mwatt Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Our '98 Legacy Outback LTD has cracked the 200K mile mark...still looks and runs great. But it's time for struts because the car wallows and sways over dips in the road. I've replaced struts myself on my '99 GT wagon and it's not a big deal but after a while you get tired of paying dealer prices for parts....have any of you folks used KYB struts and if so, have you been pleased with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Yes I've used KYB GR-2's on all three of my soobs, and I have been very pleased with them. They have a fairly firm ride which I prefer to the sloppy 'compliant' feel of say Monroe struts. There seem to be some good prices for sets of four shipped on eBay. Some of those vendors take a little while to ship and don't have the best communication skills but they come through in the end. If it's specifically swaying, you might want to check your sway bars and endlinks and make sure nothing is broken there. Sometimes the mounts break free or the end links break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Yes I've used KYB GR-2's on all three of my soobs, and I have been very pleased with them. They have a fairly firm ride which I prefer to the sloppy 'compliant' feel of say Monroe struts. There seem to be some good prices for sets of four shipped on eBay. Some of those vendors take a little while to ship and don't have the best communication skills but they come through in the end. If it's specifically swaying, you might want to check your sway bars and endlinks and make sure nothing is broken there. Sometimes the mounts break free or the end links break. +1 on KYB GR-2's. I have used them for years on various vehicles, and been very satisfied. They are gas filled, so they are a bit more firm than OEM. They last a long time, highly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I'm glad to read people say they last. I just put 4 on my wife's outback (03 H6) and like the ride. maybe picked up one more little rattle - probably due to the xtra firmness - but really, you can't feel it in your butt, just, the car feels tighter somehow. Of course, 3 of the struts may not have been that bad since only one rear was leaking oil. But , after comparing the new ones with the pull-offs, the new ones returned better after compression so - dunno how that would compare to new OEM. Her car only has 64K but, it's 96% or so secondary roads. And the bad rear strut mustv'e lost it's nitrogen as well as it's oil cause it wouldn't return at all. I got my struts from Amazon(actually, Just Suspension was the seller I guess). $279 If you have any split boots on axles, now's a good time for that work too. I replaced a front/right half axle at the same time as the strut install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 they came highly recommended for OBW's on another subaru forum and i bought them based on those recommendations. they were only $51 each from either rockauto or advanced auto parts and free shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 they were only $51 each from either rockauto or advanced auto parts and free shipping. Uhm... I'm checking advance's website and they are listed at $113 and $89. How did you get them for $51? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike104 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Prices seem to fluctuate on those. I got mine from Stockwise Auto as they had the best price when I needed them. I also replaced the mounts but after removing them with 276k miles, they really did not need to be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwatt Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 thanks for your responses, guys.......it's interesting to note on the "Just Suspensions" website they have a note that says "KYB is retiring the GR-2 (silver) brand name and switching to Excel-G (black)." I don't know if that's a good thing, a bad thing, or nothing to think about at all.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I always figured the GR2 was a stiffer shock, but reading KYBs website: http://www.kyb.com/news/GR2-ExcelG.php What's the difference between the (silver) GR-2 and (black) Excel-G? Answer: Just the product color and name. It's actually the exact same product on the inside. There is no internal difference, no change in quality, performance or application. Only the product name and color has changed. Why? KYB is improving product availability by switching to a world-wide inventory. The (black) Excel-G is the color and name used around the globe. The entire world is becoming our warehouse. The United States and Canada are the only countries that use the GR-2 name with the silver color. By switching to the Excel-G name with the black color the U.S. and Canada join the world-wide KYB manufacturing color. In addition, the Excel-G's black color matches the Original Equipment shock or strut that it's probably replacing: One more great plus to why KYB is "OE for the Aftermarket." Either way... KYB makes the OE strut assemblies for Subaru. A brand new strut from Subaru will have "KYB" stamped in the side of the case. So there is no way to lose by finding a less expensive source on KYB parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Ahh...ok, on my last order, I got one rear that was silver, and one rear that was black, but I didn't quite catch on to the difference. Ah it's all marketing. The highly paid marketing guys have to change things up periodically or it looks like they aren't doing anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 The highly paid marketing guys have to change things up periodically or it looks like they aren't doing anything. You got it, Brother!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Ahh...ok, on my last order, I got one rear that was silver, and one rear that was black, but I didn't quite catch on to the difference. Ah it's all marketing. The highly paid marketing guys have to change things up periodically or it looks like they aren't doing anything. we'd all like to thank for helping to flush out all those old, nasty, silver GR-2s. :^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I've been more than happy with the GR-2's on both the vehicles I've used them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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