basegrinder

"They" say--40k-50k miles. Of course the chances that even half the cars out there changed out struts this early is about 0%.

I've done the bounce test on my 150K car...(Integra) and it doesn't bounce. I expect there'd be some improvement, but sometimes it's that placebo effect and you end up pushing your car to "test" the new gear and you don't really know for sure. Especially if it's your daily driver. I've upgraded tires before and leaving the shop I though "ok thats better" but it wasn't until I had not driven that car for 5 or 6 days that I REALLY noticed the difference...

So who changed out struts/shocks and ended up thinking "why didn't I do that sooner?" Who changed them out at ___miles and thought "that didn't do s---"

jj1562

Bought my '06 altima used with 36k miles put another 30 ish on, new shocks and struts, 1 was real bad for about a month before I changed all around, 2 weeks later the car got totaled. The night before thanksgiving by a drunk driver, struts,shocks, battery and wipers less than a month old lol, so I was kinda in the ball park

dmill89

My '02 Dodge Intrepid had 147k mi on it when I traded it in (slipping transmission) and it still had the factory struts on it and it handled fine, and didn't bounce excessively, though it was starting to feel "softer" so if I had kept it I would have probably done the struts within another 10k mi or so.

My '07 Pontiac G6 had 93k mi on it when I traded it in (ran great, I just wanted something "sportier" which turned out to be a '13 Mustang GT) and it still had the factory struts and still handled as good (actually better due to better tires) as it did when I bought it at 36k mi (certified used, off-lease).

The rear shocks on my XJ with 220k mi on it look original and they don't even bounce excessively (I don't know how they compare to how it was when new though), I'll probably replace them next spring/summer just because they look like hell (dust covers about rusted off) and don't cost that much, the only reason I haven't replaced them already is that I'm not exactly looking forward to dealing with the 18 year old bolts that have been exposed to plenty of road salt.

Most people I know with higher-mileage cars have changed the shocks/struts some-ware in the 125k mi to 175k mi range, they tend to "soften up" enough to notice a significant difference in that mileage range. It depends how good the factory shocks/struts are, how the vehicle is driven, and road conditions though (I've known people who had to replace struts in as little as 30k mi after hitting a big pot-hole hard and blowing out the seals). I don't know anyone who's shocks/struts were worn so bad on a "modern" vehicle (1980s+) that they actually failed PA inspection (more than 3-bounces) so it takes a long time to get to that point (probably until the tube rusts through or seals fail allowing the fluid/gas to leak out) but they do degrade over time.

PocketsEmpty

My 1990 Mazda 626LX still has factory original struts in the rear. The fronts were replaced at some point before I purchased it, probably only a few years old. I've only had to replace a bearing up front. Handles great.

My XJ has 161k and what appear to be Gabriel shocks. As old and rusty as they are, they could be stock but not sure. They still work fine though. Stock height.

basegrinder

Thanks all.

kgm

I just replaced my shocks and they had a full 1"+ gap in their damping. IE they were worthless in my eyes. 99 XJ w/ 161K

nikamilla

Ya. You usually come to know how good the work was done until you have tested it for a few days.