Hello all,

At what mileage/age have you been replacing front shocks on your EX? Our '08 EX is at 95K now and the ride up front seems a bit rough. I don't see any obvious signs of leakage, and the bounce test isn't particulary telling, but 95K and almost 13 years (Nov '07 build date) seems like it's well past the age to replace these.

It looks like Nissan/Infiniti is no longer making the OEM shock and everywhere I look I see the KYB shock as the OEM recommended replacement so I'm assuming that's the one to go with - have any of you used these? Did you also replace the shock "insulator assembly" (top mount)?

Any other suspension components to replace at this age/mileage to refresh the ride, e.g. lower control arms? The car seems to track straight and has no undue noises during cornering, so I don't just want to start replacing things for no reason, but curious to hear what others have done.

Thanks in advance!

Anyone?

This doesn't apply to specifically the EX, but at 120k, I replaced the shocks on my old V36 2007 G35S (this was 2018?). No particular reason besides boredom/it was old. The originals were fine, and there was no difference when I put on the 30k used OEM replacement shocks. I was surprised. What did need replacing were both lower front control arms. I went with Beck/Arnley on those, as they were 1/2 the price of Nissan parts. It's not a horrible DIY, at least on a RWD G. Clunking tipped me off for those. I did the swaybar endlinks as well, but the originals turned out to be fine. If you do replace those, get OEM. The aftermarket options, at least the Moogs that I used, needed to be greased every 5k or so. Otherwise they'd pop and clunk.

Anyway, this leads me to believe that the OEM suspension components on these cars are pretty good. That said, the QX is 500lbs+ heavier, so it may be less kind.

Eric. wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 22, 2020 8:54 am

This doesn't apply to specifically the EX, but at 120k, I replaced the shocks on my old V36 2007 G35S (this was 2018?). No particular reason besides boredom/it was old. The originals were fine, and there was no difference when I put on the 30k used OEM replacement shocks. I was surprised. What did need replacing were both lower front control arms. I went with Beck/Arnley on those, as they were 1/2 the price of Nissan parts. It's not a horrible DIY, at least on a RWD G. Clunking tipped me off for those. I did the swaybar endlinks as well, but the originals turned out to be fine. If you do replace those, get OEM. The aftermarket options, at least the Moogs that I used, needed to be greased every 5k or so. Otherwise they'd pop and clunk.

Anyway, this leads me to believe that the OEM suspension components on these cars are pretty good. That said, the QX is 500lbs+ heavier, so it may be less kind.

Thanks for the reply. Interesting that you felt no difference with shocks that had 120k on them - I would definitely think replacing at that mileage would have made a difference, unless the roads are super smooth where you live, LOL.

I'm not having any clunking in turns, etc. but might be worth swapping out the LCA's anyway given age. I'm sure the bushings are pretty worn in them at this point.

Yeah, it was odd. I did the very scientific "how hard is it to push the pistons down and then watch the rebound speed" test as well, and they were pretty much identical. I suppose the other side of the coin is perhaps the 30k shocks that I got were also worn. Who knows. They were free. I went used, because like you, I could not find new OEM parts.

My QX50 only has 35k, so hopefully it'll be a while before it needs anything... at which point it will be truly impossible to find any factory parts, new or used. Mine needed a driveshaft (well, rear u joint, but it comes as one unit), and Nissan had to make the thing. Took months.

I'd poke around everything before replacing things. I was surprised how nicely the rubber components aged in that car, though that is very environment dependent.

Yeah, maybe the 30k shocks were worn, but free is always good. I used to have an '04 V35 G35 coupe, but had proactively replaced bushings in the control arms for some higher performance whiteline bushings, and put in adjustable performance shocks, so never really got to experience high mileage related wear on that car. Though the compression rods needed replacing twice in my 65k miles with it. The EX doesn't seem to have those.

