BigZazS2K

First and foremost I will openly say that I am an S2000 noob (so please bear with me) and your guidance is most appreciated. I love to drive cars though know very little about fixing them. With that being said, the front left Shock is leaking fluid (original MY02) and have been told that it is probably time to replace it (and Change the others to maintain consistency). Additional info - I will soon be upgrading from the AP1 wheels to AP2V2 wheels. It's not really a DD though I do enjoy taking it out for "spirited driving" down some mountain roads.

I prefer the car to remain about stock height. and would like for the handling/feel to remain similar to stock or ideally, get better. Willing to spend some money to get it right, though nothing over the top though.

So in laymen's terms (bc I am a noob) what would be the best option for the application that I am looking for (backroads/highway)?

From my understanding based off reading other posts I could:

• Buy new OEM shocks (keep original springs)
• Buy new OEM CR Shock and CR Springs (Hearing this could greatly improve handling and can get a discount from honda..)
• Buying aftermarket shocks such as ones from Koni w/stock springs
• Coilovers

noodels

get a second hand 02 one or save for coilovers & maybe all bush replacements =$2k^+the coilovers

B serious

Nothing at all wrong with stock shocks. You can probably get a set of stock ones of any vintage from Honda for ~$800-900.

If your original bumpstops, dustboots, springs, etc are in good shape, just reuse them.

Birdybog

BigZazS2K

Spoke to a speed shop. Going to take it there. They advised that I replace the one leaky shock.

Thanks all!

Car Analogy

If one shock is worn to point of leaking, the others are surely well worn too. Replacing one will create an imbalance where one shock is new and the others have sloppy damping.

Your best options are:

New Honda oem shocks for all 4 corners

Used low mileage oem shocks

Koni yellow

Koni yellow Ground Control

Bilstein pss

K&W

Bullwings

This. A single replacement is a poor idea that will create a suspension imbalance.

If you want OEM, then go low mileage used.

If you want OEM+, then Bilstein PSS is the way to go.

If your requirements differ from that - list said requirements and budget, and recommendations will be offered based on that criteria.

BigZazS2K

Thanks @Bullwings ... The car only has 26,000 miles on it. What if I swap out the front two shocks only (with OEM)...Would that be fine??

The King

I was going to suggest changing the one on the other side like you are contemplating, however with only 26K on the car I would probably just replace the leaking one with a low mile used or new one, and save your money for a set of four sometime in the distant future.

Bullwings

You could do that, but with the cost of 2 brand new OEM shocks, I'd lean towards Bilstein PSS. A brand new set can be purchased fro $1000. It is ride height adjustable and can be set to OEM ride heights - you also have the advantage of corner balancing. The shock/spring set was specifically designed to match the OEM wheel/tire stagger, and performs better than OEM while maintaining OEM compliance.

Overall, it's a better option in every possible way, including price. That's my recommendation; however, if you really want to maintain OEM, then sure, you can do a Left/Right replacement to get matching performance. It does not guarantee that you won't see your other two shocks fail. It is possible that a failure at such low mileage could be indicative of how the car was used prior to your purchase. You could also be completely fine for the next 50K miles after the replacement - it's tough to tell without more detail vehicle history.