Chicken or Egg?

Chicken or Egg?

My last set of Parada Spec 2s lasted 35,000 miles but the left rear tire cupped on the inside. My new set of Parada Spec 2s look great after 3,000 miles except for the left rear which is cupped on the inside slightly. After about 53,000 miles on my Tokico HPs and Tein H-techs I'm thinking something in the suspension is worn. The question: springs or struts? My guess is the struts.

Futhermore, if the struts are blown, which brand of strut will hold up the longest with lowering springs and high-speed highway driving (San Diego style)? I love the ride of Tokico blues but hear Intrax are nice. All opinions are appreciated unless you mention KYB/TRD= same.

Sounds like just your alignment is off.

i'd have to say the same thing, unless your riding a size similar or close to mine that it has to be tilted inboard, but other than that it just may be the toe and camber adjustment. have your alignment serviced.

Well my friend is a Toyota mechanic and he's good. He confirmed what I suspected--the strut on my driver's rear is toast. I like Tokico HPs and they still ride great after 55,000 miles. Does anyone have experience with the Tokico warranty process? If it's a pain in the ass I won't bother.

I'm thinking of buying another brand like Koni or Bilstein. Opinions please.

I don't know about the warranty..

But I'd go koni ifyou want adjustable and the other brand otherwise. Koni is a insert so it'll require some more work to put in.

If you bought them locally, I would take the struts back to where you bought them. If they're a licensed dealer they should be able to take them for you and give you a replacement on the spot (if they have it in stock). I was in Atlanta and took mine back to the NOPI headquarters, so they just brought me a new set from the back.

If you bought them on eBay or something, you'll have to call Tokico and work it out to ship the struts to them.

With either option, you'll need to take the blown strut off and install a new one, so you'll have to go ahead and buy new one. When sending them to Tokico, they won't just reimburse you if you've already replaced the strut, so your only option is for them to send you another unit. So when they send you this replacement, just put it on eBay.

I bought mine off Ebay 3 years ago. I called Tokico USA in Los Angeles and told me to contact the place where I bought them and they'll send new ones and I'm supposed to send the old back to the Ebay seller. Tokico also said I need the original receipt and some proof of the actual mileage on the struts. Sounds like a big project.

They were assholes when I called too. Looks like you might need to just buy a new one if you don't feel like dealing with the hassle.

Yeah screw the warranty then. I'll have to buy new struts outright. I'm leaning towards Bilsteins if they can handle Hotchkis sway bars and Tein H techs.

Bilstein only makes twin-tube Touring Class struts for Corollas which are pretty much the stock replacement type and they are known to raise the ride height slightly due to increased travel so keep that in mind when choosing springs.

Good tip. I like H-techs and I'll probably keep them.

How long do the upper strut mounts last? Mine are still original.