FAQ: Shocks & Struts Options

Aww shucks Deek!I'm going to share a pic with you.These are my chrome-moly rear control arms from my old 88 Acura Legend coupe.



Yup! those component control arms custom made for me by the guys over at competition engineering,lasted me 7 1/2 NY winters! yup there they are covered in their original NY state of mind grime,filth,road tar,salt & all kinds of muckity muck only the pot hole riddled streets of NY can throw at ya.Yup,7 years of freezing salty winters and  thousands of "oopps! i just ran over a pot hole!" moments,and the bearings in their races are still as tight and etch free as the year i bought them.
Those sphericals are not even the kind with a Teflon liner like the ones I currently run,nope,just plain ol' chrome-moly bearings.
I had every intention when i installed them to religiously clean and oil them once a month to keep 'em nice and pristine,never happened.I think I crawled under the car once or twice to check em out but I eventually forgot about 'em at least until i ran into a fast corner and then I just thanked God and Competition Engineering for giving me them.

Picked up a set of Stagg struts for the Regal. My buddy picked up a set too. He already installed his and the rears seem no good (ie: when we pushed down on the rod, it did not recover very quickly at first. after a few pumps, it was okay). There is clunking from the rear. We took them apart and reassembled, same thing. Distinct clunk still there. Don't think it is the supporting hardware (mount, dust cover, bump stop). These are paired with Vogtland springs.

Is there any way to determine if the struts are shot? We would like to contact the seller and send them back but only if can confirm they aren't good. I believe we assembled the setup correctly.

If this is a bad brand of strut, I don't want the seller to even bother sending us replacements.

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to give my impression of the Monroe 90007 kit. Quality parts, all the hardware including mounts, and the ride height and dampening are perfect. This is a really nice improvement in my opinion. I didn't realize how bad the rears had become! You get used to the ride and handling but I knew it was time. I'm very happy with the swap.

yup. suspension woes are insidious. they creep up on you slowly and before you know whats up they jam you in the ribs and wake your ass up rite quick!

Was checking out Rock Auto for pricing on the rear upper shock mount for the 95 Riviera and noticed that most of manufacturers listed were $15-18 such as KYB, Moog and ACDelco. However the Raybestos "professional grade" mount is $38.

RAYBESTOS Part # 5201261
Professional Grade

RAYBESTOS CHASSIS Professional Grade -24 months/24,000miles. Service Grade - 12 months / 12,000 miles


Any idea if there is really anything special about the Raybestos mount that warrants the $20 premium?

Al

Compared to Moog? Not at all likely. Look carefully for a nonobvious difference, like pairpack vs single. Given a choice I would get Moog Problem Solver if available.

The other thing - the rear mounts don't take that much of a beating. Visual inspect for cracks. If you do get new mounts compare to old and use the ones you like better. You might end up keeping old.

So here is something interesting....

On Rockauto, under 1995 Riviera SC, Suspension, they list the following ACDelco parts.  I called Rockauto and they couldn't say how the parts were different.  The 901046 are about $18, and the other is around $25 if I recall. 

Rockauto couldn't confirm which was the correct or best fit.  It is interesting to note that the 901046 unit has the exact same photo as the Raybestos Professional Grade shock mount.

The "strut mount" part has a photo of what is clearly the upper shock mount, not a "strut" mount.

Under shock mount

ACDELCO Part # 901046 {#19294106} SUSPENSION MOUNT
  MOUNT,RR S/ABS Upper 2 DOORS

Same photo as Raybestos Professional Grade 



Under strut mount

ACDELCO Part # 501250 {#88946484} SUSPENSION MOUNT
  MOUNT,RR SUSP STRUT 2 DOORS



Any idea which is the best fit and quality?

Al

i replaced my rear ruined air shocks with the monroe part 90007, the shocks with the helper spring on it WELL, now those things are creeking, or squeaking when i hit a bump, it seemed to start doing that after it got all humid and sh*t here, shock mounts were changes etc. i wonder what it could be, i know the sound is coming from the shocks themselves

highwaywarrior wrote:

i replaced my rear ruined air shocks with the monroe part 90007, the shocks with the helper spring on it WELL, now those things are creeking, or squeaking when i hit a bump, it seemed to start doing that after it got all humid and sh*t here, shock mounts were changes etc. i wonder what it could be, i know the sound is coming from the shocks themselves

Actually, it might be a suspension bushing creaking, if your bushings are original they are about due.


Albertj

hmm, both sides at the same time?!?!

Anyone with a lowered Riv ride on max airs? How do you set your height? Manual or auto? I have mine as low as I can without bottoming out on the shocks. I think a spring solution would help?

Any advice to firm the rear?

