Where can I get the best deal on a new set of GR-2s for a '98 Forester? ebay? Is there a better source?

 

Seems that my rear struts are totally gone so it's time to do the deed.

I don't know for sure that they carry them but try rockauto.com. Why KYB? Out of all of the aftermarket struts out there they are one of the worst I have ever run, and I was never impressed with the life of the stock KYB's on the subys.

I don't know for sure that they carry them but try rockauto.com. Why KYB? Out of all of the aftermarket struts out there they are one of the worst I have ever run, and I was never impressed with the life of the stock KYB's on the subys.

Boy, hard to believe this. I just replaced the GR-2s on my '91 Legacy wagon which were installed at 73K (replacing the original KYBs); I finally decided to replace those at 193K miles. Worked well to the end posting more than respectable times at WCSS8 on the rallycross track with 100K on them and still comfortable after all those miles.

If you want a set of four struts, ebay vendor jdmwerks13 has pretty good prices. Don't expect any e-mails or shipping confirmations but I got mine in good shape in about a week I think it was. Also ordered from performancepeddler on eBay but got one wrong strut; they did take it back though.

 

http://www.SummitRacing.com and http://www.TireRack.com also have the KYB's, ship fast, and have excellent customer service. I didn't order from them because they were out of stock on at least one of the struts I needed each time.

 

I am very happy with the GR-2's on my '00obw. People also like Bilstein's but they don't make struts for many Subaru's. The only other struts I ever replaced though were with Monroe's on my '91 Escort years ago, then it felt like I was riding in a boat.

I have run KYBs on a number of cars and love them. They can be bought at a reasonable cost, perform very well, and last a good long time.

the gr-2's (from visual observation) are identical to oem. the problem you'll run into (as did I) is that if you order from tire rack, the fronts did not include the tab to secure the abs wire and i was not about to use zip ties as they had suggested. order from jason at auburn sube and you'll get a pretty fair price in mid-80's each.

 

99 leg l sedan 5mt 2.2l

Other threads have stated that yes some Subaru OEM struts are made by KYB, but they are not KYB GR-2's, and that the GR-2's are a little stiffer valving than stock.

 

If the GR-2's received did not have the tab for the ABS wire, they were probably the wrong part #. The KYB Web site has their 'passenger car catalog' and will tell you the part #'s for abs, no abs, etc, so you can double check that it is correct vs. what the seller says.

I got my GR2's from Checker Auto/Advance auto parts online. They will match any price even from a website with a phone call. I think I paid 70 bucks each.

One strut was misboxed from KYB (had never been opened but contained the wrong side) and I dropped it off at the store 10min from my house and they overnighted another one. Just an idea, if you don't want to deal with Ebay plus you have the backup of a brick and mortar store if you have a problem.

Just to mention it, the GR2 struts seem firm but I like them for everyday driving. Anything is better than blown out old ones!

ebay really does have them for cheap. I bought the ones for my wife's car a couple of months ago. My buddy in Oregon, who owns a shop, said he wouldn't be able to match that price. And his price to me would be cost.

 

Shop ebay.

Other threads have stated that yes some Subaru OEM struts are made by KYB, but they are not KYB GR-2's, and that the GR-2's are a little stiffer valving than stock.

 

If the GR-2's received did not have the tab for the ABS wire, they were probably the wrong part #. The KYB Web site has their 'passenger car catalog' and will tell you the part #'s for abs, no abs, etc, so you can double check that it is correct vs. what the seller says.

 

Agreed that the GR-2's are somewhat stiffer than the stock struts, even though they appear identical externally.

 

KYB does not offer a direct fit part for some cars, like the '99 Legacy Outback. The difference between the '98 and '99 is that the OE '99 struts have the ABS cable bracket. Otherwise, the struts listed for '98 are identical externally to the OE '99 struts. I used the '98 KYB GR-2s on my '99 and zip-tied the ABS cables to the strut. That works just fine, and there is no trouble after 1 year and 16 K miles.

Car Quest auto parts stores now carry KYB struts and shocks. They are even black like the OE ones so they don't stick out like the silver GR2's. If that matters. I perfer the black myself.

I just got a set off of ebay for $224 from theimportexperts.