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Will lowering springs blow the stock shocks

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Old 12-17-08, 09:50 AM
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UCLAJimmy
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Default Will lowering springs blow the stock shocks

Will lowering springs blow the stock shocks over time? I called tanabe today and they told me that the lowering springs will blow the shocks in 6 months.
Old 12-17-08, 10:16 AM
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suicidesam
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it will make them wear-out faster.
Old 12-17-08, 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by suicidesam
it will make them wear-out faster.
holy ****!!! shocks are too expensive to replace.
Old 12-17-08, 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by UCLAJimmy
holy ****!!! shocks are too expensive to replace.
I'm not sure how long those stock shocks are expected to last anyway.
Old 12-17-08, 11:14 AM
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javyLSU
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I'm at ~43,000 miles. I've been on Eibachs (+non sport shocks) since 7,000 miles, and I've been on H&R's (still on non-sport shocks) since 40,000 miles. My stock Tokico's are still as good as new.

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Old 12-17-08, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by UCLAJimmy
holy ****!!! shocks are too expensive to replace.
How much do you think it costs to rebuild a coilover?

Javier
Old 12-17-08, 11:18 AM
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projectdna
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Originally Posted by UCLAJimmy
Will lowering springs blow the stock shocks over time? I called tanabe today and they told me that the lowering springs will blow the shocks in 6 months.
i can't confirm or deny what tanabe says about shock failure w/ aftermarket lowering springs, but i've had my s-techs on stock shocks for over 16 months (yes, 1 year and four months), and i have yet to experience shock failure.

also, many other CL members running aftermarket lowering springs past the six-month mark have yet to have their shocks fail.

mild lowering springs will accelerate shock wear, but not to the extent that will cause premature failure (read: six-month mark).

i wouldn't be too concerned with shock failure in the short term. also, by the time the shocks do fail, you're ready to either upgrade suspension components or move onto bigger and better things...
Old 12-17-08, 12:08 PM
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tanabe told me that recently someone with lexus IS350 installed their lowering springs and came back in two months with a blown shocks.
Old 12-17-08, 12:28 PM
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javyLSU
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^I'm going to assume Tanabe was pushing you for coilovers... The salesperson should also learn a bit more about their own product, too. Tanabe's coilovers are not shock-body adjustable - so when you lower your car with their coilovers, you're subjecting the springs and shocks to the same stress that you would if you were using the OEM coilover assembly (or any other lowering springs, for that matter). The only advantage here is that the ride height and dampening are adjustable.

Also, there have been reports of people with completely stock suspensions (not even sport package) that have had shocks blow prematurely. That's just the nature of mass manufacturing - nothing is ever built with zero defects/returns - you'll always have some defective units.

Javier
Old 12-17-08, 03:25 PM
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aQuarius26
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Originally Posted by UCLAJimmy
tanabe told me that recently someone with lexus IS350 installed their lowering springs and came back in two months with a blown shocks.
If that is true, they were probably off-road-ing it/driving very carelessly...
Old 12-17-08, 03:46 PM
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Originally Posted by javyLSU
^I'm going to assume Tanabe was pushing you for coilovers... The salesperson should also learn a bit more about their own product, too. Tanabe's coilovers are not shock-body adjustable - so when you lower your car with their coilovers, you're subjecting the springs and shocks to the same stress that you would if you were using the OEM coilover assembly (or any other lowering springs, for that matter). The only advantage here is that the ride height and dampening are adjustable.

Also, there have been reports of people with completely stock suspensions (not even sport package) that have had shocks blow prematurely. That's just the nature of mass manufacturing - nothing is ever built with zero defects/returns - you'll always have some defective units.

Javier
You got a point there. thanks. now i feel more comfortable with my new lowering springs.
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