Shaffer

Some of you may have read in my other thread about my rear struts- that I am replacing the "KYB" struts that the previous owner had installed before I bought the car, (according to the receipt) with geniune "Lexus-Toyota" struts. I have been under the impression that " KYB " and " Toyota-Lexus " struts were totally different. I thought that "KYB" was a aftermarket high performance strut. I just noticed something strange to me just a few moments ago however. I took the Lexus (Toyota) struts out of the trunk of my Buick and placed them in the trunk of the Lexus, so they would be there when I took it to the shop. Before doing so- before I took them out of the trunk of the Buick- I opened one of the packages to see what they looked like. They do say "TOYOTA" on them, as well as a lot of Japanese letters, but I noticed at the bottom it reads "K Y B". What is going on here? Are they the same? I bought the Lexus-Toyota struts, as the rear suspension of my car seems to be way too firm for a LS400. If I have these Toyota struts installed, is my car still going to have that overly firm ride, or does KYB make two different types of struts (supple factory and performance)? I would hate to pay $110 for these struts and then $90 installation, only to have the same ride. ANY information appreciated.

Shaffer

Not a lot of info on these it seems. The good news is that I figured it out. They are indeed different. KYB makes Toyota-Lexus struts, but they are softer than the "KYB" that are for all cars. I had the Toyota (made by KYB) struts installed on my car and now the ride is soft and supple. The KYBs that came off of the car (installed 6 months ago by the previous owner) were gray struts. Just a word of advice: If you like a smooth, soft ride, stick with factory OEM (Toyota) struts.