Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Why replace if not needed? High mileage examples in above post, so unless there's a need to replace, just sit tight. Changed the oil today on our '08 knock around car with 274,000 and as I always spray rubber lube front and rear, then give a quick check for any obvious problems, but nothing to report. Everything still OEM, nothing replaced except rear hub bearings.

BROlando

You might notice a difference with new shocks. I assume you will.

Maybe the car is significantly more floaty than it was 13 yrs ago...but its been hard to notice because the change has happened so slowly.

Or maybe your roads are smoother than most parts if the country.

In any case...if you go with an Acura genuine replacement, you'll be able to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

If you went with a different brand than factory...the ride may be designed differently than stock. So any differences you notice in ride quality could just be chalked up to different damper/spring rates.

Interested to know your outcome.

MrLeadFoot

To clarify my previous post, based on what BROlando said, my OEM shocks started floating. They also started lifting in the corners and became so soft in dips that they would bottom. This happened gradually over time. I looked at them several times, but they looked good with no leaks. I took my time researching what to put on the car, and finally settled on the KYBs. Ironically, or maybe it was inevitable, but right before I changed them my front right shock blew a seal. The ride didn't get worse when it did, likely because they had already failed internally somehow.

Sure, the KYBs are not OEM, but they are the closest I could find to OEM that were readily available. They seem to have slightly more compression dampening. Regardless, my tl didn't float, lift or bottom when the OEM shocks were good, so although I replaced with a different shock, I know that if I had replaced with OEM, just like with the KYBs, the boatiness would still be gone.

DMZ

Are you kidding? I'm in the NYC / NJ area. We have some of the shittiest roads in America!
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BROlando

Hell yeah, y'all definitely do. Just drove to/from NYC a couple weeks ago haha

DMZ

Where are you from? One of those places where they call Elmers Glue All Elmers Glue Y'all?

BROlando

Chicago burbs, cuh. Also shitty roads. But not as shitty as y'all'ses.

I have family & friends in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester

mateozzz

You would be a good test candidate. Let us know if you can feel an improvement, assuming you put OEMs back on it. Some of the aftermarket shocks don't have any valving at all (ex: Sears has used grooves to adjust the fluid flow based on damper position) but they are cheaper.