Well this morning i was outside working on my car gettin ready to clean her up, and i noticed when i was wiping my wheels that my struts have cracks in the boots. I would assume that this means i need new struts and springs, am i right? I am now thinking maybe i will just lower my car, i was thinking about getin H&R springs and tokico illuminas struts. I hear they are a great combo and will give me a ride that has the feel of the stock suspension minus the horible wheel gap and crummy turning. Is this a good idea, and how much will this cost me.

Here are some pics of my struts
Driver Side:


Passenger Side:


-Tom

 

YEP, time for a whole new suspension and lowering kit.













PS. im just talking junk. i dunno what im talking about but i know this is the answer your looking for.

 

well if you are just looking for an excuse to lower your car, then yeah its time. But no as long as your struts are not leaking you are fine. Those little cracks on the boots don't mean nothing. My boots are in like 4 pieces

 

Thanks, i wana lower but i dont really wana do it yet so atleast i have time.

 

Yea the struts themselves look fine. Theres no leaking going on. But if you want to replace it all go ahead.

 

Atleast you still got boots, mines are barely, I mean barely hangin on, 4" gaps between them. I mean, um, your junk is shot, time to slam it......

 

Haha... I haven't had boots for a few years.

In the off roading world, boots are considered bad by most because they hold contaminents right next the the shaft and seals. No big deal unless you just want an excuse.

 

yea, you still have boots on your struts. as long as i have owned mine none of them had boots. there is just a little peice on either end where they used to be in some long forgotten time.

good exuce to drop the car though

 

You were wondering about price of the setup that you suggested?
.....do you have an arm and a leg?
....That is what you need right there.

 

Mine look the same. I posted a few days back and people said that as long as the struts aren't bothering me not to worry about it

 

My boots are all ripped up the same way, anyway, kinda the same situation here. I went to get my car inspected and failed because of a leaky rear driver side strut, so I said **** it and bought Tokico Illumina kit from custom maxima.

 

I don't think a bad strut will always leak. When a strut no longer does its job of damping the suspension, it's time to replace it. If it's shot, you'll notice the car doesn't settle down quickly after hitting a bump. The car will continue to "bounce" on the springs after hitting bumps. Also, the springs don't really wear out. As long as they're not cracked, they're OK. However, if you want to lower it, go for it. I just did, and I love it! Also consider getting new mounts/bearing for the front, and of course, new boots all the way around.
Good luck.

 

thanks for the help... im gona hold off for now and start saving after i do some other mods first.

 

Do i need the boots? b/c i got my Illuminas/H&Rs installed today, and they took them all off i think...

 

I don't think that you have bad struts if your boots are shot but if i were in your situation go for an upgrade or new/used struts.

I have a set of OEM struts for sale if you need them. This is for your own good.

 

your struts are in perfect condition. you dustboots are only torn by a tiny bit. u should see mine, all stripped away, yet my shocks are still running strong.

you can run shocks without dustboots, but it's recommended to pair up shocks with dustboot to let the shock last longer. my friend with koni yellow did not have any dustboots for 2 years, his shocks are in perfect condition.

if you want, you can replace the dustboots (which IMO is not necessary at all).