Shocks question

[Sorin]

I'm the process of shopping around for a new shocks ( rear and front) for the panzer.

I saw on e-bay the blinstein for a reasonable price 250$ and I found on-line the "KYB" shocks for 70$ less.(170$).

Bilstein i know the name and i know they are good. Did someone tryed the KYB. 80$ is not such a big deal. But I'm checking just in case.

One last question do I need to change my springs too ? or they are good for life ?

I just need the ride to be more frim and precise.

Thanks for all the help

Don't even THINK about buying KYB shocks instead of Bilsteins. Been there, done that. KYB's are like bolting steel rods in the place of your shocks. They will last as long as the Bilsteins, but during that time you will have spent more at the dentist because of your fillings being shaken loose than you will save by purchasing the KYB's.

Do you REALLY need shocks. The equipment shocks on an MB last a LONG time. It's not like the days of American cars where you changed them every 30,000 or so. It is not uncommon for equipment shocks to go 300,000 miles or more with no problems at all.

In most cases, there is no need to replace springs during the life of the car.

Good luck,

[Pete Burton]

when you push down hard and fast on each end of each bumper, how long does it take for the car to essentially stop moving? If it returns, goes just a little farther back up and then stops, it's probably fine.

[Sorin]

Originally Posted by Pete Burton

when you push down hard and fast on each end of each bumper, how long does it take for the car to essentially stop moving? If it returns, goes just a little farther back up and then stops, it's probably fine.

Thanks Larry for the advice, if i buy them i will go with the blistein.

My car har 450k km. When i press down if i remeber right it bounces 2 time.
I notice a big difference in the stiffness of the ride this summer (compared with the last year). so ifigured is time to fork some $ for shocks.

I need a couple of things before I finished restauring the pazer ( engine shocks and mounts and some body touchs ups).

After is good for a couple of years

[sixto]

Does the bounce test work on MBs? When my 91 300SE needed shocks it didn't bounce like a Buick. The ride was softer than it should have been. In retrospect replacing the shocks was a gamble since there were no classic symptoms of needing shocks but replacing the shocks made a world of difference.

Try www.adsitco.com. There are mixed feelings on the forum around Adsit but they have Bilsteins for $50 each.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by sixto

Try www.adsitco.com. There are mixed feelings on the forum around Adsit but they have Bilsteins for $50 each.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I still can't figure that out. Could they be NOS? Everybody else is significantly more.

[sixto]

Could be why the SDL rides so high

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by sixto

Could be why the SDL rides so high

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Hmmmmmmm.............yours were from Adsitco??

[sixto]

Yup. I got a set from Adsit and a set form another source. I don't remember which set the SDL got and which set the 300SE got. The shocks didn't change the ride height of either car.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by sixto

Yup. I got a set from Adsit and a set form another source. I don't remember which set the SDL got and which set the 300SE got. The shocks didn't change the ride height of either car.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I'm pretty happy with the ride height now, even though it's a bit high........right around your neighborhood of 27".

The next size spacer (12mm) will fix it for good.

[meltedpanda]

go with the bilstien, I tried Bogies first, they sucked

[Sorin]

I took the car yesterday for a ride ( is my wife daily driver) and i noticed that the car is shacking at the engine speed.

I know i need to change the engine mounts but should i change the engine shock too ?
I looked for parts and they have engine shock and engine shock kit ( it has 2 rubbers) do i need both ?

Maybe is helping the car is shacking sideways.
Thanks for the help.

The Blistein are on their way
she will have a smoother ride then mine

[t walgamuth]

"only" last 100,000 to 130,000 miles. and yes, they dont fail in the classic way allowing the car to bounce on and on. they fail in that the area of most use on the center rod (this is my unscientific theory) causing the small area above and below the most used ride height to wear out. so the result is that you lose ride quality without ever becomming unsafe. i suppose that eventually they will become unsafe but i always change them way before that.

i tried boges... not good... i tried kybs... no good. bilsteins, like mb cost more but are worth it.

[Eric Eliel]

The price of new engine shocks has gone up. They are now $49 at Fastlane (ouch!) for such a little POS. To test properly, you need to remove the bottom end of the shock from its mount and manually see if they have any "life" left in them. $49 is pretty high, check with Phil, maybe he has another source.

[dieseldiehard]

I have always wondered why engine shocks are so expensive, maybe because they are made by hand in the Black Forest by elves? Last price I saw was $30 at ********.az