1997 Honda Civic EX Shocks - Time for replacement?

Greetings all,

While taking my (actually my late wife's) 1997 Honda Civic EX coupe to
the gym last night, I noticed that it wasn't riding as good as it used
to. Besides the factor of crappy Louisiana Roads, I am starting to
think that it may be time to replace the shocks based on age alone, even
though the car only has approximately 74k on the odometer.

I just wanted to get the general consensus as to if age, 11 to 12 years,
warrants replacement of the shocks?

One more question, are those higher priced setups, such as Eibach,
Bilstein, and Koni worth the additional $$?

Thanks,

Chris

 

sudden onset of a problem is unlikely and almost certainly accompanied
by either damage or hydraulic oil leakage.

gas pressure does leak from shocks over time, but most people leave
stock honda shocks longer than that.

do you want to race? are you willing to sacrifice comfort? most models
offered by the above give a much firmer ride.

if you're not prepared to replace with oem, go with kyb gr2's. they're
significantly cheaper than oem and the same ride or better. good
quality too.

 

There is NO WAY I am going to race a 1.6 liter Civic!

I went on a 60 mile round trip adventure last night, and the
ride/handling didn't seem as bad as I first thought it to be. I think
this problem exists between the driver's seat and the steering wheel.

Thanks for suggesting the KYB shocks!