afford konis or bilsteins which are better dampening than a majority of the coilovers on the market.

[fckillerbee]

You daily your car and wonder why struts wear out. Daily driving is worse than anything else you could do other than drive around parking lots destroying speed bumps at 30mph. If you live where roads are horrible (like here in socal) then expect to wear stuff out sooner. You drive mostly streets...puts more stress because of the constant weight changes to struts. Remember, just cause it will say it'll last "x" amount of mileage, they don't factor in time. Time can cause cracking, rotting, etc. 3 years...average drive puts 15k on a car. Pretty normal to me. Nothing last forever, and warranties unfortunately are a disguise to make you re-buy the same product with a credit (they are still making money on).

[fckillerbee]

get the lifetime warranty at autozone. Direct exchange...no added cost.

[95se]

Yes I understand that but most struts last longer than that from what i know.

Originally Posted by fckillerbee

You daily your car and wonder why struts wear out. Daily driving is worse than anything else you could do other than drive around parking lots destroying speed bumps at 30mph. If you live where roads are horrible (like here in socal) then expect to wear stuff out sooner. You drive mostly streets...puts more stress because of the constant weight changes to struts. Remember, just cause it will say it'll last "x" amount of mileage, they don't factor in time. Time can cause cracking, rotting, etc. 3 years...average drive puts 15k on a car. Pretty normal to me. Nothing last forever, and warranties unfortunately are a disguise to make you re-buy the same product with a credit (they are still making money on).

[eek]

Honestly it is not that hard to swap out shocks on any s-chassis. It is really pretty darn simple. You can rent the spring compressor tool from any parts shop (kragen/oreillys, autozone, or pepboys). You will get your deposit back once you return the tool the next day so it comes out to be free for the tool rental. If you have basic tools and some common sense it doesn't really take that long. There are tons of write ups on how to pull out stock suspension on both s13 and s14. Its pretty much the same steps for both cars. As for alignment, can't really help you there but I personally never had an issue with un-even tire wear or driving issues after swapping out shocks/springs. That doesn't mean its not needed or suggested.

As for how long the shocks last, depends on where you drive and how you drive. If you constantly hitting bumps and potholes the shocks are going to wear out faster. Nothing you can do except try to avoid those shitty roads. My suggestion of the koni yellows were from personal experience and I have never had any issue with koni yellows blowing out on me on any of the cars I have installed them on. They work and feel great. I had a set on a car for 10 yrs of daily driving and they had no signs of leak before I sold the car. If you decide to stay with KYB that is up to you. I just prefer to stay away from KYB from previous experiences that I had.

[usdm180sx]

Stock springs aren't stiff enough so that's why the shocks blow prematurely

[KOUKIboy]

Originally Posted by usdm180sx

Stock springs aren't stiff enough so that's why the shocks blow prematurely

yeap so true, plus factor in shitty road conditions bam!!! blown shock, get coils man they last a lot longer (good quality ones) you can get them rebuilt if they get blown , plus your car won't feel like a damn boat!!! lmao

[dawagarage]

are you running cut/lower springs? that would cause your shocks to go out sooner

[davinci]

arlington roads do suck!! haha

[Freakchakra]

Are you replacing the boots and bump stops (the little Styrofoam insert that goes over the rod to keep dirt out of the seal)?

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

[95se]

Originally Posted by Freakchakra

Are you replacing the boots and bump stops (the little Styrofoam insert that goes over the rod to keep dirt out of the seal)?

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

Yes I had new shock mounts and boots put on from O'Reillys that have lifetime warranty. But the boots get loose or get torn up in the springs. I think they are worthless. I assume the boots have bump stops as part of them? The car feels pretty good with it set on 2 in front and 4 in rear. Its the best streetable setup Ive had between stock shocks, Gr2's and these. If there is another spring besides stock out there that would be better for the street I wonder what? I guess I could try to go to Koni's. I got the AGX's from tirerack and they also carry Koni's. I wonder if I bought the Koni's and sent the AGX's back if they would reimburse me the original cost of the AGX's? Otherwise I guess I would have to stay with the AGX's because of the cost.

[h2v7]

coiloverssssssssss or bust

[RedSiBaron]

Originally Posted by andyv316

you do have to modify your front struts to run koni yellows. the fronts come as inserts and you have to cut your stock ones out.

Originally Posted by 95se

Can't get bilsteins. They don't sell them here. Konis are an insert for the strut so will have to find someone to make the modification and I lose the warranty of the Agx's bec I cant send them back. Da*n I wish i hadn't just gotten rid of the stock ones laying around.

I've done the inserts on my car for the konis, its DIRT SIMPLE and can be done with a tape measurer or better measuring device, a sharpie, a hack saw and a hand drill. It is not what I was call "modifying my car" to do, its just a strut housing mod, if you cant do this, you shouldnt be modifying a car.

as for "Can't get bilsteins" what does that mean? they exist, so that means you can order them, or are you just upset you cant just roll to autozone and buy them?

be lazy, i dont give a shit, i gave you good advice, take it or leave it.

[DJ-of-E]

Originally Posted by 95se

But the boots get loose or get torn up in the springs. I think they are worthless. I assume the boots have bump stops as part of them? The car feels pretty good with it set on 2 in front and 4 in rear. Its the best streetable setup Ive had between stock shocks, Gr2's and these. If there is another spring besides stock out there that would be better for the street I wonder what? I guess I could try to go to Koni's. I got the AGX's from tirerack and they also carry Koni's. I wonder if I bought the Koni's and sent the AGX's back if they would reimburse me the original cost of the AGX's? Otherwise I guess I would have to stay with the AGX's because of the cost.

How did the boots get ripped up from the springs? The stock springs are like...massive compared to coilover springs. I had AGX shocks w/ H&R springs and those lasted a good 40k miles before I switched to coilovers.

[SupaDoopa]

If you bought a 240, registered on Zilvia, and are buying 'cheap' struts because their lifetime warranty, sell it and get a brand new car.

No matter what happens, any kind of fluctuation on the struts causes wear and tear. Get adjustable coilovers and be happy. A lot of the companies now offer some sort of warranty. Be cool, not some old creeper that trolls around town in a 95 SE.

[95se]

Alright, I'm selling the 240 now. S2000 here I come.. lol

[fliprayzin240sx]

Originally Posted by SupaDoopa

If you bought a 240, registered on Zilvia, and are buying 'cheap' struts because their lifetime warranty, sell it and get a brand new car.

No matter what happens, any kind of fluctuation on the struts causes wear and tear. Get adjustable coilovers and be happy. A lot of the companies now offer some sort of warranty. Be cool, not some old creeper that trolls around town in a 95 SE.

Wow...that actually worked? You told somebody to sell their car and they're actually doing it!!! I wish I had that kind of power of persuasion.