All 4 of my shock absorbers are bad but actually, I don't mind the cadillac-like ride. I read the blurbs from the shock absorber industries on the need for good shocks but didn't see that much to worry about. I'd get new if the ride was much better or I was damaging something by leaving them as is.... Am I okay or just being dumb about replacing them?

 

I believe it can be a safety issue with more body roll possible and the possibility of the tires losing contact with the road because their vertical motion is not damped sufficiently. I would also think that if the are not all working the same way, then there could be some issues with asymmetry in how the suspension system works resulting in unexpected behavior under extreme/emergency maneuvers.

All that said, I'm sure there are those with more experience who can give you a better answer.

 

I would say change them, the rear ones are so easy to change that would be completely irresponsible not to do it if they are bad.

However it really depends on how bad they are, for me shocks have always been weird, depending on brand and model some feel almost magical after you change them, like the Monroe sens-trac, absorbing every big bump on the road yet still feel firm on winding roads but that only last a few weeks, and then they feel like normal shocks or even worst with the case of one of them leaking, others not so much, like the cheap white Gabriel installed on front last time and they were so firm that the vehicle would rebound so hard that it will jump if you hit a big bump with moderate speed, that lasted a few months, since then they feel almost worn yet still better than the previous ones for much more time, and the ride quality is still acceptable after probably 2+ years.

Shocks seem to worn gradually, and In the end it really depends in how you feel the ride quality, unless they have leaked, in that case you should change immediately no questions asked, even cheap ones are better than leaking, that is what would cause other parts of the suspension to get worn early, tires included.

 

What they said ...... besides ride quality shocks take the stress and shock of the weight of the vehicle off the suspension, tires ECT.

 

I bought my Blazer with 291k on it. I don't think the shocks had ever been replaced. It was so bad that I don't even know how the guy could drive it. I couldn't go over about 45MPH because it was all over the road.

 

Oh, then maybe mine aren't completely shot. I thought it was an all or nothing deal. They don't leak, it's just that with the push-down test I get some extra bounces. I'm reluctant to get new if a month later the new wears off and I am back to where I am now. I have 60K on the car.

 

60k is around the "normal" mileage to replace them. Most people prefer a firmer, more controlled ride, but if you like it more like a boat, I doubt you're actually hurting anything. When they get really bad, though, they can cause excessive tire and suspension wear, not to mention loss of control.

 

I took of the wheel and saw this little bowl thing that may have been a rubber bump stop at one time, now busted.. The one on the other side is totally empty. What is it?

 

Yep, probably the base of the bump-stop. Check out a GM parts retailer for exploded diagrams to help confirm what a part may be and it s part number.

 

Bump stop was maybe busted out because of bad shocks? Anyway I replaced it with a Moog, got a different top style but the bottom fit right in.