I plan on replacing the wearing shocks on the Burb with Bilsteins, but currently only have the funds to replace one pair. Should I do just the fronts now and the rears in spring when I get my bonus or wait to do all four at the same time?
Replace one pair or shocks or wait to do all four?
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Do 'em piecemeal, but you'll be "out of phase" and they'll never wear out at the same time again.
But there's more weight up front so keeping that from bouncing all over will have a decent positive effect on your handling. And you can always decide after you do the fronts and drive around the block if things have improved of if the rear is obviously awful now.
How much gas are you feeding this thing? Money for that, money for shocks...
But there's more weight up front so keeping that from bouncing all over will have a decent positive effect on your handling. And you can always decide after you do the fronts and drive around the block if things have improved of if the rear is obviously awful now.
How much gas are you feeding this thing? Money for that, money for shocks...
JHZR2
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In general I like to do stuff all at once. However, my 2c on this is that if its just a little while, like a few months and not too many miles, it probably doesnt make much of a difference on a part that will last 100k+ easily and is high quality like Bilsteins...
SO given that Id probably like to break up jobs to not to have as much to do at any one time, Id give it a good hard thought to do one set now and then the other set later.
If youre going to put 20k miles or tow/haul a ton of heavy stuff between now and the spring when you would finish the job, I might change my tune.
But Id lean towards it being OK for this specific item.
SO given that Id probably like to break up jobs to not to have as much to do at any one time, Id give it a good hard thought to do one set now and then the other set later.
If youre going to put 20k miles or tow/haul a ton of heavy stuff between now and the spring when you would finish the job, I might change my tune.
But Id lean towards it being OK for this specific item.
I would install what you have now and move forward when you get more, keeping the shocks on a shelf won't do your vehicle any good.
I was leaning toward doing them separately for a few of the reasons mentioned here. I definitely want to replace the fronts, but am not so sure about the rears, as I have never ridden in the back and it's hard to tell from the front how worn the rears are, as there is no exaggerated bouncing. Also, more goes into replacing the rears as the Burb has the Premium Smooth Ride Suspension, which has special, stiffer, auto-leveling shocks and weaker springs. I either have to spring (pun intended) for the Nivomat-compatible shocks at $250-350 each or replace the springs with stiffer units (effectively making it a standard suspension setup), making the full job $350ish total. I have no real need for the special suspension as I do not do any towing or heavy hauling, so it isn't worth the $150-350 premium to me.
Originally Posted By: vssjim
I would install what you have now and move forward when you get more, keeping the shocks on a shelf won't do your vehicle any good.
Well, I do not have them yet, which is why I am open to waiting. Really just trying to determine if there may be any major drawbacks or safety concerns with mismatched front and rear shocks.
I would install what you have now and move forward when you get more, keeping the shocks on a shelf won't do your vehicle any good.
Well, I do not have them yet, which is why I am open to waiting. Really just trying to determine if there may be any major drawbacks or safety concerns with mismatched front and rear shocks.
No, any time you put on a new shock the car should have better ride control than before, I have done half car replacements on many many cars and trucks over the years with shocks or struts
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I have replaced 2 at a time, never had problems. The reason I sometimes do this is because some cars have MCPherson struts in front, and conventional shocks in the back, and the back shocks wear out first. I also had the opposite situation on one of my mom's cars. I had to replace the fronts due to major leakage, but when I replaced the rears one year later, they expanded the moment I unbolted them, just like new!
I think what you say here makes the case for just doing the fronts, maybe for now or maybe permanently.
I'd go with what you can afford, and see what the results tell you about the next step, if any.
I'm like you and others in normally wanting to do all four at once, but...
I'd go with what you can afford, and see what the results tell you about the next step, if any.
I'm like you and others in normally wanting to do all four at once, but...
Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
Well, I do not have them yet, which is why I am open to waiting. Really just trying to determine if there may be any major drawbacks or safety concerns with mismatched front and rear shocks.
The only case I can think of where replacing them one axle at a time would be a safety problem is if you were to put new ones in the back with one or both of the fronts being pretty much totally wasted. That's not your situation, so go ahead and do them as axle pairs as you like.
Well, I do not have them yet, which is why I am open to waiting. Really just trying to determine if there may be any major drawbacks or safety concerns with mismatched front and rear shocks.
The only case I can think of where replacing them one axle at a time would be a safety problem is if you were to put new ones in the back with one or both of the fronts being pretty much totally wasted. That's not your situation, so go ahead and do them as axle pairs as you like.
There is nothing wrong with doing one axle at a time. Pick the worst and replace them.
FWIW, My 2008 Mazdaspeed3 blew a left rear oil reservoir last month--only 33,000 miles. The shop said from the start replace both rears only. I went with Bilstein B8 Sport Shocks and love 'em. The rears are also half the cost of fronts on my application so I was happy to leave them alone.
Another vote for doing whatever you can. If you're that tight a budget, do the fronts first because you can "feel it more". While buying parts and/or talking about it with people you might pick up a shortcut or stumble onto an experienced parts source for the more involved rear setup.
Are there any plans to sell this vehicle? That could effect your course of action (or inaction) and sales pitch. Kira
Are there any plans to sell this vehicle? That could effect your course of action (or inaction) and sales pitch. Kira
We have four young kids, I love the Burb, my wife likes it, and it has treated us well, so I expect to get another 10 years/100k miles out of it. I have also put a cat back exhaust on it and have shorty headers awaiting installation (and have been for the past 11 months), so I think the Bilsteins front and rear would be a plus to potential buyers if we sell it earlier.
Will probably put only 3-5k between now and mid-spring, but might also do a road trip in March driving through the Rockies and may encounter snow, so I will probably do the rear before then.
Will probably put only 3-5k between now and mid-spring, but might also do a road trip in March driving through the Rockies and may encounter snow, so I will probably do the rear before then.
I'd like to try just the left side front and back,just for ***ts and giggles!!!
I'd go ahead and replace the fronts now and do the rears in the Spring. I'd also be inclined to go back with the factory rear shock set up. You might get some complaints if it starts riding even more like a truck.
It is possible for worn out shocks to cause tire wear issues, too, so keep an eye on that.
It is possible for worn out shocks to cause tire wear issues, too, so keep an eye on that.
Its not going to make a difference that you will ever notice, just replace them in pairs at the very least but perferably replace all 4 corners for best handling and smoothness
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