Cheap strut "packages" better then blown factory units?

My DD is once again my 05 Cobalt SS its now got around 174,000 on it with the OEM struts.... They have been blown for over the last 74,000 but the car was not even weekly drive until last fall (had service van for work) when I got laid off.  The past year i've been doing an hour-long hiway commute and well the floating wasn't too bad at hiway speeds but I've taken a local job. (A good thing)  Now that I'm traveling on back roads with potholes the pounding and clunking is driving me nuts but i know winter is coming and with the temps, it makes no sense to put highly dampened struts in as the thick cold oil will just blow the seals.  I see strut packages with springs listed as being for the SS (but i wonder if the springs are the same rate) they've got to be better then the worn crap right?  The rear shocks i had bad luck with cheaper "M" brand units in the car in the past.

Yes Koni's or KYB's would be nice but its a DD i don't race it, nor do i have the cash to replace every year.

Anyone have good results with "REPLACEMENT" Brand or "FSC" brand loaded struts?

Thanks

44Dwarf

Anything is better than blown boingers, but they will not last long. Not long at all.  How much difference are we talking here?

I've had a full set of FCS struts on the Vibe for the last couple of weeks. I have probably a thousand miles in them now.

They seem to ride pretty well, but my old ones were blown too so the reference point isn't that good and I can't say much for their longevity yet.

I've had good luck with KYB GR2s in the past on my old VUE. Got them for cheap from a third party seller.

Looks like all the loaded struts are the cheapos. The Sachs ought to perform nicely, but it still leaves you needing to buy new upper mounts separately a spring compressor to roll your own.

I've always looked at the really cheap struts/shocks as a method to get through the next inspection where applicable, and/or to sell a car that you'd otherwise sell with blown shocks.

I'd go for something like the aforementioned GR2s - they're a little more work to fit because you don't get a loaded strut, but I've had them on a couple of DDs and they worked fine even in the cold.

have you looked at rock auto? I find there middle of the road stuff to be ok. And the prices are ok as well.

I have found that “quick struts” work pretty well as long as you buy from the higher end of the lineup. The cheap no-name brands use crappy hardware and cheap rubber bits and just fall apart almost immediately.

For example Monroe has two lines. One is like “Budget-o-magic” and the other is like “OE Spectrum” or something like that. The cheap ones are absolute garbage, barely good enough to send a car down the road with a new buyer, while the more expensive ones are actually pretty reasonable replacements.

I hate messing with spring compressors and strut hardware so unless it’s a performance application, I usually go for loaded struts. They have worked just fine for me, I just buy the mid-range name brand ones. I think KYB even has loaded GR2s for some applications now.

Made on the other side of the world is what it is.  Hit or miss.  I have had decent luck with moderately priced complete struts, on a couple of vehicles.  Monroe, Sensen comes to mind.  Check to see who offers the best warranty, and go for it.

I just bought some loaded KYB GR2s for a family members Mazda3.  They have only been on for 2 weeks but performed as expected when installed, as a decent quality OEM replacement, which was super easy to replace without having to take the spring compressing suicide sticks out of the tool box. 

Doing the suspension refresh on the beater Altima last winter I bought all 4 loaded struts AND new front control arms on Amazon for under $250.  It was purely amazing and they work great!  I'm sold on whatever no-brand-name junk they sell for cheap.

2002 Alvalon takes the same rear struts as a Camry.  On Amazon I bought the set loaded rear struts for $99.  Not $99 each; $49.50 each!  

Too cheap to pass up.  They have been on for 3 months so far.  Seem good.  At least good enough. 

What is a loaded strut? Is it when you buy it with a pre installed spring?

GTwannaB said:

What is a loaded strut? Is it when you buy it with a pre installed spring?

Pretty much. Top hat, bump stop, strut, spring. Generally prevents you from having to mess with spring compressors. They've become more common in the last couple of years it seems.

I'm not sure how it compares price-wise to what you're looking at, but I've had good experiences dealing with Napa's strut packages...

It’s not that much work to change the struts and strut mounts, I’d just splurge on good struts and tops and reuse the springs.

You get to do an alignment either way, so unless the springs are rusting through or sagging, I’d not change them out.

In reply to Stefan :

you should change them because they fatigue and lose their rate over time.  it does make a major difference in how a car rides and handles.

I have a full set of slightly used (32k miles) loaded struts that fit Escorts, ZX2's ,some Mazda's.   They are free and just laying in my cellar. Rather than the junk yard.