White93z34 Posted February 27, 2005 Report Posted February 27, 2005 've been looking into these and i can get them with upper mount for around $80, i've heard good things about them in the past, is anyone else running these? and if so how do you like them? Quote
cutlsp Posted February 27, 2005 Report Posted February 27, 2005 i want to know about these to anyone use these before don't tell us to go kyb struts. i can't afford to pay for all the extra parts i would need with kyb struts right now. Quote
5speedz34 Posted February 27, 2005 Report Posted February 27, 2005 I hear there shit....actually that's all I've heard about it. Get KYB or Monroe Sensa's Quote
cutlsp Posted February 27, 2005 Report Posted February 27, 2005 i heard the monroe reflex struts are way better then the sensatracs so i guess i'll live with squeaky struts for now and get the monroe reflex ones installed at my suspension guy's shop this summer sometime after i get my 18s Quote
Brian P Posted February 27, 2005 Report Posted February 27, 2005 they SUCK SUCK SUCK Weld on broom sticks or fuckin totem poles to replace the struts before you invest in gabriels. I have put 2 sets in the back of my sister's car and it rides like ass. FIRM as hell, no give worth a damn. Quote
bartonmd Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 My dad, didn't know any better and got them on the rear of his Lumina... he said NEVER AGAIN! They are bone-rattling harsh in the cold and soft when it's hot outside... no temperature compensation... Plus they last about 1/3-1/2 as long as good struts. Don't do it dude! BTW, get the struts for $48 each from Tire Rack and get mounts for $25 each at a local parts store... $25 + $48 = $73 (+ shipping), so about $80... same as Gabrials... Unless you're talking about for a pair... In which case, when a parts store tells you struts cost $xx, they're talking about singles... ended up spending double what I was thinking I was gonna spend when I did struts all the way around on my Bonneville... Mike Quote
White93z34 Posted February 28, 2005 Author Report Posted February 28, 2005 well i've been looking into alternatives to KYB GR2s. so i'll probably go with the sensatracks. Quote
bartonmd Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 Why on earth would you go with anything but the GR-2?? Do you have them now or something? I find them to be the best struts I've ever put on anything... firm, but not harsh... all temperatures, any amount of drive time, any amount of load from empty to full of people and luggage, etc. I mean... they survived a rally season on the Impulse for God's sake... I know people have problems with how harsh the KYB's that they use for coil-overs are, but I believe they are different dampers (like damping rate) than the stock replacements... Either way, if the GR-2's are too hard for you, I DEFINATELY would NOT do Gabrials... Mike Quote
Jeorge Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 i dunno where you heard the "good things" from..... :? maybe their site??? anyway there garbage........there have been some reviews on here and nothing but bad news.... go with KYB or Monroe's (sensitrac) or even OEM before the Gabriels :withstupid: and I would say only go with KYBs if you dont go on long Trips 100 miles on a regular bases. they handle great but they get harsh after they heat up from use. Quote
bartonmd Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 they get harsh after they heat up from use. This is more likely you getting tired of how hard they are... As oil gets hotter, it gets thinner... The thinner the oil is, the easier it is for it to get past the damper parts (whether they be holes or shim stacks). Damping goes away as dampers get warmer. That being said, I've gone on 2, 500 mile trips (once there, once back) only stopping for gas and have never had any issues... This may be different if you're running 20's with rubber bands, but with the stock wheels and the Yoko H4S's, I've never had any problems with them being too harsh... They are not any NEAR as harsh as the stock suspension in my wife's '01 Neon ES, or my buddy's '98 Avenger ES, or any # of other cars straight out of the factory... Mike Quote
Jeorge Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 they get harsh after they heat up from use. This is more likely you getting tired of how hard they are... As oil gets hotter, it gets thinner... The thinner the oil is, the easier it is for it to get past the damper parts (whether they be holes or shim stacks). Damping goes away as dampers get warmer. That being said, I've gone on 2, 500 mile trips (once there, once back) only stopping for gas and have never had any issues... This may be different if you're running 20's with rubber bands, but with the stock wheels and the Yoko H4S's, I've never had any problems with them being too harsh... They are not any NEAR as harsh as the stock suspension in my wife's '01 Neon ES, or my buddy's '98 Avenger ES, or any # of other cars straight out of the factory... Mike they get Harsher the more they move its called active dampining (thats why they are Great for Racing/autocross) and when you drive on Hwy it takes a while for them but they do harden up with every Bump it seams Im in Minnesota and we are not known for are Nice Roads if you know what I mean. Im Running 225/60/16s on my STE so I dont think it has to do with the tires. IM not saying that KYB's are bad I like them how ever I would not put them into a Traveling car...thats why on my GA Im going with sensitrac that way I have a good Car for going on long Trips... Quote
