Question about shock installation
 

Greetings all,
I'm fairly new here, and started getting into DIY with my 300c. My other car (mostly hers) is the Crossfire, and up until now the work done to it has been by stealership and mechanic (due to Crossfire being T-boned on the passenger side while my wife was sitting in stopped traffic on the highway).

Now, the cabin noise while driving is unbearable. It actually hurts your ears, it is that loud. I'm 90% certain it's not the tires; the fronts are Michelin Pilot Sports, and the rears are Hankook Ventus V12 evos, and haven't seen reviews about these tires being loud. Yes, the treads are good, the tires are not ready to be replaced.

The last visit to the mechanic to finish wreck repairs that the stealership missed, he pointed out that the rear shocks really needed to be replaced, but that we could keep driving on the crappy ones until we were ready. That was several months ago. I'm guessing that the shocks have worsened, and are the cause of the incredible noise. Well, I'm hoping.

And my question: I'm looking at replacing front and rear shocks with KYBs, and I haven't found a How-To article on the forums thus far. I know alot of people DIY this, but is this something I can figure out as I do it? I've seen various things about installing them here and there, such as not to cut the band keeping the shock compressed until I've got everything off. Is it going to be easy to see what I need to do when I take the shocks off? Or should I just make an appointment with my mechanic once the KYBs get here?

(Sorry, long post, just wanted to be thorough.)

Re: Question about shock installation
 

:D shocks are really simple. the fronts are removed by loosing the top nut with the wheels on the ground then the bottom bolt and jack the the wheel off the ground. this will loosen the bottom bolt and it will slip out. the extended shock has enough room to move around. jack the lower control arm enough to slip out the shock. install new shock and bottom bolt. cut band and slip it thru the hole in the body. remember to reinstall the rubber bushings inn the top bolt and the metal sleeve

the rears need the interior panels and carpet to be removed to get to the top bolts. same operation and dont forget the rubber bushings.
all done!! have a beer!:p

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Re: Question about shock installation
 

i was actually thinking that if the car was tboned maybe the frame isnt straight causing gaps in the seals and allowing the noise in. the op wanted diy info so i gave it to him

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 32krazy!

i was actually thinking that if the car was tboned maybe the frame isnt straight causing gaps in the seals and allowing the noise in. the op wanted diy info so i gave it to him

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...and thank you for the info :)

It's been a little over a year since the wreck, and the last mechanic's visit was May of '09. The rear tires were put on June of '09. The increased cabin noise didn't start until about a month ago. The shocks need to be done anyway, but should I be looking for other causes for this noise, like cupping?

Re: Question about shock installation
 

The noise is more likely your tires than your shocks.......:( shocks would be cheaper...

Re: Question about shock installation
 

I checked the front tires more closely this morning in the sunlight, with and LED flashlight. Didn't notice any terrible wear until I ran my hand along the tire and found flat spots. I looked up the mileage on the front tires, and they've got about 31k on 'em. Can't believe I didn't think to check that! Thanks for pointing that out guys.

Got some new tires in the mail. I still plan on doing the shocks, probably order them next week after I get the new tires on. Got 11k miles on the Hankooks in the rear, and I want to see how much the noise decreases with new tires on the front.

Re: Question about shock installation
 

I put KYB's on my limited roadster about 2 months ago - be prepared for a much stiffer ride, especially at slower speeds. At 30+ mph, they actually feel better than stock shocks, more solid...except for the washboard expressway that I have to ride home every day :( .

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I replaced the rear shocks and the drivers side is fine the passenger side bottoms out, Why?

Re: Question about shock installation
 

If your door isn't lined up properly front to back wise an extreme amount of noise can come through into the cabin. Check the rubber seals around the door as well. Adujsting the door shouldn't be very difficult if that is the case btw as most can be adjusted.

Find an unwrecked X-fire and look at the gaps in the sheet metal as a comparison.

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do you have all the rubber bushings and bump stops in?


to the op i went with the adj. koni shocks and they are fantastic. able to make the stiff as a board when racing and smooth when cruisin by the turn of a knob

Re: Question about shock installation
 

my crossfire still rides rough in the rear on the passenger side after I replaced the shocks.Why?

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Thanks for the info. As this is my wife's primary driver (gotta love those Oklahoma highways, eh OKC?), getting a smooth ride is as important as handling.

As for my tires, I doublechecked the rears again, and the treads look brand new; the Hankooks are great...and then I saw this and shouted, "NOOOOO!"

Re: Question about shock installation
 

No kidding, :rolleyes: but the roads where I was in upstate New York are considerably worse...I wouldn't even think about driving my car up there.

If this is your wife's DD, I would spend the extra and go with the Koni's. I am seriously considering replacing my KYB's - I like the better feel at higher speeds, but since I seem to spend most of my time below 60 mph (not by choice ;) ), I am thinking that comfort may be better...

Re: Question about shock installation
 

New tires came today, got 'em mounted and the rear tire fixed. Made a huge difference in noise. Again, stupid.

OKC, I will reconsider the Konis. Either way, I will likely place my order for new shocks tonight. Which means next week I'll be bugging you all with more questions about what I did wrong or what I don't understand. You know, 'cause I'm stupid.

Re: Question about shock installation
 

As I have 91K on my car, I was thinking bout installing Bilsteins. Anybody have experience with them?

OKC, I live in Norman and have travel the same stretch of I-35 you do. Most of the time at speeds considerably less than the limit.

Re: Question about shock installation
 

No problem at all - anything I can do to help. :D And not stupid at all, just learning. :cool:

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Now that the construction is done between Moore and Norman it flows a LOT better...plus I drive to work at 6 am most of the time so the road is pretty clear. I-240 between I-35 and Air Depot can be a real teeth rattler, though, if you do it at about 60 mph. The road seams, the shorter wheelbase and the stiffer shocks combine just right to make it feel like you're riding over railroad ties...:(

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Sorry for a quick departure from the original topic...


Kain and Okiered - CSRTcrazy is having a GTG this Saturday up in Broken Arrow:


https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...eet-greet.html

Joejet and I and our wives are planning on heading up Saturday morning if you're interested.

Re: Question about shock installation
 

Thanks for the invite, unfortunately I will be bartending tomorrow until 5. But I will go ahead and register with the group, now that I know about it. :)