I basically never look under the front hood .

I am curious why you need to access the engine.

Yes, I never check fluids, look at belts, etc. Modern cars, especially new ones, kind of do not need so much tending to.

 

Something to be said for that. Absent a failure to crank, fluid leaks on the floor, loud noise from under the hood or illuminated idiot lights/messages or running with a crapo engine that burns oil there's really no need to open the hood between routine 3-4K oil changes.

I'm not a fan of prop rods, these Toyotas being my only ones other than a cheapo Ford Pinto that used them. But doesn't take much for a shorter person to figure out how to use them. When changing oil parked on ramps the top to the hood is way above my reach and all it takes to raise, lock and lower the hood is to use the prop rod to lift and lower the hood.

Prop rod hoods are gravity drop to lock but struts require a positive downward force to engage that second safety lock. I would consider installing struts if I knew for certain that my hands were the only ones that would ever touch the hood. However, all it takes is one mechanic to palm slam to shut that soft aluminum hood to leave a permanent souvenir of his efforts. And then who is to really blame........the mechanic who claims that unlike with all OEM prop rod Toyotas he's serviced he was forced to use the amount of force required because of the owner's modification; or the crying owner of the dented Toyota?

 

When I see cars on the highway sitting on the shoulder, I wonder to myself if they had checked their cars out before leaving would they be sitting on the side of the road. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. I don’t have a problem looking under the hood to make sure that there are no issues that could prevent a breakdown.

 

Yep, I love hood struts. You did well. Enjoy the new Highlander.

 

My big concern would be the amount of hand pressure I would need to apply in order to completely latch the hood. Would rather let gravity do that for me and keep the hood dent free.

 

Dents can happen with a prop rod too, not everyone knows how high to drop it from. I’ve seen mechanics use the palm press method because that’s how they were taught and will always do it that way.

I’ve had the redline tuning struts on the vehicle for about 8 months and I agree it’s worth every penny. After a few times you develop muscle memory and just do it effortlessly without even thinking about it. Should’ve come this way from the factory. My last 4 cars had them stock, and one was a Toyota.

I can open and close the hood with one hand, freeing the other hand to hold tools or a jug of fluid. Can’t do that with a prop rod. Comes in handy when it’s -20c and blowing snow and your washer fluid is empty.

 

I grew up around car repair. German cars. Those old cars were drop shut. Some even had aluminum lids like our Highlanders have. They deform easily with palm presses. I immediately knew to drop the HL hood.

I notice brackets must be riveted on. Knowing aluminum a little, I am might be concerned about that.

My original question to the OP stands: Why do you need to look ( so often? )

 

I notice brackets must be riveted on. Knowing aluminum a little, I am might be concerned about that.

So high speed train and plane travel is out of the question then ? How do you think those aluminum panels are held together ?

 

Hope you enjoy your new Highlander!

 

Thank you.

 

.02

Even should one disregard the possibility of carelessly slamming the hood and leaving a permanent palm print.....consider that the Highlander's hood closing mechanism was designed for drop closing using flimsy hinges specifically designed for drop motion with closing (gravity) forces applied only in a downward direction.

The aluminum hoods on my Silverado and gen 2 Traverse have and were specifically designed for strut closing.......however; they do/did not use single point thin gauge Highlander hinges which although more than adequate for drop closing were never designed for handling additional forces on the hood applied by struts. As in photo, hinges on aluminum hoods designed for struts are more meaty with 2-4 pivot points so it moves up and forward on opening and down and rearward on closing to compensate for upward and downward forces from the struts at their attachment points..........not thin gauge single pivot hinges like the Highlander. The purpose of the multiple pivot points working to counteract/redirect additional forces on the hinges originating from the struts; a force vector diagram will demonstrate the Physics.

Might not cause an everyday problem, but just like an over zealous mechanic closing the hood......maybe on a sub zero F day when the oil in the struts is like molasses, or if the strut should jam, the necessary closing force may be enough to either deform the hood at the strut mounting point(s) or more likely transfer the force and bend the cheapo drop hinges so that the back of the hood no longer seats flush with the fenders.

 

The above points are what engineers would address to normalize operational requirements.

Those operational requirements frequently translate to Toyota making market specific changes / additions / deletions from various iterations of the subject vehicle.

As can be seen the aftermarket hood struts and the factory other market struts are mounted in significantly different spots. Good or bad, can not say. Just different.

So who knows.

Our cars are still too new to know how well they will live in the long term. What real operational problems will pop up.

So if you like them, put the struts in. If something happens down the road then you will know whether or not they were really a good idea.......

 

Redline Tuning have been designing and selling hood QuickLIFT Systems since 2002. I'm seeing a bit of weird info, so I'll just post some facts about the systems. First, we have over 400 unique applications - we try to release a system for every vehicle that has a prop rod... we always have about 50 vehicles on our development list as new cars/trucks come out all of the time, as well as rolling changes that require investigation. We always look to release a bolt-in system, one where you can just mount a bracket in locations where bolts exist. However, this is not always possible - newer vehicles now use headlights that wrap from the front all the way through the usable inner fender. They also have plastic cladding and many other components that interfere with mounting locations that would make a system 'bolt-in'. So, our long-standing philosophy is to only release a system that works (I know, imagine that) - one that does not compromise function for the sole reason of being a bolt-in system. Sometimes we can get certain geometry to work, yet the function is not there - example of that would be one where the lifting angle is so low that the hood only lifts from the top few inches or one where the hood just will not stay open. We always want 20-30lbs of force at full open position, we want the hood to lift from mid-point or lower unassisted.

