KYB Strut Plus SUCK

troymcclure said:
Since this thread was resurrected... I wanted to post a little different experience and why I'm not ready to universally condemn the entire KYB strut plus lineup. I think there are some gems but you need to do your research.

The car in question was a 2011 Sentra in the family. Needed all four corners of the factory struts/shocks replaced. Factory mounts were ratcheting as well. Normally would try to get ahold of the OEM Sachs parts that came on the car but Nissan recently started to make these hard to source and were instead pushing their "ValueAdvantage" line of loaded struts. Couldn't figure out who their manufacturer was and only knew they were made in China which didn't help narrow anything down.

I read all the stories like this, usually about KYB putting good struts but terribly noisy mounts in their loaded packages. But I also found these stories were focused on specific models like certain CRVs and Priuses and some other specific cars. The ones for this Sentra had universally great reviews on Amazon and there were a few good stories on Reddit so I decided to go KYB over the unknown ValueAdvantage. I wasn't really interested in the few other available aftermarket options as they fit in the extreme value category. Sachs had an aftermarket option available but when you peel off the Sachs label, they were made by...KYB. So far it's been 10K miles on the Strut-Plus and they have been nothing short of perfect - ride height, damping feel, and dead silent even in sub zero temps which usually brings on the squeaking. Equal to the OEM feel, maybe even a little better feel on the damping, hard to remember what the factory suspension felt like new. Sure it's early and I could end up being wrong later but I'm really happy so far.

But I think that makes sense - there are so many models (and sub models) of cars they cover and given that complexity, and probably the different companies they source bearings and top hats and springs from, there is going to be variability. Based on what was available for this specific car, I think I ended up with the best outcome.

So I think the moral of the story for me is that model specific reviews can be more helpful than looking at a particular brand as a whole.
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I agree. I too saw a lot of CRV owners express their hate for the KYB quick strut variety but I had the same thought process you had which was maybe the issue is model specific? With that mindset it still unfortunately didn’t work out for me but it’s not a big deal as I rectified it with OEM Toyota parts. That’s kinda what happens when you buy things post COVID where manufactures short change everyone on the quality of their parts..

When I disassembled the front KYB quick-strut to investigate where the inadequacies were, I immediately found the 1st issue when I held the plastic strut bearing in my hand. It was notchy and gritty when I turned it in my palm, which explained the popping issue when turning. Mind you these are brand new from KYB. The OEM Toyota strut bearing is metal with EPDM rubber in the center and turned buttery smooth with a bit of resistance (a good thing). 2nd issue; the rubber spring isolators were as flimsy as room temperature bologna slices.. The one thing I did like is that they used Excel-G’s instead of some lower-end value strut.

Toyota parts are NOT cheap. But me being me, I can’t handle lower tier parts and “live with it”.. In the end I’m more than happy with my choices. Plus my Camry on OEM struts rides like it’s on pillows 😍
 
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Twisted1 said:
I agree. I too saw a lot of CRV owners express their hate for the KYB quick strut variety but I had the same thought process you had which was maybe the issue is model specific? With that mindset it still unfortunately didn’t work out for me but it’s not a big deal as I rectified it with OEM Toyota parts. That’s kinda what happens when you buy things post COVID where manufactures short change everyone on the quality of their parts..

When I disassembled the front KYB quick-strut to investigate where the inadequacies were, I immediately found the 1st issue when I held the plastic strut bearing in my hand. It was notchy and gritty when I turned it in my palm, which explained the popping issue when turning. Mind you these are brand new from KYB. The OEM Toyota strut bearing is metal with EPDM rubber in the center and turned buttery smooth with a bit of resistance (a good thing). 2nd issue; the rubber spring isolators were as flimsy as room temperature bologna slices.. The one thing I did like is that they used Excel-G’s instead of some lower-end value strut.

Toyota parts are NOT cheap. But me being me, I can’t handle lower tier parts and “live with it”.. In the end I’m more than happy with my choices. Plus my Camry on OEM struts rides like it’s on pillows 😍
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Supremely disappointing to see the few good aftermarket options disappear for those of us who just want to do the job right the first time.
 
