hood struts

[marrero412002]

Wonder when the roush ones come out.

Sponsored

 

[jbailer]

What struts don't require drilling/modification? I know the Ford ones do.

The MRT don't require any drilling or modification at alll. The Ford Performance looks to be the Redline which require drilling the battery cover

 

[Todd15Fastback]

The MRT don't require any drilling or modification at alll. The Ford Performance looks to be the Redline which require drilling the battery cover

The Ford Performance have been confirmed not to be the Redline and rebranded.

Only have to drill the battery cover which is very easy. I like these a lot.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Passenger side.

 

[dubster99]

How is hood closure with these struts, since it takes a bit of a drop to get it to shut?

 

[Todd15Fastback]

How is hood closure with these struts, since it takes a bit of a drop to get it to shut?

Closes very easy. I have closed it 10 times since Friday just testing these out. No issues and no slamming the hood.

 

[dubster99]

Did you have to adjust the latch to get the easy closure? I don't want to be bending/denting the hood....unless it helps me fit the boss intake.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Did you have to adjust the latch to get the easy closure? I don't want to be bending/denting the hood....unless it helps me fit the boss intake.

:lol:...I have not adjusted any on my car since I took delivery back on 12/19/14. My hood has shut perfectly since the car was delivered.

 

[jbailer]

Todd, did the struts raise the hood at all? when you look along the fender, is the hood higher than the fender, especially near the wheel?

Also, how do you get to the battery with the strut going through the cover?

 

[Vile_the_Bastage]

It will look stock when the hood is closed. I've had a Redline set installed since November, and I have a coworker that went with the MRT set. When the hood is closed, they look stock.

Honestly drilling the hole in the battery cover is no big deal, if you use the recommended bit, it will even look stock. On mine I made a small cut from the hole to the edge of the battery cover so that I could remove it without having to pop off the hood strut.

One thing I will say, however, be extremely careful when servicing your car around the struts. I was trying to get to one of the bolts holding on the passenger side exhaust manifold through the battery compartment, and my shoulder was applying pressure to the strut. It popped off the bracket and the hood was then supported by my back. Thankfully the other strut was there, so it really wasn't that much weight on me, but it did cause me to leave a few brown stains in my boxers.

Also, if you take it to a car show on a windy day and leave the hood up... I'd monitor things closely. The hood bobbles quite a bit and I'm not sure how much stress those things can take with the wind blowing the hood back.

 

[phunk]

Also, if you take it to a car show on a windy day and leave the hood up... I'd monitor things closely. The hood bobbles quite a bit and I'm not sure how much stress those things can take with the wind blowing the hood back.

Im taking mine off because of this. The hood flexes a ton in the area these shocks hold it up. The products are quality and fit right and work right... just the hood wasnt meant to be held there and it shows. Great in theory, not so great in practice IMHO.

Try driving on the dyno with the hood open with the shocks in... I almost stopped a couple runs because of how bad it was bobbing I was afraid it was going to bend something. Not really what I want to spending attention on when I am on the dyno about to do a pull.

I definitely wouldnt leave the hood open at an out door car show either due to the wind.

 

[Nemesis911]

I saw some flex in the inner portion of the hood where the strut attaches. It was fairly minor and did not seem to translate to the outer skin at all. I am going to have a closer look at it tomorrow to see if there would be an easy way to add a little structure there without it looking terrible.

For those days such as windy car show days or extreme duty like dyno runs why not just back the struts up with the rod? I left mine installed for that very reason.

Finally when considering wheyther to go with black or stainless consider this third option - color matched. When I ordered mine I had the option of selecting the brackets and strut body painted to match. On a dark car it may not be a big deal but on a CO car it makes them look like they are factory installed. I'll get a picture and post it shortly.

 

[phunk]

For those days such as windy car show days or extreme duty like dyno runs why not just back the struts up with the rod? I left mine installed for that very reason.

Go try and back the struts up with the rod, and you will see exactly why you cannot back the struts up with the rod

 

[jbailer]

I just saw that Steeda has a set similar to these. They say their kit has 3 times more surface area to avoid flexing. It's the plate that mounts on the hood. Since it extends towards the front of the hood and is mounted on top of that mounting plate, they use a neoprene backing to avoid metal-to-metal contact and fill that gap. The fact that they did that means they must have felt it needed more support too. The Steeda hood struts are a bit more expensive though.

 

[phunk]

^^ nice find, their install video at the end shows all the flex I am talking about. It doesnt look like a whole lot up close, but in the wind or on the dyno the hood is all over the place.

The steeda brackets will definitely disperse the load more evenly on a compression force. But they wont help any for a lifting force that pulls the hood up like wind. But for $30, if I had to have shocks I would go that way.

Sponsored