The KYB shocks seem to be the only option for EX shocks that I can find anywhere, and are pretty inexpensive, though I haven't called the dealer to get a quote from them yet...
I replaced the rear shocks with the KYB's myself earlier this year and they seem to be a decent replacement, but since I still notice the poorer ride up front, not sure it made a ton of difference overall.

This might be a little bit out there, but why not upgrade to some air suspension for that maximum comfort? I know people install it on cars for lowriding/showing off but the comfort factor is what I find to be valuable. I'm looking into doing this as well for my 17 qx50 since I drive on some bumpy roads for a couple hours a day for work.

Jaymes wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:50 pm

This might be a little bit out there, but why not upgrade to some air suspension for that maximum comfort? I know people install it on cars for lowriding/showing off but the comfort factor is what I find to be valuable. I'm looking into doing this as well for my 17 qx50 since I drive on some bumpy roads for a couple hours a day for work.

Interesting suggestion, but this is just for a car for my daughters, which is used for driving to/from school and around town, etc. Doesn't need anything fancy - just trying to keep costs contained and have it ride close to what it did when new.

sherwooa wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:15 am

Jaymes wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:50 pm

This might be a little bit out there, but why not upgrade to some air suspension for that maximum comfort? I know people install it on cars for lowriding/showing off but the comfort factor is what I find to be valuable. I'm looking into doing this as well for my 17 qx50 since I drive on some bumpy roads for a couple hours a day for work.

Interesting suggestion, but this is just for a car for my daughters, which is used for driving to/from school and around town, etc. Doesn't need anything fancy - just trying to keep costs contained and have it ride close to what it did when new.

Gotcha. I would look on eBay as I see a lot of parts for our cars from totaled vehicles. Many of them come with warranty.

Jaymes wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:10 pm

sherwooa wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:15 am

Interesting suggestion, but this is just for a car for my daughters, which is used for driving to/from school and around town, etc. Doesn't need anything fancy - just trying to keep costs contained and have it ride close to what it did when new.

Gotcha. I would look on eBay as I see a lot of parts for our cars from totaled vehicles. Many of them come with warranty.

Thanks. Fortunately, the KYB shocks and mounts from Rockauto are pretty cheap as it is, but I'm just wondering if anyone's had experience with the front ones and whether they noticed any big difference from OEM.

Installed both front and rear KYB shocks/struts at 128k a few days ago and there is a huge difference in ride. Small and big bumps are much better damped. I can’t speak for just the front shocks but for me replacing all’s shocks at 128k was totally worth it.

hercule33 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 9:06 am

Installed both front and rear KYB shocks/struts at 128k a few days ago and there is a huge difference in ride. Small and big bumps are much better damped. I can’t speak for just the front shocks but for me replacing all’s shocks at 128k was totally worth it.

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. That helps a lot. Did you replace them yourself? Any tricks with the fronts?

hercule33 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 9:06 am

Installed both front and rear KYB shocks/struts at 128k a few days ago and there is a huge difference in ride. Small and big bumps are much better damped. I can’t speak for just the front shocks but for me replacing all’s shocks at 128k was totally worth it.

Would you say it’s more comfortable than oem? My 17 qx50 felt comfortable in the beginning but now it feels rocky. Like I feel every bump on the road.

I had a shop do it so I can’t comment on the install. I first put on new tires and drove it for a few week because my mechanic was busy. The new tires made a difference in the ride but the shocks definitely made a much bigger difference. It’s hard for me to remember what the stock shocks felt like new but I would say the KYB feel a bit stiffer but not in a bad way. Think more BMW than Cadillac which is what I was looking for. The new shocks definitely ride better than the old shocks because they absorb impacts/bumps much better.

For those that are interested I also installed Hotchkis sway bars in the back and front. Huge difference in handling with better turn in and less body roll. The only downside is that if you don’t push it the handling difference is less pronounced. Also replaced all four pads and rotors with Raybestos. No more vibration when braking but I would say a bit less power than stock. Might go with different pads when they wear out.

Thanks again @hercule33