Changed the rear shocks, and now the ride sucks!

[DAiNiUS]

So I was riding with original shocks, front and back, ever since I acquired the vehicle. A few weeks ago I blew out one of my rear shocks, and the back was bouncy as hell! I guess that the other shock was already shot, and once the last one went then the back became insanely bouncy. After reading the forums I changed the rear shocks with KYB Excel-G, and now the ride is awful!

It's a bit hard to explain, but I'll try. Instead of a long bounce with a blown out shock, right now it's more of a really short bounce that is rather strong. It just feels really rough. I still have the original front struts, and my mechanic says that this is the reason why the ride is horrible. What's weird is that the ride wasn't that bad before I blew out the rear shocks, and changed them. Also, right now the front is not really that bouncy, or saggy.

Did anyone change the rear shocks only, and experience anything like this?

[m0nkeyprince]

well the excel G is twin tube, I would rec kyb gasajusts which are monotubes and only a bit more in costs.

after i changed to my gas a justs, the difference was immense (in a good way)

[CanuckQx4]

Kyb Gr2's for the win!!

[DAiNiUS]

The GR2 and Excel-G are exactly the same except one is painted silver, whereas the other is painted stock black. I just wanted to get shocks that would be exactly the same as stock, but there's no way on earth that the ride was this harsh when the vehicle was new.

[ottofalcon]

I'm using the gas-a-just on my qx and yes they are a bit hard but I love em i had monroe sensatracs and the original shocks that where installed at the factory felt a lot better than those p.o.s. shocks! Another thing I like is that since my rear control arm bushings a worn these shocks kinda help control the bouncing around and keeps the car planted. And they arent that expensive, at least here.

[GRNMACHINE]

Also replaced with Gas A Just by KYB. Handles great! Only negative, they are white, rust quickly. Sprayed them with Graphite wheel paint.

[BoostMyQX4]

Going off rear subject here...........I bought a set of Sensa Trac Monroe struts last week, i drove the QX last night and heard a noise from the right strut as if it needs more gas or grease to go up and down, as if the strut shaft was dry......Will this go away? or do i need to take it off and take it back to auto-parts for a replacement?

[nico911411]

has anyone tried Monroe Air Shocks in place of KYB Shocks? Would it level the truck when towing?

[01silvapathy]

Shocks have nothing to do with the ride height. How the vehicle sits with load has to do with the springs/spring rate

[m0nkeyprince]

^ building on that, i think shocks control rebound, the "bounce" of the ride ?

[Chuck Tribolet]

Shocks have nothing to do with the ride height. How the vehicle sits with load has to do with the springs/spring rate

Gas shocks will very slightly raise the ride height.

[nico911411]

I thought Monroe gas shock - those Max-air shocks - can level the truck with up to 150psi? http://www.monroe.com/products/Max-Air/Shock-Absorbers

[DAiNiUS]

I think my ride is getting worse by the day... My QX4 reacts to the most minor imperfections on the road, and moves about constantly. Also, when driving on the highway, if I flick the wheel a little in any direction and then return it to the center position very fast, the car sways from side to side like a boat!

Something is wrong. I tried searching on here, but I can't find any definitive answers. A few days ago the rear drivers side wheel area started making a noise which sounds like the coil spring - it's like an old mattress spring sound. I hear it every time the rear bounces a bit. FML.

[Towncivilian]

The swaying is caused by worn trailing arm bushings.

[DAiNiUS]

Thanks for the reply Towncivilian. Would you happen to know how many trailing arm bushings there are? I think my control arm bushings might be worn as well; do you know how many of those there might be? I checked rockauto, and the prices are pretty decent for bushings so I might get them. The ride is just driving me nuts, and I need to do something about it.

[Towncivilian]

There are four trailing arms total (one upper and one lower per side) and each have two bushings, so there are a total of eight bushings.

I might look into getting mine replaced as well. What would be involved? Removing the trailing arms and having a shop press new ones in, then reinstalling the arms onto the vehicle? That sounds simple. A set of eight Raybestos bushings shipped to my door would be $108.46 after the 5% discount. Though depending on potential costs to have a shop press in new bushings, buying new arms ($185.77 shipped after discount for four Dorman arms) might be cheaper.

[DAiNiUS]

Hmm you do have a point on bushing prices + installation + pressing in vs. new trailing arms + installation. Control arms seem to be more expensive, but prices (on rock auto atleast) seem to vary by quite a bit - $50-$150 - so changing the bushings might make more sense.

I'm in a quandary right now - on one hand the ride is driving me crazy, and on the other it's an old car and I don't feel like spending too much money on it. Decisions decisions.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Jack the truck up, put it on jack stands, and see which bushings need to be replaced.
Grab the control arm, give a it shake, and see if the bushings move.

