Question about New Struts...

Just went to get oil change, and mechanic says I need new struts. Havent talked specifics with him yet, but is this something that needs to be taken care of right away, or something that can wait for a while?

 

Worn out shocks and strut assemblies on the front will eventually compromise the rest of the suspension components I would think. I just did mine, and what a difference in the ride. I knew they were all worn out but I had gotten used to the ride and slow deterioration of damping after 90,000 miles. Mine were worse than I imagined after i got them off and looked them over. All spring, with all the damping force gone. Inexpensive for OEM quality replacements @Rock Auto. I bought the Monroe's from there and they were an exact fit and so far, they're great.

 

truck has 142,000 on it, probably never had them changed. I put a 3 inch leveling kit up front maybe 10k mies ago. You think the struts were just going bad from age/mileage? mechanic quoted 700 for both front left and front right so i will probably get it done in the next month.

 

I'm sure they were due at that mileage, mine were gone long before 90,000 miles. I was just being lazy but it turned out not to be a bad job and the result is still making me smile when I drive it now. Totally stock, one owner truck, so I can't speak to the lift. I wonder if the lift will stress other suspension parts? Others will perhaps chime in on that. Depending on the strut assemblies used, $700.00 seems a bit pricey, unless the rear shocks are included. My dealer quoted me $1500.00 for them to do all four corners with OEM Toyota parts, and independent shop quoted me $750.00 using the same Monroe's I used. Local auto parts house wanted about $600.00 for the same parts (Monroe's) that I bought from Rock Auto, for about half of that price delivered in about 3 days. Big savings, DYI and buying through Rock Auto. Good luck, cheers.

 

If they’re not leaking and pass the bounce test, it’ll get through inspection.

It’s not something that’s necessarily immediate.

It’s also not a strut, it’s a coil over shock; only the shocks get replaced.

 

The whole strut assemblies (as Rock Auto calls them) are available as well. All new parts, including springs ready to go with no need to compress, remove, and reinstall the old spring. That's the way I went, I did that once on a Toyota Celica and it was a lot of extra work to swap the spring. This way everything was new and just a swap.

 

Interesting...first time I’ve seen this being done in the aftermarket for the first gen but I haven’t replaced my original shocks since 2010 so I haven’t been looking.

Now if Bilstein would make a strut for their 5100s that fit our truck.

 

I was unaware of the whole assemblies well. I have a friend, that is friend of a guy that has been in the auto-parts business for a long time and owns a Napa Auto. He said these Monroes are a good replacement for a daily driver and comes as an assembly. For my stock, on road only, light duty truck, it was a no brainer for me to go this route. I can't remember how it felt as new 20 years ago, but the results with these new units are just great. A very controlled ride now, with great rebound damping. For the money and 4 hours of my time, I'm super happy. I didn't realize how shot the original set was until i put the new ones on. First time using Rock Auto as well and all of it shipped for $12.00 and took only 3 days to my porch.

 

For a Non-TRD truck the Monroes will do fine... if you want to firm things up a bit the TRD suspension came with Bilsteins from the factory...
This seems to be one of the best prices out there... https://www.bilsteinlifts.com... and they offer many types

 

My opinion of the Monroes are not good. They were on my truck when I bought it with receipts from when they were installed.

I pulled them at about 30k and they were shot, no return left on either.

 

I went with Billy 5100’s on reccos from many here on this site. Been stoked on them. They are firm, but make the truck handle nicely in turns/stops. Excellent for tow/haul/street drive.

 

I would respectfully disagree with the NAPA store owner. Monroe shocks and struts are low quality, equivalent to cheap parts store brands. They're nowhere near OEM quality. I'm pretty sure NAPA store brand shocks & struts are re-branded Monroe units, which might explain why the NAPA guy likes them. As @Festerw said, expect them to fail within a couple of years. For most car owners, that's sufficient because they're probably going to get rid of their car in that timeframe anyway.
As to their strut assembly, that's even worse. Not only are you getting their sub-par struts, but you're replacing your perfectly good OEM quality springs with sub-par quality Monroe springs just to save the labor on removal/reinstallation of the springs.

Most of that $700 is labor. Going with Monroe struts is penny wise, and pound foolish. For another $60-$80, you could have them install top-of-the-line Bilsteins that would give you a better ride, and will last for 100K miles. Then you won't be spending another $700 two years from now. Also, does that $700 quote include an allignment?

If you don't want to spring (pun intended) for Bilsteins, then KYB would be a good second choice.

 

Monroe shocks SUCK!

