Toys4RJill

I can't believe GM is cost cutting their cars from two hoods struts to now a single one. My gosh. Especially when the car is $47k.

pbm317

Many cars use one large strut over two tiny struts. not necessarily cost cutting.

Toys4RJill

I never liked GM V8s. The North star was smooth. But nowhere never as quiet and smooth as a Toyota or Lexus V6 or V8.

mmarshall

Correct.

When I review a vehicle, I note how the hood is held up.....and whether it appears to be cost-cutting or not.

Toys4RJill

I say its total cost cutting. Especially for a vehicle that is $47K. What happens if the strut breaks , you can't keep the hood open.

Toys4RJill

Its simple cost cutting. No reason a $47K car should have just one.

mmarshall

Struts don't usually break (unless you hit them broadside with a sledge hammer). Usually what happens is they wear out slowly, over time, due to aging of the hydraulic seals. The first sign of that happening is usually the hood wanting to slowly drop and not stay up. It is a relatively quick and inexpensive fix in the service shop, providing that the part is in stock....you might even be able to do it yourself.

Toys4RJill

I have seen cheap GM struts break under the warranty period. Happened to me in the 80s. Good thing there were two of them at the time. Anyways, one strut is cheapening the vehicle IMO. Does a ATS have one or two?

LexBob2

A nice hood prop rod would provide long term reliability.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I was really impressed with the smoothness of the 5.3 in the 2013 Suburban.

But I don't like drive GM V8's for their Lexus-like smoothness. I like them for the rumble and the grunt.

mmarshall

Nothing GM made in the 1980s was reliable. The company, like Hyundai at that time, was a joke.


From what I remember in my review, it had two.

mmarshall

One piece, though, on a manual prop-rod, that often breaks with repeated-use is the plastic clip that the tip of the rod snaps into when it is down. Like a worn-out strut, though, that is a simple and inexpensive repair...provided the part is in stock.

pbm317

I think the main thing here is you are indeed entitled to your own opinion of what is or isn't "cheapening"

Even the Audi RS4, which is WAY more than the SS, used one larger strut to hold its hood up. Maybe it could be pegged as "lightweighting" instead of "cheapening"

Using the 80's as a reference for anything today is, as MMarshall noted, completely off-basis.

Toys4RJill

Not on Toyotas they don't. I don't think any Lexus models have a prop rod.

pbm317

You are wrong. Lexus CT, and the LFA both use prop rods. But this is getting off topic from the SS.