Reply With QuoteI'm pretty sure they'll leak when they go bad.
Bilstein
How long is the Bilstein suppose to be good for? I wonder I should start saving my pennies for the next set. My 99 Sport already has 110K on the clock. I do not think they are going bad. On the other hand, I am driving it everyday and is hard to tell when they are going down hill.
Gabriel
When your car hits bumps and its more harsh then you remember or if you push down on the front or rear and the car bounces more than once, like several times, its probably about time. If your car has that many miles on the original shocks, its about time to invest in some new ones.
I doubt that you will ever see the bouncing effect on the Miata. A Ford, Yes. But the Miata. your more likely to put a dent in the fender trying to push the car down on the springs.Originally Posted by Black_devil_miata
Still, though, at that milage, it is prpobably time to replace them.
05 MX-5 Mazdaspeed #1024 Titanium Gray Mica
Bilsteins are good until they leak.
Mine have 160k+ and are still solid (even after 50k slammed w/FCM Bumps)
Bilstein will factory rebuild them if you want.
I'd Call Shaikh, at FCM
He is the Bilstein Guru!
He can rebuild them with custom valving if you want.
http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/
Yeah I've been reading a lot about his products. Wish I knew about those bumpstops when someone installed my shocks.
Your car already has decent bumpstops. Shaikh's just trying to give us NA guys a little help...Yeah I've been reading a lot about his products. Wish I knew about those bumpstops when someone installed my shocks.
I have his bumpstops on my car, and we just put a set (door prize from Hallett '06) on Torque Wrench's BRG. Both worked out well, and Shaikh was a great resource while I was researching suspension options.
If I needed work done on Bilsteins, I give him a call and discuss options at least...
'96 M-edition
I’d be leery of any shock with 100+k miles on it, Bilstein or otherwise.
Shocks don’t have to leak to go south. Even without leaks, the fluid inside a shock degrades over time and with exposure to heat (a shock works by converting the kinetic energy of the car into heat energy in the fluid). By 100k miles I’d be willing to bet that your Bilsteins wouldn’t look anything like a fresh set on a shock dyno.
Sometimes it is hard to know when a shock has gone bad, especially if it doesn’t fail catastrophically. The shock can lose damping in very small increments from day to day to day. The change from one day to the next is small enough that you’ll never notice, even though the cumulative change from new can be quite large.
The good thing is, Bilsteins can be rebuilt and revalved inexpensively.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Wish I knew about those bumpstops when someone installed my shocks.Luckily I did some research before I bought my new shocks, and heard a lot of good things about the FCM bumpstops. I have a set and they work great
Unfortunately I didn't research my first set of springs, but hey, we all make mistakes
09 Lexus RX350
.... no Miata
Mine have 160K+ on them and still feel fine but one day I may pull them off and have them rebuilt/revalved. I wish I had a fresh R package car to compare it to.
VW Bug in running shoes
M Porcupine sedan
M Porcupine coupe
Crusty old e46 beater
Battery Powered appliance car
Thanks for the opinions! I agree with altiain that they may be still feel good on the street, but when compare to when they were new, there may be a big difference. I would hold off getting they revalved if don't AX or going to the track. I think I will check into getting them done by FCM.
Gab
Gabriel
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