Go with Bilstein 4600's and keep using your original coil springs.

 

As stated, I'm very happy with my choice, both cost and performance. One test is worth 1000 "expert" opinions. Of course do as you like. Whatever makes you comfortable.

 

Agree that the replacement springs on the "loaded strut" setups generally can't compare. Soft, weak and not like the factory. The shock assembly portion also is passenger car at best. Poor rebound and compression characteristics and poor longevity. Factory spring on a quality strut body makes the most sense for all reasons except cost, and the difference isn't that great. Bilstein 4600 or 5100 are a great cost effective option. That being said, if you're just commuting and don't plan to use the truck for "truck stuff", Monroe wouldn't still be in business if there product didn't function. Just not for me. Also, depending on your lift setup (3" is a lot) you could be prematurely wearing your struts out. The Bilstein gives you lift and a heavier duty strut, designed to work together. None of the off the shelf strut assemblies were ever designed to accommodate lift. You do you though.

 

Mechanic is only charging 198 labor. $450 for both left and right. Description of each part is "Strut- Modular assembly - quick strut - Front left" then $230 for the part. How much are the bilsteins, and is it shock absorber/spring/strut combined? I think hes just getting the whole unit so its easier to install, less labor

 

The loaded struts are very little labor for him. They bolt right in. Also have to get an alignment afterwards. so another $100 or so. Is he aware of the existing 3" lift? That will complicate his efforts and may change the price. Removing all of that and replacing with the 5100 setup is more labor also. The 5100 fronts were around $350 for the pair both times I've purchased them. They are the strut body only and you have to re-use your factory or existing coil spring. I installed them myself with spring compressors. Not an easy job, but not the hardest thing I've ever done. If you are interested in the 5100's I would try to get a quote from a shop and see how much the difference is.

 

First off, those are the strut assemblies I mentioned that are, IMHO, the worst option. Personally, I wouldn’t put those on one of my vehicles if they were giving them away. My time is worth more than that.

Secondly, those are $90 each at Rock Auto. Granted, I expect to pay more (15-30%) for parts through a repair shop — after all, they need to make a living, and I don’t begrudge them that. But almost 150% more is ridiculous.

 

Hes the one that installed them. Figured since they were just the blocks up front, that they would just bolt on to the new assembly and put back in.

 

If that's the case you could always switch to a complete unit. I know @Toytec Lifts has Eibach and OME units for $5-600ish a pair and lose the spacers all together.

Rancho has a quick lift unit available too for about the same as your looking at but I don't know if anyone here is using them.

 

I won't get into the whole debate about brands - just my opinion that if you're going to spend money on them anyway, put the extra into what you want. Nothing worse that ripping out perfectly fine parts because you didn't upgrade when you had the chance. If you're going to sell any time soon, then cheapest option.

I really wanted to mention that you have plenty of time to decide. If you haven't noticed the front end bouncing around or bottoming out, they probably saw a leak. It's just weeping oil so it will go a long time until it actually fails enough to release the pressure. I used to wipe the rods on the old pathfinder before inspection - it took a couple of years before it leaked enough to fail inspection.

You should have plenty of time to research how you want to solve it.

 

Good to know... i havent felt anything different since I bought it over 2 years ago. Where I am, I dont have to get inspected anyway so atleast I dont have that to worry about.

 

Are there any other quick strut options other than monroes that would replace the leveling blocks I have up front?

 

Rancho has since a 2.25 quick lift that would probably be close. It'll still run $400-450 for the parts though.

 

24-261425-P - Bilstein Front Height Adjustable 5100 Series Shocks

KYB gas a just shocks are a good option too

 

I found some 2.5 inch leveling struts on rough country that were only 350 for the pair, Would these be good? I know some people do not have the best opinions on rough country lol.

https://www.roughcountry.com/premium-n3-lifted-struts-501091.html?find=2005-toyota-tundra-2wd-736516

 

I have the rancho 2.5 Quicklift coilovers. They are $50 more than those ones ,but have dampening settings. I’ve had them for a month almost and I am satisfied. They make the truck handle luxuriously.

Actually my bad, they are $380

 

What website were you able to find them at? Im having a hard time finding them right now

 

https://www.shocksurplus.com/produc...Pxnt9bf0C2Eo7_m_0oXB0GcqDaLTkvTRoC-mUQAvD_BwE
Shock surplus

 

Im guessing I wouold need to get an alignment after installing? Im thinking about replacing my lower ball joints at the same time sonce it shouldnt be too much more in labor