Strut Mounts: Toyota > Monroe > KYB - Buy Monroe over Toyota ?

[SilverSoarer]

This is for a V6 - so front end is heavy.

Toyota Strut Mount $~$75 -considered good by many here, does it include the bearing ? Toyota struts are lifetime.

Monroe strut mount $~45, considered good, the Monroe Matic struts are 1 yr warranty and considered bad, the Monroe Sensa trac are lifetime and considered good.

KYB strut mount ~$45 considered inferior by many on here, but the KYB struts are lifetime and considered good.

So the question is if I go with KYB GR-2 struts and Monroe strut mounts would that be a good alternative or are Toyota Strut mounts worth the extra $60(=30x2 ) ?

Also a $25 strut mount available - brand is "Foreign Parts Distributor OE brand products" :

http://www.jcwhitney.com/oe-strut-mo...d=d2168y1996j1

part number is 27917G

[Mister_Perkins]

I use KYB and haven't had a problem?

I've used monroe also. Never bought OE. They all work.

Unless your looking for performance modifications, any of those will do.

On my accord, I use adjustable coil-overs but thats because its lowered 2" front and 2.5" rear. Stock suspension should be fine with KYB, Monroe, or OEM

[bdy0003]

Have you checked your old mounts? I heard KYBs were cheaply made and didn't want to spend anymore money, so I just reused my old ones. I repacked my bearings with grease and gave them a good cleaning. I am still problem free with my old mounts.

[71Corolla]

If you want the same soft, compliant ride use Toyota struts. Or Monroe if you want the soft ride but want to save money (don't be cheap). If you want a stiffer ride, then go KYB. The Toyota struts come with the bearings depending on the year. 92-94 come with the bearing which is part of the spring seat, 95-96 do not the bearing resides at the top in the strut mount. You can repack the bearing easily if yours is a 95-96, the earlier versions are harder to repack but it can be done, although it is rarely necessary.

Use only Toyota mounts if you need to replace them, everything else you can go aftermarket like the spring insulator, bump stop and bellows.

The exact production dates for the two different struts are:
6/1991-1994
1995-7/1996

[BMR]

I just put Monroe Matic struts on the front, the ones that include the bearings. And I used Monroe mounts and lower spring insulators. No complaints. But I just did it, so can't speak to their longevity.

About 80k miles ago I put in Monroe Matics in the rear; didn't replace the mounts until later, then used KYBs. They looked a bit cruder than the Monroe mounts, but I haven't had any problems with them.

I can't really offer any opinion on the ride of the Monroe Matics compared to anything else. My rears had 220k on 'em when they were replaced; fronts 305k. So of course, the ride & handling was improved a lot!

My only bitch about the Monroes on the front was that they didn't put enough grease in the bearings, so initially I was getting a loud "SQQQQUUUUUARRRK" noise when I'd turn the steering wheel. So I've had to take 'em out, disassemble, slather some grease on the bearing seal (where it rubs on the strut), reassemble, and put 'em back in. There was almost no grease in there.

[fenixus]

There are also Tokico HP (blue) struts that people like using especially with lowering springs (works with OEM height too of course). they have a lifetime warranty.

[Chris Crash]

I just ordered Tokico Blue's all around. Should be here mid-week. I'm excited!

[Solid_Koolaid]

My used Solara came with the Tokico, dunno how long they have been there, looks like a few years, they behave great, nothing to say, They sure feel more firm than stock Toyota usually feel.

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by Solid_Koolaid

My used Solara came with the Tokico, dunno how long they have been there, looks like a few years, they behave great, nothing to say, They sure feel more firm than stock Toyota usually feel.

how many miles on them (approx) and what driving conditions (city/hway, pot holes like in NYC, etc.) ?

edit:
asking because I'm not satisfied with whatever struts I have in 02 solara v6 @ 124k (may be original) and was thinking of getting something good like Tokico after Winter.

I have Gabriel Ultra struts on my 00 solara i4 @ 78k (since 45k) and they are going bad already, not tragic, still heaven when compared to v6 hehe...

[JohnGD]

I agree the KYBs look like junk. Funny they're supposed to be OEM. The bearings that come with KYB are trash. There is radial play even when new. The Monroes come with Koyo bearings. At least they used to. These are much better.

If you have Redline CV-2 grease just pop the new bearings open, clean them, and stuff some CV-2 in there. They don't run out and dry up after a while like the cheap lithium stuff. I prefer grease suitable for CV joints here.

If you have Gen 3/4 why not just get complete QuickStrut? The rear is like $130 on rockauto. Lifetime guarantee I believe.

Originally Posted by BMR

About 80k miles ago I put in Monroe Matics in the rear; didn't replace the mounts until later, then used KYBs. They looked a bit cruder than the Monroe mounts, but I haven't had any problems with them.

I can't really offer any opinion on the ride of the Monroe Matics compared to anything else. My rears had 220k on 'em when they were replaced; fronts 305k. So of course, the ride & handling was improved a lot!

My only bitch about the Monroes on the front was that they didn't put enough grease in the bearings, so initially I was getting a loud "SQQQQUUUUUARRRK" noise when I'd turn the steering wheel. So I've had to take 'em out, disassemble, slather some grease on the bearing seal (where it rubs on the strut), reassemble, and put 'em back in. There was almost no grease in there.

