First time Toyta Camry LE owner and rear strut question

[jugstah]

Hello...

I just wanted to say "hi" and to say that I'm now the proud owner of a '92 Toyota Camry LE v4 and I'm already loving it better than my old '99 Ford Contour which blew a head gasket unexpectedly after years of good maintenance on my part.

I'm a little confused by the array of choices available for my rear struts on my Camry which is totally blown and in dire need of replacing.

I see choices for "inserts", struts with and struts without springs.

I'm not looking to "pimp" my ride. I'm just looking to see that I get a good life and ride out of this car. So, with that being said, which route do I want to go with... do I get the regular struts w/o the springs and reuse or is the inserts the way to go????

[dorifuto.boi]

inserts: inserts are probably the cheast. im not even sure the stock struts can be opened to replace the inside with the new insert. if your camry is sagging, just buy struts with springs
-where do you see the inserts ?

struts without springs: should be a little more expensive than inserts only but if your camry is sagging, just buy struts with springs.
-what brand do you see ?

struts with springs: probably the most expensive but if the struts with springs come as a whole unit with the top mount already on, then they will be the least work. plus u get a new spring so ur camry wont sag a few miles down.
-what brand are you seeing ?
-how much more are they than struts alone ?

[jugstah]

Thanks for answering so promptly, I appreciate it.

Originally Posted by dorifuto.boi

inserts: inserts are probably the cheast. im not even sure the stock struts can be opened to replace the inside with the new insert. if your camry is sagging, just buy struts with springs
-where do you see the inserts ?

I saw the inserts on the AUTOZONE.COM and ADVANCEAUTOPARTS.COM website. I'm pretty sure I don't want to do just inserts. I usually do my research/buy the parts and my brother does the installation for me.

So, with that being said, I doubt I'd want to do inserts as that'd be way too much work for my brother and me.

Originally Posted by dorifuto.boi

struts without springs: should be a little more expensive than inserts only but if your camry is sagging, just buy struts with springs.
-what brand do you see ?

Seeing as I just bought this car last week, I'm not sure if my car is sagging but while driving down the highway, my car was 'fishtailing' a little bit and it was definitely the struts that we determined was blown. My front struts are fairly brand new, apparently.

The previous owner gave me all the paperwork for services rendered on the Camry which runs great!

I saw Monroe Quick-Struts for around $150 each on AutoZone but reading further in the forums to learn more about my car, I've seen some posts badmouthing these.

I was thinking about just getting the Monroe Sensatrac or the KYB struts($80ish each but without the springs) but again, see posts badmouthing these also.... I also saw some Gabriel struts but no springs also.

Originally Posted by dorifuto.boi

struts with springs: probably the most expensive but if the struts with springs come as a whole unit with the top mount already on, then they will be the least work. plus u get a new spring so ur camry wont sag a few miles down.
-what brand are you seeing ?
-how much more are they than struts alone ?

[/QUOTE]

I'm thinking about getting the Quick struts now because if that's the least amount of work but gives me a decent ride.. the struts alone are$80 but the Monrue Quick Struts are about $150-ish... I dont know...

What is the best possible route, do you think is?

Thanks for your advice!

[dorifuto.boi]

when you say fishtailing, are you saying it feels like:
your trying to drive straight but it feels like for some reason the car starts to go ever so slightly to the left. then without moving the steering wheel at all, the car suddenly starts to ever go slightly to the right. and this repeats.

because if thats what it feels like, then its most likely the top mounts that have gone bad.


struts with springs:
-the monroe quick struts are ok for you because they include the top mounts. that way its a whole new assembly. the problem is their quality (i dont know if they're good quality or not). i would buy them if they had lifetime warranty. if they dont, then lets see if someone else can chime in about the quality of the monroe quick strut and how long they last.

struts without springs:
-kyb has a regular oem replacement strut and a gr2 strut. the gr2 is apparently a step up from stock and seems to be a preferred choice for OEM replacement 5 years ago. (sorry i dont have any current info). a step up from the kyb gr2 struts are the tokico struts which are expensive but is good quality and has lifetime warranty.
-now the problem with you getting struts without springs is that your going to have to get the top mount also. and in order to peice them together you have to PROPERLY compress the spring to get the top mount on otherwise they'll just blow again in a few miles.

so it all comes down to what you want to spend and what quality u want. i'd say first find out if the quickstruts are OK quality. because if they are, or maybe have lifetime warranty, then that may just be the best thing for you because its cheap, it requires next to none work (you can replace them yourself), and you dont have to buy top mounts for them cause its already a full assembly

[fenixus]

