3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
So it seems that i'm getting forced into wrenching on my brother's 97' Camry with the I4. It needs or is going to need struts on all 4 corners soon. He's got a bit over 100k on it with the original struts/springs/mounts.
I'm contemplating two routes:
1.) Going the cheap as all heck route and just replacing the old struts with KYB stuff and not doing anything else
or 2.) Going the whole 9 yards and using high end struts, new mounts, boots, etc.
Will the Tokico blues last longer than the cheapo KYB Gr-2's??
I've been searching around and can't seem to find what else you guys replace when changing struts. Is it best to change out the mounts, boots, bump stops, and rubber insulator thingies for the main springs???? I know all of that stuff is fine right now, but it might wear out soon. Or do you guys reuse some of that stuff? If so, which??
Are Tokico blues really harsh riding?? Struts vary from mfg to mfg and car to car so...
Or were you the one in that thread that just purchased the entire assembly, including the main spring?
Can i get away with replacing nothing but the struts?? and squeeze maybe another 60k mi out of the stuff before needing new struts, mounts, etc? Any idea what the service interval is on this?
Last edited by gottarollwithit; 11-18-2009 at 01:07 AM.
I'm the one that did the entire assembly. All my rubbers, boots, etc were toast. All had to go. Springs might have been fine, but I just considered new ones a bonus.
It's truly an awesome idea and I honestly believe it's the way struts SHOULD be done. (absolutely every part new) Just that Monroe does a less-than-top-notch job of producing them. (Unless you ask them & they'll tell you they're great)
Doesn't KYB offer the same kinda package?-- Mount, strut, boots, bump stop, and new spring all enclosed. Isn't KYB kinda on the same level as Monroe?.. as in it being cheap shiet? Or is it a bit superior to Monroe?
I know shocks/struts vary widely from car to car, even with the same mfg.
Isn't KYB the OEM brand for these cars? Is the GR-2 the OEM strut??
What strut mfg will last the longest?
I'm trying to figure out if i should go cheap as hell or all out like you did.
monroe is just a direct oem replacement... i dont know them well enough to know how good they are and how long they last but i assume there good stuff
kyb gr2 is an oem replacement with a tad bit more stiffness.... it is not cheap shit...it is a quality strut and it will last you a good amount of time
tokico is more on the performance side... it will firm up the ride and still be very comfortable... they are designed more for handling drop springs then oem
you can leave the stock springs but it'd be better if you replace them just so they dont fail in the future
so if you not looking for any performance gains id go monroe package
__________________
97 Camry: 17" Enkei rims, lowered with Ground Control and tokico,
Alpine head, mids, and highs, rockford 4-channel, 12" P3 rockford,
MTX monoblock, TRD RSB, Clear Corners, 6K Mod Express HID kit
Last edited by .Camryman97.; 11-18-2009 at 03:01 PM.
I plan on doing my suspension this winter with Tokico blues, a set of Eibach springs along with the strut mounts.
All of the boots are still good and I doubt the bump stops went bad since the boots are still good. The spring insulators are still look good too. Bearings seem fine so I plan to just clean and re-grease them.
Basically, it's recommended that when you get new struts, get new strut mounts too; anything else is as-needed.
Gotcha, Tokico's are gonna be a better, longer lasting strut thatn KYB's.
As you can see i've been into two different schools of thought. One being do the bare minimum to keep things rolling and functioning as basic transport. And two being do stuff the "right" way the first time so you don't get have to deal with it again, even if it costs more money. I practice the second method on my personal stuff and usually run high end Billy's or Sachs, but this is my bro's car and it's up to him.
I think we're going the route of Tokico's and new strut mounts though. Are these KYB strut mounts any good? Or should i look into getting Moog stuff like i usually do?
Sachs/Boge is decent! But kinda hard to find. At least Bilsteins are in Autozone.
How about Tokico mounts? Otherwise I'd do Moog or Raybestos. I clean out existing grease and pack strut bearing with Redline CV-2 synthetic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gottarollwithit
Gotcha, Tokico's are gonna be a better, longer lasting strut thatn KYB's.
As you can see i've been into two different schools of thought. One being do the bare minimum to keep things rolling and functioning as basic transport. And two being do stuff the "right" way the first time so you don't get have to deal with it again, even if it costs more money. I practice the second method on my personal stuff and usually run high end Billy's or Sachs, but this is my bro's car and it's up to him.
I think we're going the route of Tokico's and new strut mounts though. Are these KYB strut mounts any good? Or should i look into getting Moog stuff like i usually do?
I like Sachs/Boge, Koni, and Billy's, but none of them have high end stuff for this Camry. Usually Sachs and Bilstein come as OEM for Euro cars, but we're talkin Japanese here...
No such thing as Tokico strut mounts, well at least none readily available. I'll see about some Moog.
Are these Tokico's gonna make the ride really harsh? I've read mixed opinions. The guy above says no, but i've seen others say yes. Firming up the ride is fine, but feeling every little rock and pebble in the road is kinda annoying unless i'm driving something built to tear up asphalt.
Yeah, Bilsteins were up to Gen 3 only. Someone saw some Boges for Gen 4 some while ago I was discussing with.......
Haux was looking Tokico mounts. Wonder where he was looking at.
Personally I think Tokicos and KYBs are both on the harsh side. But people's mileage vary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gottarollwithit
I like Sachs/Boge, Koni, and Billy's, but none of them have high end stuff for this Camry. Usually Sachs and Bilstein come as OEM for Euro cars, but we're talkin Japanese here...
No such thing as Tokico strut mounts, well at least none readily available. I'll see about some Moog.
Are these Tokico's gonna make the ride really harsh? I've read mixed opinions. The guy above says no, but i've seen others say yes. Firming up the ride is fine, but feeling every little rock and pebble in the road is kinda annoying unless i'm driving something built to tear up asphalt.
Well, does Tokico rebuild the blue HP ones if i manage to blow them out after like 75k mi?? Supposedly they have a lifetime warranty, and with a little luck my life/car's life will be rather long.
By that same token, some KYB's have lifetime warranties, but i consider KYB's as disposable - these guys can't even figure out how to include all of the parts to a strut in one box. (previous experience)
Anybody else have a take on KYB vs. Tokico longevity in terms of mileage??
This car will not be raced or taken to the track.
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