I am just looking at replacing my 97 struts.. 85K miles on the car.. Not looking to lower etc..

Just want it to be as good as new... Looking for advice on cost effective part choices..

Loaded would be simple ... and might as well replace it all.

Symptoms are some clunks when turning (upper mount?) .. and bouncy over washboard type roads.. and clunks over expansion joins.. Just seems not composed.. I have never done sway bar bushings but don't know if that could be the culprit.

Just did lower rad support so all of that should be solid now..

 

Search. Check rockauto for complete front setup spring included Make install really easy.

 

Put Monroe Sensatrac's quick struts in it and be done with it.
Easy to do and they ride really nice too.
Check the front sway bar end links, they losen up over time.

 

I recently had some monroe quick struts installed in the front and it made a world of a difference compared to my shot oem ones. I was experiencing a squeaking/creeking noise when i turned or went over a bump and i thought it would go away after the quick strut assy replacement, it didn't. Turns out its my lower control arm bushing on the driver side making that noise. Im getting that done early next week

 

I did my LCAs and sway bar links last year so im hoping they are not spent already. I do have a litle squaking but I think its in the rears.. I was going to do the fronts first ..

Do my symptoms of just a little jittery over multiple bumps, expansion joints, and some clunking sometimes when turning the wheel to say backup or turn into a driveway sound like a strut is a likely culprit ?

I also did half shafts last year or the year before I guess ( driver side had to get REDONE last year after it came OUT of the trans making me think I had lost my trans..nasty grinding noises as I coasted to a stop..ends up the pn they sent me was not exactly the same.. smaller ring on end )..

Is that monroe quick strut fine for the SE vs any other models of max ?

 

+1

 

Another vote for Monroe. I just put OEspectrums on my dads 07 and my g/fs Alti. I got them through Advance auto using coupon codes and rebates. If you are not going to lower you car they are they way to go.

 

Does the quick strut have the OESpectrum base strut in it or something cheaper?

 

Monroe or Bilstein

 

Monroe says the quick strut uses a premium strut. The part numbers are similar, the quick strut has a 1 in front of the oespectrum's part number.

Bilsteins? For a Max? Yea right.

 

Yes.. I chatted with someone and they say the Sensa-track strut.. The pn for the quick strut having the 1 in front of it sure makes me think its the same but I think its not based on this info..

So.. if I go the quick route.. I don't get the OESpectrum.. Do I care ? I want it to be OE quiet .. or as quiet as it once was anyway.. but the quicks are lim lifetime so might as just give them a whirl.

http://www.monroe.com/products

 

If you do this job . . . beware of the dust boots/bump stops. Napa will sell you some generic kind. do yourself a huge favor and get oem online. If you don't, they won't fit right.

 

If you do this job . . . beware of the dust boots/bump stops. Napa will sell you some generic kind. do yourself a huge favor and get oem online. If you don't, they won't fit right.

 

If you do this job . . . beware of the dust boots/bump stops. Napa will sell you some generic kind. do yourself a huge favor and get oem online. If you don't, they won't fit right.

 

So I did the front monroe quick struts on my 97 se.

I am not sure if its my imagination.. but it seems very jittery now.... perhaps quieter over large bumps but constantly dancing .. as if the tires are over inflated or something.

Could there be any reason for this ?

I only did the fronts.. not rears.. and not sure if they are the problem but really was not this annoying before I did anything.. I may even put the old ones back on.. if i can't get this understood..

Appreciate any thoughts

 

If you are sure everything is installed correctly, then it might be the rears. or maybe it is the spring monroe uses.

 

Your used to the float feeling of your worn out components.
The rear is probably very soft still and making the now firm front stand out more.

 

I would hate to spend another $200 on the rears and find it just makes it even worse.. I'm not sure how to really know the ones I installed are what they are supposed to be.

If the front is firm and back mushy.. would it get into some strange oscillation stuff over bumps that could be what I am feeling ?

As far as I know, we installed them correctly.. studs only fit in holes one way.. 3 bolts.. 2 lowers.. zip zip.. done.. (did forget the paper gasket we noticed late in the game ).. Doubt that's my issue..

appreciate the thoughts as always..

 

I think you are going to have a very hard time determining if there is something "wrong" with the quick struts. All you can compare to is what others who have them say regarding ride quality. I have no clue how those ride. I only changed the struts - not the springs. My guess is that they may ride differently than oem.

Most likely, you still have the original struts on the rear and those are shot too. Look at them and see whether they are oem (will be just black) or aftermarket and whether the dust boots are completely shot. That should tell you their condition.

