Question:

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to check out this newsgroup I thought I would throw in a question as I am thinking of doing some suspension changes to my rig.  I have a 1996 Explorer XL.  It only has about 75000 km on it and I am thinking of changing the shocks out.  My friend said that he would do that every year with his car.   I have not done it yet for my Explorer.  What is the general time line for replacing shocks?  It is probably a relatively cheap thing to do.  Would it improve the ride quality as I feel that my rig doesn’t ride like it used to.  It used to corner quite well and handle bumps but now it seems skittish.

Response:

Shocks are kind of a funny duck…. they start wearing out the first time we go over a bump and it doesn’t ever stop….. There are way to many variables to give a finite number. The shocks wear out so slowly and so progressively that the "pants-o-meter" isn’t a good indicator. Like you, most of us generally just wake up one morning and realize that the old buggy just don’t ride like it used to. For some, once a year might be overkill and for others, once a year might not be enough. Best bet…. play it by ear and watch for the sales…. — Jim Warman

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> It’s been a while since I have had a chance to check out this newsgroup I > thought I would throw in a question as I am thinking of doing some > suspension changes to my rig.  I have a 1996 Explorer XL.  It only has about > 75000 km on it and I am thinking of changing the shocks out.  My friend said > that he would do that every year with his car.   I have not done it yet for > my Explorer.  What is the general time line for replacing shocks?  It is > probably a relatively cheap thing to do.  Would it improve the ride quality > as I feel that my rig doesn’t ride like it used to.  It used to corner quite > well and handle bumps but now it seems skittish.

Response: