91 Integra - unstable handling- bad shocks?
Robert
100,000 miles. I've been concered lately with some unstable handling and I'm
wondering if bad shocks or something else with the suspension is the culprit.
For example, if I hit a bump on the road at speeds above 35mph, the car will
'float' to one side and I have to correct my steering. Another scarry
situation is during hard braking the car will sway to the right and nosedive
somewhat.
I've pushed down on each corner of the car to test the shocks and there is
plenty of resistance and it bounces up only once. Having 100,000+ miles now,
is it just time to replace the shocks/struts? What other critical parts of the
suspension need to be checked/replaced on an Integra with this much milage?
Finally, who manufactures shocks for Acura? I would be interested in
the aftermarket version if it is the same and would cost less than the
dealer's. Thanks for any helpful advice.
Edmond Kwok
I'm not sure if the shocks are giving you the problems you are
describing. If your shocks are bad, you'd also be complaining about an
uncomfortable and possibly bouncy ride. Your problems with handling might
be due to another factor. You can start by making sure that your tire
pressure is the same on both your left and right sides. If that checks
out and your tires are of the same brand and model on both sides than its
probably an alignment problem. Make sure that your bushings are still
relatively good, if they're ripped up or completely missing then that's
whats causing your problem. Otherwise, take your car into a wheel shop
and have a 4 wheel alignment done. They'll print out what your
before-and-after alignment status.
If you want to replace your shocks anyways, you'd want to do this
before doing the alignment because your alignment changes slightly
everytime you take out your shocks/struts/springs. A good, reliable, well
know, and relative CHEAP aftermarket shock for your 91 Integra are the
Tokico HP blue gas shocks. They'll cost you around $60-$70.00 a piece
NEW. You really don't need the adjustability of the higher model shocks
because your car does not have stiffer springs on it. Koni shocks are
really good as are GAB and Blisten but they will cost you a lot more than
the Tokico HP which carry a lifetime guarantee. I think that's it. Good
luck.
Robert (rs...@earthlink.net) wrote:
: I own an all-original 5-spd '91 Acura Integra Coupe that recently went past
:
Mike Kohlbrenner
>
> I own an all-original 5-spd '91 Acura Integra Coupe that recently went past
> 100,000 miles. I've been concered lately with some unstable handling and I'm
> wondering if bad shocks or something else with the suspension is the culprit.
>
> For example, if I hit a bump on the road at speeds above 35mph, the car will
> 'float' to one side and I have to correct my steering. Another scarry
> situation is during hard braking the car will sway to the right and nosedive
> somewhat.
It is possible that this behavior can be caused by a bad shock.
Note the singular tense -- if ONE of your rear shocks was bad,
for example, your car would display this behavior over bumps.
Ask me how I know this...
If ALL of your shocks were equally worn out, you would just
notice a more floaty kind of ride and bumps wouldn't be
damped out as effectively.
> I've pushed down on each corner of the car to test the shocks
> and there is plenty of resistance and it bounces up only once.
This test won't always tell you that your shock(s) is (are)
bad.
With the symptoms you describe, the first thing you should do
is take a good look at the shocks themselves. Jack up the
car and pull off each wheel (be careful, of course, and don't
get under a car held up with anything other than good
jackstands...). Often a bad shock will have fluid leaking
out of it. If you see oily fluid on one of your shocks, you
have found the problem.
> Having 100,000+ miles now, is it just time to replace the
> shocks/struts?
I would say that if you plan on keeping the car for a
significant length of time, you should go ahead and get new
shocks. Shocks _DO_ wear out. A car with 100K mile shocks
will _NOT_ handle as well as the same car with new shocks.
If you just bite the bullet and get it done, I think you
will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement in handling.
It is also a good excuse to spring for better aftermarket
shocks. The additional cost over stock replacements will
not be that huge unless you start getting into adjustable
performance shocks.
> What other critical parts of the suspension need to be
> checked/replaced on an Integra with this much milage?
