Quote:
Originally Posted by Topshelf1
Yeah, that's exactly what I was talking about. The one diagram called it a guide support, but I think I was looking at the wrong thing. Looks like Struts and Strut Mounts will run $600. Not too bad. I do want to check out those traction strut bushings this weekend though which would add another $200 to the cost. Only other thing I've seen mentioned that I need to look at is the front sway bar bushings. There's a thread in here where several people have mentioned that replacing them solved a crunching noise over speed bumps. Just not sure if they mean the small rubber bushings that require removal of the sway bar I think, or the swing supports it actually attaches too. Seems like 60k would be early for struts, but I've been searching the net and it's not as uncommon as I originally thought.
Oh, and how big was that pothole to actually bend a strut? That had to sound like a cannon going off in the car.  |
60k is early, but on an OEM item it's not too surprising. As much as the car is performance oriented there are bean counters and lowest bidders at work. On a family member's Benz, the stock struts were done after about 50k miles.
You might want to check out the Koni FSD shocks. They are supposed to ride better than the stock monotubes and have special valves that can detect the difference between "high frequency" bumps in the road vs. "low frequency" compression through turns. Lots of people praise it, but I don't know how it really compares to the OEM struts. If anything, I would think that they'd last longer than the OEMs, maybe 100k if you're lucky.
EDIT: And I have the Bilstein HDs. I can just about guarantee your wife will not be happy if you put those in. They're a good amount stiffer than OEM, and handle way better but ride quality is definitely worse in terms of compliance. It's better in that the car reacts quickly and recovers quickly to bumps, but that, in most people's butts, translates to a bumpy / harsh ride.