Im lowered with the monroe rear shocks. I keep them set at 65psi for a slightly raised rear compared to the front. I set mine manually and check it about once a month to top it off.

i forgot to tell you guys where the creaking,squeaking came from. the Monroe replacement rear shocks have this plastic sleev the covers part of the spring ( spring is on the shock itself) and its rubbing against the spring

im going to see if I can afford the kyb agx they seem to look strong enough for the job for my heavy wheels

No AGX adjustable struts for Riviera, unfortunately.

AA wrote:

No AGX adjustable struts for Riviera, unfortunately.

lol way to kill a mans dreams huh .. we dont have man options for a sport feel I guess I really want to lower the front end a tad so when I let the air out the rears it will look dropped

Johnny5 wrote:

AA wrote:

No AGX adjustable struts for Riviera, unfortunately.

lol way to kill a mans dreams huh .. we dont have man options for a sport feel I guess I really want to lower the front end a tad so when I let the air out the rears it will look dropped

I have run KYBs, Monroe's and Gabriel's as well as Oe strUts.

Softest were the oe struts.

The Monroe's are not much stiffer but do give better control.

KYBs are stiffer than Monroe's but not by much.

Gabriel's are stiff, I am running them now, check out rockauto.com they had them on private label close out, that is what I got. Definitely a sport feel and better highway handling IMHO.

Ummm... For anything but low speed city driving IMHO almost any aftermarket strut performs better than the Oe struts. They all make the car feel somewhat smaller.

albertj wrote:

Johnny5 wrote:

AA wrote:

No AGX adjustable struts for Riviera, unfortunately.

lol way to kill a mans dreams huh .. we dont have man options for a sport feel I guess I really want to lower the front end a tad so when I let the air out the rears it will look dropped

I have run KYBs, Monroe's and Gabriel's as well as Oe strUts.

Softest were the oe struts.

The Monroe's are not much stiffer but do give better control.

KYBs are stiffer than Monroe's but not by much.

Gabriel's are stiff, I am running them now, check out rockauto.com they had them on private label close out, that is what I got. Definitely a sport feel and better highway handling IMHO.

Ummm... For anything but low speed city driving IMHO almost any aftermarket strut performs better than the Oe struts. They all make the car feel somewhat smaller.

Thanks albertj that helps me better make my choice with I see everyone going with kyb and from there we run out of options Gabriel was the last thing on my mind I never thought of those..so those are sport like feel huh they alot cheaper than the expensive crew

I think there's a big difference between the KYB stock struts. KYB makes the car feel much firmer. I might have tried the Gabriels, but when I moved to 45 profile tires on 18"s, it was plenty firm for me. So effective damping depends on your wheels & tires as well as the strut.

I took this vid a few months ago. If you watch the white line on the opposite side of the road, you can tell how flat the front end is. It'll bounce for sure, but it takes a pretty serious hump. At 2:54 in the video there's a big hump, and I took it with a good amount of speed. That's about as much bounce as I ever get with the KYB GR-2s with original springs.

AA wrote:

I think there's a big difference between the KYB stock struts. KYB makes the car feel much firmer. I might have tried the Gabriels, but when I moved to 45 profile tires on 18"s, it was plenty firm for me. So effective damping depends on your wheels & tires as well as the strut.

I took this vid a few months ago. If you watch the white line on the opposite side of the road, you can tell how flat the front end is. It'll bounce for sure, but it takes a pretty serious hump. At 2:54 in the video there's a big hump, and I took it with a good amount of speed. That's about as much bounce as I ever get with the KYB GR-2s with original springs.

And with a 245 35 20 makes a huge difference with weight but a solid strut with the choices are slim to none are kyb n monroe Gabriel I couldn't find

The Gabriel struts ar their number G56718, $47.41 ++ each at Amazon.com. Several auto part chains carry them, not NAPA but I think AutoZone and others maybe Carquest.

I was happy with KYBs, replaced after more than 100,000 miles only because the cases rusted thru and started seeping oil.

albertj wrote:

The Gabriel struts ar their number G56718, $47.41 ++ each at Amazon.com.  Several auto part chains carry them, not NAPA but I think AutoZone and others maybe Carquest.

I was happy with KYBs, replaced after more than 100,000 miles only because the cases rusted thru and started seeping oil.  

Whats the difference between the Excel-G and GR2 kyb struts

Ordered a set of Gabriels from RockAuto because I couldn't argue with the price (~$27 each). I got ones made for a '98 because I'm doing the F-body swap.

What does everyone recommend for ball joints, boot and top mount?

Matt, when you do the F-Body swap on your 96 and the 98+ front suspension swap, will you please post a nice write-up with detailed pictures? You would become my new best friend. I want to eventually do the same.

I planned on it. I don't think the struts are NEEDED to do the swap. I think it's one of those "while I'm here" kind of things. I'll post side by side shots just so everyone can see any differences.