NOOOOOO!!!! Don't buy KYB Gas-A-Justs!!! Total junk - not nearly strong enough for the VX's springs. That's what I had on my VX when I bought it, and it was a perfect ride - for a rodeo rider! I replaced them within months.Originally Posted by killinformula
The Bils you linked to are a solid deal - around $260 for a set of 4 is a very decent price, and cheaper than mechanics' parts suppliers. I would call them and see if they have the front shocks in the H1 spec - stiffer. (That' the setup I have.) If I were to do it again, I would see if they have the rears in H2 spec - I think my rear suspension hits sharp bumps too hard.
As noted, if you see a sign of a leak on the top of any of the shocks, they are bad. The Bounce Test (push each corner down hard and release - watch for spring-like bouncing action versus one rebound and a stop) seems straight-forward enough, but does it is very hard to detect a marginal shock by this procedure.
Keep this in mind - a vehicle rides on its springs, which bounce up and down. The shocks are supposed to allow the springs to compress, but counteract the spring's boing-boing-boing tendency. If the spring is acting springy, then the shock is not doing its job. Similarly, you can have a soft spring with too stiff a shock, or you can have a very strong spring (as in the VX) with too soft a shock. Getting the balance right is not so easy- just ask any Civic driver who put sport springs on his ricer but didn't replace the stock shocks.
Good luck!!
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