Hey guys i just did a 2 hour drive on the weekend down to Philip Island and while driving down the freeway the front end started getting a nice rock going!
I know my suspention needs doing does anyone sujest any cheap shox and how hard is it for a novice to install new shockers???


any help would be great thanx people

explain rocking?

if the steering was a bit wobbly. It might just need a wheel allignment. Try that before going for a suspension upgrade.

The shocks are just there for when u hit bumps, to keep the wheel on the ground. Its not gonna make the car 'rock'.. And the springs are basically there to make sure the shocks bounce back and reduce impact force for a smooth ride.
If the car was bouncy, then id suggest having the suspension looked at.

But if it feels 'wobbly' then check wheel allignment and tyre wear.

Are u using stock wheels? 195 width tyres really have lttle grip and at around that speed you might just be losing traction aswell...

Are u using stock wheels? 195 width tyres really have lttle grip and at around that speed you might just be losing traction aswell...
I have stock wheels, and the tyres are 185/75 14's. Does that mean i have the wrong size tyres? Ive never experienced "rocking" at speeds around 100km/h, its generally very smooth...i think it would probably be the wheel alignment. i need a wheel alignment, my car loves the left lol

Get a balance and alignment first, and check your tyre pressures. If you're getting noticeable vibration through the steering wheel and pedals, or it feels like you're driving over corrugations at highway speeds (90-110) then you better get the balance and alignment.

Failing that, go for a suspension check. I believe a mob called 'Fulcrum' do free suspension checks however I've never heard of them, or seen a Fulcrum shop about. Probably more common in the city I suppose.

i have driven 2 tr magnas till the front struts failed :bouncin: when they first fail they bounce from a cold start but stiffen up if you bounce the front of the car before driving, or after a few minutes driving on a NSW road. (if you drive like grandma they take longer to stiffen)
Usually one side goes first, this will make the car feel like it is rocking.

The other scarey thing I have found is that when they go completely they have resistance to extending but not retracting near the bottom of travel. This combined with the bouncing will pull the front-end down into the road over a series of nicely timed bumps. I have heard of two gen2 magnas hitting the road and puting a hole in the auto trans sump this way. One of them I saw had gravel imbedded in the tie down hooks but sat at normal ride height when parked.

All the magnas I have seen with very bad struts are autos and 140'000km plus.

front struts for a tr 4 cyl have different genuine part numbers for auto and manual

If you bounce each side of the front of the car by pushing down on the guard does it keep bouncing when you stop?
If you keep bouncing it for 5 secs or so, does one side pick up oil and stiffen up when the other side doesn't?

to replace the struts you have to remove the strut assembly from the car and compress the spring to remove it from the strut assembly. I have just done 2 sets and the TR spring almost has to be coil bound to get it free. (unless u have 2 sets of compressors) There is a lot of stored energy in compressing the springs this far and it's pretty dangerous even if you know what your doing. probably best left to pros. Shop around for replacements. a good price is around $110 each plus fitting and don't bother with second hand ones, i tried it once and they were back out again 5000km later.