bartonmd Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 Ok, cool... not looked into the workings of the GR-2's, but didn't notice them getting hard on the rally car on the gravel roads... of course... that had the Lotus suspension package and a 10-point roll cage with the strut mounts tied in... it was... um... a bit... "taught" anyway... On the other side of that coin, I've never experienced anything like that in my Lumina, and I have them front and rear... Well, I'll say I've not experienced anything I thought to be harsh. I DO know about MN roads though... driving a 4-door dually with a race trailer up there was a bit of an experience. Mike Quote
sonyman87 Posted February 28, 2005 Report Posted February 28, 2005 i used them once on my 88lebaron.. all i have to say is that they were complete shit. they moved almost as bad as the stockers i replaced with 150k+ miles on them. this was 5-6 years ago. Quote
White93z34 Posted March 1, 2005 Author Report Posted March 1, 2005 i've heard too many stories about how harsh they are, i like to handle well, but i also value my back and whatnot on long trips, and from what i'm hearing GR2s are not good for long trips. Quote
sonyman87 Posted March 1, 2005 Report Posted March 1, 2005 i've heard too many stories about how harsh they are, i like to handle well, but i also value my back and whatnot on long trips, and from what i'm hearing GR2s are not good for long trips. where did you hear that. all i do is take long trips 2hours plus atleast 2 times a week Quote
bartonmd Posted March 1, 2005 Report Posted March 1, 2005 Do what you want, but I'll tell ya... my '92 euro with GR-2's all corners, stock wheels (16" alum), and Yoko H4S's is a TON softer than my wife's Neon, or buddy's Avenger, or Stratus, or Jetta, or cougar (FWD), or any truck or truck-based SUV I've ridden in. Actually... it's very comparable to my dad's new Impala LS... Plus, the extra damping over a stock gen I damper is nice when you have extra people/weight in the car... my Bonneville bottoms out all the time with people in the back seat and has newer shocks all the way around... Mike Quote
White93z34 Posted March 1, 2005 Author Report Posted March 1, 2005 http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25640 Quote
AWeb80 Posted March 1, 2005 Report Posted March 1, 2005 and from what i'm hearing GR2s are not good for long trips. Um, I just took a 450 mile trip.....roughly 6 hrs of drivin in my GP saturday...all highway @ 80 MPH and I thought it was a great ride.... Yeah it is a little rough because I don't have much sidewall on my tires but big deal.....you should've seen the looks is got.... Its funny with my car being debadged.....people stare at it and i know they are trying to figure out what it is.....especially the rice guys. .....didn't mean to hijak..... Quote
Jeorge Posted March 1, 2005 Report Posted March 1, 2005 UnLess its just a Fluke in my car with the Y99 Suspention or a fluke that in the 97 skylark that they both are Hard as Rocks....wish I had a digi video cam so I can show you what I mean.... but get what you like....the KYB's handle Great but in my experiance with them they get Harsh....maybe Im just picky or maybe its just my old age getting to me... the STE has 15,000 miles on them and the skylark has about 10,000 miles on them... Quote
Lee Posted March 3, 2005 Report Posted March 3, 2005 I ended up with rears when my wife took it in to Farm & Fleet. The bounced and slapped the breath out of you. I went to the shop and the guy said it was a defect in the W-body suspension. Anyway, within 3 months one seized solid and the mount busted through into the trunk. Both struts replaced free bought mounts. Within a year one was leaking oil. I took it back and they wanted to replace both again, free+labor. I said no, that it finally wasn't slapping me in the back anymore....replace the one...so....now my tire's wearing uneven because they screwed up the alignment puting it in. I tell them I need the rear tires aligned but they say "gotta do all 4." I say, " nope, you guys said my front end was not alignable until I get the left ball joint replaced. I just need you to straighten out the rear.Rears are set straight then fronts aligned to the rears. I just wanted 1/2 the job " Nope gotta pay $54 for the full align. I say, " you guys did this job twice without screwing up the alignment, now you screw it up. How is it you don't have to fix it free." They say, "we stamped your paper that it needed emmdiate alignment." I say, "my book says shouldn't be neccesary Unless someone screws it up." They say refer to the stamped paper. Anyway, gabrials are stiff, seize, and leak!!!!!! Quote
bartonmd Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 Just to throw this out there for when somebody searches this topic again (yeah, like people actually search... ) Anyway, as said before, my dad put the Gabrieal struts on the rear of his '93 lumina... he has the 14" steel wheels... the first time he got the tires re-balanced after putting on the struts, both of the rear wheels were slightly bent, that's how hard those struts are... Mike Quote
TeeJay3800 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 i've heard too many stories about how harsh they are, i like to handle well, but i also value my back and whatnot on long trips, and from what i'm hearing GR2s are not good for long trips. My GR-2's took me from CA to MI with a great ride all the way. Yes, they are more harsh than the stock struts, but well worth the handling advantage. They are reasonably priced too! Quote
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