Strut boots! Fix or Forget?

[eyeball96]

When putting on my new wheels I noticed the rubber boots around my strut shafts were turning to dust! pieces of rubber hanging. I did a search and I'm still confused.

Should the boots be replaced? the camry has 105,000, rides and handles fine (for me) doesn't make any noise. If I don't replace them will it shorten the life of the struts? I have no clue how long they've been in the shape there in. Its possible I did this to them in 2000 driving 300 miles in an Ice storm (destroyed my cv boots then)

Of course they'll be replaced when I get new struts, I don't want to speed that process up though!

I don't want to pay for new boots then 2 months later have to pay for struts.

How can I tell if my struts are shot? I know shocks, don't know struts.

Thanks in advance for any information Joe

[mrastudent]

You have to disassemble the strut to replace them, so wait until you do the struts. They're not really that good IMO, they don't always cover the piston rod anyway. You check shocks and struts the same way.

[eyeball96]

I guess then I'll forget them for now........so I push on the corner and watch for the # of times the car bounces....then the struts are OK at 105,000.. Thanks

[PahokCamry]

well, if i hit a road, i bounce 5 times on my gen 2, if i got fat people sitting in the rear i scrape my tires. lol. I just installed new rims/tire package without changing my struts, so im practically ridding on air lol.

I finnally killed my struts when i did a not fast but too furious lol, over a hill in my neighborhood, i hopped the hill n was at least a foot or 2 off the ground.

[DAMON]

"I finnally killed my struts when i did a not fast but too furious lol, over a hill in my neighborhood, i hopped the hill n was at least a foot or 2 off the ground."

[eyeball96]

pahokcamry....Do your struts make noise when their shot? or you just bounce alot.

I don't bounce and have a smooth quiet ride, so I assume my struts are OK

What kind of wheels and tires did you get?

[amerikim]

Easiest way for checking if struts still working is to push down on the car hard, if it bounces more than twice, struts are worn. Look at the shock itself in the wheel well.
If you can see oil coming down it's body, probably blown seal. Replace the shocks.

Edit: If you do decide to replace the strut boot, make sure it's OEM. The universals don't work really well.

[_VVTi_]

are the KYB ones from Tirerack consider as OEM?