Hello there,

I have a Honda Civic 2001 with about 105,000 miles and 10 years old. I've noticed that my tires are extremely getting worn down quickly. I went to the "STEALERSHIP" and they said I may need to buy and install new "STRUTS"? I have no idea if this is for real. Can anyone recommend if I should replace the "STRUTS" and what is the recommended time to change them? If so, how much willl the "STRUTS" cost and where can I get them online? I really appreciate it...

Thanks!

JDawg

 

yes, struts do wear down and replacing them will help with our tire wear. they are sold everywhere. I bought some monroe struts while they were on sale. I'd get whatever is on sale.

 

Ok... Thanks...

Can I replace these shocks and struts for my Honda Civic 2001?
Is it complicated or I can do it?

Monroe is a good brand?

Appreciate it!

Thanks!

JDawg

 

First of all, our cars dont have struts, they have shocks. Similar purpose, but not the same thing.

It's not complicated, BUT if you're asking if you can do it, I'd say dont unless you've done some other DIY jobs. Springs have a lot of potential energy in them and not using spring compressors correctly can maim if you dont use them properly. Plus, whenever you deal with suspension parts you sometimes run into rusted bolt issues.

The rears are especially bad about having the bolts frozen to the bushings in the LCA, which usually means you have to replace the bushings and/or the entire LCA. Actually, unless you're in a desert climate you're almost guaranteed to break off at least one bolt head. It can turn into a nightmare for someone if they're not prepared (ie, sawsall, impact, torch, extra bolts, etc)

All that being said, I'd bet you have worn bushings or tie rod ends before worn shocks. All depends on how the tire is worn.

 

How are the tires worn abnormally? If they are grinding off one side of the tread (usually the inside) that is because the wheels are out of alignment. Bad struts let the tires bounce on the road instead of rolling smoothly, which causes a "cupped" pattern of wear.

 

Thanks for all the replies... They are like worned out in the inside for both front and back. I get my alignment like every 6 months. The car is 10 years old? Would the shocks still be good for a 10 year old car and about 106k miles? "Stealership" are changing too much and found several tires shops and also high price. I appreciate it... Hopefully, it's just the aligment. I got 2 new tires now and will get the alignment... APpreciate it! Thanks!

JDawg

 

Sounds like the last guy to adjust your front and rear toe screwed up, or you have bushings going bad both in the front and rear. If your alignment is off every 6 months, then its a bushing issue. Worn shocks would make a bunch of little cups on the tire.

I have 150,000 mi on my 11 year old civic and the shocks are fine. Every other civic I've known is the same, aka, bushings go well before the shocks.

 

I see... Are those "bushing" pretty easy to replace? Can I replace those myselfs without a lift? Where would be a good site to check out the parts and pricing? That make sense now, because I drive the car in normal way. I appreciate it... Thanks!

JDawg

 

Replacing them can be done without a lift, but be prepared for seized bolts and possible downtime if you dont have spare parts/bolts. Most of the bushings are pressed into the control arms, so replacing them requires a press, or to buy new OEM arms (which come with prepressed bushings). In your case I would try to identify the bad ones and go from there. Basically they just get old and the rubber cracks which is very easy to spot. When they crack, it produces slop in your suspension, so even if you get a perfect alignment, the slop with throw things off quickly.

On the rear, there's a big one on the trailing arm just in front of the rear tire (on the rear trailing arm) that usually goes bad at our car's age. That one is really a pain to change

Here's a photo of my spare rear Lower Control Arm and shock to give you an idea of how the bushings work. There's an outer metal sleeve, rubber, and inner metal sleeve. The bolts are not normal ones you can get from the hardware store. They're hardened and cost about $10 each.

 

I see... I appreciate it a lot... Thanks for your feedback and suggestions...