I put these on my mom's CRV and about 12 months later started getting the popping. KYB wouldn't warranty them because they were bought on Rock Auto (not an authorized vendor) but I did manage to get kind of high up in their engineering side on the phone. Cool guy told me the design flaw had been fixed but it wasn't a safety issue. He suggested getting a new set from Advanced Auto and seeing if a manager would swap my old ones out for a refund....

I filled up a big scary-looking syringe with warmed-up gear lube, pierced the rubber top with an Xacto knife, and pushed about an ounce of gear lube into that top bearing area. Stopped all the popping, going on 2+ years now. Wiped a little RTV on the cut spot.
 
Gasbuggy said:
I put these on my mom's CRV and about 12 months later started getting the popping. KYB wouldn't warranty them because they were bought on Rock Auto (not an authorized vendor) but I did manage to get kind of high up in their engineering side on the phone. Cool guy told me the design flaw had been fixed but it wasn't a safety issue. He suggested getting a new set from Advanced Auto and seeing if a manager would swap my old ones out for a refund....

I filled up a big scary-looking syringe with warmed-up gear lube, pierced the rubber top with an Xacto knife, and pushed about an ounce of gear lube into that top bearing area. Stopped all the popping, going on 2+ years now. Wiped a little RTV on the cut spot.
Click to expand...

The strut bearings and coil insulators are terrible on the KYB quick struts… good job on finding a cure!
 
Gasbuggy said:
I put these on my mom's CRV and about 12 months later started getting the popping. KYB wouldn't warranty them because they were bought on Rock Auto (not an authorized vendor) but I did manage to get kind of high up in their engineering side on the phone. Cool guy told me the design flaw had been fixed but it wasn't a safety issue. He suggested getting a new set from Advanced Auto and seeing if a manager would swap my old ones out for a refund....

I filled up a big scary-looking syringe with warmed-up gear lube, pierced the rubber top with an Xacto knife, and pushed about an ounce of gear lube into that top bearing area. Stopped all the popping, going on 2+ years now. Wiped a little RTV on the cut spot.
Click to expand...
I gotta give them props for having engineers running some decisions and for them to revise parts in response to issues. That’s gotta be worth something.
 
A few years ago a customer brought me a v6 Altima that after having another shop install a full set of quickstruts...FRP? I think was the brand. Car rode like bricks. I checked to make sure there wasnt anything funny going on in the bump stops.

So I replaced the whole lot with KYB quick struts and it was so much better. Was it oem ride? Hard to say as I am unfamiliar with those cars. But they were happy and thats all that mattered.

Thats about my only experience on the matter. I used regular KYB damper replacements before many times with no issues. KYB make Toyota OEM dampers.
 
I bought the kyb plus for my 2010 Corolla 2 years ago, they are great for me. Even feels exactly the same as oem to me. Just my experience.
 
malibuguy79 said:
Thats about my only experience on the matter. I used regular KYB damper replacements before many times with no issues. KYB make Toyota OEM dampers.
Click to expand...
Yes KYB makes some of Toyota's OEM dampers/shocks and that is to Toyota's SPECIFICATIONS! Not what KYB is selling in the aftermarket. BIG DIFFERENCE.. This keeps being repeated as if the aftermarket KYB is the same quality as Toyota's specs, it is not. Far from it!
 
troymcclure said:
Fun fact: I recently learned that Monroe is the OEM suspension for the McLaren 750S, Mercedes AMG GT Black edition and the BMW iX3 so apparently they CAN turn out a good product if they want to.
Click to expand...
Wow if so that's gotta be built in a separate high zoot facility funded by Monroe money but with no other ties. Kinda like how much of Renault's F1 experience makes it into the engines of their least expensive commuter cars?

I don't care what Monroe claims on their resume-- I will continue to refuse to install their junk because it makes me look bad when it fails.
 
Had 3 sets of KYB's in my 70 Chevelle. All kept leaking then I realized that the the newer KYB products are not made where they used to be and are now crap.
 
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