New rear struts

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[CutlassSL94]

Couldn't have gotten these any sooner my rear mounts were shot. Hard to believe they went bad at 70,000. The slightest bump was making them rattle, dippy dos in the road were no picnic either. Now it looks as if its sky jacking in the rear. Seriously I haven't seen a W body this high in the rear in a long time. Really paid off to buy the ready mount struts too.

[Prospeeder]

wow! Car looks great, it looks damn near even front and back.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

agreed, ive yet to have mine sit that tall in the ass end, my buick was close, but i know my lumina is sagging.... maybe with the bonus i get next cheque i can afford some struts too with the new balljoints and tie rod ends..... lol

[crazy k]

what struts did you choose?

don;t worry, the rear will drop a bit soon.

[Mike]

Yeah, I need new struts for my GP soon... I'd like to know what kind you got.

[CutlassSL94]

Gabriel Ready Mount struts from AutoZone were $113 a piece, but that was strut and mount together assembled for each side. They are considered cheapos when compared to Monroes. For some reason if I recall Autozone didn't sell a ready mount package for Monroe. Also changed out the rear brakes and rotors while in there, all with the help of my Uncle of course.

I'm eager to see how these stand up in quality compared to Monroes. My mom put a set of Monroe struts and new mounts on her '88 Regal about 4 years ago, its first new set its had since she bought it new in '88. It is already sagging and rattling.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

when the struts go, what rattles? is it just the mount?

[CutlassSL94]

Usually the mount. My struts weren't that bad, but the mounts were worn, if you are going to replace mounts might as well replace the struts too.

[Mike]

I can get KYB GR2's for $50 a piece from work with my employee discount. Are KYB's good? Other than that my other option is Monroe SensaTracs. The KYBs are just the struts though, not the mounts.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

yeah i hears ya, if ya got it all apart. might as well put it together with new shit.

ive heard KYBs are good... ive never used em though.
but ive also heard Monroes are good... so who knows. maybe there isnt a good strut anymore. lol home made or just take it right out and use a steel pipe.

[DiscoStudd]

Wow, $113 seems like a lot.  Those Gabriel struts don't cost that much to begin with, and a good set of mounts from KYB are pretty reasonable.  On the rear of the 1G W's, you don't have to worry about compressing a coil spring, so it's easy as pie to install the mounts yourself.

I put KYB GR2's on my old 95 Regal (including the mounts and boots) and they changed the dynamics of the FE1 Grandpa suspension.  It handled great, but the rear end would "snap" (Ida know, it's hard to describe) when you took a sharp corner such as a cloverleaf-style on ramp at a high rate of speed.  I think the soft springs couldn't handle the extra stiffness of the GR2's.  I was going to go the Intrax/Birchmount route, but ended up selling the car.  I removed the GR2's and swapped in a set of eBay Gabriel's before I sold the car.  The "snapping" went away when I went back to a softer strut.


Anyways, I broke a rear mount in the Regal before I got the GR2's:





The struts were also dead, so the piston retracted down into the strut body.  When I took a corner, the top of the tire swung out and the strut kissed the fender!  Luckily I was 1/2 mile from home.


After I installed the GR2's, the rear was jacked to the gills!



It settled down after a week or so...

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

that looks hilarious!!! hot rod mode!!! lol damn i wanna change my struts out now!! i bet i get 6" extra clearance on mine! you cant even see the tops of the tires how it sits right now.

[Mike]

Well, according to the computer at work, the GP came with a "Heavy Duty Suspension" which is why it recommended the GR2s. I hope my car doesn't look like that when I get it done...

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

heavy duty?? isnt it just FE3? the grand touring suspension!! lol

[DiscoStudd]

I seem to remember when I ordered my GR2's, they said the FE1 Regals had "Heavy Duty" suspension as well.  I don't think "Heavy Duty" equates to anything on these cars, as there wasn't a listing for a "Regular Duty" suspension.

Don't worry, your car will eventually settle down after you put in the GR2's.  I took that pic right after I set the car down on the ground after installing the new struts...