is it worth it!!!

[Zain]

i have a 97 corolla dx
with 178k mjiles on it
i recently had my timming belt and rest of the belts replaced

it still has oem struts in it
n i think now its time to replace the struts
the car runs pretty smooth except for the vibration in the steering wheel
and i dnt know why it vibrates that much
i am willing to spend 400 dollars to get new kyb struts for my car
but i am not sure how long is my car gona last
and what kind of improvement in the ride should i be expecting after the struts are replaced
and yeh any whats the cheaper price i can get for KYB struts
any other suggestion for struts will be appreciated

[Zain]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-4...#ht_500wt_1182

i found this guy on ebay
but i dnt know if i can trust him or not..

also i feel vibration in the brake paddle when in press brakes
what could be causing that

[PhatRoyale]

Those should feel close to OEM ride quality. I've bought from that seller before. No problems at all.

The vibration when braking means that your brake rotors are likely warped and need replacing.

Get a new set of Brembo blank OEM replacement rotors.

[jmk1977]

Warped disks, I had the same exact problem with my olds achieva. Slammed the breaks when a guy pulled out in front of me and instantly it started to wobble.

BEFORE YOU GET NEW ROTORS. Lift up the front of your car with a jack and grab the tire at 3 and 9, now shake, if it doesn't move or wobble around like a bobble head then its your rotors, do it to both sides.

Easy way to check your wheel bearings .

if it passes that test get rotors. oh and don't forget new pads

[94PrizmDD]

Yea its def sounds like rotors and replace pads while your at it. Check your bearings, tie rods, axles, ball joints make sure suspension components are top notch, if any of them are bad replace them and do the struts at the same time. Get the car running real nice. Oh and you will love the kyb struts. I had blown struts on my Geo and after i replaced them, all i can say is wow what a difference.

[Zain]

the vibration or wobling started when i had my tires balanced like 3 monthes ago
it might be cos of that

[Zain]

and where can i get good quality pads
how about those ceramic rotors
how do they work?

[PhatRoyale]

You can get good pads at the Tire Rack. There is a sale going on at the moment.

For more info on carbon ceramic brakes read this:
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/tec...3/article.html

[speedy25]

New struts is a great idea. If your engine is still strong theres no reason why you wouldnt do it. Dont forget the upper mounts. Their condition may be OK or about to fall apart. One of the other posters here found out his werent attached to the car anymore! Typically you need new bump stops and boots. KYB has those as extra parts but MUCH cheaper than stock.

KYB's can be found at Summir racing for a decent price.

On the vibration- Warped rotors are the FIRST suspect but not the only one. You can get that same symptom from axles or other suspension parts. Check them all carefully while you have things apart.

There are LOTS of brake pads out there. Do your own comparisons to find out what you need.

-SP