Struts wont affect how much the car drops when you get in or out. The springs support the weight of the car. Bad shocks will cause the car to bounce and feel springy. If thats not the case, dont change them.
Are you replacing them with stock shocks/struts!? I have adjustable KYBs and all four ran me 350 bucks. Much better than stock crap.
If you dont want to spend $350 for the setup, go with the Mach 1 shock/strut combo. They are tokico and stock on a mach 1. They fit just fine. They are nice and firm, but not harsh. You can get the setup for like $200 shipped. I love them
I went by the Ford place and tried mashing down on four low mileage 04 V6's and I could make them all bounce, go down maybe four inches and comes back up and stops. Mine I can not make bounce at all, most I can depress it is about inch to half inch, so the struts must be locked up. I read elsewhere after 100K miles they should be replaced, so guess I'll bite the bullet and have it done.
"Bad shocks will cause the car to bounce and feel springy. If thats not the case, dont change them."
That is true with shocks, but opposite with bad front struts where mashing on the front fender trying to make it bounce, you can't make it bounce and with my 205 lbs on a front fender only depresses maybe one inch.
Had them replaced yesterday, Monroe gas-matics $100., shade tree labor $85.00, front align by Ford dealer $40.00 so came out a lot better on the money than I anticipated. Piece of cake to replace, took him 45 minutes.
Yes, it DID make a BIG difference and the old ones were all but locked up and worn completely out. Now I hit a little bump and it feels like a bump should, not like I hit a tank trap. I mash the front fender and it bounces like it should, so we're good to go. Like I said, senior citizen cruiser not performance oriented, so the Monroes should last until my long dirt nap. Huney.