Shock replacement

[ChaoSki]

My front shocks are SHOT. Car is bouncy as hell.

Also feels like rubber front sway bar bushings are worn out (cheap to buy). Wondering how hard they are to replace. Noticed that the stabilizer bar is towards the back of the engine. Guessing this is common? I wiggled the bar and I'm not really getting any play....

back to shocks, what are my options? Does Bilstein make them? Noticed Monroe has them for about $50 bucks and they offer lifetime warranty (is that TRUE lifetime or BS?).

Also what other parts other than Shocks will I need? Any bushings/plates etc? I don't mind doing the labor as I have done this with # of other cars and it seems like complete strut assembly is around $130 or so. Just wondering if it's worth extra $60 bucks and if I will spend about that much on other random parts needed.

TIA

 

[gswift]

Go with Tokico struts & replace the strut mounts & strut bearing as well..fsb bushings are an easy job, a 14mm ratcheting wrench w/flex head makes the job that much quicker...

 

[kosteniuks17]

^what he said, go with some tokico blues (around 500 bucks), monroe's are pretty much stock quality if that all you want but probably close to the same price. Plus that 500 bucks includes new tokico springs giving like a 1" drop all around. It also somewhat track ready, I guess, just a bit more sportier and has good reaction to the road bumps imo. Up to you, if you want go monroes and use same springs, or go with tokico shocks and springs for like a 100 more and have an overall better car. Throw in a new rear swaybar and some endlinks (150 extra) and you have a pretty solid suspension. And those bushings are a pretty simple task.

 

[ChaoSki]

Well, we are talking a big difference. 2x Monroes = $100 bucks.

I'm just curious if I need any other hardware to do the fronts (any bushings etc).

I'm not really looking to improve or make my car handle better. IMO stock it handles very well. I also don't want to sacrifice comfort.

And I do like Monroes Lifetime warranty (assuming it's worth a crap).

If I was to do all 4 corners we are talking $200 vs $500. pretty significant difference.

 

[kosteniuks17]

yah well i see what your saying, but if you go whole assemby, 130*4= over 500 bucks, so imo it would be worth just going tokico, same price, idk though man not my car but tokicos have been suggested all over this site. I do agree if it has a lifetime warranty though, then thats pretty ba. but your choice, look over some of the older threads, monroe has been mentioned multiple times on several other threads.

 

[ChaoSki]

yep, I agree. I'm better off going with Tokico vs Monroe Strut Assly (no question about that).

I would prefer to go with just Monroe shock (unless anyone else has other recommendations).

I guess it comes down to what else will I need (other parts) if I just get the strut? Any bushings or other parts that I need to replace upon Strut change?

 

[mp5la]

KYB GR-2? They're slightly firmer than stock, almost as cheap as the monroe option, and readily available. Replace the top hats while you're there.

 

[mp5build2013]

I guess i can only speak for myself, but i believe the stock struts on our vehicles are monroe. at least mine are, i read the monroe stamp when changin out my endlinks.
you may get lucky and not need to replace your endlinks but most people have a hard time getting them off so they end up snaping them off, vice gripping the piece that stayed and removing them that way, ofcourse they have to be replaced with new ones( thats what happened to me)
most will change the bushing at the top of the strut ( mine were good and rubbery still so i just threw them back in.)
Here is what i used when changing out my springs:
1. spring compressor
2. vice grips
3. breaker bar
4. impact wrench (i have a craftsman cordelss and it fits EVERYWHERE.
5. new endlinks
6. PB blaster ( or a lube of your choice)

My best advise is:
compress the spring as much as possible so it comes out of the wheel well without having to tug.
once compressed remove the HUB bolts, then remove the nuts up top.

switch everything over to you new strut, reverse the process, and place you new endlink on.

 

[kamesama980]

I'll double check but I don't think ANYTHING uses monroe from the factory. I haven't taken scrap metal out so I still have the stockers from my wifes car (her family bought it off the lot). Jap cars usually use KYB or Sachs. Monroe sensatracks (OESpectrum for imports) are, at best, stock equivelant. Monroe matics are junk. KYB GR-2s are about the same level as sensatracks (it's what I have in my wifes P5...I'm definitely not impressed. Damping is subtly but definitely better than it was but they did little to stiffen the rear over the stock 85k mile rears)

I worked in a shop installing monroe garbage a few years ago while in school. No warranteeable problems but when the new parts are barely stiffer than the old parts...

+ a million on changing the strut mounts while doing the job. read 2 cases on various forums in the last week about people that didn't, still had a clunk, did the job over again to replace them, no more clunk. Had it happen a few times when I worked in the shop despite my telling people about it. If the strut's worn enough to warrant replacement, so is the bushing at the top.

 

[esnave09]

Yeah I've heard Monroe's aren't the greatest. You definitely get what you pay for. I put in KYB's last week and my P5 feels amazing now, although I was driving on completely shot (basically just riding on springs) front struts and rears that were on their way out. Forgot to look at them before I threw them out, but I have heard that KYB's are what our cars came with from the factory.

As for other parts to replace, definitely replace your strut mounts and probably your endlinks, while you're at it. Living in the rust belt (not sure on the condition of your P5), the strut mounts are a sore spot for wearing out, and even though my car spent it's first 6 or 7 years in Florida, mine were rusted to the point of almost splitting when I dropped one after taking it out (sorry for the run-on, had to get my point across). Also, you might need new strut boots. All together, my setup was still less than the total cost of a set of Tokico struts alone, and it's still plenty fun. Not track ready by any means, but still good enough for a delivery driver that fits most of the cliches (minus the ridiculous ones, like in the new DiGiorno commercial).

 

[tweety2300]

Monroe's are junk the only place they belong is in the trash can. I won't even put them on my beater. Cheap and oem like get kyb want better? Get tokico blues

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Well, we are talking a big difference. 2x Monroes = $100 bucks.

If I was to do all 4 corners we are talking $200 vs $500. pretty significant difference.

Significant difference in quality, ride & longevity too. How often you wanna be doing this? Betting the Tokicos will pay up the difference in price with how many monroes you'd go thru + the wasted wrenching time. Do yourself a favor and don't go there........unless you plan to sell the car next week.