I would narrow it down to just 2 choices to make it easier and grief free:

a) if keeping the same ride height then go with Monroe Quick Struts, your suspension takes those part numbers:
171956 Front Left
171955 Front Right
171958 Rear Left
171957 Rear Right

Doublecheck it here:
http://www.monroe.com/catalog/e-Catalog


They are nowadays around $142 per front corner in rockauto and around $154 per rear corner. other sellers might be less expensive like partsgeeks.com or amazon.com

They are all-in-one combos, meaning, there is a strut, the spring, all the mounts/insulators/bumpers and other rubber pieces, all new, already assembled together for easy installation (3 nuts 15mm on top and 2 bolts at bottom 24mm is what it takes to replace, at least for front, not sure about rear).

b) if lowering the suspension then go this route:
-Tokico HP Blue strut (lifetime warranty)
-Tein springs (can buy them only in a set for all 4 corners)
-new rubber and mounts, best if you can get OEM things from dealer, as aftermarket parts are not so good on those.

EDIT:
BTW, your car is I4 as inline 4 cylinder, not V4 which would be more common for bikes (v-shaped 4 cylinder divided into 2 banks of 2 cylinders each)... just saying

[jugstah]

Originally Posted by dorifuto.boi

when you say fishtailing, are you saying it feels like:
your trying to drive straight but it feels like for some reason the car starts to go ever so slightly to the left. then without moving the steering wheel at all, the car suddenly starts to ever go slightly to the right. and this repeats.

because if thats what it feels like, then its most likely the top mounts that have gone bad.

Thanks. I guess I'll be better off with getting the entire assembly replaced using one of those quick strut kits. I appreciate your feedback!!

[jugstah]

I thought I'd mention that I have ordered Monroe Quick Struts with Advance Auto Parts. Using their discount code for shopping online, each strut came out to about 134.xx each along with a $50 gift card redeemable for future online purchases.

So, waiting for it to arrive sometime later this week.

[mazdaverx7]

also inspect the rear lateral control rods. these are prone to failure and can cause wandering at speeds. they will also exhibit a clunking noise over bumps or rough terrain. they are adjustable and require a rear end alignment when installed. they are, to my knowledge, only available form Toyota at over $150 each. the Camry requires four total and you will need new bolts and nuts.

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by jugstah

I thought I'd mention that I have ordered Monroe Quick Struts with Advance Auto Parts. Using their discount code for shopping online, each strut came out to about 134.xx each along with a $50 gift card redeemable for future online purchases.

So, waiting for it to arrive sometime later this week.

Yeah they sell them too, I totally forgot. I would have order mine with local pick up as it is easier for returns if it comes to that, but all stores were out of stock on quick struts in 100 miles LOL!

Good choice!

[jugstah]

Fenixus - I would have bought them locally if they were in stock and being that there were NO stores within 200 miles of me that had this in stock, I had no choice but to order them online to take advantage of the discount they were offering.

Quite frankly, I'd have gone the in-store pickup route but there seems to be a large disconnect between the local stores and the online store. Autozone is way better at this online-local store harmony than Advance was but this was a deal I can't refuse. :-)

I've got my tracking codes and they're on their way!

Originally Posted by fenixus

Yeah they sell them too, I totally forgot. I would have order mine with local pick up as it is easier for returns if it comes to that, but all stores were out of stock on quick struts in 100 miles LOL!

Good choice!

Mazdaverx7 - I hope it doesn't come to that!!!

[fenixus]

I see.

I actually had lots of luck with AAP stores and online-local route no problems ever, their online listing of locally available parts/supplies is 100% correct always for me. Quick Struts are the ONLY thing I haven't found locally around me in their stores (or at all).

On the other hand, I had lots of trouble with Auzone's local stock displayed on website, numerous times I was checking their website and confirming something is in stock and ready to buy locally (I never order online from them) and when I came in the part was not there and not like somebody just bought it, no it was never there and needs e.g. special order with 1 week wait time. gave up after a few tries. I only buy paper towels, cleaners and brake fluid from Autozone as they are closest to me.

anyways, glad ou have the parts coming your way, good luck with install!

Originally Posted by jugstah

Fenixus - I would have bought them locally if they were in stock and being that there were NO stores within 200 miles of me that had this in stock, I had no choice but to order them online to take advantage of the discount they were offering.

Quite frankly, I'd have gone the in-store pickup route but there seems to be a large disconnect between the local stores and the online store. Autozone is way better at this online-local store harmony than Advance was but this was a deal I can't refuse. :-)

I've got my tracking codes and they're on their way!







Mazdaverx7 - I hope it doesn't come to that!!!