got my 4 struts done yesterday and they are very stiff
got them done at Midas
they are supposed to be the equivalent of stock struts (2000 GLE)


they feel like a heavy duty truck shock, they handle the road but I feel every dip and mark that is in the road..

my question is will the shocks get softer like the factory struts were?

 

Do you know which brand/model of struts Midas used?

Maybe check your paperwork.

 

there are no part numbers on the paperwork
just says

2 op struts front
2 op struts rear
and of course labor

the tech says give them a couple of weeks they should soften up.

I never heard of that,,, softening up.

 

i think you just have to go back there and bend over, cause you got screwed.. sounds very sketchy if they don't tell you what they put in.

Did you trust the midas touch?

 

Factory struts from Nissan are just simple oil filled struts, where most aftermarket replacements are gas charged oil filled struts (this is better). The gas charge keeps the oil from foaming, unfortunately the gas charge also usually makes the car ride a little stiffer. I would have to agree about giving them a little time to get broken in a bit.
BTW: I work in the parts dept at a Nissan dealer, and see this a lot.

 

KYB makes nissan OEMs, is that correct?

 

Just wondering.....how much did you pay for the struts, and how much for the labor?

 

If Midas Did Them, Then Most Likely They Are Monroes Sensatrac. Those Shocks/struts Are Stiff As Hell. I Had Them Put On My Mazda And The Car Rode Hard As Hell. Try And Look Under The Car To See If They Are Black And Have The Monroe Sticker On Them.

 

Try Tokico.

 

Tokico and KYB make the Nissan OEM struts. When I ordered the fronts from DaveB it was Tokico, and the ones on my car which were shot too were Tokico.

 

ya maybe give it a week or so of driving it might soften up. i remember on my other car when i changed suspensions and got new kyb gr2's they were pretty stiff after the install and after about a week they were a lot smoother.

 

the shocks are black, but dont see any monroe stickers on them

 

Yea, my struts were pretty stiff too when I put them on. I fixed this by just dialing them all to #3. .

 

Then that cancels out Tokico blues and Kyb gr2. Its possible they are stock shocks from the dealership(made by tokico). What did they charge you for the parts. And if you don't see any monroe stickers then its a good chance they are factory/stock nissan shocks from the dealer. Did you leave your car while the work was beind done or did you wait.

 

A member of the ORG. and you didn't put on Tokikos. Shame on you! And shame on you for letting Midas touch your car. You gotta get with the program. This site is here to help you avoid learning the hard way.

 

What's the difference between stock Tokicos and Tokico blues?

 

should have bought tokico and not midas brand shocks

 

You sure should have. Learning the hard way hurts!

 

Well, one is blue and the other one is white. It's a color preference. By the way the white ones also have this little dial on top for some sort of adjustment.

 

are you talking about the illuminas? or the stock shocks have a dial on top for adjustments?

 

stock = no dial (obvious observation)
Illuminas = 5 adjustments
Blues = no adjustment

Stock struts are made by Tokico, but they are not as superior as buying the illuminas. I would venture to say that the blues are even an improvement over stock. Logicly speaking, from the stock setup, it would be more cost effective to just make a standard strut that could be mass produced for Nissan to save money but still get the job done. Anything aftermarket is generally better, as long as you know what youre looking for. If you dont, ask. Never assume anything and never buy ANYTHING (other than OEM) unless you RESEARCH it first!

 

i have friends that work in midas they say every part they put on is cheap but they overcharge like crazy

 

Dude, this response just plain SUCKS.

Tokico is the company whom manufactures the struts. The OEM struts are just a generic black, and IIRC, don't have a specific name. Just plain-ol' struts.

The blue ones are Tokico Blues. These are non-adjustable struts that are a healthy balance between performance and comfort, more on the comfort side. These are an outstanding upgrade over OEM struts.

The Tokico Illuminas (White) are a 5-way adjustable strut. The 5-way adjustment allows for the driver to determine how the weight may be transferred in the strut itself. For instance, setting the spring on '5' will cause the weight to shift such that it is geared towards auto-crossing whereas a setting of '1' will allow for a much more comfortable response albiet at the cost of performance.

Iluminas > Blue (= KYB) > OEM

 

Dont you have that backwards? 5 is stiff and 1 is soft........

 

Corrected. My bad.