on a professional machine. No problems in driving the car.
The test shoved ca 0.55 for rear ones and 0.6 for front ones. It is a factor which is also related to weight of the car, so something in a relative way. I do not know much about it but I was told that 1.0 is an ideal value however i do not believe that any car except maybe a Ferrari reach it.
The front ones are ca 3 years old, Bilstein. The rear ones are original, so 25 years old and after almost 400,000 km. The mechanic told me that with new ones for rear end (aftermarket or original MB parts) i would reach 0.6 instead of momentary 0.55 most probably.
I will leave the rear ones (and front ones of course) on a car.
I do not understand the "test" or the numbers. If you have 400,000 kms on the originals, I would have changed them 200,000 kms ago. Does the rear have SLS and spheres or is it an option in Europe?
Anziani
The test is performed on a computer controlled machine. It is a special machine for testing shocks only. It is not a home made funny procedure. I do not know much about numbers but 0.25 is a limit. less means the shock is dead.
If you have 400,000 kms on the originals, I would have changed them 200,000 kms ago.
That is exactly what I expected here . However the test proved that there is no sense in doing it. But I really do not want to start another discussion how the old parts must be replaced. i just think it is amazing that my shocks (rear) are close to almost new ones (front) and I wanted to share this fact (measured not guessed) with you.
The front ones are ca 3 years old, Bilstein. The rear ones are original, so 25 years old and after almost 400,000 km. The mechanic told me that with new ones for rear end (aftermarket or original MB parts) i would reach 0.6 instead of momentary 0.55 most probably.
I will leave the rear ones (and front ones of course) on a car.
that is true. i just assumed because first owner had a car for 8 years and i guess he did not touch much things in this car. the second owner had a car 7 years and i know him; he would rather make a hole in his knee than replace anything if not totally necessary. I am a third owner.
I also noticed that bolts of rear shocks are pretty old (rusty ...) exactly like front ones. But like you say, i cannot be 100% sure. On the other side I read some articles on internet and first owners of cars report that they replaced shocks after 40 years and so ... I tell you, sometimes parts just last long time . they are not made of potatoes but of high quality materials.
Sorry samosali, I was curious about your shock tester. I've never heard of anything like it. But then I've never had shock problems. Sorry to ruffle your feathers.
Anziani
no problems at all, anziani . It is a free world. you are allowed to cut my feathers too.
I just went to a certain mechanic and paid 10 EUR for the test. The machine is pretty massive and big one. There are two variants, one is stationary and one is mobile. Both have mechanical part and a computer with screen. the stationary one takes a lot of space and its ground part is similar to "brakes-test line" which is normal in periodical test for every car in the world I guess. basically, all four wheels are shook with different frequencies and amplitudes and of course the wheel should be always in contact with the shaker surface during this time for a healthy shocks. It is very simple idea. The longer the time when the wheel (tyre) is not in a contact with the shaker and larger the range of the frequencies when this happens, worse the result is. Best result is 100% which means that the wheel was in contact with the shaker for whole period of testing for different frequencies. it means 1.0. A bad result is if the wheel is in the contact with the shaker less than 25% of time for whole range of applied frequencies ... and it means final score 0.25. It is a limit between acceptable and bad. the weight of the car is also considered in this analysis but I do not know exactly how (with which factor exactly). So the idea is that the rear end of the car is less loaded than front end, thus 0.5 (for instance) for rear shocks would mean let's say 0.3 if the same shocks would be mounted at the front end.
This is actually very close to my profession but I admit that i did not study this topic, i just explained how it was explained to me. So take it only as a rough information. When you will look at this video you will have very good impression about the problem:
to simplify: a good shock can follow the road in terms of dynamics.
It just so happens I bit the bullet and ordered all four new Sacks-Boge shocks from AutohausAZ for my'92 600SEL with SLS.
I had pulled the ADS shocks from the car with the rest of the ADS system and installed new lines, spheres and the rear SLS shocks from my Japan market parts car. That vehicle only had somewhere around 42,000 km of indicated mileage and I thought they would be all right. But as it happens, the ride is far too harsh, transmitting every open crack and pothole to the car, especially when below freezing. I am imagining the valves and seals within the shocks have simply stiffened up and they now feel completely dead. I am of the mind that your shocks are finished long before they start leaking.
I have already installed factory spec springs, control arm bushings, stabilizer links etc. to bring the car's suspension back to life. Everything is either new or in good order, so I am hoping this $2000 CDN purchase does the trick. I hate throwing parts at a problem and if this does not fix it, I will be very disappointed.
Will post results,
Pete
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