just how bad are they???

[ports]

heres the story. i bought my 96 X3 four months ago with 126000 on the clock. it now has 135000. i thought the car had quite a bit of body roll through corners and was a bit soft over bumbs. but the other night i was cruising through a parkland with a car load of girls and the rear wheels (everything is stock BTW) had half of the tyre inside the guard. when going over speedbumps (not overly harsh) i noticed that the rear was hitting the bump stops on the way up and on the way down.


I know that this is bad and that i need new shocks, but how bad is it and how long do you think i can safly keep the shocks the way they are?

once i have the money i am going for koni inserts and king springs but that wont be for a while becaus money is scarce at the moment, i just want to know how far up the priorities list i should put this.


thanks for your help!!!

[Edited by ports on Nov 24, 2003 3:38 AM]

[blue2000]

Personally, I'd put it near the top and reevaluated how much I really need to spend.

[Edited by blue2000 on Nov 24, 2003 6:56 AM]

[ports]

Do you think that the problem would get worse or would it just stay the same?

[blue2000]

I don't know without having more information, doesn't really sound like it can get a lot worse. My concern would be handling in an emergency. I don't know what traffic is like there but at least once a day here I have to quickly change lanes or mash the brakes to avoid an accident. Worn suspension in that situation is, to speak euphamistically,not comforting.

[tiburon_fx_pa]

no offense but how BIG were the girls in the back???? cause hitting bump stops is a pretty good feat.....

[ports]

they were my fiance's younger sisters. the heviest would be around 70kgs. the other two would maybe be around 50-60kg.

[section-8]

mechanical problems never just stay the same...they always get worse...can you drive it like that? Sure...be my guest. They're your kidneys.

[skierd]

Because Koni's ride silky smooth, lol.

Put it this way, my car is still really slow, and obnoxious due to the KORE exhuast. My plans for spring are in this order:
-Koni's
-new tires (maybe wheels too)
-motor stuff if I can afford it, probably a piggyback

NOTHING affects the way your car rides and drives on a day to day basis more than tires and struts, and maybe brakes.:lol: These are not parts that should just be left to go, as it can lead to serious injury and car damage to you and others around you. Power, even relatively weak amounts of power, is nothing without control.

[AccentAE86]

The last thing you should cheap out on is your safety. Shocks are a huge part of that, and have a big influence on how effective your brakes work. Koni's are really cool but in the meantime, you might be able to find some decent condition stock replacements at the junkyard. That is good for the budget.
But really, they can be pretty dirt cheap brand new if you are going for non-performance replacement units.

[ports]

I was looking at buying a turbo kit cheap but i would never put it on with the shocks like they are now. that is just plain dumb. i want to get the konis caus i have been in two other accents with them in and was impressed by the ride. i don't want to spend too much now to get it safe to only then buy the konis in a couple of months time, which is why i was wanting to know if they can get worse. I dont drive unresponsably because i know my car has a problem at the moment and i am not a stupid driver (i'm not saying you called me one) and i drive to the conditions that are present.

I may have to go to a wreckers and try to get some lower milage replacements from a wrecked car.

Is there anything in poticular i should look for if i am going to get second hand shocks? how can i tell if they are going to be better than the ones on my car now other than putting them on?


thanks for all your help so far.