Budget struts?

[buck91]

What are the go-to options for budget oriented loaded strut assemblies these days? I've used the Monroe quickstruts in the past and they were functional but not great and I'd prefer to go with something a little nicer if I can still save money. KYB? Anybody run the Detroit Axle brand? I've had mixed results with their suspension pieces and figure you basically get what you pay for.

 

[eljefino]

I've run bearings from Detroit Axle that were fine. What is your hesitation in picking up a new skill, and tool, and compressing your own springs so you can buy naked struts?

Premade struts can be a wild west of mis-matched parts that only work with that strut, so you lose your "good" factory upper mounts.

 

[BrendanC]

this past summer a friend of mine brought his 2017 ram 1500 to me for a complete front end rebuild. he provided KYB struts. after reassembling the truck the front end sat considerably lower than it had before and they could not align it. ended up being the KYB struts bending and not having enough spring pressure to hold the front end up of a half ton.

house brand AAP struts get my vote. can get them very cheap using discount codes and they carry decent warranties.

 

[buck91]

I've run bearings from Detroit Axle that were fine. What is your hesitation in picking up a new skill, and tool, and compressing your own springs so you can buy naked struts?

Premade struts can be a wild west of mis-matched parts that only work with that strut, so you lose your "good" factory upper mounts.

Seems like there is a LO of contention on what DIY-level spring compressors are worth buying/using. Thats about my ONLY hesitation.

 

[D60]

I ordered some uber-cheap SenSens on ebay for my wife's F150. I think it was from Shock Warehouse? They were supposed to be place-holders while the unreliable Icons were rebuilt.

I haven't installed them but now I'm kinda hoping they can just work for awhile with spacers to maintain the ride height. I have to imagine even cheap SenSens ride better than 100% blown Icons

But yeah, your best bet is a spring compressor and swap just the struts. I personally saw Monroes last 14k on a KL Cherokee (he had receipts from previous shop). When I took 'em apart it was not just "easy to push by hand" --- it was slider literally slopping around side to side in the body. I'm not sure anything could be WORSE??? 14,000 miles

 

[D60]

Seems like there is a LO of contention on what DIY-level spring compressors are worth buying/using. Thats about my ONLY hesitation.

In that vein I wonder about this style? It seems to also be sold as Carlyle and Cornwell at higher prices

Floor-Mounted 2,200 Lbs. Spring Compressor

Cal-Van Tools CAL91300 Floor-Mounted 2,200 Lbs. Spring Compressor | Great Deals at National Tool Warehouse

www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com

 

[supton]

Seems like there is a LO of contention on what DIY-level spring compressors are worth buying/using. Thats about my ONLY hesitation.

I hear you. Still need an alignment right? Are you saving that much over a shop using their compressor?

 

[buck91]

I hear you. Still need an alignment right? Are you saving that much over a shop using their compressor?

Well, quite a bit no doubt.

 

[eljefino]

For spring compressors I started with something like this from Hobo freight which worked but the side loading of the hooks caused the all-thread to wear away at the structure of the hooks so I binned them after doing a dozen or so struts.

Upgraded to these which are made of appropriate tool steel. These are probably the ones you'd loan a tool from Autozone if you were really cheap. They work fine. You sound like you have respect for the loaded bomb you could be holding. Take it slow when you compress things and you'll get a feel for how much further you'll have to go. A common FWD sedan with Macpherson struts will have way softer springs than, say, a Mercedes with discrete coils.

 

[skyactiv]

In that vein I wonder about this style? It seems to also be sold as Carlyle and Cornwell at higher prices

Floor-Mounted 2,200 Lbs. Spring Compressor

Cal-Van Tools CAL91300 Floor-Mounted 2,200 Lbs. Spring Compressor | Great Deals at National Tool Warehouse

www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com

The average DIY'er isn't going to spend the money on that. I've done struts several times using a cheap $30 compressor tool without it killing me.

 

[Kira]

^^Much like the ones I've used half-a-dozen times...so I'm an expert.
Just proceed carefully and incrementally......keep the compression even.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Monroe is probably better than Detroit Axle

The good news is that Ford offers Motorcraft quick struts, so if it's for any of the cars in your sig, that is the best option.

 

[BigCahuna]

Back when I had my '02 Explorer, It needed struts at about 150k miles. I bought a set of Sen-Sen struts off the internet . I never used them before and the price was right. I put 4 of them on as a complete assembly's. The first thing I noticed about then was they sat about 2 inches higher than the original ones did. That was fine with me because I felt the original strut swere a bit sagy. They also felt like the ride was a bit stiffer. Also I was fine with that. I didn't want to use the original springs because after 150k miles, a couple had broken. Plus you'll never get the best ride with old used springs. I didn't have any issues with that brand of struts for 100k miles, until the trans went on the explorer. I'd buy them again if I needed struts.,,,

 

[Mainia]

Start out right, and get a proper tool when dealing with that kind of spring energy. Cost of doing business and your safety. I have used the cheap crap and never liked using them. Now doing any kind strut I have a safe tool for the job.

Amazon.com

 

[GMBoy]

The FCS brand from Rockauto has been pretty decent.

 

[D60]

Start out right, and get a proper tool when dealing with that kind of spring energy. Cost of doing business and your safety. I have used the cheap crap and never liked using them. Now doing any kind strut I have a safe tool for the job.

Amazon.com

HF sells a copy

Clamshell-Style Strut Spring Compressor

Amazing deals on this Strut Spring Compressor at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Mainia]

HF sells a copy

Clamshell-Style Strut Spring Compressor

Amazing deals on this Strut Spring Compressor at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

There you go. A good find, even a better price. At that price, no one should buy the pos single per side designed ones. Clam shells are the way to go.

 

[edyvw]

There you go. A good find, even a better price. At that price, no one should buy the pos single per side designed ones. Clam shells are the way to go.

I think I might go with this for my project of lifting Atlas. @Trav, what do you think?

 

[74DartSport]

Used Detroit Axle struts. One rear was manufactured incorrectly, warranty was a pain to process. Spring rates were much higher, car sat considerably higher. Too stiff for me. Also one locknut on a front strut backed off and the strut rod rattled around for a while.
Not a fan.

 

[Mainia]

I think I might go with this for my project of lifting Atlas. @Trav, what do you think?

I have an 35 year old clam shell unit that has had about 25 to 30 cars done with it without one spring movement issue. Still going strong. Mine does not have the safety pins in it. The reason I bought it was I had a spring movement issue with one of the one per side version and about crapped my pants. I had a car coming in for a set of struts after that incident and before I could buy the clam shell so I used hose clamps on the springs to at least "try " to hold them in place. I did a bunch of cars before this with the one per side one. All it took was one violent slip to say F this, my safety is too important.