lonetlan

My car is really soft. I'm getting tires Saturday and I can only afford one or the other. To describe how soft it is; I push down the rearend with one hand, and it doesn't take much force to push it down. The front is more stiff that the rear, but can still be pushed down with some force.

So, should I get the shocks, or the struts? I'm looking for just basic, better than OEM products. I'm not Autocrossing, Drifting, or dragracing. Just daily driving. I'd like to here the reviews from other Rx-7 owners. My budget is $200, and if need be $20 over.

All help is well appreciated!

duo2999

iTrader: (1)

i had a similar problem. the backend on my vert used to bounce a lot. i replaced just the struts and it goes down once and comes back up.

i bought some oem replacement struts at oreilly auto parts that were 50 a peice. so 100 bucks to replace both struts was excellent.

thats just one option though.

i think it was kyb that had some for about 70 a peice? i forget.

lonetlan

I like the fact that my car is low to the ground. Would replacing one of these raise it? I'm aiming for daily driving/really mild performance. I'll go to oreilly's later today and see what they got.

wvumtnbkr

no, the ride height is set by the springs.

Just get a set of four struts of whatever you can afford. This should lead to way more predictable handling.

niburu

iTrader: (1)

do the fronts first if you can't afford a full set
as these have more stress put on them that the rear set
the front struts are also more integrated into the suspension/steering as well

when doing the front struts make sure you a set of spring compressors, set of jackstands, and of course a hydraulic jack
and the appropriate wrenches
and soak all the nuts (and brakeline retaining clip) with penetrating oil for a couple of days before hand to make your life easier

if you are going to just work on one side of the car and leave the other 3 wheels on the ground be sure to disconnect the front swaybar endlinks on both sides - this is something no one ever tells you and I learned the hard way

jackhild59

iTrader: (7)

Don't replace just one end-do them both! You can rent spring compressors at Oriellies or Autozone. Be very careful and safety aware. This is dangerous and you can be hurt or killed. Years ago, my son had some springs on a *Honduh* that we couldn't get compressed easlily. We took them to Pep Boys and paid them about $10 per corner to compress the spring in their machine and replace the struts. Worth the money!

Try to find some Tokico Blues if you are on a budget. They work great and are firm enough to use with lowering springs if you lower the car later. Other OEM grade replacement shock/struts may not be up to that task.

If you can afford better, get either Tokico Illuminas adjustable or KYB AGX adjustable.

I found a set of Eibach's with very low mileage Tokico blues fs on ebay and bought the whole set for about iirc $250-$280 shipped. This was a very good deal. You can find deals like this on ebay or on the parts f/s section pretty frequently.

Good Luck!

eage8

iTrader: (9)

ok, first shocks and struts are pretty much the same thing, a car only has 1 of either. (unless you're refering to the springs as the shocks... in which case you're technically right in a round about way.)

and yes, new struts will raise you car a little bit if your old ones are blown, but it'll also make it handle better. (being lower isn't always a good thing)

I would get a set of KYB GR-2s from tirerack, there probably right in your price range if you install them yourself. If you don't, you might be able to get just one end for that amount installed... if you're lucky.

niburu

iTrader: (1)

lonetlan are you sure the struts are blown? being soft may also mean the springs are worn out. Please describe how the car behaves on rebound, does bounce several times, does it feel like the is no dampening going on at all when you're driving?

also take a look at www.shox.com when you get a chance they have good prices on set of struts - you're close to being on budget, you may wanna save up for another month

lonetlan

Yeah, I said shocks instead springs, I get mixed up(sorry). My ride, as I drive, and go over railroad tracks, or speed bumps, when my car rocks up and down, it sounds and feels as though I bottomed out, like a loud THUMP! When driving on back-roads going the speedlimit, I'd hit like a buildup of asphalt, and I feel my rear end slipping away. When not going to speedlimit(10 over) I feel my rearend slip and my car rocks back and forth.

Soo far, would Tokico Blues with Supension Techniques be a good pair? or should I use Tokico Blues with Eibach springs?

Zanity

iTrader: (1)

a good way to test your struts is to push down on a fender or bumper once and if it goes and and down more that once then they may be bad. normally i would think a thump like that would be jounce bumpers or some type of bushings worn out. but really cant say for sure. may be best just to jack it up, on jack stands, and go under to check it out yourself. see if anything looks worn out, check stabilizer bar for cracks. see if the struts have a lot of oil near the bottom of the shaft. a little oil is usually alright. but like i said, not too sure. this is just what i would do.

lonetlan

I went outside, pushed down on the front bumper, and fenders in the front. It goes down, and comes up with no extra bounces. I pushed down on the rear bumper, it went down, and came up with 2 really slight bounces, I think its 2 because as i did this I looked at my seat shake. So should I order new struts and springs, or one of the two?

NCZ13

sounds like your rear struts are blown, and your fronts are fine.

just replace the rear struts if it fits your budget.

lonetlan

Has anyone looked at the price for just the cartridge? Not the hole strut, but just the internal part?

Mo_Jo_Jo

Two rear KYB GR2s from Advanced should be about $80.

Your struts are blown, but may have some other parts start showing their age after the struts are replaced.

It will be fine to replace just rears, especially if the fronts are not symptomatic.

lonetlan

Alright then. But keep in mind that I got the steering switch thing that can be set to normal, or sport. Its probably dead because its been on sport and doesn't even do anything. So, can I remove this system without any warning lights? Oh, will it feel weird having a stiffer rearend while driving?