I have a 03 Honda CRV with 325K miles that I inherited. The engine and transmission are surprisingly in stellar condition and the AC actually works. I've done a bunch of work on it, swapped CV axles, all fluids, new brakes, and tires. The shop which I got the tires done said that suspension likely the original and is in ok shape for typical street driving but should be swapped if I wanted a smoother ride. I notice it feels harsh on bumps and shitty roads and creates a lot of noise. So I am considering swapping it. I see a lot of suspension kits that are in all sorts of price ranges but I don't necessarily trust the reviews. Wondering what people here typically go with for a factory ride feel. Not interest in race/ off road performance just regular driving on pavement and occasional shitty city road.

 

The OEM type replacements that come to mind are Monroe, Gabriel, Bilstein and KYB (Not counting Honda and cheap chinese stuff).
I would recommend KYB.
I installed a set on my 04 Element and still pleased after a year of use.

Given the amount of miles on your CR-V, have you noticed any sagging/excessive tipping on turns/diving on hard braking?
You may want to go with complete units which come with replacement springs (an option with KYB).

If you were interested in a firmer ride, I would go with Bilstein.
I would have gone with Bilstein, but unfortunately not an option with Elements

 

I don't drive spiritly so I haven't noticed excessive tipping on turns or heavy braking. No sagging of any sort either. I'm pretty sure the dampening is toast since poor road condition can be feel very rattily. Other than that nothing for a car of it's age/use.

Thanks for the recommendations I'll take a look and do more research. I came across KYB but wasn't sure what to make of it it's good to know you had a good experience.

 

i've purchased KYB replacement shocks from amazon for a TSX before. was fine. i would recommend it again.

for me tho, it didnt help much, because i guess my old shocks werent that bad.

in general, a lot of steering feel is in the rack itself. from the tie rod end balljoints (inner and outer) to the (internal) rack bushings and pinion adjustment. i'd look there to improve the feel and ride of the car.

like i said, i swapped out the shocks and evne the front compliance bushing that was torn on the TSX, and neither really did much to freshen up my 225k mile chassis.

 

Interesting... Thanks for the tip.