[Solid_Koolaid]

Originally Posted by fenixus

how many miles on them (approx) and what driving conditions (city/hway, pot holes like in NYC, etc.) ?

edit:
asking because I'm not satisfied with whatever struts I have in 02 solara v6 @ 124k (may be original) and was thinking of getting something good like Tokico after Winter.

I have Gabriel Ultra struts on my 00 solara i4 @ 78k (since 45k) and they are going bad already, not tragic, still heaven when compared to v6 hehe...

I don't know the exact milage of the shock absorbers but it may easily be more than 60K miles. I'm in Quebec, official pothole nation, NYC looks like a new bowling surface next to Quebec

I'd say the Tokico are a great value, I had to change broken front springs when I bought the car... that tells a story, but the shocks were intact. I've put 20K miles on the car since then and they behave like a charm.

[SilverSoarer]

Remember these cars are 16 yrs old - they aren't pasta rockets, kraut cruisers, or yank tanks - but old and stout reliable workhorses - not looking to get kitty cats with em either.

I could not locate Monroe QuickStrut part numbers for 1995-96 V6 Camry on monroe's application guide on their web site.

I did get a quote from NAPA for the Monroe QuickStrut at $350 a corner - or $1400 for all 4 - see how lucky you guys are to be in good old US of A ?

NAPA also discontinued carrying Gabriel for some reason, suspect it's due to a high volume of defect returns from leaking struts. I called Gabriel corporate office and they say they are losing distributors so they are hard to find - not a good sign.

So as of today I am looking at:
-Rock Auto Monroe Strut Mounts for $45 or the JCWhitney OE FPD strut mounts for $25 - hard to justify $70 for Toyota Strut mounts at 3X the price of generics.

-KYB GR-2, the Monroe SensaTracs are softer and if the GR-2 are USA or Japanese made then KYB is better.

Tokico blues are overkill for a gently driven daily driver IMHO - but maybe worth it if you like less rebound.

[Solid_Koolaid]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/TOKICO-BLUE-HP-ST...item2c564e9cc2

Not that expensive for such an overkill. I'm not saying everything else is crap, not at all but you (usually) get what you pay for.

Stop and go city driving on streets filled, erm... "emptied" with potholes is not such a gentle driving at all. Not that it's as hard as a racing season on a car... but still, one expects NOT to have to replace the shocks every other year... and the Tokicos have been thru multiple Quebec winters and springs (no pun intended )

That's why I'd recommend them. I'm not recommending them "against" other brands. I've never even tested other brands on my Solara. I'm simply saying they're doing a great job IMO.

EDIT : On the other hand, if you don't want a firmer ride, forget the Tokicos, they certainly are firmer so while they should last you long on potholed roads, you'll also feel them more. Like one said : life is about trade-offs.

[JohnGD]

My bad, the QuickStruts are available for I4, not V6.

Autozone here carries Gabriel Ultras. With lifetime guarantee. That's what I'm putting on friends' cars. Most don't want to spend 2x for Bilsteins (even when available). But some TN owners here use Monroe and seem to be happy.

Monroe is a bigger company than Gabriel. Maybe the since-1907 Gabriel brand will fade away in today's business environment? Don't know.

Can you get Bilstein Touring in your area? Should be about $120 each at Autozone (example: VNE-4833-BK, front-right. VNE-4832-BK front-left). There are more than 1 part number for the same corner but similar pictures, so double check.

Originally Posted by SilverSoarer

Remember these cars are 16 yrs old - they aren't pasta rockets, kraut cruisers, or yank tanks - but old and stout reliable workhorses - not looking to get kitty cats with em either.

I could not locate Monroe QuickStrut part numbers for 1995-96 V6 Camry on monroe's application guide on their web site.

I did get a quote from NAPA for the Monroe QuickStrut at $350 a corner - or $1400 for all 4 - see how lucky you guys are to be in good old US of A ?

NAPA also discontinued carrying Gabriel for some reason, suspect it's due to a high volume of defect returns from leaking struts. I called Gabriel corporate office and they say they are losing distributors so they are hard to find - not a good sign.

So as of today I am looking at:
-Rock Auto Monroe Strut Mounts for $45 or the JCWhitney OE FPD strut mounts for $25 - hard to justify $70 for Toyota Strut mounts at 3X the price of generics.

-KYB GR-2, the Monroe SensaTracs are softer and if the GR-2 are USA or Japanese made then KYB is better.

Tokico blues are overkill for a gently driven daily driver IMHO - but maybe worth it if you like less rebound.

[SilverSoarer]

Thanks for all the replies.

BMR - thanks for the tip on greasing the mounts
JohnGD - thanks for the info on the Redline CV-2 grease and the Bilsteins.

I will find out if I can get the Bilsteins shipped.

Originally Posted by JohnGD

My bad, the QuickStruts are available for I4, not V6.

Autozone here carries Gabriel Ultras. With lifetime guarantee. That's what I'm putting on friends' cars. Most don't want to spend 2x for Bilsteins (even when available). But some TN owners here use Monroe and seem to be happy.

Monroe is a bigger company than Gabriel. Maybe the since-1907 Gabriel brand will fade away in today's business environment? Don't know.

Can you get Bilstein Touring in your area? Should be about $120 each at Autozone (example: VNE-4833-BK, front-right. VNE-4832-BK front-left). There are more than 1 part number for the same corner but similar pictures, so double check.