i told him i would buy the struts myself and he can install but would buying this and having him install them be all i need to buy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...spagenameZWDVW

if i plan on keeping everthing else OEM?

also do i have any cheaper alternatives?

 

the kyb gr2s are great. i would go with those. they last forever assuming you stick with everything else oem.

 

I wouldnt say they last forever, but they are good. Have you considered Tokico Illuminas?

 

Why does the link i posted say "Shock set contains the following".
and it names each front and rear part as a shock, i need to buy STRUTS are these "shocks" the same thing as what i need?

i feel like im asking a retarded question but id prefer to ask before spending and buying the wrong parts

 

Struts as I understand is the whole thing, shock+spring+spring seat+steering knuckle+...What you are looking at are shocks. You probably only need to replace the shocks.

 

Those are what you need.....The fronts are considered Mcpherson struts where the rears are still a controversy.....I call them struts where others call them shocks....The FSM says they are shocks but I still think they are struts...

But I digress....those are what you are looking for.

You are completely wrong.....struts are similar to shocks. Just instead the springs sits on a perch that is on the strut.....it has nothing to do with the spring/steering knuckle....

Its just one piece.....what he posted in the top.

 

haha yeh well not literally forever, but yeh id say go with the kyb gr2s or the tokico illuminas. they are IMO the best oem replacement struts. i currently have 2 yr old gr2s on tein htech springs, i drive pretty spiritedly and they have yet to give me problems.. get a set of gr2s or illuminas and you wont be disappointed. =)

 

You are thinking of the blues.....Illuminas are the performance design......Blues are the OEM replacement.

 

yeah the illuminas are 5 way adjustable. Never tried the blues. I got eibach pro kit with the illuminas and they ride good. Either way if you are lowering the car, the ride will be harsher. You are just replacing struts right?

 

yea, im just going to replace the struts.

thanks guys for all your help!! much appreciated...
i ordered the GR-2's and my mechanic will install them for $300 with an alignment.

this car will be my daily driver with some weekend trips, so im not looking to go overboard with mods.

 

I have KYB GR2s on my car now. They are about two years old now but still ride pretty rough.

 

rough?

Do you have aftermarket springs with your GR-2's?

 

GR-2s are OEM replacements. They should not ride any rougher than Monroe struts on stock springs.

Aftermarket springs and larger wheels can all affect ride quality as well.....

 

$300

 

o yeh youre right duh haha.


.... wait installed for 300?! install should cost like 20bucks per strut... and alignment should cost like 50 bucks... so (20 x 4) + 50 = 130... right? dont you guys think 300 for installing struts and alignment is a bit much??

 

i thought 300 is a good deal, an alignment usually goes for 75-100 here and last time i paid 400 to get struts and springs installed without and alignment on a mazda. so this whole time i thought 300 w/ alignment was a fair deal.

hmmm... can some others chime in on the price?

 

300 is a fair price for all 4.....It takes about 45 minutes with swapping springs and everything....so taking average hourly rate of 60 your looking at roughly 180 for the install and 100 bucks for the alignment and tax.



When I was naive on cars I was charged 400 to do rear struts......

 

Why did someone say the GR-2 are still rough after 2 years?

I need replacement OEM struts on stock setup for a cheap price, are these not the right choice for me? My whole family drives this car so I'm more into ride comfort than performance, but value is a concern.

WHat do you guys recommend?

 

i have gr2s f=on my car for 2 years now and i reall like the ride feel, i have the oem springs though, i needed to replace them after 100kto put on 06 se 18in rims , im not crazy abt suspension but they ride real good in my opinion. i paid 225+$40 flat labor so $265 for everything.

 

Monroe Sensatracs, you can usually find a good deal on them. I installed them a couple of years ago, am happy with the ride, very similar to OEM.

http://www.monroe.com/products/sensatrac_passenger.asp

 

it is all relative to your location. He's not charging you a ridiculous price. However, its pretty simple to change out your own suspension. The only hard part is if you don't have an air compressor. Compressing the springs using the spring compressor tool can take really long without air tools.

 

I get everything changed at Sears for free on my '96. Struts, shocks, springs, wheel alignment, the works. It was a 1 time thing back in the day. For as long as I have the car I get all that replaced free of charge. All I gotta do is bring the receipt and I'm good.

 

You don't need an alignment after strut replacement. On these cars, TOE is the only alignment adjustment, and that is not affected by strut replacement. You'll only need an alignment if you needed it before, and then the only thing they can change is toe..., so if your caster or camber isn't right, something is bent. Tell your mechanic that and make sure he doesn't charge you for an alignment (unless you needed it beforehand).

 

It's something you can do. It's pretty straight forward. Took me 6 hours because both my rear bolts were already stripped so I had to do alot of heating and twisting. But otherwise its pretty easy. I'll say ** out of ***** difficulty. Fronts are the easiest to do imo.