Tokico Blues + Monroe Strut-Mate Mounting Kits

[Psychobroker]

So my baby is back on the road after being garaged for a while during my RDX lease. The lease is over, and I'm back tot he Vibe and excited to get to do a few more things with her. For now, I realize that with ~87k miles and a bumpier/bouncier ride than I remembered, my struts are likely worn and ready for the scrap heap.So, I've just ordered a set of Tokico Blues and 4 replacement mounting plates (just in case I screw up the install), and plan on installing them in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post a review .What else could I be doing (maintenance) while the wheels and shocks are off? The Hotchkis springs have roughly 60k relatively pampered miles on them -- should I be worried? Is there a problem if any of them are showing some rust? If so, what can be done about it?I don't want to needlessly buy new springs because I liked the modest drop and stiffer ride of Hotchkis, which they've discontinued.

[BlueCrush]

I remember hearing of a couple people with Hotchkis springs that had them rust and break. Not sure if that was on here or MO.

[scherry2]

welcome back psycho, it has been a while hasn't it.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »I remember hearing of a couple people with Hotchkis springs that had them rust and break. Not sure if that was on here or MO.that was saturn9 who had the issue

[Psychobroker]

Heya Scherry! Nice to see you still here Hmm, was saturn9's problem something that would have happened with any brand aftermarket spring, or was that a mfg defect in the finish?

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »Heya Scherry! Nice to see you still here Hmm, was saturn9's problem something that would have happened with any brand aftermarket spring, or was that a mfg defect in the finish?Also have to take into mind that he is from OH and with the winter/use of salt; corrosion may of been an issue due to the elements maybe?

[Psychobroker]

^^ Ahh, perhaps. I am out here in Sunny Southern California where we never use road salt, even in the Sierras.I guess I just don't want to set up shop, remove all struts/springs, only to find I need to replace the springs. The car's been used only lightly (5,000 - 7,000 miles or so) over the last 1.5 years, garaged half of that time.

[AKLGT]

hey! Christian! I didn't realize you still have the VGT. Good to see you still around.

[ArcsVibe]

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »hey! Christian! I didn't realize you still have the VGT. Good to see you still around. X2!! Great to see you back! I love your Vibe! You have to post pics for the everyone to see Christian How is the family? How are you doing?

[Psychobroker]

Hey guys! Major hugs all around -- nice to see you both here too The Fam is doing well (daughter now with us 50% of the time instead of 25%, so that's great and she's doing GREAT!), Vibe is doing well and will be back to my daily driver. I just couldn't sell it. I did receive some offers, but also looked down the road after when I'd be taking back the Acura, and realizing with our own finances constricting, another new car/lease was NOT an option. The Vibe's been paid for for some time now, so it only made sense to hang onto it and keep it up. I put way too much blood, sweat and love into my Vibe, so I'm happy yo go back to her .I'll take some pics as I go along in the process, which it slated for this upcoming weekend, weather permitting.

[Psychobroker]

Alright, so I Finally have all parts needed for the install after yanking the front struts last weekend, only to find the dust covers (aka "front insulators") were brittle and torn. I decided to order new ones from the local Toyota dealer for ~$16 each and picked them up today. I'll post some pics of the install late Saturday, along with part numbers and possibly a mini "how-to".

[Psychobroker]

Alright, so the Tokico's are finally in and WOW, what a difference (for me). It's important to know that my front stockers were super worn - not "blown", per say - they compressed as easily as flattening a pillow Quicker acceleration, better ride quality (still firm and sporty), and of course, better handling.I will post picks and a brief write up soon.

[Psychobroker]

A few install pics:Basic strut spring compressors + 3/8" 17MM ratchet+socket - would be a lot faster with an impact gun, but this is easy enough. Just be sure to alternate each side every so often. Many auto parts outlets loan these out for a ~$50 refundable deposit.:Torn dust shields/boots; we might not need them, but I went ahead and ordered them from my local Yota dealer for ~$16 each for the fronts; the rears use hard plastic shields, and they were fully intact:Front, just before putting back together:Front (ignore the gaping hole in the plastic shield - likely caused by the bottoming out I was experiencing)Make sure you have an extension for your ratchet drive to reach these 14mm bolts on the rear strut hats:Two more 14mm bolts inside after yanking out all the plastics (sorry, no pics of that process); you see the welded "nut" for the 14mm bolt installed from the outside:seating the rear springs; make certain you line them up properly (ignore the mangled hand):Rear side by side:Rear installed:This was a very long process for me, but VERY satisfying since I did this by myself without doing it before. I followed a combination of the Hotchkiss spring install instructions for a Corolla (not identical, but close) plus an exploded view of both the front and rear suspension components I found in a Matrix service manual posted either here at genvibe or over at matrixowners.com... problem is, I cannot find it again. Of course, I found a ton of great info both here and at MO.I'll post some comments on the install process tomorrow night, along with bolt/nut sizes ans torque specs.

[BlueCrush]

SWEET! Look forward to seeing the final stance and reading your review of them.

[bull77]

Nicely done!

[AKLGT]

Looks great!

[ou.grizzly]

Looks good... You mangled up your hands installing that wheelskin cover too; hope you did not eat any salsa this time... http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=11722

[Psychobroker]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »Looks good... You mangled up your hands installing that wheelskin cover too; hope you did not eat any salsa this time... http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=11722Indeed I did -- thanks for the flashback .Definitely no chips and salsa this time.

[star_deceiver]

Looks good! There's nothing like doing it yourself!!!

[06pvibe]

Nice write-up and good pics to go along with it!!

[smeadows7]

Hey psycho thanks for posting these pics. They should prove to be useful

[ramenboy...]

looks good! i've been on my present shocks since i lowered in o7. change is probably about due.... maybe i'll try it myself, thanx to the writeup.was accessing the rear shocks a pia? that's wat i'm hearin...nice job, psycho, and welcome back

[Psychobroker]

Quote, originally posted by ramenboy... »looks good! i've been on my present shocks since i lowered in o7. change is probably about due.... maybe i'll try it myself, thanx to the writeup.was accessing the rear shocks a pia? that's wat i'm hearin...nice job, psycho, and welcome backThanks everyone for the warm welcome Regarding the rear shocks, IMHO, they were easy enough. It's just a few bolts to take out the plastics to get to the 2 strut tower bolts inside.