My mechanic mentioned something about 'upper... something.' LOL, I suck at cars. Any idea if I should just replace the shocks (100k on car, bumpy as hell) by themselves?

 

check the bushings for the control arms, and make sure they are not cracked. other than that, you should be fine.. If you want to get an aftermarket springs, this is good time also.

 

wouldn't be a bad idea to do the shocks with that high of mileage and if the top shock mounts or bearings or spring mounts are cracked, definitely replace them since they're already there and no add'l labor is required, just the part.

 

100,000 miles may be the limit of the OEM struts, but "bumpy" would not be an appropriate symptom. Generally a vehicle with worn struts will bounce excessively.

 

Ozone and heat cycles destroy everything made of or isolated with rubber.
Suspension rehabilitation is a major mainteance/repair cost after 100k IF you desire to return the vehicle PERFECTLY to AS NEW.

Most settle for minimum and drive ramblin wrecks.

 

Yeah good shocks should actually feel stiffer, which especially on the Z will result in a more bumpy/bouncy feel when going over poor road surfaces. The easiest way to tell if you need new shocks, is pay attention to how the car reacts after going over a speed bump. It should return to level and stop 'bouncing' or 'swaying' forwards and backwards very quickly. Realistically on a sports car you don't want any additional bounces after the initial one caused by the bump. If it keeps bouncing 2, 3, 4 times after you've gone over the speed bump then you need new shocks. Poor shocks will reduce your vehicles handling stability and may make it unpredictable in an emergency maneuver.