Premium vs Gas charged shocks/struts

[Stanley Rockafeller]

ok, so after deciding against purchasing a new (to us)car for another little while, I've been looking into getting a new set of struts at all 4 corners of the Escort.

After pricing a few different retailers, I've noitced that the premuim Monroe struts are obviously more $ than the gas charged lineup/

The corresponding warranty on the prem line is lifetime, while the standard ones are only for 2 years.

I'm planning and taking the leap and getting all 4 done, with bellows (boots), and front upper mounts (cause one of mine are making some interesting clunk sounds.)

Is there any huge different in performance b/t the 2 sets? I recall going with gas on my 84 Rabbit many years ago, and they went well for the 2 years I had my car...dunno how well they faired for the next owner of the car.

thanks in advance guys!

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

P.S. we (I) still wanna get a Volvo wagon, but I'm gonna wait till we get a house first, then get somethign like a 00ish v70 wagon, as the V40/50 is a little too small from the reviews I've read, and the 850 (tho i still prefer the design of those cars), is much better looking than the V/S70 lineup.

Thanks in advance!

 

[PandaBear]

Do not get Monroe, I repeat, do not get Monroe. They don't last very long. The standard plain vanilla KYB GR2 and Tokico HP (blue) are both lifetime warranty and much more durable. Monroe is for mechanics that does the job for the cheapest price for the cheapest customers.

Don't get Monroe.

 

[TurboJim]

I think it would be difficult to find a shock or strut that wasn't gas charged anymore. Sometimes you only get what you pay for. You want to do this just once so get something with a lifetime warranty.

This site might be of interest: http://www.feoa.net/modules.php?name=Forums

 

[Volvohead]

I couldn't agree with PB more. If you buy a Monroe or Gabriel, you'll be replacing it much sooner than you think. These are pure price point parts.

A major portion of a strut/shock job cost is for labor, both installation and often realignment.

Unless it's a vehicle you plan to dump soon, spend a little more and get a quality damper from the likes of Bilstein, Koni or KYB. They'll also ride much better from the get-go than the above two.

 

[Drew99GT]

I agree totally as well. Put a set of Monroe Sensatracks on my 94 Corolla last year and while not feeling blown and broken like the OEMs that came off, they do feel like they've loosened up a bit. You can find Bilsteins or Tokicos online for LESS than what your mechanic will middle you for a set of Monroes. The guy that put mine on charged me 130 each when his price was likely 80; he wouldn't budge. Later, I found a set of Bilsteins for 400 total. Live and learn. Check out shox.com

 

[surfstar]

If you can, do the strut replacement yourself. Its not that hard at all. My biggest DIY before that was a starter replacement, but I was able to tackle new struts, strut mounts, and lower control arms, with no problems and saved a TON of laber and part markup costs. Borrow/rent a spring compressor and the rest is just hand tools and elbow grease.

I got a set of KYB GR2s for a little over $200 shipped - just shop around online. Lifetime warranty on 'em too.

 

[PandaBear]

I have replaced the shocks/struts myself and the only problems I ran into are:

1) some spring compressor won't clear the assembly (eg. Civic and Integra) with the metal dust cover on, so you should rent the spring compressor wisely.

2) Get a breaker bar, I used a rachet to break loose the bolts and the rachet snapped.

3) Get a spare car around, so if you run into some problem you can bring the assembly to the shop (I bought my shock/spring to a tire place to compress for $36, because the clearance of my spring compressor).

That's it, not a hard thing to DIY.

 

[Volvohead]

One caveat about DIY on strut work. Make sure you have a good quality compressor and know how to use it. One mistake can send you to the hospital. It is otherwise an easy job.

 

[Master ACiD]

im doing the struts and shocks on my vw right now. i bought some monroe brand because they are very cheap, and i plan on selling the car in 2 years anyways, so i dont care if they last much longer.

 

[Ken4]

Here are some pics of my shock absorber job. It was 2 days of back breaking work.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t150790.html

 

[mechtech2]

We can't get any shocks that are not gas charged, nowadays.
Premium or not, it is how they are designed, now.

 

[TurboJim]

Ken4 thanks for the write up!