I've been reading a lot of post regarding strut assemblies on here and i know that quick struts are not the way to go in order to guarantee no future issues or maintain the ride quality, but I don't want to deal with the dangers of removing springs. Which quick struts should i buy? I've read about all these different options and can't get a consensus on which to purchase. I'm also looking on the cheaper options, but go ahead and put your recs on the more expensive ones so other members can hopefully use this post in the future.

 

If I was forced to use a complete assembly I'd buy Moog.

 

I think Moog is ok overall, but I really don't know about their shocks - have never used them. I do have Moog springs in the rear (with KYB cartridges/struts) - they've been there 100k miles and are holding up just fine. I expect them to meet or exceed the quality/longevity of the OE rear springs. Moog "problem solver" line parts have always worked well for me. That's positive, but I really prefer KYB shocks in most applications. They are the OE manufacturer, btw. I don't find many shocks the quality of KYB, and none for the price-point. If reviews of the moog shocks are solid enough, I'd give that a try vs. KYB if the cost difference was important. The el-cheapo struts just don't last; don't go that route

I can get that spring compressors are sketchy - what you can do to minimize that is use two sets (borrow them from the auto parts stores - free). By positioning three compressors around the spring instead of two, it's much more stable. And you've got a fourth one extra you can use if wanted. Another option is to ask at local shops if they will do just the spring swap for you. A lot of shops have dedicted compressors that make it pretty quick, so it's not very expensive. This is a cheap DIY one, but this is what makes it fast:

https://www.vevor.com/products/new-c...BoCWpcQAvD_BwE

Higher grade one:

 

Keep the OEM springs, buy kyb shocks from Rock Auto and replace the shock only. This will maintain OEM ride quality.

 

Not sure what brand my ES330 has but after 50k, they are JUNK. Previous owner had them all replaced and I have the invoice for them... wish they would have kept the OEM springs and just swapped the shocks out. I mean, the ride isn't terrible but it most certainly isn't where it should be.

 

thanks for all the responses. looks like quick struts just suck as an option. Will go with Moogs if i do use them, but i'm going to ask if my mechanic friend if he's willing to do the job and keep all the oem parts and just replace the struts with KYB Excel-G Front Strut Assemblies Kit 334339.

When we are working on the car, is it likely any oem parts will have to be replaced due to wear or failure?

 

The boot and spring seat rubber (bottom, what the coil rests on) are often shot. Sometimes the mounts themselves have seen better days they should be inspected before reuse. I know someone that recently put Monroe Quick-Struts into a Camry it now sits 2" higher, supposedly the coils will "settle" which is ridiculous to me a coil spring should not change tension over time.

 

I put the Moog quick struts all around and it rides ok. I mostly went the quick strut route since I wanted an easy and quick install. I've dealt with spring compressors in the past and found them to be a hassle if you don't have a quality compressor. Sadly the install was neither quick nor easy, most of my suspension hardware was rusted and seized. Wound up having to take a few trips to the auto parts store to replace the endlinks, seized rear caliper, and other odds and ends. I'm not sure what the OE ride quality was like since the AVS system was completely shot by the time we got the car last year but at least it doesn't handle like a boat on choppy waters anymore. I feel like the ride could be smoother, but with the poor condition of the suspension and undercarriage, I'm sure a few more parts could use a refresh as well. I'm happy enough with the current ride quality not to bother any further at the moment. Our ES330 was initially sold in Canada and had some harsh winters before getting moved down to Florida. I know the original owners maintained the car rather well, but the next two sets of owners only did the bare minimum.

 

This is what I would do (did), and others have with happy results. I found the mounts to be good (still perfect at 323k), seats ok with just rotating them. New boots.

I used Moog coils in the rear (cc273 I think; not spec'd for the ES but for the same gen Camry and work perfectly). Front coils are still OE and work perfectly still. Albeit, this car was on TX highways for 3 years, then WA - smooth roads, nice climate.

RE coils: yes, these:


When I open it, Amazon tells me automatically I "last bought these Septemer 2014." So they've been in since then and are still great 100k later. In fact, I just updated my review.

If you at all suspect the rear is sagging or soft, replace the rear springs if you are doing this work. They are not known for longevity. If you search my posts back around the date above, you can find detailed notes I made about the suspension re-do.

 

+ 1 on Oro's comments about the springs. I, too, bought these back in 2016 and have not regretted it at all. I went with the original Lexus mounts, KYB struts, and new Lexus spring seats and boots. Got those at amayama.com. The KYB struts are more firm than original.(I'm good with that but the wife, not so much) so they do improve cornering a bit and flatten out the body roll. At the time I had a mechanic SIL with all the spring compressors and tools so it was a 3 1/2 hr job to do all 4 corners.
Good luck.
koreywill

 

Funny how I was adamant I was going to use quick struts and that i wanted to help out other people on the forum by making a post regarding quick strut options. Alas I now know that that option just sucks. Not one person posted their choice of quick struts without stating or implying that they suck. others just flat out didn't even give me a quick strut choice.

I now am going to replace the boots, spring seats, and struts on the 2 fronts. the only thing i'm confused about is if I'm suppose to buy shocks and take the old shocks out of the strut assembly or am i buying the shock and strut combo? I could only find the shock and strut combo at rockauto. below is what's in my cart. please let me know if i have forgotten anything.

1 X KYB 334339 GR-2 / Excel-G Info
Front Left; Except Adjustable Suspension

1 X KYB 334338 GR-2 / Excel-G Info
Front Right; Except Adjustable Suspension

2 X MOOGK90461 {Click Info Button for Alternate/OEM Part Numbers} Includes BumperInfo

2 X KYB SM5648 Info
Front Lower Coil Spring Seat

 

What you're talking about is serviceable struts, that means you remove the gland nut and replace just the shock itself. You want the complete assembly there is no reason to mess around with the old housing.

 

Hey Jasonthe77: Here's what I installed 4 years ago. At the time, I did not replace the spring insulators. I also kept the front original spring and all the original mounts as they appeared to be fine: 4 Boots by KYB SB101 and SB102, about $52 , 4 KYB EXcel G-2 Struts for $292, and 2 Moog CC273 Springs for $72.25.
50,000 miles and 4 years later the bearing mounts had become noisy so I replaced those with the KYB SM5423 Front Suspension Support Sub-assy. However I took out the bearing that came with it and used the much more robust Toyota/Lexus 90903-63014 Front Suspension Support Bearings/Bearing, Radial Ball.
2 Toyota/Lexus 90179-14015 Nut, 2 Toyota/Lexus 48471-41010 Front Coil Spring Seat Upper, Seat, Front Spring, 2 Toyota/Lexus 48157-33060 Front Coil Spring Insulator Upper, Insulator, Fr Coil, and 2 Toyota/Lexus 48158-33030 Front Coil Spring Insulator Lower, Insulator, FR Coil
The KYB boots had shredded so that's why I replaced them. I should have gone with all the parts above the first time and it would have saved me a bunch of time and money.
Yes, you've got to use spring compressors but, as has been said, an independent garage may be available to you to tear apart what you have and then put it all back together with your new stuff. If you've got some time to wait for shipping amayama.com is a supplier of oem Lexus parts. Parts come from overseas.
My 2005 ES300 now has 354,xxx miles on it and runs great. Best riding car I've ever owned.