What is the expected life of 360 front shock absorbers ? My front wheels (stock wheels & tires) have recently been rubbing the fenders when pulling out of driveways with the steering wheel turned. This didn't happen in the past. Are my shock absorbers shot and need replacement ? Or are they adjustable for height ?
I suspect that your shock towers, or the springs may have sagged (due to time and use) and that a check of ride height is in order before going after the shocks.
I've heard.. and not definitely that is.. that the shock life is 50,000 miles. You have other things that can affect the ride, bushings, spring rates, etc. I would have it looked at and evaluated. Might not be the shocks.. and if it is then see if they can be rebuilt. Might be able to adjust the springs..
Thanks Mitch ! In my neighborhood there are a lot of speed bumps that I pass every time I use my car diagonally in order to avoid the front lip from getting damaged... Probably this caused the wear in the shocks/ springs /towers... The final blow was probably last month when I had my car in the shop for 3 weeks waiting for clutch replacement parts... I think the mechanic had the car on a lift to save space and maybe this affected the deterioration of the shocks / springs / towers Another mechanic had a look today and told me it is shocks... He offered to fix them rather than replace them... Waiting for his offer... He said that springs don't wear in these cases... it is the shocks that go back after 10 years... What make you think it could be springs ???
because the spring is the only thing on the suspension that pushes the car up against the force of gravity. Its being weak allows the car to get closer to the ground thereby rubbing the car against the wheel. It may be that your shock also needs replacement. If it is leaking for example, then it also needs to be replaced. But, with your symptoms, it is more likely that your spring is weak, or your spring perch is bad. Mitch Alsup is our resident expert when it comes to all things suspension.
I've replaced far more springs than shocks. As has been said, they sag and the ride height drops. Normally shocks are replaced when the electronic variable valve inside fails, or the shock is leaking/damaged.
Shocks are replaced when they no longe damp the car/wheel correctly (or start leaking). Springs are replaced when they no longer hold the car at the correct ride height (or the spring perches cannot be adjusted to the right ride height). Spring towers have been known to contribute to the spring sag issue, especially with hard use--mostly like race track use, but occasionally with hard use like speed bumps. Bushings can contribute to the whole "shooting match". I am still betting on the springs/towers. Note: I have 63K miles and 5K track miles on my F355 and the shocks are still just fine.
