which struts are good for stock ride and where will you buy them?

[fe519]

hey everyone. I'm thinking about the KYB GR-2s because i need new struts bad. the best deal i have seen is at tirerack.com but when i think about it, since it comes with a lifetime warranty, what if it goes out... then where do i go to get a new replacement? do i have to send it back to tirerack or go to a service center? lastly, do they give you a new strut right away because it doesnt seem to make any sense since my car will have no struts when i take them off to get a new one. Thanks for helping me clarify this.

[CrawlingEye]

If you want absolute stock, go with Monroe, they're pretty much an OEM replacement.

[dna59]

Yeah i just replaced my stock struts w/ Monroe couple months ago.

[Ikon]

go to sears auto...they charge ~$80 for the rear sturts each..plus they still got the lifetime warranty...they're monroe shocks/struts as well something goes wrong u take it back to them...make sure u keep ur receipt

just make sure u do the work urself cause i dont think anyone trusts they're mechs or service

[jimbo]

Who did you get to replace the springs? Do the Monroe's from Sears come with the top spring mount?

[Ikon]

Originally posted by jimbo
Who did you get to replace the springs? Do the Monroe's from Sears come with the top spring mount?

i swapped out my oe springs for h&r's a while ago, did the job at a friend's garage..in terms of a top spring mount..i think ur talking about the upper support?

the struts from sears are just struts no hardware...so if u plan on changing the rubber seats and insulators, etc..u need to get those before hand from the dealer

[dj14901]

Originally posted by fe519
hey everyone. I'm thinking about the KYB GR-2s because i need new struts bad. the best deal i have seen is at tirerack.com but when i think about it, since it comes with a lifetime warranty, what if it goes out... then where do i go to get a new replacement? do i have to send it back to tirerack or go to a service center? lastly, do they give you a new strut right away because it doesnt seem to make any sense since my car will have no struts when i take them off to get a new one. Thanks for helping me clarify this.

Shox.com is much cheaper than the tirerack for KYBs, I got mine through them and would highly recommend them to anyone.

If the warranty concerns you, then go to a local store. However, most warranties only cover the replacement parts, not the labor. The parts are cheap, the labor is very expensive, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the warranty.

Struts are (edit: a structural) part of the suspension, you won't be able to drive the car w/o them. You could theoretically drive your car w/o shocks, because they don't support anything structurally. Although I would never recommend doing that!!!

HTH -

DJ

[Ikon]

Originally posted by dj14901
You could theoretically drive your car w/o shocks, because they don't support anything structurally. Although I would never recommend doing that!!!

ur right u can't drive your car w/o shocks/strust in good condition but um yeah the shocks do support the car

1)they're bolted and connected to many suspension and steering pieces...from the axel to the control arm and brake assembly...essentially holding up the body as well *why else do you change ur springs and shocks/struts..um to lower ur ride height or higher it like on pickups or suvs

2)blown shocks or struts will bottom out creating a very horrible ride when going over bumps..rather than the shocks/struts taking the bump the car body as well as the rims(which are very expensive to straighten) would take the blunt of the force

[dj14901]

Originally posted by Ikon
ur right u can't drive your car w/o shocks/strust in good condition but um yeah the shocks do support the car

1)they're bolted and connected to many suspension and steering pieces...from the axel to the control arm and brake assembly...essentially holding up the body as well *why else do you change ur springs and shocks/struts..um to lower ur ride height or higher it like on pickups or suvs

2)blown shocks or struts will bottom out creating a very horrible ride when going over bumps..rather than the shocks/struts taking the bump the car body as well as the rims(which are very expensive to straighten) would take the blunt of the force

Here's a link to Monroe's website on the struts vs. shocks issue:

http://www.monroe.com/tech_support/tec_faq.asp#1

Here's a link to KYB's site:

http://www.kyb.com/support/faq.php

The point I was trying to make is that since the Camry mentioned in the original post has struts, he would have to have them replaced right away (or properly support the car until new ones were installed). You couldn't simply leave the car there w/o any struts on.

I was trying to make the distinction between shocks and struts, the two terms are not interchangeable. A strut is a structural suspension component, a shock is not.

In a vehicle with four shocks, you could take off the shocks and the vehicle's weight would still be supported by the springs. Shocks serve to dampen the springs movement, hence why most people prefer to call them dampeners...

HTH -

DJ

[maggotdecay]

I love KYB BR-2 shocks and struts, I have them on my Honda Accord, very good ride, a little tighter and sportier than stock, but to me, that's a good thing.

[fe519]

just wondering, how do you know when to replace the top mount on the struts? and do they really go out?