For the 2020+ Highlander Hood QuickLIFT System, we have hybrid mounting approach. We have found a hole in the GOR near the front of the headlight that allows us to use our patent pending blind insert to hold a ball-stud, and the hood bracket is then riveted into the position it needs to be for proper function and lifting height. To install our hood bracket we do not use standard rivets, you cannot buy our rivets at the store. These are used in aircraft and high-end automotive applications, these rivets are the absolute best way to attach two similar or dissimilar materials... we have been using this method for over 20 years and they should not be swapped out for a 'better' attachment method. They use the smallest hole and bind the bracket to ANY material (Steel, Aluminum, SMC, Carbon, fiberglass, etc.). We choose locations that strong and needed for proper lifting function.

Lastly, closing your hood. Stop over thinking this. Having struts on your car is no different than having a PITA prop rod, when it comes to closing your hood. You can pull it down and slam it, you pull is down and let it rest then dual palm shut. You can do whatever you want, the OEM puts rubber bumpers to stop the hood and the latch is the final physical stop, it cannot close further when it engages. You weren't going to hurt your hood with a prop rod and you are not going to hurt your hood with struts attached. It has absolutely no bearing on the hood. The lifting force reduces to zero in closed position, the hood and struts are parallel. The hood is attached to the car with a hinge assembly - it is strong, meant to keep your hood attached when you run your truck into a semi, it won't come off. This is ALL that we do here, design and manufacture all components, release the best possible QuickLIFT systems for every vehicle we can get our hands on. If we do not have the vehicle application, just contact us - we are in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a new system is free to any volunteer who comes by and spends a couple hours with us while we develop it. Any questions, just let us know.... I do not monitor forums, so feel free to contact us directly with any question, concern or otherwise about our products.

Thanks,
Brian
Redline Tuning
Highlander Hood QuickLIFT System

 

Redline Tuning have been designing and selling hood QuickLIFT Systems since 2002. I'm seeing a bit of weird info, so I'll just post some facts about the systems. First, we have over 400 unique applications - we try to release a system for every vehicle that has a prop rod... we always have about 50 vehicles on our development list as new cars/trucks come out all of the time, as well as rolling changes that require investigation. We always look to release a bolt-in system, one where you can just mount a bracket in locations where bolts exist. However, this is not always possible - newer vehicles now use headlights that wrap from the front all the way through the usable inner fender. They also have plastic cladding and many other components that interfere with mounting locations that would make a system 'bolt-in'. So, our long-standing philosophy is to only release a system that works (I know, imagine that) - one that does not compromise function for the sole reason of being a bolt-in system. Sometimes we can get certain geometry to work, yet the function is not there - example of that would be one where the lifting angle is so low that the hood only lifts from the top few inches or one where the hood just will not stay open. We always want 20-30lbs of force at full open position, we want the hood to lift from mid-point or lower unassisted.

For the 2020+ Highlander Hood QuickLIFT System, we have hybrid mounting approach. We have found a hole in the GOR near the front of the headlight that allows us to use our patent pending blind insert to hold a ball-stud, and the hood bracket is then riveted into the position it needs to be for proper function and lifting height. To install our hood bracket we do not use standard rivets, you cannot buy our rivets at the store. These are used in aircraft and high-end automotive applications, these rivets are the absolute best way to attach two similar or dissimilar materials... we have been using this method for over 20 years and they should not be swapped out for a 'better' attachment method. They use the smallest hole and bind the bracket to ANY material (Steel, Aluminum, SMC, Carbon, fiberglass, etc.). We choose locations that strong and needed for proper lifting function.

Lastly, closing your hood. Stop over thinking this. Having struts on your car is no different than having a PITA prop rod, when it comes to closing your hood. You can pull it down and slam it, you pull is down and let it rest then dual palm shut. You can do whatever you want, the OEM puts rubber bumpers to stop the hood and the latch is the final physical stop, it cannot close further when it engages. You weren't going to hurt your hood with a prop rod and you are not going to hurt your hood with struts attached. It has absolutely no bearing on the hood. The lifting force reduces to zero in closed position, the hood and struts are parallel. The hood is attached to the car with a hinge assembly - it is strong, meant to keep your hood attached when you run your truck into a semi, it won't come off. This is ALL that we do here, design and manufacture all components, release the best possible QuickLIFT systems for every vehicle we can get our hands on. If we do not have the vehicle application, just contact us - we are in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a new system is free to any volunteer who comes by and spends a couple hours with us while we develop it. Any questions, just let us know.... I do not monitor forums, so feel free to contact us directly with any question, concern or otherwise about our products.

Thanks,
Brian
Redline Tuning

Thank you for putting this out there. I do my research on items such as this to see which ones get the best ratings. Trust me, I read the reviews, both good and bad (if they're are any). Redline's system got the best ratings. Additionally, I checked with my dealership to ensure installation of this system would not void my warranty - which it doesn't. I'm pleased with the Quicklift system we installed on our 2021 Toyota Highlander Platinum. They were quick and easy to install and make a huge difference for me to get that hood up. We had a '67 Chevy Stepside truck and I don't think that hood was as heavy (haha). Plus, I would like to commend the company for being available after normal working hours. I called them on Saturday, October 2nd after 7p.m. expecting to get a voicemail and response on Monday. However, someone answered my call and questions. They steered me in the right direction as far as the riveter was concerned. The one we had wouldn't work with the rivets for the system. I didn't want to order one and then have to wait. They made recommendations as to where to look for one locally that would work. Thank you for your product.

For any naysayers - if you don't think much of this product, don't bash it on here or criticize those who have opted to install it on their vehicles, just don't order it for yourself.

 

I have Redline setup for nearly a year now without any issues. Im confident enough about engineering and durability of those and therefore completely removed prop rod and its clip.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I saw the YouTube car care nut put hood struts on his new 2022 Camry. Toyota stopped including them but the mounting holes are still in the hood & frame. That'll be one of my tweaks when we get our new Highlander.