Absolutely: shocks and struts provide damping force to control tire movement. When the tires move excessively, they develop a “cupping” wear pattern that damages the tire.
Other factors such as incorrect air pressure, worn suspension components or improperly aligned steering also causes uneven tire wear.
Many do, but only when the strut mount is also the steering pivot. The bearing is a wear item and affects the steering response as well as wheel alignment. See the KYB catalog for application part number and a picture of each item.
No. All KYB products are designed at the KYB world R&D offices and every KYB manufacturing plant then builds each product to the designed specifications. High volume part numbers are manufactured in more than one plant and in more than one country. Since KYB designs and builds our own manufacturing equipment, we can control and duplicate production specifications which ensures identical performance & quality at every manufacturing facility. Specific product performance is determined by part number, not by where it is manufactured. Product quality is a standard in every KYB part number, in every KYB manufacturing facility.
It depends on the vehicle design. A strut by design is also a component that supports the wheel & tire. Some models aren’t affected when the struts are replaced while others do change the wheel alignment. Strut removal & installation potentially changes the position of the tire alignment. Some struts have adjustment slots to perform the alignment with. All struts affect alignment in some way so it’s best to check the specific vehicle service manual and specifications.
Struts cannot be refilled or rebuilt. However, some struts have a replaceable cartridge. These repairable struts can be identified by a large hexagonal shaped nut at the top of the strut body. Please remember that struts are usually gas charged and that replacement should only be performed by a qualified technician.
We apologize that this is a bit confusing. Both products are identical, except for the product name and paint color. KYB sells products throughout the world. Some part numbers fit vehicles from various countries that share the same chassis platform but, have different nameplates. At one time there were several KYB brand names, but we are now moving toward one name and color. So in the future all new part numbers will be branded as Excel-G and have black paint.
Yes, it is also a good idea to replace both the strut mount and the strut boot when replacing struts. The strut mount optimizes suspension performance by providing a smooth steering response and reducing vibration. Strut boots will protect your new struts from dirt, dust, salt and leakage.
There are four main reasons that determine when to replace them: 1) To upgrade performance; 2) to restore the vehicle’s designed performance (usually after 50,000 miles); 3) when the vehicle has excessive ride control conditions (i.e. nose dive, body roll, etc.); or 4) when the vehicle has a failed unit (i.e. dripping hydraulic fluid, tire cupping, excessive bounce, etc.).
KYB offers a substitute or conversion for some vehicles. See Appendix B & C in the KYB paper catalog or use this link to go to the catalog home page for a list of vehicles covered.
You cannot judge the strength or condition of a shock/strut by hand movement alone. The force and speed generated by a vehicle in operation exceeds what you can accomplish by hand. The fluid valves are calibrated to operate differently depending on the degree of movement inertia which cannot be duplicated by hand.