SWFLS2K

Is there a recommended amount of time or mileage that the shocks and springs should be changed out by?

Has anyone changed out their shocks and springs at around 50k and noticed a great difference?

What do you recommend & where?

I have about 50,000 miles on my 03 and I only use it for driving to and from work with the occasionally Saturday night streetrace and every other month autocross. I went to Tire Rack and I can get Koni shocks and Eibach springs for around $850 to $900. I wouldn't mind dropping it an inch to gain a little advantage over stock.

RED MX5

The stock shocks are by Showa, so they're pretty robust, but their lifespan will vary widely depending on the cars operating conditions. The only way I know to get a good evaluation of the condition of shocks is to take them off the car and put them on a shock dyno.

Are you feeling anything in the handling that makes you think the OEM shocks are going away?

SWFLS2K

I dont feel that they r but then again I bought the S2K used in August @ 41000 miles

RED MX5

Unfortunately, with an older car like yours or mine, you can't just go ride in a new S2000 and compare the feel, becaues the newer cars feel different. The only way to be *sure* is to dyno the shocks, and if you don't have the equipment (or a friend who has it) then it's probably not practical for a street car. I guess the best I can do is give you some "guidelines." When you break HARD (use the ABS or threshold brake) to a dead stop, the nose will be down until you stop. It should spring back to the level position (after the stop) with minimal overshoot. If the front end bounces more than once, the front shocks may need replacement. For the rear shocks you can get several people to bounce the back of the car up and down to get it going, and then stop. If it doesn't settle right down, the shocks are probably gone. If you go over a road heave at speed, and the car bounces twice rather than once, the shocks are suspect.

The OEM shocks are made by Showa, and are identical to their competition adjustable coil overs except that they aren't adjustable and have Honda spec valving. They have the *potential* to last a very long time, but of course adverse conditions can damage or wear out ANY shock absorber. Odds are, at 40k, your shocks are fine, but there is no way to be sure short of driving the car or testing the shocks on a shock dyno. I'm close to 60k, drive the car hard, autocross it, do burnouts and other crazy stuff, and my shocks are still healthy. I'm inclined to say that you'll know when they're gone, but shocks go so slowly (most of the time) that it can creap up on you, and I don't have any way to know how sensitive you are to such things.

Maybe you could find someone in your area who has an MY02-03 car (same suspension tuning for both years) with new(er) shocks and do a comparison.

LOL, you could always put new shocks on the car and see if it makes a difference. If the old shocks are OK you can put them back on the car when the new ones wear out.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but that's the best I can do over the Web. If there is a good S2000 specialist in your area you could ask them to check out the shocks for you.

SWFLS2K

Thanks good info

jyeung528

shock mileage will vary drastically depending on road conditions/driving conditions.

i have 80K miles and I feel my shocks are wearing out.

are these oem showa's rebuildable, can you re-valve them?

RED MX5

I don't know, but I doubt it. When my shocks go I'll probably replace them with the fully adjustable Showa's, but I'm not even sure they can be rebuilt or revalved (and if they can't I may look elsewhere). You might try contacting Showa directly, and asking about rebuilding the shocks. Odds are they'll want you to buy new shocks from Honda, since they build the shocks for many (if not most) Hondas.

80k miles isn't too bad for shocks, depending, as you said, on road conditions and driving conditions. Many of the roads in this part of Georgia are qite bad, and I know people who go through shocks in a year or two (24,000 miles or less). On the same roads the shocks on our '90 MX5 didn't get replaced until the car hit 80,000 miles, and the new shocks weren't actually needed (because they made no difference at all). I only replaced them because our daughter was starting to drive the car and the shocks were 15 years old and had to be close to the end of their useful life. I have no idea why shocks (as well as everthing else except tires and brake pads) seem to last longer on our cars, but I think it has a little to do with the way the cars are driven, and a lot to do with the way they are maintained. Unless you live in some place like Chicago or NYC, the pot holes won't hurt your shocks as long as you drive around them. (In Chicago and NYC there are so many bad places in the roads that it's not possible to dodge them all. )

RED MX5

No contact info on the Showa Web site, unless you're an investor. Did find this though ...

Showa Shocks Web Page

Cool picture from Showa Web site.



LOL, if they're good enough for that car ^^^, they're good enough for my little Honda.

SpitfireS

RED MX5 Posted on Jun 17 2007, 07:21 AM
Haha!
Be carefull.
All you hear from the Honda F1 team drivers this season is complaints about handeling under braking.
They didn't do that well during classification for the American Grand Prix at Indianapolis, #13 and #15.


SWFLS2K Posted on Jun 16 2007, 09:18 PM
Suspension tuning is a little harder then "dropping it an inch".
You may make it worse.
Some think it looks better though.

I've put in Koni Yellows at 110000 km or so.
The old OEM shocks looked allright, no leaks, nothing.
The only advantage with the Koni's is that you can adjust them.
I do think the rear is a bit more stable at speed during long sweeping bumpy corners.
edit: that may have been because the OEM shocks were worn?
I'm using the Koni's at OEM ride hight.

jyeung528

spitfire...how do the koni's compare to oem?

i hear koni is not as stiff (compression)