All the rubber bushings should be checked. They aren't
cheap to replace, but after this many miles and years,
the rubber just can't quite do its job well anymore.
Many will recommend polyurethane bushings, but they tend
to be fairly harsh since they are much more rigid than
the stock rubber. Polyurethane also doesn't have the
natural damping characteristics that rubber has.
--
Mike Kohlbrenner
<kohlbren (-a t-) an dot hp dot com> sorry!
Robert
In article <6vu0ut$rjp$1...@mark.ucdavis.edu>, ez06...@catbert.ucdavis.edu
(Edmond Kwok) wrote:
>Hi,
> I'm not sure if the shocks are giving you the problems you are
>describing. If your shocks are bad, you'd also be complaining about an
>uncomfortable and possibly bouncy ride. Your problems with handling might
>be due to another factor. You can start by making sure that your tire
>pressure is the same on both your left and right sides. If that checks
>out and your tires are of the same brand and model on both sides than its
I check my tire pressure weekly so I can rule that out. I keep them around
30psi. However, I did replace the tires at around 80,000 with Michelin XSE
H-rated tires. I couldn't afford the hefty pricetag of the factory original
Michelin Sport XGT-V V-rated tires a second time. But I doubt that downgrading
the tires could cause bad handling like I am experiencing now?
>probably an alignment problem. Make sure that your bushings are still
>relatively good, if they're ripped up or completely missing then that's
>whats causing your problem. Otherwise, take your car into a wheel shop
>and have a 4 wheel alignment done. They'll print out what your
>before-and-after alignment status.
Wheel alignment seems to be fine.. at freeway speeds the car drives straight
as an arrow if the pavement is smooth and level. My Integra was last
computer-aligned shortly after I got the new tires. Specifically, where are
these bushings that you are mentioning? I own a Chilton Acura shop manual and
the term 'bushing' seems to cover a lot of possibilities.
> If you want to replace your shocks anyways, you'd want to do this
>before doing the alignment because your alignment changes slightly
>everytime you take out your shocks/struts/springs. A good, reliable, well
>know, and relative CHEAP aftermarket shock for your 91 Integra are the
>Tokico HP blue gas shocks. They'll cost you around $60-$70.00 a piece
>NEW. You really don't need the adjustability of the higher model shocks
>because your car does not have stiffer springs on it. Koni shocks are
>really good as are GAB and Blisten but they will cost you a lot more than
>the Tokico HP which carry a lifetime guarantee. I think that's it. Good
>luck.
You're right. I am not interested in the expense of a racing suspension right
now. I just want a good OEM replacement. Are the Tokico HP Blue gas shocks the
same or better than Acura's? I don't mind paying a little more for
quality. Finally, can you refer me to any auto-parts store in the L.A. area,
or mail order, that sells Tokico? Many of the auto parts stores I've inquired
either sell Monroe or Gabriel.
>Robert (rs...@earthlink.net) wrote:
>: I own an all-original 5-spd '91 Acura Integra Coupe that recently went past
>: 100,000 miles. I've been concered lately with some unstable handling and I'm
>: wondering if bad shocks or something else with the suspension is the culprit.
>:
>: For example, if I hit a bump on the road at speeds above 35mph, the car will
>: 'float' to one side and I have to correct my steering. Another scarry
>: situation is during hard braking the car will sway to the right and nosedive
>: somewhat.
>:
>: I've pushed down on each corner of the car to test the shocks and there is
>: plenty of resistance and it bounces up only once. Having 100,000+ miles now,
>: is it just time to replace the shocks/struts? What other critical parts of
> the
>: suspension need to be checked/replaced on an Integra with this much milage?
Karith, Mel
on integras crack/break too easily. Could a broken one
in the front cause this type of behaviour?
Mel
=======================
Mel K
get rid of the "screw"
and the "you" unless
it's meant for you.
