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Hi everyone,
The new KYB is on the left and oem on the right. The model number is correct but it is longer. Could the shops work with this or is this unusual? Thanks!
have you made sure the oem one is fully extended? could just be old. As long are you replacing them both it should be ok
I did make try pulling the oem one all the way out. I'm not really sure what to do at this point because there's no way it'll fit once the spring is installed /:
Hi everyone,
The new KYB is on the left and oem on the right. The model number is correct but it is longer. Could the shops work with this or is this unusual? Thanks!
The rubber isolation bushing on the OEM strut (bottom) appears more substantial in your image than does the aftermarket strut.
That is a significant difference enough to stay with OEM.
+1 to replace in pairs and or all of them for a matched feel all around. The units I've replaced generally tend to be of similar size so nothing this obvious when compared, that looks about like an inch and some odd longer. The longer length may take some finessing to get in as in disconnecting the sway bar to get the lower arm down enough.
KYB's is OEM so double-check to make sure you bought the correct struts.
While KYB is an OEM supplier to Toyota/Lexus, their aftermarket struts are not what are installed on assembly line, are controlled P.N.'s (not sold aftermarket, only through Toyota/Lexus ) and will ruin the ride.quality.
Over the past 20 years, I have replaced 5 sets of KYB's on my 2 Lexus LS400's myself. One of them, I bought it when it was a year old so I know what the original ride is like & I couldn't tell the difference between the OEM & the aftermarket. I've also called KYB & talked to the engineering folks in the past. They told me the aftermarket KYB's are pretty much identical to the OEM's as they're designed & assembled through the same assembly line. In order to sell more on the aftermarket, they may have to slightly change some of the parameters i.e. damping factor, color & etc... but most of these changes/modifications are very minor so most of us couldn't even tell. So on layman term, the only difference between the two is the ones they're supplied to Toyota/Lexus will have Toyota/Lexus' name/logo stamped on them. In facts, I know some of the manufacturers are also selling their exact same products they've made for one company to other companies under different names.
KYB's is OEM so double-check to make sure you bought the correct struts.
Actually I recall seeing Toyota stamped into the body of my OEM shocks when I removed and replaced them with KYBs at 275k. They were surprisingly not blown either at that mileage. But I had to redo a torn upper strut mount and lower control arm bushing so I figured I would replace the front shocks while I was in there.
Lexus wanted I think 220 per shock compared to the 78 per shock for the KYB Excel G I replaced it with. I can tell the KYBs ride a little stiffer compared to the OEM setup, but then again, I was comparing tired 275k OEM shocks to new KYBs, so its not really a good basis for comparison.
I have used aftermarket KYB's on my 1999 LS400 in the past and the rise was choppy and stiff, they lasted less than 50K miles and I went back to OEM, I wrote about it years ago.
Someone said although they are "same part" they are "valved" differently and behave differently. I feel that OEM struts restored the original ride quality.
I've been through the same thing. The KYB has a much narrower bushing. Also, depending on whether the shop uses the correct SST spring compressor (that prevents twisting), you may find that at normal ride height, the lower mount ends up twisted, thus putting a lot of torsional stress on the rubber bush. (This is because one end of the road spring turns WRT the other with movement; a lot of mechanics can't seem to picture this.)
Go for OEM, and make sure they use the Toyota SST.
I've just replaced the OEMs w/ KYB's on all 4 corners on my 2000 LS400 & the ride is silky smooth. Like I've said, I never have any issues w/ any of them over the past 20 years. Based on your inputs, perhaps you may have damaged the strut's lower bushing(s) by not tighten the 2 spring compressor's bolts evenly in the process. When I compressed the spring to remove to old strut, what I normally do is I always keep an eye on the old strut to make sure it's straight while I compressed the spring. If it's slightly crooked, I would back off 1 of the bolts to re-center the strut. By doing so, once the old strut is out, the new one will drop in straight & you won't have an issue of mounting the top strut mount. Anyway, I'm just trying to help out our club members as I've received lots of help from others on this wonderful forum. It's your car so use whatever you feel comfortable with.
Similar to some of the positive experiences reported above, I replaced all 4 original struts and mounts in my '91 at 171k miles with KYB GR-2. No complaints at all. I can't see that KYB would make a downgraded strut, or even a badly tuned one, when they can clearly make great ones. I _can_ believe that Toyota tells them they need to make trivial changes to the OE Lexus design, to enable them to sell the Toyota/Lexus branded shocks for 3x the price. So KYB needs to make it a little different, but not necessarily worse.
My only regret is that at least 3 of the original struts were still good at that point, and maybe I replaced everything too soon. Good to hear that LosiRacer2's struts were working all the way out to 275k miles.
On the OP's original length question - if the correct part number is stamped on the side of the new strut, I would assume it is good and that the problem is with the old strut.
I also replaced all 4 corners with the GR-2 at 180k. I now have 235k and ride is very comparable. I would do it again rather than pay the price for OEM.
12-16-17, 09:45 PM
KYB Exel-G longer than stock?
