Replacement strut recommendations - 2011 G37 Sedan journey
 

Hi - new to the forum, I've done some browsing around but haven't found yet what I need (since I'm probably looking in the wrong place)... so...

Can someone recommend replacement struts for my year/model that would be similar in ride to factory? My 2011 has 70k miles on it and if I start hearing rattles I will cry.

I'd like to avoid anything too stiff/sport-oriented. Recommendations of brand/model and where to buy are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Your struts blew already?

I believe Tokico "blues" will be a suitable replacement, also called Tokico HP.

Your existing struts should be fine for at least another 30-40k.

I replaced mine after 8 years/90k and they still looked new. Dealers told me to leave them alone if they were not leaking, but I insisted on changing them out because I spend too much time here on the forums obsessing over items like internal bypass leaks and such (dealer said this rarely happens).

I am on KYB GR-2s (using the coupe Sport version for the revised rear coils) now and they definitely restored the ride to OEM plus some (handling is good, but the ride is pretty firm).

GR-2's and Tokico Blues are considered by most as OEM(ish) replacement struts for Nissan products. It also seems that people who get the GR-2s or Blues claims they are slightly better than OEM, although you have to take into consideration those are opinions comparing brand new aftermarket struts with worn out originals, so in general people should be pretty happy anyway.

What I found with my last car (2003 Maxima SE) is that the OEM sport struts on the SE were actually made by Tokico, where as the non-Sport models got softer, NISSAN struts. So it seems that Nissan will rebrand Tokico as OEM in some cases. After 70K miles, I upgraded to the Blues, and it was a very small, albeit positive, change.

You, however, don't have the sport-tuned struts in your Journey. So if you upgrade to Blues, it might actually be an upgrade.

OP - are you sure you actually need to replace the shocks? have you had any symptoms diagnosed that pin point the shocks as the problem? as an above poster said you should be fine for a while yet on the factory shocks, unless yours are defective or your car is subject to extreme conditions. if you are certain your shocks are worn, than above suggestions such as the Tokico's are suitable.

Thanks everyone for the feedback -

I'm not sure there is a problem particularly, I just feel like the ride quality has diminished - it's particularly noticeable after I start driving my car after I've had a loaner car from the dealer.

A rough ride just makes me feel like my car is falling apart so I figured if I got the struts replaced the ride would improve and I would feel happier with my car.

If there are any other possible things that could be worn or be needing to be replaced (mileage is just shy of 73k actually), I'd be interested in hearing - I obviously don't want to throw away money, especially if I'm throwing it in a direction that isn't going to resolve my primary concern.

Thanks again

I know what you mean on the diminished ride quality. I'm at 73.5k and it's become annoyingly obvious.

You might also want to check the reviews on Koni Yellows. I've heard many people talk about the diminished ride quality and after swapping in Koni Yellows, the car feels like new again. I also saw a user review somewhere on the web and he got 170,000 miles out of a set of Konis.

I ordered a set that should be here tomorrow. I'll probably have them installed next week so I'll do a review and post it.

Check your tire pressures. Some dealers offer complementary services that include overfilling tires and overtightening lug nuts.

Anyway, tire pressure can have a noticeable impact on ride quality.

thanks twin_snails - can you let me know where you ordered your set from? As well as if there's any particular part # or kit I should be aware of in order to avoid confusing myself or ordering the wrong parts. Sounds like you've done your research, I'm willing to trust your judgement and give them a shot too.

Yikes! :icon09: Fortunately, they're just struts.

Have you checked your ball joints, sway bar end links, tie rods, control arms or any other suspension-related parts for unusual wear? Changing those parts on my old maxima (~100k miles) certainly firmed things up a bit.

Thanks for the suggestion lake985, I'll explore that route too.

twin_snails - I'm assuming you must have a coupe?... I see that Koni has parts for the coupe but not the sedan, I reached out to their sales team and they confirmed they only stock parts for the coupe :/

Ease up my friend. :) I know that I'm in the minority with the mods that I am doing which is limited to only swapping in Koni yellows and retaining stock springs / ride height, comprehensive and detailed information is limited for this particular application on our cars (like how Koni yellows affect handling and ride with stock springs). I know most that do damper upgrades opt for a coil-over setup. Nothing wrong with that-- every application and preference is unique, but I don't want to deal with scraping and alignment issues. Did that once on a car. :banghead: Nothing wrong with it but it was annoying to me to have to go to specialty alignment shops to get the car properly aligned.

That's forced me to have to look at a lot of outside and random reviews that people have posted in various places on the web with a google search for Koni Yellow reviews. My apologies for not providing direct links as I didn't have the time to round them up but wanted to help Spatacom as he considers his options for a similar setup. :)

Spata, check out this post by dimsler. I know he converted his Koni's to a coil over setup but it should give you some good info nevertheless. :)

https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...lover-kit.html

I wanted to do a setup like dimsler's in the above thread ^^ with Swift springs but it seemed next to impossible to get a coil setup back to stock ride height.

Spata, I sent you a PM on the Koni's.

I actually have a sedan, but those Koni's will fit the 370Z / Coupe / Sedan as they're all the same platform. :) At least that's what I've read from the likes of tirerack.com, but most common mod parts are interchangeable between all three cars. But check first as there are some exceptions to that rule, namely if you have an AWD model. Then all bets are off as they will sometimes require a unique part application.