I just purchased some 04 shocks to replace my 03. This is mostly as a precaution just to be safe. I have search and have not come to any conclusive thread about oem shocks. So my questions is if there is any differences between model years oem shocks. Are 02-03 shocks valved differently than 00-01 and 04-05?

 

Yes, there are differences, but no one's really quantified all of the variations (analogous to what I did for the OEM springs here). We can assume the differences are fairly minor tweaks, mostly to adjust them to the different spring and swaybar rates (see above link). The CR is an exception, where Honda ratcheted up the damping far more, percentage-wise, than they stiffened the springs.

That said, when the AP2 first appeared, a couple people tried to compare them. Take these with a grain of salt: shocks wear out, and I can't vouch for how many miles were on these parts when they were tested (except the '01 chart marked 50K).

2004 force vs. displacement and velocity:


2001 force vs. velocity:


MY01 vs. MY04:


Note that your '02-'03 front shocks would probably be somewhere between the '01 and '04, while your '02-'03 rears would probably be stiffer than either of them (but closer to the '01 rear). Either way, if your old shocks were worn out, then the '04s will probably be better for you, even if they're not perfectly matched to your springs.

 

Thanks. I am planning on getting the Swift SPEC-R Springs and depending on which shocks, (03 and 04) after riding them, feel I will make a decision as to which to pair the springs with. This was a big help. Although the differences seem minor and due to wear. The mileage difference in a factor as the 03 shocks have almost 60k and the 04 shocks have 40K