Dan hope you found the answer you were looking for, KYB excell will give you a factory ride for many miles! Often using is a quicker way to get answers than Driver, they only have one opinion...Gary

thanks Gary, I did get the shocks ordered. I'll let you know how it all works out.

I mean they will work out, or they won't. It's oem ride quality.

ok so I went with Monroe OE Spectrum #71117 and 71116 front struts and #5631 for rear shocks. I also used 4 Monroe strut-mate #SA1997 boot kits. the whole package cost 174.19 delivered. The whole process took about 4.5 hours. Rides smooth.

I'm going to piggy back onto this thread rather than starting my own.

I have an 03 Coupe w/ sport suspension, and at almost 100k miles, it might not be a bad idea to replace the shocks and struts soon. Is there anything other than the shocks/struts that I should look into replacing while I'm doing the work? Any parts that I have to take off to replace the struts that I should replace since they're out anyway? Bushings, mounts, etc?

Four new shocks are only 270 w/ shipping (KYB) so a bit more for a few extra parts isn't really going to break the bank.

Shock and strut mounts along with front strut bellows are good to replace at the same time.

Monroe lists the boot kit SA1997 as coming with the bump stop. "Contains a compression bumper to help prevent severe impacts" IT DOES NOT

but new shocks and struts made a huge difference in the ride

Thanks for the update, and the tip on the Monroe boot. I'll probably get KYB boots/bellows with bump stops, and Moog shock mounts, since a common theme among KYB mounts is that they squeak.

I think the ride is pretty good on my 03, tbh but at 92k miles I'm sure a refresh wouldn't hurt. Then again I am also coming from a road legal go-kart so pretty much everything feels great by comparison.

Did replacing strut mounts make your ride less harsh and more gentle over bumps?

yes changing the shocks and struts made my G35 ride better. But keep in mind it's more of a sports car than a Cadillac.