Couple questions for you guys.

Do Tein and Tanabe coilovers bolt right onto the stock strut mounts?

Did we ever find out if KYB strut mounts are the same as stock, or are they still garbage?

This post has been edited by Promasta: Feb 24, 2010 - 2:28 PM

Coilovers come with an adjustable strut mount.

not really other than noises.

And I'd say KYB strut mounts would be more than adequate

Um,my mounts are bad,and every time i go over a little bump i can hear them hit..its really annoying..

>

BC, KSport, and Megan come with adjustable strut mounts. Tein and Tanabe do not.

Have you tried the KYB strut mounts? A few members on here have said they are garbage, including presure2.

Maybe I will try to get the suspension off this weedend and take pics so you guys can tell me what I need.

>
yea, it was the rears for me.
i replaced the rear stock mounts back in the day with the aftermarket ones cause they are like 160$ cheaper than the OEM ones. (OEM rear mounts are ~110$ per side, aftermarkets were ~50 or so IIRC))
within a couple months they were clunking.

at the time i didnt realize it, but the oem rear mounts incorperate the OEM strut boot as well, which all the aftermarkets do not.
you have to purchase them seperately if you go with aftermarket mounts.
IMO good boots are just as if not more important than mounts.
they protect the shaft from road debris ect, which is important if you want your shocks to last any time at all.

OK thanks man, but I don't need the OEM strut boot because I have Tanabe coilovers.

If I remove the rear suspension to check the strut mounts, how important is it that I get an alignment done afterwords? Because its kind of a waste of $80-90 on an alignment if the mounts are fine, plus I just had one done.

I gotta get rid of these sqeaks and clunks though, its very annoying, even with my music turned up loud.

I am in the middle of Canada, so parts are very expensive for me. Napa wants $290 for a pair of strut mounts, dealer is $380. KYBs on ebay are $130 shipped.

Also, what are the odds that the struts in the coilovers are blown?

halp? thnx!

you won't need an alignment just by removing the rear struts..
btw i just remembered, the tanabe coilovers have solid rear top mounts. they're not oem mounts, only the fronts are. so the likeliness of your rear strut mounts being bad are very slim.. the squeaks and clunks can be coming from the shocks, wheelbearings, and/or bushings..

yep you are correct, aluminum rear top mounts.

don't think its a wheel bearing, that's more of a whirring noise. this sounds like a mouse or chipmunk.

googling i found this:

"I have my Tanabe coilovers installed. Does anyone have any squeaking noises in the front suspension? Everytime I go over bumps quickly it sounds like a mice lives in the engine bay."

and this:

"the squeaking noise that u heard is actually gas/air release from the coilover itself... I live in NY n when the weather is cold those TEIN squeak ever louder sounded like they about to fell apart. so dun worry n enjoy...."

and this:

"i have the same issue. it originally came from the passenger/rear, but moved to the driver/rear side.
based on everything i've read, some extraneous noise from an aftermarket suspension is reasonable. the squeaking is supposedly attributable to the gas moving in the coilover when it's colder, which is why people have a tendency to hear it more during the winter than the summer which is when it goes away.
but it could also be an installation issue."

It seems squeaking is actually a very common problem with tein coilovers. Some people sold theirs for that reason.

Gerald, you didn't have any problems with squeaking with the Tanabes?

I'll try putting some lithium grease on the coilovers and all the bushings, maybe that will help.

never had any problems with them besides them being too stiff for my own liking..