If your car feels clunky over bumps or just generally has a harsh ride, it might be time to replace your struts. You cannot just buy any struts, however, and hope for the best. The quality of the parts truly matters, and cheap quick struts just won’t cut it.
Why should you avoid buying cheap quick struts for your car?
Lifelong mechanic #savagescotty explains it well by pointing out that cheap quick struts don’t have the same build quality as OEM.
In fact, they have:
- Thicker springs
- Garbage bearings
- Poor quality strut mounts
As with everything cars, there’s a lot more to it than that, of course. So, stick around and see what auto tech Scotty Kilmer truly has to say about why you should avoid buying cheap quick struts.
Why Quick Struts are so Tempting
Quick struts are always tempting to those who are more than a little bit wary of spring compressors.
Even if you have one on hand and know how to use it, it’s understandable if it freaks you out.
Injuries can definitely occur if anything goes awry while compressing the spring down to put it on the struts. When you use quick struts, however, you just have to take off a couple of bolts and install them in place of the old ones. No compressing needed.
The Problem with Cheap Struts
Although quick struts are endlessly easier and safer, they are not likely to provide the smooth ride quality you want. You are certain to feel a difference between those struts and OEM parts.
When Scotty installed them on his wife’s Lexus, for example, the quick struts felt dreadful. Even when compared to the 17-year-old stock units, the new poor-quality parts simply couldn’t provide a smooth ride. Here’s why.
Thicker Springs
When Kilmer used a micrometer to measure the spring diameter, he found that the springs on the quick struts were much thicker. Although that might sound like a good thing, it’s not. The thicker springs result in a stiffer, much harsher ride that you might not want for your daily driver.
Beyond not feeling all that great, the thicker springs cause the car to sit higher than stock. If you aren’t a fan of the 4×4 look, just go with OEM instead.
Garbage Bearings
To keep their products affordable, quick strut manufacturers often cut corners wherever they can. This is most evident when looking at the bearings in the strut mounts. Scotty shows viewers how the low-quality bearing opens up, easily exposing the ball bearings inside to the elements.
The OEM strut mount, on the other hand, uses sealed bearings that keep all the internals sealed up tight. This results in a better ride quality and longer life of the bearing.
Poor Quality Strut Mounts
The strut mounts themselves are also quite suspect. When Scotty measured the depth of that mount, he found more than a six-millimeter difference in size. The discrepancy can easily explain why the car not only sits higher but rides different than with OEM parts.
Although struts for his wife’s Lexus cost several hundred dollars more apiece, Kilmer still urges you to skip the quick struts altogether. Even ones with good reviews could fail to provide the ride quality you seek.
Go with Quality Struts and Reuse Your Springs
If you want to avoid all the trouble, it’s simply best to go with quality OEM strut cartridges. With that move, you reuse your springs and buy new strut mounts and bushings.
Your mechanic can help you pick out the best parts for your car and install them for you. If you do take your car into the shop, don’t forget the Vehicle History report, so they know what they’re dealing with.
