I need new struts but dont want to spend alot.I was looking at the gr2 kyb and the monroes that I can get at advance for $36.00ea.The kyb is only a few dollars more but I would have to order it.I would like to keep the same ride as stock,or close to it.Is the monroe strut close to what came stock as far as the ride stiffness etc?Not sure of the monroe part number but the listing was for the iroc.thanks

I have the Monroe sensa-tracs. The rear shocks are ok but the front struts are pretty soft. It didn't take too long before you get that bouncy-floaty feeling on the hiway above 70. I think you'll be disapointed if you get them. After having the Monroes and from what I've read here I think KYB is the minimum low end inexpensive Strut/Shock I would consider buying next time. Bilstein and Koni are great but more money too. So it depends on the driving you want to do.

I dont do much fast driving but dont want that soft feeling.I think I will go with the kyb.Anyone had both the monroe and now the kyb?

I have the Monroe's, and for me they felt better than the OEM ones, yes a bit softer, but I didn't mind that at all.

I'd buy them again, because I don't seriously road race. I would save the $$$ and buy some LCA's or SFC's instead of buying expensive shocks/struts.

I've had them on the front since '96. Worked great when I first got 'em... over 100,000 miles later, they're shot and leaking oil. So plan to replace them after 100,000 miles! 'Course, that should go without saying, for -any- shock/strut...

I just put a set of F41 option front struts on my 87 IROC and the car is fantastic. The original struts went 123000 miles and in another 123000 I'll put the same thing on again. They cost $76 each at the GM dealer. Worth every cent.

They are ok for commuting, but I'd not want them for any serious or spirited driving. I've had them and didn't really like them.

You want a nice soft and floating ride get the Monroe struts & shocks. Cheap is what you get.

I put on Monroes on the front and rear because 25yr old shocks weren't cutting it anymore and they made a noticable difference but it wasn't great. When I rebuild the front and rear suspension I put on kyb gr2/gas-a-just and now its a completely different car. I'll give some of the handling to the bushings but the shocks really made a big difference. I'd spend the extra money and time to get the kyb's if I were you.

I had the monroes years ago ,I dont recall them lasting very long. I have the KYBs now, I like them. Dean

I put in the cheapest shocks and struts i could get 150k miles ago, when i first got my car. I didn't plan on keeping them forever, but the car was pretty ragged out so i didn't want to spend all my money right then on shocks. They're still good as new, though i suspect the polyurethane bushing may have served to relieve the load of the shocks and lengthen their life.

Of the two, I would go with the GR2s. I had a set, years ago; pretty tame. Still, the Monroes are made for the general market, I think that excludes using much of the good road holding or cars are capable of.
I have not heard the suggestion before, but the F41 GM struts sound like THE inexpensive way to go.
Good Luck.

monroes have lifetime warranty. the dude at kragen said just bring them in if they go bad and replaced for free. I got monroes in the rear. cheap yes, it solved my handling issue. Btw i replaced the bushings on the sway bar at the same time, tighten to spec. and now when i make a turn. it doesnt rock back and forth. i say KYB on rear, Koni on front. but if you want to go the whole nine yard, replace the worn out springs with Moog springs-stock. when i go over a speed bump very slow creeping, the rear axle doesnt bounce and bounce and bounce, just a little burp.

Fixed that for ya.

Actually, Sensatraks do have their place(s). Folks who need a soft ride for medical reasons (bad back perhaps), folks who could not give a hoot about handling and never drive hard enough to ever have to, etc.

At a stretch, there might be some possible benefit at the dragstrip for some cars, guessing that the first inch of nose rise should happen a little faster than with most other struts. The feature that gives the nice, soft ride does so by intentionally giving away some of the damping control around the OE ride height (think midpoint of the strut travel), so it lets the car "move" a bit more near that ride height than other struts do.


Norm

anyone have a PN for the F41 struts?

The front Konis are the ones that are so expensive. IF you're gonna go Konis on the front, just go all out and get 4 of em.

I love my Konis, but I dropped some serious cash on em. I cant blame anyone for not wanting to. I got lucky and had the money at the time.

Yeah, they have a lifetime warranty, but IIRC, so do KONIs which are alot better shock and you won't actually be using the warranty every few years when the Monroes go from tolerable to junk.

I have Moog springs and KYB shocks on the rear of my car and that in itself made a difference.Now I can move on to the front end (164K miles).I plan to go with Moog stock replacement springs and KYB struts.I'm also going to invest in a Polygraphite front end kit.I was making a 3 point turn and I heard some funky sounds coming from the front end.What else do you think I need here? I want the front end rebuild to be a "one and done" operation,so when that's paid for, I can move to the transmission.Any suggestions?Thanx.Wow dude I just noticed that I inadvertantly hijacked this thread.My bad....