BrutalB83, I am just learning about struts (those forged steel (?) things with arms that attach the wheels to the body and incorporate the shock absorbers) due to the tire wear problem I am having.
Mea Culpa....I have finaly sorted out that struts are a kind of shock. I was thinking that struts were the control arms. Now that I am on track with the terms, what are recommendations for replacement struts for my 1995 civic EX? Are there better quality struts available than the oem's?
Ah ok, yeah, that's where we were getting confused I think. We were both referring to the lower control arm, just you were calling it the "strut." And yes, all the bushings on the lower control arm can wear out and need replacing. And in order to replace those bushings you can either take the control arm off and take it to a machine shop like I did, or you can try using the hydraulic press that 99sidude was talking about.
You could get new control arms, but I wouldn't. Last time I checked they were about $300 a piece. You could get aftermarket ones for cheaper than that, but if this is your daily driver than you don't need aftermarket control arms. I would just get the bushings replaced, that will be your most cost effective solution.
As for better shocks, there are tons of options available. If you're not wanting to lower your car at all or even just minimally, then I'd say go with something like Tokico's HP series (that's what I have on my car) or KYB's GR-2 series. Both of those shocks are relatively inexpensive and will provide better than stock performance.
There are tons of other options available too, like Tokico's Illumina series and KYB's AGX series. Shocks like that actually have little dials where you can adjust the dampening rates of the shocks, so you can set it up for street, track, whatever. Shocks like that are more expensive though, and they really aren't necessary on a daily driver car that's not going to be lowered much or at all. I'd say stick with the Tokico HP or KYB GR-2, those would fit your needs the best probably.