Do you care if a vehicle's hood has a prop rod?

[John105]

My dad 25 years ago considered gas struts to indicate quality, as opposed to vehicles that had prop rods.

Well, I haven't had a car with a prop rod. My early cars had springs, and then I graduated to gas struts.

All of my vehicles today, believe it or not, have gas struts for the hood, and the trunks, and hatch. No rods.

I think the fact that I said trunks, tells you we don't have new cars. That may have been a mid 2000's thing. I like it--imho it allows the trunk to be larger as no large arms for the hinge mechanism.

Anyway, I've seen online that there are vehicles probably pushing 55-60k that have prop rods. I personally don't like them. Do you?

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

I’d rather have a prop rod than struts. It’s one less thing that will need to be replaced when it wears out. My 2019 Soul is the only car I’ve had with struts.

 

[PimTac]

This should get interesting.

 

[CharBaby]

Well, I’ve had all three(springs, gas struts, prop rods) and I couldn’t care less which a vehicle had. However, the gas struts are the only ones that I’ve had to replace both under the hood and hatchbacks.

 

[John105]

I’d rather have a prop rod than struts. It’s one less thing that will need to be replaced when it wears out. My 2019 Soul is the only car I’ve had with struts.

To your point, from an OE parts perspective, replacement cost can be pretty unreasonable. Sometimes $80 each side, but that's list. Then you go OEM or aftermarket, and really, as cheap as $15, for a quality one, like Stabilus which is BMW OEM. Strongarm $8. So if we can get them $15 retail, imagine what a mfg whom I assume is avoiding cost, can get them for. They may argue 2 struts cost us $8, but the rod costs us under $1

 

[MRC01]

I've seen struts wear out and need replacing.
I've never seen a simple metal rod wear out and need replacing.

 

[oggb]

Doesn't matter. If the gas struts go bad I'm just going to throw a pair of vice grips on the chrome rod anyhow. The ones on the Hyundai in my signature have never worked.

 

[Shel_B]

While I prefer struts, and most of my recent cars have had them, it's not that important to me one way or the other.

 

[Reggaemon]

I have them all and guess struts are preferred but prop rods never need replaced.

 

[John105]

So far, it would seem nobody is pro gas strut. But if they are not as my dad said, how about new cabinets which are soft close, as opposed to not? Wouldn't not also be one less thing to go wrong, yet at the same time, there is aesthetic value, to the cabinet doors not slamming...I as mentioned see the trend. Toyota Grand Highlander has a prop rod, as does the GR Corolla. Imagine picking up a new S class and having a rod

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

So far, it would seem nobody is pro gas strut. But if they are not as my dad said, how about new cabinets which are soft close, as opposed to not? Wouldn't not also be one less thing to go wrong, yet at the same time, there is aesthetic value, to the cabinet doors not slamming...

My cabinets don’t have slow close hinges but there’s felt pads on the doors so they don’t make a racket if they’re slammed shut. I did buy an overpriced fancy slow close toilet seat and it lasted about a year now it slams shut.

 

[JeffKeryk]

As others have said, struts can wear out then you need a prop to hold up the hood until the struts are replaced.
I like Hondas with the 2 sets of prop hole locations. The rear most location enables a near vertical hood.

 

[tyman]

Don't care either way but I will say that prop rod > struts.

 

[ruhroh]

Give me a prop any day. Worst time to find out that the gas struts starts failing is when you're hunched over the engine bay during the Winter and after a minute the hood falls down on your neck/back.

 

[John105]

Very interesting thus far, seems no compelling reason to have struts and not much value. If so, it shows that we can be conditioned to like things for sure--I don't want my next car to have a rod, and have noticed online some nice cars now having rods, where I would have thought they'd have struts...think it's a cost savings to the mfg

 

[DriveHard]

Strut or spring all day every day, I don't care if I have to replace them.

Once you get used to a strut or spring, you can't go back. I saw a friend of mine taco his hood, as he had been used to having a car with strong springs, and forgot the rod. While I have not personally bent a hood, I have tugged on a hood with a rod before and realized I forgot it.

Replacing the struts every 5-10 years seems like cheap insurance against a bent hood.

Edited to add: You can always cut a nice broom handle to keep in the trunk in case you think your struts might all of a sudden fail on you. I have used these myself in the 90's...

 

[Malo83]

Broom handles work great.

 

[wpod]

What is the cost to replace the struts?

 

[Pablo]

My Tacoma has both.

I added the struts. Super easy. Hahahahha

I hate prop rods.

 

[hrv]

I like the 1969 Dodge Super Bee six pack...No rods no springs....four hood pins and you lift it off.....