De-Carbon Struts? Value?

[ConElite]

Some guy near my house is selling the front pair of Shocks. They have 18k on them, and is asking $40 for both. We can meet so i dont have to pay for shipping. You guys think its worth it? Im sure they will be better than the Bridgestone POS shocks i have now.

[Rob B (shoebox)]

On a 4th gen they are actually shocks, but yeah, SLP used to sell take-offs for $25 each that had virtually no miles on them.

[ConElite]

So they are worth $20 a pop? Or should I offer him less.

Are the De-carbon Shocks better than the stock ones?

[Wild Willy]

DeCarbon shocks WERE the stock ones, unless you go and SLP upgrade that included the Bilstein shocks or go a 'real' 1LE that came with, during certain years, Koni shocks-

I noticed that the Pontiac shocks, at least of the '96 WS6 I raided for many parts, were a larger diameter than the the Z28 shocks I had, and took the rear springs and shocks, as well as the sway bar and panhard bar- I wished I had time and tools to do the front, but didn't-

If they are good, yeah, they are worth a few bucks-

[ConElite]

I figure they are better than the Bridgestones I have now.

[toddwirges]

If you are going to go through the trouble of doing the front struts, you should get something decent. There's a pretty good chance the top mounts will need replacing once you get in there, and you should get an alignment afterwards. It's not like on the back where it's relatively painless job without much other things to worry about.

Factory DeCarbon's don't last much over 30k miles, if even that. By that time they are no longer really damping as they should be. Our cars are so stiffly sprung you don't really notice it unless you know what it is supposed to feel like when the dampers are good, so it is easy to ignore.

So, I don't recommend you buy them. Chances are if you have replacements on your car, they are probably better than 20k mile Decs.

[zaino@cox.net]

Mine seem just like new after alot more than 30k. What exactly goes south on them at or around 30k?

[ConElite]

If you are going to go through the trouble of doing the front struts, you should get something decent. There's a pretty good chance the top mounts will need replacing once you get in there, and you should get an alignment afterwards. It's not like on the back where it's relatively painless job without much other things to worry about.

Factory DeCarbon's don't last much over 30k miles, if even that. By that time they are no longer really damping as they should be. Our cars are so stiffly sprung you don't really notice it unless you know what it is supposed to feel like when the dampers are good, so it is easy to ignore.

So, I don't recommend you buy them. Chances are if you have replacements on your car, they are probably better than 20k mile Decs.

Yeah What goes wrong with them after 30K? That seems like a very low life span for them. Its not very hard to charge the front Shocks. I did get them for $35 and slapped them on. If I try I can do it in less than 30minutes.

I noticed the difference. Feels smoother and everything. Why would I have to get an Alignment if I change the Shocks? The Lower control arm is not moved and the Upper control are has no adjustment. I have Over 70K miles on my car and the top mount does not need any replacing .

I think you are underestimating the life span for parts on these cars.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

The upper mount usually rusts real bad. Water lays on top of the shock and corrodes everything up there, including the shock bolt. As for the shocks...very few companies, including GM, design suspension parts to feel like new after 30 - 50K. Why? Few people keep there cars that long. Why spend money on building a top notch shock if people ditch there cars soon after 50K. I pulled my WS6 shocks after nearly 40K and they were pretty well used up. It only became evident after I put the Konis on though.


I had to strip and paint all of my suspension parts with Rustoleum black. Hopefully, they'll last another 20 years now that they are sealed they way they should have been from the factory. Oh yeah...make sure you seal the upper mount to the body of the car with silicon. Otherwise, water will get in there and corrode everything all over again. The correct way would have to design a good drain for these things. However, the design does not allow water to get out once it gets in.

[ConElite]

Yeah When I did the entire ES Bushing kit and was installing the upper A-Arm bushings I paintes the brackets. Then I went ahead and lubricated the upper bolt and stud, with hopes of preventing the rust on the upper bolt some. I was thinking about sealing it but I have a feeling im going to take off the shocks maybe in about a year when I can afford some KYB or maybe Koni's.

[sneitzel]

Its not very hard to charge the front Shocks. I did get them for $35 and slapped them on. If I try I can do it in less than 30minutes.

You must be a MUCH better mechanic than I...took me most of the afternoon to do mine with the help of 2 buddies and involved quite a few 4 letter words aimed at GM's engineers and their family lineage. Oh, I did do springs at the same time but still.

[ConElite]

Yeah I Had both Shocks with Springs off the car in 20 miutes. The thing that takes a little time is compress the springs b/c I use a Manual Compressor. Then Slapped them back in, Cleaned my Rotors and Inspected my brakes and had the car back on the ground in less than an hour.

Thanks to who ever invented Air tools! My garage is equal to an Auto Shop. Very will Stocked working area including Parts washer, Two 6' tall Tool boxes, 5' tall compressor and much more. (Dad was a mechanic for 30+ years)

[toddwirges]

Mine seem just like new after alot more than 30k. What exactly goes south on them at or around 30k?

At 30k Decarbon's don't damp nearly as well as they did at day 1, they are essentially worn out by that point. The car becomes more harsh and the tires aren't kept in contact as well as they should be.

Increased longevity is actually one of the great benefits of going to an aftermarket strut.

It's not obvious on an f-body because the front springs are so stiff. It's not like on a regular passenger car where worn dampers result in the car bouncing all over the place. It may or may not bother you, but because of the labor involved and the potential for problems at the top mounts, most people wouldn't recommend swapping on used DeCarbons as a replacement.