Front strut question

jfkmk

Original poster
Member
Mar 7, 2013
91
I'm thinking about replacing the front struts on my 06 Envoy. Rock auto has Monroe quick struts for a good price, which would save me from having to have the shop do the swap. Are the Monroes ok? Also, is an alignment required after strut replacement on these vehicles? It doesn't look like, but I could be wrong.
Thanks!
 

gmac310

Member
Dec 4, 2011
174
I bought the Monroes some time ago instead of replacing just the shock and I for one am glad I did. I didn't realize how much my front had sagged over the years and having new springs on the Monroes took care of it. And no you won't need an alignment after replacing them, they go in just like a regular shock with a coil over.
 

Playsinsnow

Member
Nov 17, 2012
9,727
I think Monroe's are "cheap" replacements. Didn't care for them. If you have sagging front springs and your struts are terribly worn, you will definitely feel an improvement. There were at least 9 spring rates offered on our platform so some may have different results than others. For a time and convenience factor go for it.

Also if you can get the strut and spring off, what's stopping you from renting a spring compressor? Measure to the center of front wheel well, are you sagging anywhere and what's the height?
 

meerschm

Member
Aug 26, 2012
1,079
I put the monroe quick struts on, and am ok with the result. ( I ended up taking one down to pep boys to have one of the mechanics use a bigger hammer to separate the strut from the lower mount.)

I took it in for an alignment (had lifetime at firestone); they determined that it was out, (perhaps not from the strut change...)

and that the inner tie rod was frozen to the outer.

so I changed out inner and outer tie rods. (which you really need an alignment for)

and just last month, changed the tires which had become scalloped due to the bad struts.
 

The_Roadie

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Nov 19, 2011
9,957
Portland, OR
Any time the height changes, either with sagging springs, or by fixing a sagging spring problem, an alignment is called for. I used to believe otherwise, but I was wrong. :redface: The issue is that changing springs (or installing a lift kit) will change the resting height. Our toe-in changes slightly as the suspension cycles up and down (due to the exact location of the steering rack compared to the control arms), so if the resting height changes, so does the toe-in.

I messed up more than one rednecky-approximation driveway alignments by doing them with front wheels hanging in the air instead of having the vehicle weight on them.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
You will Need an Alignment!
 

smt 59

Member
I put on Quick Struts last year and I am happy with them, they are the closest to factory ride that you will get. I did do an alignment as well, better safe that sorry, tires are expensive.
 

jfkmk

Original poster
Member
Mar 7, 2013
91
Thanks, all! My truck isn't sagging, and I don't think there is anything wrong with the springs. The shock part, though, is kind of worn out. I get the tell-tale bounce of worn shocks. I thought about a spring compressor, but between the price of rental, would replace the mounting hardware, etc. I thought the quick struts would be a reasonable option. Besides, compressing these springs is something I've never done and scares me a little. I'll do almost anything on my vehicle, but that stored energy is pretty nasty. I may look into having a machine shop swap the springs, but they seem to be far and few in between these days.
Thanks again!
 

The_Roadie

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Nov 19, 2011
9,957
Portland, OR
Many independent mechanics and even a muffler shop I knew the owner of, have wall-mounted spring compressors that make the job downright trivial. I've heard of independents swapping out shocks that owners brought into them for as little as $20 a side.

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HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
It cost me 40 to have mine swapped first time. Was a small shop w a wall mount compresser
 

JerryIrons

Member
Dec 20, 2011
434
Also I think these springs are stronger than your average malibu/impala etc so keep that in mind as well if you are thinking about doing it yourself. In the past I have brought struts and springs to a mechanic and they will swap it pretty cheap, you can call them up and ask how much. Don't forget new strut mounts.

I just changed my struts with moog quick struts (includes springs and mounts) and they seem to work fine, but it's only been a few weeks.

-Jerry
 

DocBrown

Member
Dec 8, 2011
501
I used the Monroe quick struts back in the springtime. I had no need for an alignment. No need to swap springs and the entire thing took me about as long as it takes to swap out a set of rotors. I cannot tell the difference in ride quality.
 

6716

Member
Jul 24, 2012
821
Did the quickstruts 14 months ago. It was a noticeable improvement in ride. It's my daily driver plus the occasional gravel road to/from some outdoor destination. The way I put on miles, I'll probably do those again.
 

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