gabriel ready mount strut

[XJay]

Hi guys:
My Acura Integra has 172K miles in it. I am thinking of changing the oem strut/shock with
Gabriel ready mount strut. I think Amazon is having a sale on these. Any thoughts?

 

[skyactiv]

I would be upset if the springs were softer.

 

[XJay]

I installed the Ultra in my Jeep, it gives me a robust response.

 

[SteveSRT8]

I have no clue on their struts, but Ultras on our fleet trucks are an excellent shock at a great price.

 

[tommygunn]

They are awesome! No need to mess around with a spring compressor, and Gabriel makes quality shocks.

Use them with confidence.

 

[DBMaster]

It would, to me, depend upon your level of DIY ability. I have used Monroe Sensatrac in the past on my 89 Accord. Since the car was very old the pre-assembled sets were not made for it. I have a $30 set of spring compressors (Amazon) that are ideal for compressing Honda springs. As you know, the assemblies in the front have very small diameter springs on which standard spring compressors pretty much won't work.

I would have to know how much more the ready to use sets cost to know if the labor savings is worth the extra money. When you are talking Honda I have doubts that the springs would be as good as what came on the car, but then, do they need to be as good?

 

[XJay]

Four corners, it cost about $300.00 from Amazon. I have to figure out the installation cost.
The 13 y.o. if it could give me another 3-5 years I'll be happy. I am thinking of keeping it.

 

[DBMaster]

I'm talking about doing it as a DIY job. $300 is not bad. I paid somewhere around $240 for the "struts" alone. Honda/Acura do not use struts. Honda calls them "dampeners," though, they do resemble struts. The key difference is that the suspension still has separate control arms as well as upper and lower ball joints not incorporated into the dampener/spring assembly.

I would not use aftermarket springs, period, but I can't say that I have experience with them, either. I did have plenty of experience with aftermarket control arms and ball joints. The cheap junk, while it may cost less than half, lasted two years. OEM quality components last in excess of ten years. So, what's your satisfaction and convenience worth?

 

[The Critic]

OEMs can use a variety of different springs for a given model. Auto? Manual? With sunroof? There are probably a few different part numbers for your car, and the aftermarket has instead, decided that one spring can handle it all. Someone's going to see a noticeable difference compared to before, and it may not be a good one.