Buying Pro Kit - need new struts
 

Hey guys, i'm gonna bite the bullet and finally give my car a nice little drop this spring.

I'm at 60k, so i'm not gonna risk installing the eibach pro kit springs on my current struts.

I was looking at the toyota OEM parts and found this:

http://i.imgur.com/5z9s0Pa.jpg?1

Is part #1 (the strut/shock) the only the part I need to buy for my mechanic in order to install the springs?

If i'm thinking correctly, buying new shocks and struts should increase the lifespan of my springs right? i'm hoping to get at least 1 year out of them

yeah #1 is just the strut itself. Honestly buy slightly used ones off another member here. You can get them dirt cheap and in great condition

In for answers also. About to install springs on 54k miles. If anyone is selling low miles struts:shocks, lmk!

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101600

comes with swift springs too, those are really good springs lol. you can thank me later

Already got the springs I've wanted :( but damn that's a great price. OP if you don't have Pro Kit yet, jump on that deal!

I'm from Canada... would probably cost a fortune to ship :(
Plus i like the reassurance starting from brand new struts..

Have you thought about just getting Konis or Bilsteins? It's like 100 dollars more than buying a new set of OEM struts.

Not sure if his are still available, but his are in mint condition! Only 8000Km and price is good. Good guy too!

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94665

Isn't the suggested change interval for the OE struts something like every 40k or 60k miles?

i would prefer OEM, personally

thanks pal! didn't dig that deep into the classifieds. will check to see if theyre still available

this is exactly why the time is now to buy the pro kit :thumbup: my struts will be needing replacement soon anyway

I figure why not give it a shot... I read the pro-kit thread and people are extremely pleased with the drop and the ride quality

Make sense to buy all new struts, alignment in one stop. Do it right and do it once

Source on OE struts needing replacement at 60k? That sounds absurd to me, most OEs claim they're for life and even under hard use easily hit 150k miles and decades of use if made well and not leaking.

There's zero alignment capability of stock struts, pretty sure you could swap in 5 different sets and never get an alignment more than a tenth or two out of spec. Spring height difference could make a change to toe worthwhile but there's nothing else you can do to compensate unless you add spring spacers.

Needing replacement is a matter of perspective. The internal seals in a strut can and will degrade given enough miles. This can occur without the strut leaking from the body, and it's fairly gradual. 60K is a number that's thrown out there, but you can certainly stretch it longer than that.

Most people only notice that their struts are bad when they're completely blown, since it's a gradual change. That said, I've seen OEM struts completely fail as early as 50K, but that was in a car that lived on fairly rough roads. Depending on your expectations for damping, it's not a bad idea to replace them before they completely fail. I've seen 60K mentioned a lot, but I generally think of anything described by manufacturers as being a "lifetime" interval item needing to be inspected or serviced between 50K and 75K. If you don't care that your dampers aren't performing like new, you can ride it until they're completely blown.

For reference:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rzDKFy3YII"]SACHS Shocks Your Car - the When and Why to Replacing Shocks - YouTube[/ame]

http://www.kyb.com/knowledge-center/...eplace-shocks/

Both Sachs and KYB recommend 50K as an interval for OEM shock replacement. Obviously, they're in the business of selling new shocks, but replacing the OEM dampers at 60-75K is not as early as you'd think it is.

Theres a fellow in the GTA selling a set of pro kits with stock struts for 300. Check Can classifieds.

his are sportline

Still not a bad deal. You can sell off the Sportlines and have a new-to-you set of struts for pennies on the dollar.

OP you have a PM

Shameless plug:

I have both stock struts (14k miles) + pro-kit springs for sale $250

and

Koni yellow single adjustable shocks (18k miles) + pro-kit springs for $700

I've loved both setups and now I'm moving up to fully adjustable coilover setup for DD/track duty

If you're interested let me know.

Thanks =)

-Bret

Sorry I read the post wrong, they are indeed Sportlines and jawn makes a good point

Rule of thumb and anecdotal knowledge =\= OE reccommended replacement interval of 60k, appreciate the description though, very helpful for those who don't understand what we're talking about.

I believe the replacement interval of 60k refers to miles so around 100kkms? I've got around 30kkms and I'll be selling them in the spring once my coils are on.

Most damper manufacturers suggest ~50k miles (80k km's) for a replacement interval.

As for what parts, I would replace the upper mounts and bearings as well.

And Jiffy Lube still recommends 3k oil change intervals.

Dampers fail before 50k, after, and right on the dot. Anybody who cares can either afford to replace low end dampers wholesale or have them rebuilt (bilstein's are ~$450 last I checked, and can be revalved if desired) or at the least afford some dyno time to do a health check.

Personally, I wouldn't even think twice about running the OE dampers to >100k miles provided they don't show signs of failure, most road cars sail past that without any deterioration in ride quality. (fwiw my OE dampers with >40k miles on them are perfectly healthy)

:cheers:

unless its 40k track miles :D

6x track days, ~10x autox events

So less than 1k track miles, but imo that's irrelevant, the dampers will get more of a workout on shitty freeways in ill repair (For anyone in the bay my car has seen probably 20k miles on 101/280/680/80) than on a smooth track.

Edit: Mav put more track mileage on his Ohlins and they dyno'd well at 20k miles:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=212

yeah honestly I see no point in replacing them till they fail.

Yeah, with how rough the pavement is around here, 50K city miles would be more concerning than track miles.