10-20-2017, 09:51 AM | #1 |
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Stock Springs and Strut Life?
Hey all, my car is currently at 89,000 km. Wondering how much more life I should expect out of my stock struts and springs?
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10-20-2017, 11:57 AM | #3 |
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Under normal driving conditions, assuming there isn't a horrendous flaw with your specific OEM springs/shocks, they should easily last you above and beyond 200,000km's.
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10-20-2017, 12:14 PM | #4 |
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Ahh okay. Not sure how to feel about that. One the one hand, great that there's lots of longevity. On the other hand I was waiting for it to brake down as a reason to change the stocks to coilovers.. Guess I'll wait.
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10-20-2017, 05:28 PM | #5 |
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The next question would be how does the life expectancy of the strut change if you install lowering springs.
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10-20-2017, 05:58 PM | #6 |
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10-20-2017, 06:56 PM | #7 |
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Well I was going the coilover route so that's a moot point anyways. I'd rather pay a few hundred more and be guaranteed that the strut and spring work perfectly together. I read other using the B8 and H&R Sport Springs together and they weren't compatible, with the top hats biting the bullet after a pot hole. I also see people mention ACS and Eibach but when BC Racing or Bilstein B14's can be had for around $1700, why chance it? But again, was trying to justify it to the wife once the old ones were worn out.. Lol
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10-20-2017, 10:34 PM | #8 |
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It depends on the roads, but my experience is that shocks on factory cars lose most of their effectiveness/power by 40k miles (64k km). The springs are springs ...
Test drive a new 330i xDrive and see what that feels like if you want to understand how much yours are worn. That won't be a perfect comparison since the tires may be different, but you'll get an idea. Always get a matched shock + spring set. Charles
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10-20-2017, 10:48 PM | #9 | |
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If the bushings are intact, shock isn't leaking, and (if a strut assembly) the bearing isn't worn, then you'll have a hard time convincing anyone to replace their shocks. My .02 dollars. |
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10-20-2017, 11:01 PM | #10 | |
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Edit: The OP asked for opinions on how much life is remaining in his shocks. I left my experience as only that, my experience, not as a stated fact. I know shocks can go longer than 40k miles, but as I said, in my experience, they're not too effective beyond that mileage and I [personally] replace them at that point to maintain ride quality. Nothing makes a car feel more like new than new shocks (and tires). Charles
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10-20-2017, 11:55 PM | #11 | |
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A fairly expensive wear and tear item if you're replacing them that often. |
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10-21-2017, 12:39 PM | #12 |
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*my 2cents:
As CJ421 mentioned, component wear will depend on your road conditions...in my case, I bought my car from Indiana, USA (lots of epic potholes) with ~51,500 km (32,000 mi) and noticed the car seemed to 'wallow' over bridge expansion gaps after putting some mileage in. I went ahead and replaced the whole spring/strut assy w/ Bilstein B14 on a hunch the stock struts were blown...and boy were they. After getting everything apart, I was able to fully bound the struts by hand (and then watched them take ~15 seconds to re-bound). I assume my car's previous owner hit some pretty sweet jumps during his commute... Anyway, just some food for thought. |
10-21-2017, 01:23 PM | #13 | |
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10-21-2017, 06:19 PM | #14 | |
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Or, just bite the bullet and get new shocks put in. I think at your mileage it is probably worthwhile to do that. Charles
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10-22-2017, 06:34 AM | #15 | ||
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10-22-2017, 11:02 AM | #16 | |
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I've yet to come across a customer who's eager to replace shocks before they've reached their end of life (leaking cylinder, etc). People who are replacing their shocks at 40k miles because the ride doesn't feel as tight as it once did are definitely in the 1%. If you're looking to upgrade, fine. But those shocks still have a significant amount of life left in them. |
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10-22-2017, 09:31 PM | #17 |
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Are there usually any takers for used stock struts and springs? Seems like it's going to waste if they have 200,000 km lifespan and I'm not even at the halfway mark.
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10-23-2017, 06:45 PM | #19 | ||
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Not a shot in hell the stock 704 shocks last until 200,000km.
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10-23-2017, 07:16 PM | #20 | |
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My E90 325i made it to 200k on stock shocks, and my E92 M3 made it to 90k on stock shocks. I'm sure they're still going strong. Just because you blew your shocks means the entire generation is a write off? You're talking about hundreds of thousands of cars going through shocks in the first 4 years. I've never heard of shocks going on a 4 year old car. I'm at 70,000km's now on my 4 year old 435iX, and I haven't the slightest inclination to replace the shocks. |
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10-24-2017, 08:41 AM | #21 | |
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The f30 has no shared suspension parts with either of those vehicles, we're as well off comparing my Saab 9000 with 200,000 on the original shocks, too. Nowhere did I or anyone in here write our cars off, stop being so dramatic. The replacement shocks cost me $200 and an hour of my time, I did not lose sleep over it. I did not tell you your shocks need to be replaced, but OP asked for the lifespan. Asserting opinion based on anecdotal comparisons is unhelpful, even more so that I am the third person in this thread to claim the same lifespan and you continue to rant.
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10-24-2017, 08:53 AM | #22 | |
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