Best place to buy good shocks/struts for these car's? I have not looked underneath yet, but when I go over bumps, it feels like I am bottoming out on the shocks/struts, if this makes sense. I can hear a noise like I'm hitting the bottom of the shocks. I am assuming tis just shocks all the way around? Did a quick google search, and it looks like shocks run around 130.00 and up each. Is this correct? Is this something I should take to a tire shop who does front end work to swap them out? I don't really have anything at my shop to compress struts.

Also what is Adaptive Control Damping? How do I know if my car has that?

 

How many miles in the car and are they the original green shocks?

RockAuto sells Blistens fronts for 95 each. There or around.

There are a good few things that can create that dreaded clunk in the front end, and it's a real chase to get rid of it. Upper control arm bushings are a ratttttttly source. I found that the rear subframe mounts were shot in my 2002 with 200k miles so I replaced those which helped lots but didn't completely cure the clunky. Shock mount BUSHINGS, the lower and the upper. Then the shocks themselves. Lower control arm bushings can also be suspect. Personally, I think the design of the front end suspension leaves a lot to be desired. Mainly, the STEEL "pin" that holds the entire upper wishbone control arm runs thru, pivots in, the aluminum subframe towers (you'll see them) which start to enlarge with miles giving lots of room for play in the entire upper control arm assembly.

I replaced my front subframe a few weeks ago for this reason not a bad job, from an XKR with way fewer miles thinking it would cure the CLUNKY. The upper eye holes for the upper control arm"pin" on the 200k mile subframe had enlarged - wiggling around. Not the funnest job.

The only thing (not a small thing) I need to replace are the front shocks. It's way past time BUT, money is an object for me.

 

I think it's more likely the sway bar bushings, but the shock mounts and upper arm mounts will likely need need replacing if they haven't been done recently. If the lower shock mounts are bad, you might as well buy new shocks as the bushings are expensive.

If you go to a shop, be prepared to spend a lot of money. Speaking of which, have the chains and tensioners ever been replaced?

 

My car has 135k on it right now.

 

BTW, adaptive shocks will have electrical connection on top, wire protrudes into engine compartment. Very unlikely an xk8 has it.

John

 

Yes, what he said ^^^, very unlikely you have the adaptive shocks. You might want to browse the archives on here about replacing shocks and shock mounts. There is a whole lot of stuff on this subject. Obviously, they don't last forever. You can "borrow" a pretty good spring compressor from AutoZone.

PowerBuilt Strut Coil Compressor (autozone.com)

I used this one. Good deal to borrow (pretty much free). I tried with conventional compressors, but these springs are a little different (of course).
Also, trying to find a good shop to do this work is difficult, to put it mildly.

 

Rockauto has thee right shocks for around $100, not bad and they have the lower bushing in the bottom.

 

I can't imagine that it is the shocks (unless its the lower shock bushing)... the shocks don't support the car in any way, they just stop the spring from bouncing. Like Jay and RJ said, I would look at all of the suspension bushings, and the upper shock mounts (though it tends to squeak when those go bad), for sure.

 

I appreciate all this info guys, and I will look into soon. We have a great front end shop here that I would trust but will need to wait a bit as I have several others cars going through a process, currently.

 

Tensioners must have been done at some point. Per 2 local shops, tensioners typically fail somewhere in the 75-100 range. Lucky owners in here have gotten more mileage w/o problems but it seems like an expensive gamble.

 

My 97 has adaptive shocks