my 06 equinox LT has the FE1(softride) suspension. no stabiltrak or ride control stuff. i see delco has a listing for a non fe1 strut for $70 and the fe1 strut is $110. seems a few folks here like kyb struts which are in the $70 range so same price as the cheaper delco part. i have a very annoying sensation/feeling when i hit bumps. sort of a buzz/hmmm feeling. i am not sure if the LS equinox has the nonfe1 struts? i assume so? so the nonfe1 strut will be less “soft”. but still feel ok?
i got the nox 2 months ago. i dont know how it should feel. but i know something is not right
i want a firm controlled ride. i dont think i would care if it had nonfe1 struts
fyi, i had stock 17" alloys before and i now thru on some steel 16" wheels and the feeling is the same
I always use KYB struts on my Corolla because the OEM are made by this manufacturer. KYB offers a stiffer ride compare to Monroe or Delco.You can get the Monroe quick struts because it lowers the labor cost.
Then the softride is not what you want. I’d go with $70 AC Delco units. They LOOK like Delco (Delphi) units in the picture but since the Delphi that made them doesn’t exist anymore there is no guarantee they nor the FE1 softride struts are actually made by the OEM or Chinese company that owns them now. I’d use the KYB’s as a substitute as well.
Replace them in pairs since you can’t get the exact same parts even IF they are labeled OEM.
And KYB wasn’t the OEM, Delphi was the OEM for this in '06.
I’d seriously consider the KYB struts, for financial reasons
Right now, KYB has a promotion. If you buy 4 quick-struts, you get a $100 visa card
If you buy struts alone . . . no springs and mounts . . . you get a little less
What is causing my issue. What does a car ride like with “bad” struts? If I hit anything in road my front end just buzzes. Almost like a vibrating bed. But only for 1-2 sec. Not a yo-yo feeling. Is this totally soft shocks? You would think a bad shock mount would make a clang sound. It is not that
I push on front end and it moves up/down normally. So they are not frozen
Depends on what is wrong but…
The car will wallow in a turn asymmetrically 'cause one strut is bad - think Spirograph. One or both tires dribble like a basketball in Michael Jordan’s hand for 20 seconds after hitting a bump. That same bump in a corner makes the car jump sideways whit it hits the bump. Each bump feels like one corner of the car is welded up solid while the other side doesn’t. One corner knocks like someone is locked underhood or in the trunk and they are trying to exit the wheelwell with a hammer.
Buzzing?? Not normally associated with bad struts but stranger things have happened…
I was under motor to remove exhaust bolts when I pulled heads. I checked everything. I disconnected sway bar links. Changed ball joint and control arm bushing. All subframe mounts look good. As do subframe attachment points on body structure. The struts do look pretty rusty. I saw a pair of bare struts on eBay for $38 delivered. They are new too. It rides fine. Besides the quiver/shimmy I feel when I hit a bump. Like every block. Repeat 63 times on drive to work
Now THAT I would call “junk-shake” It is more likely a structural vibration caused by the impact of a bump. It can be that way “as built” or later in life after welds break, suspension bushings or motor mounts wear or harden or the struts wear.
It can be made better or worse by changing struts. The problem is, you won’t know WHAT it will do with a set of new struts until you install them. It may be fixed with stiffer struts, it may be fixed with softer struts and you don’t even KNOW what you are buying actually stiffer or softer. It is, unfortunately, simply a “try it and see.”
Vehicle development engineers go to great lengths to fix these type of problems IF the car exhibits them when new. When the 1986 GM large cars were introduced, a completely new type of shock valve parts were designed FOR these cars to prevent an “oil-canning” noise from the front floorpan on rough asphalt.
the rear trans mount does have a bit of sag. but it is designed to compress. the fact that i can use a pry bar to lift the trans rear about 1" is just normal. i have been told. would a new mount have any affect on my quiver?
Rockauto shows that at least one of the engine mounts is hydraulic. THAT is the one you should change first as they tend to leak the fluid out when they get old. They tend to be installed for just the kind of vibration you are experiencing. Rockauto shows one they label “front” for $44. Might be cheap enough to give it a try.
I tried to remove front mount to gain access to the trans fill port. Online video says it takes 6 min. Well, the cross bolt made such a screech/snap sound when I tired to remove it that i gave up. It also got real hard to turn after 3-4 turns. My luck? Snap it off.