=======================
Edmond Kwok
thought of another possibility for your problem. Since you noticed your
problemonly during braking, it might have something to do with your
brakes. The master brake cylinder on the 90-91 cars are at the end of
their life and will require replacing soon. Have you been flushing your
brake fluid regularly, and bleeding the brakes every so often? If not, it
could be a bad cylinder in the master brake cylinder. Or it could be a
sticking or defective caliper. If the brakes on one side of the car
engages unevenly than the other side, the car will tend to veer off in one
direction during the braking. And if it is the master cylinder, the
front/rear brake balance might also be off causing your car's nose to dive
during braking (the rears have to engage too, just not as much as the
front).
Robert (rs...@earthlink.net) wrote:
: Thanks for your reply Edmond,
:
: I check my tire pressure weekly so I can rule that out. I keep them around
: 30psi. However, I did replace the tires at around 80,000 with Michelin XSE
: H-rated tires. I couldn't afford the hefty pricetag of the factory original
: Michelin Sport XGT-V V-rated tires a second time. But I doubt that downgrading
: the tires could cause bad handling like I am experiencing now?
It doesn't matter if you upgrade or downgrade your tires, you just want to
have tires that have the same characteristics on both sides of the car.
It should be alright though if they're exactly the same size all around.
If you want to make sure, you can rotate your tires from front to back and
see if the problem changes in intensity. If it doesn't then it's not the
tire (which it probably isn't).
: Wheel alignment seems to be fine.. at freeway speeds the car drives straight
: as an arrow if the pavement is smooth and level. My Integra was last
: computer-aligned shortly after I got the new tires. Specifically, where are
: these bushings that you are mentioning? I own a Chilton Acura shop manual and
: the term 'bushing' seems to cover a lot of possibilities.
The bushings are any and all the rubber pieces that go between the moving
metal parts and joints in your suspension and steering. You'll see some
of them if you crawl under your car and take off your engine splash
:
: > If you want to replace your shocks anyways, you'd want to do this
: >before doing the alignment because your alignment changes slightly
: >everytime you take out your shocks/struts/springs. A good, reliable, well
: >know, and relative CHEAP aftermarket shock for your 91 Integra are the
: >Tokico HP blue gas shocks. They'll cost you around $60-$70.00 a piece
: >NEW. You really don't need the adjustability of the higher model shocks
: >because your car does not have stiffer springs on it. Koni shocks are
: >really good as are GAB and Blisten but they will cost you a lot more than
: >the Tokico HP which carry a lifetime guarantee. I think that's it. Good
: >luck.
:
covers. You're not going to see all of them, the 2nd gen Integra has over
50 bushing. Try to get an idea from the bushings that you can see. THe
bushings are all over the car. There's no one place for me to point them
out to you. They're at the top of your shock towers, in the rear trailing
arms, at the end of your steering adjust rods, beneath your shifter,
...you get the idea.
: You're right. I am not interested in the expense of a racing suspension right
: now. I just want a good OEM replacement. Are the Tokico HP Blue gas shocks the
: same or better than Acura's? I don't mind paying a little more for
: quality. Finally, can you refer me to any auto-parts store in the L.A. area,
: or mail order, that sells Tokico? Many of the auto parts stores I've inquired
: either sell Monroe or Gabriel.
Your local autoshop like Kragen, GrandAuto, PepBoys, Autohaus, whatever,
might not carry the Tokico HP's. They're definitely higher quality, a
much stronger, stiffer shock. I would go for them just for their lifetime
warranty on the shocks. I think you're actually paying a little less for
better quality. I think Acura shocks vost like $129.00 each (I'm not sure
if this is for our model Integra). The Tokico HP's will cost you like
$60-$70 a piece. You'll probably have to go to a performance store to get
them. You might have better luck ordering them through the mail. Check
out some of the online performance stores for the best prices. I'm not
toofamiliar with LA, but I can recommend you several Bay Area stores if you
ever travel to Northern California, hehe. Good Luck!
: >:
: >:
ezd...@aol.com
> I own an all-original 5-spd '91 Acura Integra Coupe that recently went past
> 100,000 miles. I've been concered lately with some unstable handling and I'm
> wondering if bad shocks or something else with the suspension is the culprit.
>