A note on Monroe struts....

Post by **Matty Moo** » 02 Jun 2011, 23:46

A couple of months ago I drilled an incredibly large pothole, bending a wheel, bubbling a tire and blowing out a strut. This was on my Platinum wagon. It was one of those hits where you instantly KNEW you did some damage.

So, I read up on Monroes, since I had to replace the struts. I didn't hear anything bad about them, so I ordered a pair from Amazon. I wasn't being cheap, just wanted to try them and see how they were. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C5 ... B000C53TGK

They don't ride bad, but they are valved differently than the stock struts. They seem a touch softer and the rebound seems to be a touch quicker. More of an American ride than a European ride. Almost Buick-ish, if you've ever driven one.

The bad....my front end now sits about 5/8" higher than it did before. I've always kept my headlights aimed to the max without getting flashed by others, now I'm getting flashed every single night. I don't like the way it looks either.

So, they're coming off and I'm putting some oem's back on.

Post by **jblackburn** » 03 Jun 2011, 07:01

I put them on an '88 Honda Accord that had a real annoying squeaky strut - and they were probably original. It did raise it up a bit, but it was also a bit lopsided before.

While they gave a good ride, they handled WORSE than the old ones on there, and I couldn't stand it. Going into corners, the whole car rolled like a whale.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 03 Jun 2011, 08:31

I have them on my car now... back before I knew anything about these cars, we (as in more my dad) had the struts replaced, the shop used those cheapies. They rode much better than the OEM ones that were shot, but I've started to dislike how they feel, especially when I hear stories about OEM being a good ride.

Post by **EstVolvo** » 03 Jun 2011, 09:30

Good to know, if I ever change mine. I like Buick-ish.

Post by **JRL** » 03 Jun 2011, 11:49

Buy a pair of front Koni Sport Yellows (if you can only buy a pair instead of all 4)

Post by **Red-Arrow** » 06 Jun 2011, 23:44

Do you guys not have KONI shocks in the US? the have adjustable spring height threads to avoid this weird right height problem.

lexmia · Post by **lexmia** » 27 Jun 2011, 10:53

I bought the Monroe struts 71699 and shocks 5975 from Amazon. These shocks and struts handle large bumps and potholes beautifully, but... and a big but.... you can feel every single road imperfection, every joint on a ramp on the highway is a major bump, every pebble on the road; lane divider reflectors seem to want to destroy the car; my friend says can feel every cigarette butt on the road. Thank goodness for the Monroe Ride Guarantee... they will take them back and they pay up to $50 per strut/shock installation.

instarx · Post by **instarx** » 27 Jun 2011, 13:06

Red-Arrow wrote:Do you guys not have KONI shocks in the US? the have adjustable spring height threads to avoid this weird right height problem.

I used to have Konis on another car and they were adjustable for dampening level (hard to soft), they were not adjustable for ride height.

Wrenchinjoe · Post by **Wrenchinjoe** » 27 Jun 2011, 18:20

I recently installed Monroe Sensatrac struts on our '99 V70. So far I am very pleased with them, the car rides really nicely, plush but firm... a bit tighter than a Buick IMO

I really wanted to put Bilstein TC's on her, but couldn't afford the whole deal. I was able to put all 4 Monroes on for $145 with a buy 3 get 1 free deal at http://www.justsuspension.com. I did spring for Boge strut mounts, IPD heavy duty spring seats, new bellows and bump stops up front and Hutchinson shock mounts in the rear.

Keep it in perspective, this is our family wagon, a non-turbo base model and was never intended for us to use as a sports car. In that capacity, I recommend the Monroes at one third the cost of Bilsteins or Koni's. Time will tell how they hold up, and if they don't last I'll post back to say so.

Cheers.

Post by **thecheat** » 10 Aug 2011, 16:18

lexmia wrote:I bought the Monroe struts 71699 and shocks 5975 from Amazon. These shocks and struts handle large bumps and potholes beautifully, but... and a big but.... you can feel every single road imperfection, every joint on a ramp on the highway is a major bump, every pebble on the road; lane divider reflectors seem to want to destroy the car; my friend says can feel every cigarette butt on the road. Thank goodness for the Monroe Ride Guarantee... they will take them back and they pay up to $50 per strut/shock installation.

This is what I want- A firm ride with lots of road feel without breaking the bank.

How do these shocks work with new springs? I want to lower my wagon but I'm not sure how lower and firmer springs will work. I know you need to have firmer shocks to avoid pogo rebound.