Should I go with Monroe Sensa-Trac front struts or the original OEM from Volvo? Price is about the same. Please let me know why you feel how you do. (ie)better handling, ride quality, etc...

Just ordered my rear shocks from Sears. Cost:$85 installed. Waiting for them to come in.

Thanks for any feedback.

95' 964 165k

Just found the Monroe's here (http://www.shockwarehouse.com) with free shipping till May 31st. Looks like a decent deal.

Couldn't find front KYB's for 95' on up model years.

I might be able to get a brand new set of OEM's from a guy who's got a pair lying around in his garage for about $130. Anyone think I should go for it or should I just pay the extra $70 and go with the Monroe's? The extra savings would go towards new upper strut bearing plates.

Appreciate everyones replies.

95' 964 165k

try visiting www.fcpgroton.com

you will find kyb strut cartridges $49 each, the bearings $18 each, AND(the part with the most wear) the strut bellows/bumpstop assembly for $15 each.

Total is $164, plus shipping.

In my experience with 95 940 150k miles-plus strut replacement, the strut top mounts and bearings were in great shape, could have reinstalled them after cleaning and regreasing. Meaning, reuse your bearings (see FAQS), reducing the cost to $128 plus S&H, ask Nick to include the shipping, he'll probably split it.

BTW, why would someone order expensive OEM struts and leave them laying around in their garage?

Just my $.02,

Good luck.

Hi Miracleman,

It doesn't seem the cartridge inserts will work according to FCP's site. They exclude the 95'+ models and only offer the whole strut assembly. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Have you already undertaken the task and used the KYB's on a 95'+?

I'm also now wondering if I could get away with just replacing the bearing inserts for $18 ea/side instead of the whole bearing plate assemblies. My concern is with any wear at the rubber bushing the shaft of the strut goes through.

Thanks for your feedback.

95' 964 165k

dnice,

Apologize if I misled you, I own 95 940s, and did not notice you were referring to a 960.

Can't comment on the 960 model suspension.


Still, Nick and Scott at FCP Groton are great people, give them a call, its toll free, its all they do.

Miracleman,

No problem. The feedback you and others gave was much appreciated.

I've dealt with FCP quite a few times over the years and have had mixed experiences with them. I've had good experiences when I've dealt directly with Nick though. I'm not intending to put them down but I've decided to explore other venues as well and have been pleasantly surprised (ie) FREE faster shipping to GA, better pricing on some items, good overall service and packaging, etc..

I ended up ordering the Monroe's today from shockwarehouse.com for $96.51ea with free shipping, and the complete upper strut bearing assemblies from Autohausaz.com for $49.98 ea with free shipping as well. All said and done with the rears installed today at Sears for $84.78, the grand total spent came to $377.76. I kept the old rear shocks and upon inspection they were shot. One was leaking and the other had very little rebound. With the new rears alone, a noticeable improvement could be felt in the handling. Looking forward for the fronts to come in and complete the total package.

Thanks to all for your replies.

95' 964 165k

Whatever u end up with, it will be a noticeable improvement, especially handling, especially if you are replacing the original equipment. The front struts on my 940s were totally DEAD.

best of luck

FWIW, we have two 95 940s, 170k sedan,150k wagon. JUST replaced front struts, springs, strut mount bushings/bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends, used FCP Groton KYB shocks.

The reason I used KYB instead of OEM or Monroe sensa-trac, is because after replacing both cars original REAR shocks with Monroe sensa-tracs two years ago, have had to replace them twice on each car; they leak, and 'die'. The Monroe lifetime warranty sounds great, but who wants to spend the rest of their life replacing shocks? So, considering the more time-consuming strut job, I decided against Monroe sensa-trac. I went with KYB.

The ride is like new, much smoother, quiter, more solid, firmer, and the improved safety factor due to improved maneuving/handling is priceless.

hope this helps.

For what its worth, we have two '95 960's. Mine has the OEM Volvo front struts, while my wife's has the Monroe struts. The Monroe struts are slightly stiffer, but not harsh in comparison. Both pairs of struts are about 2 years old, but I'm thinking of switching to the Monroes for the sportier ride. Hope this helps.

Dnice-I replaced both front struts after I tried the rear shocks-car rides a lot better than the OEM parts-about 5k miles on them now and would not hesitate to say it's the best the car ever rode-240k miles on her now.
Go ahead with the project-you'll like it.
Poolman

Hi Poolman,

Can you compare the Monroes to the OE struts based on your experience? Stiffer? Smoother? Less Dive? etc...

Thanks, DEWFPO
--
1998 S90 077,400 and 1995 964 154,100

Hey Dewfpo-the cars rides flatter in a turn and you can really have a little fun with there -I didn't feel comfortable before trying to really go throwing it around before but now it handles-some what stiffer and flatter control would be the way I'd put it. Don't know on how long they will last-but my 16 year old could tell the difference immeadeatly in how the car handled.
Hope that helps
Poolman

Thanks Poolman,

DEWFPO
--
1998 S90 077,400 and 1995 964 154,100

So far it looks like 2 votes for Monroe/ 0 for OEM.

If the KYB were avaiable for the later model years-I'd go with them-I think they probally have a better shock for sure-Monroe is the only other sorce that I know of for the 96's and on.
Poolman