My KYB front struts on my Crosstour have lasted longer than my original OEM.

 

Post 15 here is my kyb rl..

https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/threads/replacement-shock-strut-recommendations-2007.240699/#post-3348451

you may consider oem shock only if leaking or other issues, and keep spring and inspect bearings. I did that in front but rear whole kyb assembly.
kyb honda crv rear full assembly due to spring breaking …rust, not a concern for you.
pay attention to installation as i think that can misalign bearings and premature failure.
or if ride ok and no leaks leave it alone

also watch for rebates on kyb i got extra 50 bucks!
Use this code rockauto for another 5%..
258557204160948188

 

Thank you.

 

got complete fully assembled KYBs on the front of my wife's 2007 Pilot. it still rides great.
cost me $270 for both at rock auto back in 2019. I think the rear shocks might still the original Honda factory

 

When I was doing my front end, I asked my local dealer parts guy why Honda struts were so ridiculously expensive.

He just laughed.

You can do the job twice with KYB's if your Pilot lasts that long. For me, that's a no-brainer. I don't believe Honda struts are worth much after 100k, either.

 

I have over 180,000 miles on my original struts on my 2013 Pilot. I don't know when I plan on replacing them because really the main issue is the tires are junk and it will eventually need an alignment. Maybe I will replace them at the same time to help tire wear. apparently shocks can also affect braking distance

 

I replaced my entire front suspension and my rear shocks in mid 2022. In late 22, i replaced the rear springs as well. I guess the car had maybe 210-215k at the time. The KYBs are ok. With around 40k plus on the springs and shocks, they have settled in and then some. The front is solid, but im tempted to replace the rears..

For ride factor, i rate the kyb choice a little above average. For longevity, i rate them average. I expect to get at least 100k out of them. Maybe a little more.

I dont think they are as good as OEM, but they are better on this car than Monroe Crapmatic or anything similar.

I like a controlled firm ride. Strong leg muscles are the ingredients of faster and safer driving.

 

KYB seems to be the best bang for the buck here for older Pilots. Not sure how long they will lasts not sure how long the OEM parts will last as well. Has the quality for OEM and KYB slipped these days? I replaced my 2011 front struts and springs and all rubber parts with OEM and the rears with Bilstein B4 I believe its been about two year now my Pilot still rides great. Will I replace my shocks with KYB next time around probably because they are priced less and my Pilot will be getting older. I do intend to keep the Pilot until it won't go anymore that being said I am probably going after market Rock Auto parts moving forward.

 

I broke two KYB front struts on my 2003 Pilot. I was living in Guatemala at the time but even so, I think they should have been better.

 

I've had the KYB on my 2008 Pilot for about 5 years and they seem to be very good for an aftermarket part, and I'm pretty picky about my parts. If you are super sensitive to new OEM quality, then go OEM, but if you are okay with 95% OEM quality then the KYB is a good option.

 

Time to replace all the suspension parts on my 2006 Pilot with 140k Miles.

My technician is replacing all rubber parts under the front of the car. The Pilot has lived it whole life in warm climates (Napa, CA and Phoenix) so it is time for a complete rebuild. To many things to name right now.

I am happy using all Acura/Honda parts until I got to the front Struts and rear Shocks.

My cost is about $650 on original Honda parts. On Rock Auto the same KYB parts are about $205.

The original owner put KYB Shocks on the rear and they are leaking already. The Struts are original.

I am really torn. If I spend the cash I will never have to replace the Honda Struts and Shocks. At least in the time I will own it.

I know the KYB will have a limited life span compared to the Honda parts and they are 1/3 of the price. I may have to replace the KYB in a couple of year.

I don't mind spending the extra $$ on Honda for every other needed part. The Shocks/Struts are a big one.

Thoughts on the life expectancy of the KYB brand?

I have a 2012 Pilot Touring 4wd and I have KYB Struts and rear shocks. The rears have been installed for about 4 years and are still great. The front were installed about 5 months ago and were a big improvement over OEM with 150k miles. The vehicle sees about 12-16k a year. I have used KYB shocks and struts on many of my vehicles over the years and have been happy with their performance and quality.

