toecheese

I've got a stock 2002. Still on the original suspension. Mostly commuting miles with some twisty canyon drives for fun (probably 80/20 ratio). At 160K miles the car still feels good to me - but it must be time to replace the shocks, no? I'm wondering if new ones will make me say, "wow, I didn't realize how bad the old ones had gotten " or "these feel about the same, why did I bother?"

If advice is to replace, I was fine with the stock ones - so price-wise what's the best OEM-level replacement option out there?

shrykhar

Funny, when the shocks went bad on my 05 (under 100k) it was obvious that they went very bad. The car would bounce over bumps and wobble everywhere, and basically felt like nothing was restricting the springs from oscillating endlessly.

If you're still in LA as your profile says, I had Koni yellows installed on stock springs and you're welcome to check it out.

B serious

At 160K, they're probably worn, and changing them will most likely make a notable difference.

I'd recommend Bilstein PSS or PSS9 instead of buying stock shocks. They're the OEM+ solution, closest to stock, but with better ride quality and damping.

A.O.

Ok, a related question... I have an '05 with 118k on it and was wondering the same but my related question is I keep hearing "coilovers" what do they do that "normal" shocks dont? Again mostly mild driving and no racing. Thanks.

B serious

Depends on what you buy.

Coilovers is a broad term. The stock shocks are coilovers.

Aftermarket coilovers are also coilovers.

Coil. Over. Shock.

Anyway, semantics aside...some aftermarket coilovers have height adjustment. Some even do height adjustment via shock body length.

Some aftermarket coilovers have damping force adjusters.

Factually, THAT is what you're potentially getting with an aftermarket setup.

Whether that change is good or bad depends on your intended use, and which aftermarket setup you buy.

The stock shocks on these cars are aging and being discontinued. They're also pricey. They have their positives and negatives.

So a lot of people decide to buy an aftermarket setup. Some are trash. Some are phenomenal.


The damper (shock) is the most substantial item within a setup. The star of the show, if you will. The spring and other components play a supporting role.

Spring RATES are also a very important part of any setup.

My recommendation of using Bilsteins is because the damper is (IMO) better than stock at deleting bumps, but also remaining responsive and keeping the car's motions flat.

They use a spring rate that's close to the stock S2000 CR spring rate.

They last about as long as stock before they need a rebuild.

Their cost isn't outrageous.

The components are all high quality, BUT they will rust faster than stock if you use them in road salt.

The PSS (B14) is only height adjustable via spring perch.

The PSS9 (B16) is height adjustable AND the dampers have force adjustments to dial in ride quality to your liking.

Car Analogy

At around 130k miles, most of which were hwy (100 mile commute, 3 season dd) I changed shocks to low mileage used ones (back when finding them was a lot easier), and definitely noticed a significant difference.


To elaborate on the term coilover, as B said, its a shock coil combo. Since many cars used to have separate shocks and springs, a coilover always meant an aftermarket part. Typically these were also adjustable. At the very least ride height adjustable, but often also damping adjustable.

Hence the term came to mean, in most enthusiasts minds, adjustable aftermarket coilovers. So despite some cars sometimes coming stock with a shock spring combo that technically are coilovers, for many enthusiasts, they're just 'stock suspension', and coilovers means aftermarket adjustable coilovers.

Even the term suspension is oft misused. Typically its used by enthusiasts to refer to the stock or aftermarket coilovers, but really suspension is everything that moves when car hits bump.

So it comes down to context. Am I having a casual conversation with fellow enthusiast, or a deeper technical exchange with an automotive engineer?

A.O.

Thanks guys, just an enthusiast here. And I understand what the term coilover is and was just wanting to know I guess what the aftermarket ones would do for me. And thanks now I have a better idea.

Jah2000

The way I see it... if your 160k mile oem shocks lasted you this long and still feel decent... then a new pair of oem shocks will most likely do the same for another 160k miles.

If you want to gamble on Bilsteins lasting just as long, then be my guest. Me... I'll most likely go oem again for peace of mind (can't go wrong with oe Showa shocks).

I'm at 131k miles and the oem shocks still feel good... I'd like the next set of dampers to do/last the same.

B serious

Yes, if lasting exactly as long as the previous part is the single thing to consider, then you are correct.

Car Analogy

Bilstein rebuildable. Buy once, own forever.

Stock throw away when worn. This is your last chance to buy new oem shocks, as they aren't going to keep making them forever. Not when so many replace with aftermarket. By the time your next set wears out, there won't be any new ones to buy.

But that is probably moot, since you probably can't find a new set already.

The problem I worry about, is once the new set you buy today wears out, what aftermarket choices will still be around? If you buy rebuildable aftermarket now, never have to worry about that.

Especially if you buy aftermarket that use universal wear parts. Doesn't help if parts for your rebuildable shocks can't be found anymore.

That is where Bilstein trumps all. The guts used in their shocks are all the same design across their whole line, even their race shocks. The rebuild parts will always be available.

If you buy nee now, expecting in another 160k miles to buy Bilstein if stock no longer available, what do you do if by then Bilstein stopped making new shocks for our cars? Rebuild parts still available since universal and huge legacy market to support, but actual shock body no longer is. Buy now and won't have that problem.

The other place Bilstein shines is durability. They're tanks (well, except for their zinc exterior, which other than looking bad over time, the adjustment collars can seize up. But this is more of a driving in salted roads issue, which largely isn't our situation.) Nothing aftermarket will last as long before needing a rebuild.

How does Bilstein durability compare to aftermarket? Pretty good as far as I can tell. But since they can be rebuilt, its a bit apples oranges.

IMO, if you need shocks, and want something close to stock, and want to keep your car forever, best choice is Bilstein.