so i took my car into firestone to have them check on a knocking noise when i hit bumps.

just as i thought i needed struts...all FOUR of them are bad...i have s-tech springs btw, 63000 miles

should i get OEM struts or go aftermarket?? and from where should i purchse for the cheapest price??

How did they determine you need new struts? Usually a knocking noise is something else. Do you have any other suspension mods?

they threw it on a hoist and they can just pust the wheel up w/ minimal force...its not the end links btw...i checked those

its nost no other mods other then TRD sway bar in the front

dont get OEM if you're on s-techs, they'll just blow out on you again within months or a year. i'd say get some tokico blue strut/shocks and call it a day...

check it yourself bro..dnt let them screw ya... JasperAsh had the same problem and the top bolt was a little loose, check everything out.

time for coilovers but yea dont get oem struts with s techs some ppl had luck with them but some ppl blows them in months

It may be coming from the strut caps or the nuts may be loose, I'm running s-techs with stock struts and been running them for quite some time and no issues plus on top of that it takes a long time for struts to wear out for Toyotas/Scions. Strut caps are around 60 a piece from the dealer and it would be no need to replace the strut itself if that's the issue first thing I would do is to check the top nut and make sure it is tight, Firestone doesn't know jack _ _it in my opinion.

I am having the same problem but I hear it from the drivers side only. It started right after I got s-techs also.

i use to be on stechs with oem struts. ive never had a problem with them.

ill check out the nuts on top...doesnt hurt...

i would check nuts too, make sure they are torqued correctly, i think the top nuts are 60lbs. i had the same problems with my coilovers before and they are caused by lookse nuts

so i checked the nuts...looks like im going to need new struts :(

recommendations?

Or just drain my bank account and get coils?

The strut caps could be bad, but the strut itself isn't going to cause a noise

Mine did that, it was the passenger strut mount, when I pulled the strut out, there was at least .25" of play in the strut mount.

I just went with full coils.

-Sean

I just installed Eibach Pro-Kit springs with KYB G2R Struts, i started hearing a noise on the front driver side as well, i only hear it when im going slow over bumps. Im letting the springs settle a bit before i get it aligned. I have frequently read that it could be because of the ball joints, But im not sure. I'll recheck all the nuts this week, i wanted to do it today but my car is to low to get the jack under the front bumper...LOL

I had a clunking noise in the back of mine just 4 months after lowering. Turned out to be just bad rear sway bushings. Easy check and fix.

just touch your strut. if ur strut is oily, it's blown. if it's more of a creaking noise it could be one of 3 things, I've had all 3 happen to me. 1) Blown strut 2) Fender lining is bent and now rubs the tire(mine has a hole rubbed through it) or 3) You smashed your bump stops and they're no longer there. Check all 3. Unless u got oil on ur strut, if u do, it's a blown strut.

just touch your strut. if ur strut is oily, it's blown. if it's more of a creaking noise it could be one of 3 things, I've had all 3 happen to me. 1) Blown strut 2) Fender lining is bent and now rubs the tire(mine has a hole rubbed through it) or 3) You smashed your bump stops and they're no longer there. Check all 3. Unless u got oil on ur strut, if u do, it's a blown strut.

i definitely need to check those 3 things this weekend

yeah do it. I've had to pull my suspension more times then I can count since I got this car. I've blown up 3 sets of bump stops, one set of struts, blew up my front passenger strut and my fender lining might aswell not exist. And i've only been dropped for 2 years <3 new york roads.

[QUOTE=a_german_named_hans;3699584]yeah do it. I've had to pull my suspension more times then I can count since I got this car. I've blown up 3 sets of bump stops, one set of struts, blew up my front passenger strut and my fender lining might aswell not exist. And i've only been dropped for 2 years

YOu might need to tighten the top nut on the strut!