[anon6565]

Dainius. I have the same exact case than you do, except mine is an Infiniti FX35, the rear shock developed a leak, ride was fine, changed to KYB Excel Gs and the rear end feels loose and bouncy. It also now has started to squeak, I can hear it in low speed, and the bounciness is also worse on low speeds, backing out of driveway jolts the car. It absolutely stinks in terms of ride quality. Did you solve your issues?

[Brute 03]

I started typing before I saw how old this thread was but anyway, the problem with these trucks is the rear springs wear out bad. my path will bottom out over bumps with an average sized adult in the back. now a factory replacement shock is meant to work best with the factory spring rate, however, when coupled with your soft worn out springs you've basically over-dampened it on the rebound side and that will give you pretty crappy ride.

[DAiNiUS]

Hey anon6565,

So since I made the original post I've changed the front struts as well. I didn't like the ride after changing them either because it was really harsh. However, after a couple of months I either got used to the ride or the shocks 'settled in'. You know how you buy new shoes and they don't feel all that comfortable, but after wearing them for a couple of weeks they stretch and bend in all the right places, and eventually mold to your feet and become comfortable. I find that this is a decent analogy as to what happens with shocks. When you buy them, they're compressed in a box where they've sat for months or years. When you finally put them on, they compresses and decompress constantly as you drive, they exposed to heat and cold, the weight of the car, and so on. Maybe this process wears them in and the ride becomes better after a few months. Or maybe it's all in my head.

Also, after rereading your post I saw that you said your ride feels loose and bouncy. Mine felt loose and bouncy when the shocks blew, but the ride was harsh and stiff after replacing them. I would imagine that you have one of the earlier FX35s since the shocks were leaking? Maybe you should replace the front struts(?) as well. Now that I have new (1-2 years old) shocks and struts I am quite happy with the ride. It's a bit stiff, but it feels solid. It's quite satisfying since it's an old car with a lot of millage.

[anon6565]

Thanks. It could be a matter of spring being worn out combined with new shocks. I did all four corners, so front and rears are new. Could be a bad shock too as I feel it is the rear left where it feels loose. Nissan checked it and found nothing wrong with it, but I hate the way it rides now, had 145k miles on the original shocks, and one was leaking and ride was much firmer than now..I will see if I get used to it. Thanks again.

[G8rDuc]

Replaced my rear shocks with the GR2's, replaced the 4 trailing arms with a set off of ebay and replaced the front struts. Also installed some of the airlift bags in the rear for when I tow and it rides like a dream. Only thing left is true pan hard rod.

[pyrophilus]

I agree with Towncivilian and Chuck,

I had a R50 ('97 SE), bought new in '96, amazing ride, replaced struts myself (iwth GR-2's) at every 30k miles. In 1999, At 100k mi, the truck started to sway left and right on the highway. Almost felt like the back of the car was sliding on ice (even though I was on highway on dry road).

I had an amazingly honest Nissan service rep (too bad he is retired) who told me the rear control arm bushings were gone. He knew I did some of my own repairs, so he advised if I can get the part cheap, he thought I could do it.

Ordered it online (forgot where, maybe courtesy), and replaced it, drove it to nearest Goodyear for wheel alignment, and all was well.

I traded in the '97SE for a '01LE in 2001, and replaced struts on this new R50 every 30k miles. At 80'k developed similar problems, but the car was rear-ended and I ended up getting a R51 ('05LE).

The R51, I also replaced struts/shocks every 30k mi, and at 117k miles, it developed same problem. I was going to change out the rear control arms, but the transmission died (in a really weird way), so I ended up picking up a R52 ('14SL) last night.

i would definitely replace the control arm bushings. If you can get the control arms on line, it maybe cheaper to get new control arms with bushings in place than pay a guy to pull out the old bushings and push in new ones (they sometimes get damaged if the person doesn't knowhow to push them in properly).

-Sage

There are four trailing arms total (one upper and one lower per side) and each have two bushings, so there are a total of eight bushings.

I might look into getting mine replaced as well. What would be involved? Removing the trailing arms and having a shop press new ones in, then reinstalling the arms onto the vehicle? That sounds simple. A set of eight Raybestos bushings shipped to my door would be $108.46 after the 5% discount. Though depending on potential costs to have a shop press in new bushings, buying new arms ($185.77 shipped after discount for four Dorman arms) might be cheaper.

[DAiNiUS]

That's very interesting pyrophilus. It seems to ride OK on the highway, although I'm sure that I would see a considerable difference if I would change out the bushings or control arms. At this point, my car is old, starting to rust, and I just feel that it's not worth spending too much money on something that isn't really all that necessary. If it starts swaying on the highway and bothering me too much as a result, then I'll probably end up getting them changed. Thanks for your input though.

[abnrjd]

Well all this is so familiar to me, it's the DREADED DEATH SWAY I highly recommend replacing the rear upper and lower control arm bushings with Polyurethane inserts. Check 4X4 parts.com. There is also a thread on here on this subject too.