Leaking Front Shock Absorber R33 GTR - What to buy?

[Penfold]

Hi everyone,

One of my front shock absorbers is leaking so I want to replace both fronts.

I tried to purchase some Bilstein (24-021074 / B46-2107) R33 GTR fronts but I waited 12 weeks on an order from Germany and it just got cancelled.

I am wondering what the best thing would be to do. Does anyone know if they are still being made? They are like $400/shock.

I'm not sure on the price of OEM shocks but I assume they have probably gotten more expensive / not available.

I think KYB make some but I'm not sure how good/reliable they would be.

I don't really want to spend a fortune nor by some really crap coilovers.

MCA make these : https://mcasuspension.com/mca-pro-sport-nissan-skyline-r33-gtr/?attribute_set-pair=Front+Dampers+Only&attribute_mca-shock-shield=Yes+(%2B%2465)&wcpbc-manual-country=AU&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyO86e0oELfSMOQ56MsTphOAVHz7y2uIkQQ0VHwOYFgOkxdqs5ahw_7BoCLDsQAvD_BwE

What do you guys think?

 

[GTSBoy]

If you're willing to go to coilovers and not allergic to spending some money, then yes, anything that MCA offer will be good - just need to choose whether you want to be street oriented or track oriented (or in between). There are options for all that. Pro-Sport being the likely choice.

Also Shockworks.

I have the B6s on my R32 with Kings springs and they are very firm (damping) considering the lowish spring rates. I rate them very highly, and went down that route rather than coilovers, but I think if I had to replace anything now, I'd go MCA Pro-Sport.

[soviet_merlin]

Not sure how far this is normal for coilovers, but MCA also offers reconditioning and revalving.

https://mcasuspension.com/services/

So in case of issues can send them in and get fixed. Or switch to different profile. I haven't done it myself but I like the idea of having it as an option.

[robbo_rb180]

Can definitely recommend the MCA coilovers. Have a chat with them about what you do with the car and they will recommend the right ones. 

[r32-25t]

You can get the nismo set which are basically the same as the factory ones except twice the price lol 

[Murray_Calavera]

What are the chances something like this will ever exist for our cars?

https://www.kwsuspensions.net/racing/competition_4a/

[GTSBoy]

16 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

What are the chances something like this will ever exist for our cars?

https://www.kwsuspensions.net/racing/competition_4a/

You can get KW to make anything for your R chassis car.

[ACTIVE-LSD]

If your car is only being used for street use and want OEM quality then I recommend KYB SR Special shock absorbers + spring combo of your choice. 

I personally have KYB + RS-R Down Springs on my ECR33.  F is lowered by 2 cm and R is 1.5 cm. Ride quality is firm and comfortable. going over speed bumps isn't brain shattering. 👍

[Penfold]

Thanks guys!

I didn't want to spend a whole lot as I went back to uni and am a student at the moment.

It is only for road use and am happy with the ride height (its a vspec with the series 3 front lip) so don't want to go any lower. Originally I was just thinking about keeping it OEM ($350) but the bilsteins weren't ridiculously expensive ($300-400 each) so thought that might be a good chance to have a bit of an upgrade for just the shocks themselves. The only trouble is I can't seem to find them anywhere (I'm not sure if they are discontinued or not).

I really didn't want anything that would make the ride too harsh either so I'm a bit worried about putting anything 'racing' on.

[GTSBoy]

So, well, then. Following on from @soviet_merlin's suggestion, the Billies are rebuildable. Going to be the cheapest way out, although from what I understand, not a lot cheaper than buying new ones!

WRT MCA coilovers, etc. They do not have to be harsh.

[joshuaho96]

9 hours ago, Penfold said:

Thanks guys!

I didn't want to spend a whole lot as I went back to uni and am a student at the moment.

It is only for road use and am happy with the ride height (its a vspec with the series 3 front lip) so don't want to go any lower. Originally I was just thinking about keeping it OEM ($350) but the bilsteins weren't ridiculously expensive ($300-400 each) so thought that might be a good chance to have a bit of an upgrade for just the shocks themselves. The only trouble is I can't seem to find them anywhere (I'm not sure if they are discontinued or not).

I really didn't want anything that would make the ride too harsh either so I'm a bit worried about putting anything 'racing' on.

Why not just run stock then? OEM shock absorbers usually are the most durable even if they aren't the best performing. AFAIK stuff like Ohlins requires frequent rebuilds, like every 40k km. 

