I'm about to replace the struts on my GF's car with some GR2's on factory springs... was wondering if the strut tophats go bad on these frequently or should I just leave them? If they do I'll just replace them while I'm in there. I'm just asking because I've had a few cars where they would go out frequently on stock suspension and instantly on any stiffer suspension.

 

The strut mounts can fail eventually. If you still have the original strut mounts, I would recommend replacing them and the strut bearings while you are doing the job.

 

what else should be replaced when replacing shocks/springs, besides strut mounts and bearings?

 

dust boots?

 

oh yea, forgot that mine are all shredded up.

 

Yeah, if you haven't changed the tophats, definitely do so. You don't want to repeat the labor (and then factor an alignment) for trying to save on two front tophats. They are not cheap but you will rest easy that they will last. I cheaped out and ended up redoing the fronts later...don't make the same mistake. Especially if you are lowered, the strut mount insulator takes a beating.

 

DEFINITELY change:
1) Strut mounts (top hats),
2) Strut bearings (plastic ring bearing, often included with the strut mount - at least the KYB brand includes it)
3) Strut boots (rubber covering the struts to seal out dirt/debris).

I made the mistake of leaving the strut mounts (top hats) and bearings alone when changing my struts & springs. Within a year those parts were all starting to go bad - squeaking mounts, "clunking" when turning the wheel b/c of bearings losing lubrication - and more time spent fixing things I should have done from the start!

On a car of that age, those parts are bound to go bad in the near future. It's so much easier to change all of this stuff at once! It adds a few dollars to your repair, but worth every penny of future aggravation you will save!