 

I spent 25 years in the automotive aftermarket. KYB is the best ride control you can buy. I would buy KYB over OEM every time unless for some strange reason the OEM parts were less expensive.

 

Yeah, OEM is insane.

 

Another satisfied KYB customer here, have had them for years on all 4 corners of both of my Pilots and my Odyssey.

 

I have a Pilot EXL 2013 73,000 miles. Used in Florida climate. The front struts are good, but the rear shocks have leaks and they are hard on suspension. I very rarely have passengers in the back, dont carry heavy loads just shopping at grocery shop at the most. I cannot understand how rear shocks can go bad before the front ones. Here the dealer wants $203 for each rear shock. Too expensive. they figure 2-3 hours work to replace. Total cost near $900. Seems I should go for KYB for what I can read.
BTW the front struts are over $350 each. I wonder how many hours for labor.

 

KYB replaced leaking OEM rear shocks on my former 2005 Pilot. That was somewhere around 75k miles. The KYBs were still performing well when the Pilot was sold at ~130k miles. I don’t think you can go wrong either way; it’s just going with what you’re most comfortable with.

And greetings from Sonoma County. I haven’t run across many folks on this forum who live or used to live in this area

 

My 2006 Pilot was a one owner vehicle from Napa until she moved to Phoenix in 2018. It had some paint fade on the roof and hood when I bought it in 2019. I had it repainted by our Acura body shop and it looks like new now. Certainly hot enough in Napa that you need to keep your vehicles waxed...lol.

 

I wanted to say thanks for all the input on the topic. I went with the Honda parts because of my discount. I would not have chosen Honda at retail pricing. Based on your feedback I will not hesitate to use KYB when my MDX needs attention (I picked up a beautiful 2016 MDX Technology, SH-AWD a few months ago).

 

So general consensus, get the whole KYB shock and strut assembly? I was gonna just get the shock and have a local garage swap them out of my 03 OEM strut. Suggestions? Also probably replace all bushings at this point, most seem cracked. Have around 110K only, original owner.

 

On a different car, i had a local garage do a swap. I had all new components for them too. Spring seats, the rubber bushing and everything else. It was a disaster. Go with the KYB strut assembly. I have around 35k on mine with no related issues. My car has other problems, but that osnt one of them.

Still, i dont recommend doing it yourself. These cars have a juge amount of side bulges and overhang which makes installation impossible without being very tall, strong or having two people.

 

Bushings? Thats a tough one. Those are on the control arms mainly. At least tge weight bearing ones. At around 215k i put new control arms on because of the strut fiasco i had. They arent bad, but havent been on long. At 110k, just try the strut replacement. Heck, i would push the struts out to 150k. Unless yiur road surface is extremely rough, i would stay with the originals. But if the ride is starting to suck, just try and replace the struts only.

 

IMO, KYB felt a tad bit softer than OEM. To pin OEM as 100%, KYB felt like 95% of OEM. Most will probably never notice the difference as they are OEM replacement. I felt the same way on a Civic. Those are the only two vehicles with KYB. My experience with Tokico were better on a Civic, meaning exactly 100% using the same ranking. Then again, that one was almost 30 years ago.

Don't know if Tokico makes shocks/struts for Pilot. Not disappointment in any of these replacements. Just want to say that for me, I notice a tiny bit of difference.

 

IMO, KYB felt a tad bit softer than OEM. To pin OEM as 100%, KYB felt like 95% of OEM. Most will probably never notice the difference as they are OEM replacement. I felt the same way on a Civic. Those are the only two vehicles with KYB. My experience with Tokico were better on a Civic, meaning exactly 100% using the same ranking. Then again, that one was almost 30 years ago.

Don't know if Tokico makes shocks/struts for Pilot. Not disappointment in any of these replacements. Just want to say that for me, I notice a tiny bit of difference.

I havent seen a Tokico in 35 plus years. They were OEM on my 87 Integra. I replaced my shocks in 90 or so with 60k miles. They were excellent shocks. I could have kept them on longer.

I didnt know they still existed.

KYBs on my car seem to wander a little and have certainly "worn in." Like i said, theyre okay and they seem to be slightly bouncier than oe.