[Murray_Calavera]

1 hour ago, joshuaho96 said:

Why not just run stock then? OEM shock absorbers usually are the most durable even if they aren't the best performing. AFAIK stuff like Ohlins requires frequent rebuilds, like every 40k km. 

I've never heard about this frequent rebuild business, what issues have you heard of requiring them to be rebuilt as routine maintenance?

I've always thought that if they aren't leaking/no other visible issues then they are fine. 

[joshuaho96]

36 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

I've never heard about this frequent rebuild business, what issues have you heard of requiring them to be rebuilt as routine maintenance?

I've always thought that if they aren't leaking/no other visible issues then they are fine. 

Maybe some coilovers are less finicky than others but supposedly the Ohlins get noticeably worse with not a lot of mileage on them. If you drive on crappy roads like what we get in CA that will cause noticeable changes sooner than later. Personally the stock VSpec setup is stiff enough for me, it's a little soft up front but the rear feels more than stiff enough.

[Murray_Calavera]

2 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

Maybe some coilovers are less finicky than others but supposedly the Ohlins get noticeably worse with not a lot of mileage on them. If you drive on crappy roads like what we get in CA that will cause noticeable changes sooner than later. Personally the stock VSpec setup is stiff enough for me, it's a little soft up front but the rear feels more than stiff enough.

Have you seen any shock dyno data in relation to this? I would be very keen to have a look if you have.

[joshuaho96]

3 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

Have you seen any shock dyno data in relation to this? I would be very keen to have a look if you have.

No, but Ohlins themselves mention this and I've seen anecdotal reports that specifically R&T coilovers really don't last that long, Aki Itoh's blog mentions it too: https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=562848

[Murray_Calavera]

2 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

No, but Ohlins themselves mention this and I've seen anecdotal reports that specifically R&T coilovers really don't last that long, Aki Itoh's blog mentions it too: https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=562848

Thanks for posting that up. 

I wonder if the serious track/race cars are rebuilding their shocks as maintenance and it just isn't really discussed. I would be keen to hear from those with race cars/serious track cars what their experience is with this. 

[GTSBoy]

Yeah, consider it as a regular, relatively short interval "reset" of the damper to original performance, rather than riding the degradation curve further down until they are noticeably less good then they started out. This is definitely required for proper track use, as you want your gear to be spot on every race, not good for the first few meets, then slumping downward for the remainder of the season.

And it is enitrely reasonable to presume that the various parts used that give a higher level of performance might not be as durable as those used for plebian grade dampers. On top of that, apart from the users of plebian grade dampers being prone to driving through potholes and smashing kerbs, etc, the users of high end dampers are likely to drive the vehicle (on the street) in such a way as to put more loads through the dampers. Pounding up and down mountain passes, clipping roundabout kerbs, etc etc.

[Penfold]

Thanks again guys.

So where is the best place to buy stock GTR front shock absorbers.

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/nissan/5611024u26

So thats around $770 delivered for the pair.

Originally the Bilsteins were about $700 but appear difficult to obtain (looks like $870) for the pair if actually available.

I don't know if the stock ones can be rebuilt.

Anyone at this stage I was curious if there were some local offerings such as the KYB that ACTIVE-LSD suggested.

But then the MCA coilovers start making more sense.

What suggestions from you guys?

[GTSBoy]

40 minutes ago, Penfold said:

So where is the best place to buy stock GTR front shock absorbers.

This question actually makes very little sense at this price.

41 minutes ago, Penfold said:

around $770 delivered for the pair.

.... given the buy in for MCA pro-streets.

42 minutes ago, Penfold said:

I don't know if the stock ones can be rebuilt.

Oh, yeah.....I kinda took it for granted that you had Bilsteins in there now, on the basis of my inability to comprehend how anyone could still have OEM dampers in a Skyline after all these years. My car has had several sets of dampers in it since the end of last century.

44 minutes ago, Penfold said:

Anyone at this stage I was curious if there were some local offerings such as the KYB

I don't know if those KYBs in particular are twin tube or monotube, but it was my previous understanding that KYB only had twin tube damper offerings, and..... no-one should submit themselves to twin tubes when montubes are a thing. Unless it's on a 1975 Cortina.

[Murray_Calavera]

3 hours ago, Penfold said:

What suggestions from you guys?

Give MCA or Shockworks a call, explain how you use your car and what your budget is. Then be surprised at the transformation that has taken place after install/setup and kick yourself for not doing it earlier lol.