I have really been feeling every bump in the road, more than I have in the past! What are the signs that your shocks are gone? I have Tokico(spelling? :thinking shocks and Eibach springs that have been on for 4+ years now. Is it finally time to swap them out?

 

when you pull up and down on the fender the shocks will have little bound or rebound. They might also become noisy.

 

I know that with some types of shocks you'll bounce all over the place when you're driving. It's a very uncomfortable feeling when the ride starts doing that. I guess if it has gotten worse where the bumps are concerned over time it could be time to change them. You might also just try to check to see how good the manufacturer says they're supposed to be, as in how many miles they are good for or something like that.

 

mine were wet from all the fluid coming out!

 

push down on one corner of the car. The end should go down and come back up without bouncing much

 

They say no more than 3 bounces with normal shocks. If more than 3 your needing new ones.

 

Basically, your ride will be rollercoaster like, wavy, hit something hard and you will bounch around. On turns I have found that you sorta roll into them like a freakin boat hitting a wave. The tests have already been elaborated on here. Checking for fluid is also a concern. Your springs could be going as well, if you loose spring rate your car will begin to sag like an old ladie's hooters. Not that this is bad for some of those more twisted types, but dangerous on a car, especially if you like to ride it hard!

 

Also, when you're really getting on it, the rear of your car will squat real bad and the front end will "slam" down in between shifts. (Your car will look like a rocking chair. )

 

Shocks don't always have to fail the same way.

Leaking fluid from the shock is bad, even if the shock works fine.

Damping force will change, most likely get softer. Then the car will bounce a couple times instead of settling quickly after a bump. But sometimes they go bad by getting too stiff.

Push the car up & down from the center of the bumper. If the shocks are not the same side-to-side, the car will make a twisting motion as it bounces. That's one way to check since it's rare for both sides to go bad exactly the same way.

 

depends on the shocks, when i push down on the fender my coiovers dont bouce at all.