When I did the fronts on my 96, I did them before I did the rears. I could definitely feel a looseness in the rear end that impacted the overall ride quality. I hadn't really felt it before.

It doesn't make sense to go back to the old spring/strut combo if you thought they were bad. So, I think your options are to pull off the quick struts and go back to oem, or try changing the rear and see what happens. You could probably change the rears, test drive, and still be able to get your money back if you purchased at someplace local.

Also, as the poster above said, you probably have other worn suspension components.

Good luck.

 

I bought the car from my brother at 3 yrs old so I know everything was original then.. The rears are for sure original..

The symptom when replacing the fronts was just long oscillations when going over say.. railroad tracks.. washboard roads.. etc. I figured after 15 years. .it was time.. The boots were all tattered.. I presume the rears look the same but I have not really looked much..

If its likely doing the rears will make it behave better overall, i'm probably game to try it. Not sure about the returning thing though.. as once I install.. i thought all bets are off on returning unless there is really something wrong with them.

I think based on the price and the coupons.. advance is as cheap as anyone (did the fronts from amazon for about $120 each I think )

 

Well you're supposed to get an alignment after changing those.. So that could be your issue

 

I had that thought as well.. it tracks so nicely.. always has.. is it just a tie rod that they could adjust ? Not sure what else is adjustable..

I guess its cheaper than the new struts for the rear.. but then if I do rears.. and have to do again, i will really feel dumb.

 

Alignment isn't going to change the ride.
Do the rears and I think you'll feel the ride even out more. A firm front end coupled with a soft rear doesn't produce a nice ride at all.

 

Very odd, I feel the same way. I notice that my wheel gap seems to be huge after the quick struts. What's really unusual is I did the quick struts in front, and KYB's in the rear, and I feel like my ride is no better. And there were blown struts in the rear left and front right for a couple of years. Not to mention the front end squeals when turning sharply. I just feel like whatever, 4 new struts has to be better than the originals being 14 y.o. Just that the ride didn't seem to have improved....

 

Thats the only thing I dont like about sensatracs is that they tend to raise the height my wifes 4th gen slightly.They raised the rear of my I30 slightly as well when i put them on the rear of that vehicle about 3 years ago.im anxious to go back to the Tokicos now.

 

Anyone know the spec for something to measure as to what these were supposed to be when new? For sure mine is higher then before I did them but I did not take any measurements to prove it. With the rears not done its probably more obvious. I just measured about 7.5" from the middle of the front fender curve to the top of the rim (SE).. or 9.5" from the ground to the underside of the front part of the front fender closest to the wheel.. I measured about 6.5" from the same spot on the rear fender to the top of the rim on the centerline..

If only doing the fronts is likely to contribute to this jittery feel.. the rears we will do. I just don't really have any symptoms to me that warrant doing the rears.

I'm still hearing a clunk in the front here and there over abrupt bumps and not sure what it is yet.. Did LCAs (with dormans) , sway bar links (moog) last year.. Did lower rad support recently with nissan parts... and now front strut assemblies.. Should be pretty tight I would have thought.

I have not done the sway bar bushings which I presume could be clunky if shot.. I've never done tie rod ends either..

Any other likely candidates for a clunk when hitting abrupt bumps ?

Fishing I know..I'm an amateur.. just joe aging car owner.. ignore me if you want.. I am used to it from home..

4dsc4ever ..

 

I had a clunk at slow speeds and one shop told me it was my struts. I took it to a different shop to have the struts replaced and they told me that it wasn't the struts but the ball joints that were bad. They replaced those and the clunk is gone. I still expect that my struts might need to be replaced but the shop said they were fine right now, so I'll deal with those at a later date.

 

I hope in my case the lcas I did last year , which include lower ball joints, are not bad already. If so, the dormans are crap. They have a lifetime warranty on them .. but still.. i did think things were quiet after I replaced them.. if a year did them in.. i should learn my lesson about cheap parts...

 

Do your self a favour and get an alignment that squeal will go away when you do. Your front wheels are not parallel.

 

So I'll add this.. i have noticed on a few not that sharp left turns... i have heard a squeal in the tires..

Does that point to alignment being worth the $70 or whatever it is and see if that addresses the jittery feeling as well ? I figured i had a low tire but have not checked pressure yet.. Just heard it yesterday a couple of time..

 

If i were u I would have done the rears first. The rears take morst of the force when turning and u want them firm planted on the ground not floating or bouncing all over the place.

If the fronts feel more stiff now, they are supposed to because they are new.