I think the people who want you to buy their shocks and struts say
60K, so take that for what it's worth.

I think the general rule of thumb for checking is to push down once on
each corner of the car; if it comes back up and stops, it's fine.  If
it bounces, then they need replacing.

When we used to test shocks, we would bounce each corner of the vehicle
hard, let go and count the bounces before a total stop.  Good shocks
will bounce maybe 1-  1 1/2 times.  Worn out ones bounce 3 times or
more.  Two bounces and change was just about ready to change out.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos:  Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Assuming it passes the bounce test mentioned by others, all that's left is
whether you're happy with the way the car feels. If you're not, explore
other options, but be sure you do the research so you don't replace one kind
of "normal" with the exact same thing.

There are two controls. Strut dampening controls 1)the spring energy in
rebound, and 2)compression dampening using metering valves to slow it to
an engineered specification (such as driving into a pot hole). Your car
having that many miles on it probably has not only worn out struts but
more importantly, worn out springs. Example: If you were to only install
brand new springs on it, the strut metering valving being worn, would
probably not be able to handle the "stronger" spring energy and would
"fail" a bounce test. A bounce test is not the only indicator of wear.
You need to check the height of the vehicle on level ground, usually
measured from the bottom of the rocker panels, to the factory
specification. That is the most common check of spring wear. IMHO, you
may need not only new struts but new springs as well. I hope this was
helpful. Good luck.

My personal belief is that for a small car Corolla's offer a softer
ride then one would normally expect. It's not a caddy but nice.

Do you get a lot of headaches?

mike

bubbabubbs@yahoo.com wrote in article
<1174061830.064709.135870@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>...

The ONLY two ways I know of to truly "test" or diagnose shocks are to run
them on a shock dynamometer, OR  to take the vehicle for a ride.

Hit a rough road, some railroad tracks, some dips, "S" turns, a nice,
smooth road, hard acceleration, hard braking, etc.

The old standard "bounce test" - where one bounces a corner of the car then
sits back and counts the oscillations - is really lame. It only generates
enough shaft velocity to "test" the fixed bleed orifices  and devices, and
within-spec. seal blowby.

Bouncing the car gets the shock/strut shaft moving at approximately one
inch-per-second (ips).....MAYBE!

Driving down a smooth road and turning into a smooth turn moves the
shock/strut shaft at approximately four-to-six ips.

Hit a pothole, and we're talking 10-15 ips of shaft velocity.

Bouncing the car doesn't even open a single, low-speed valve in most
shocks/struts. Forget about the high-speed stages and valving.

I regularly show customers a shock moving at two ips on my shock dyno, and
they cannot believe how fast it actually is.....and the shock is really not
"up on the valves" yet at those shaft velocities.

Unless a valve is actually broken, it will not show up in a "bounce test",
so a shock/strut could easily pass the "bounce test" and still be a
dangerous piece of junk.

2 more questions:

1. Would worn struts/springs affect how quckly the wheels get out of
alingnment?
2. Will I need to get alignment done after replacing the struts/
springs?

thx

On Mar 16, 10:17 am, bubbabu...@yahoo.com wrote:

When I get the GF in the back seat, if I can give her a couple of good
pumps on my own and the car finishes off the rest, its time for new
shocks.

;-)