Opinions about "Complete Strut" vs "Gas strut" only

I'd like to buy complete assemblies or as much to sell as possible A lot of parts can mix and match on these chassis from corolla's so if you wanted to fab up a coil over is doable . But I'm not sure why this would even be a thing as you're not going to be stretching the suspension on a Prius too far The power limit and all that. But I do like KYB I would replace any soft rubber bushings that look like they needed to be dealt with while I had everything apart of course hubs making sure all sensors are put back together correctly and all that and that should cover you pretty good I'm shocked at 150,000 your suspension is flat I have a persona with 17s and almost 300k and the suspension is actually damn skippy to be honest about it I've had other models of Toyota with much worse suspension at much less mileage

 

Trust me, buy the WHOLE assembly! Changing just the cartridge can be a pain.
I've done that on other vehicles, but not the Prius. From what I've researched
the springs are tight and it's harder to get the plates in to compress them enough.
And if you price out the parts, it would cost you more to get each part. It's not JUST the
cartridge that wears out. The bumpers, dust shields, upper bearings, they wear also.
With the complete assembly, it's remove old, install new. A LOT quicker and easier!

Try autozone, they have the KYB assemblies. And give veterans a 10% discount.
And a lifetime warranty.

For wheel bearings, Timkens. They make the originals for Toyota.
Do NOT buy cheapo's! They won't last but a few thousand miles.

It's probably a good idea to replace the bushings and stabilizer bars.
They aren't that expensive and easy to do.

Alignment may or may not be needed. Unless you are going to do tie rod ends.
Inner and outer. Then it would be a good idea. But it wouldn't hurt to do one.

 

If I undo those two top bolts that hold the hub to the strut it's pretty much going to needle alignment You've got enough movement right up in there to throw the business off a little bit enough to make me get an alignment so that I'm not wearing tires that's the only thing I care about with all that is wearing tires all that wearing off the inside edge 5,000 mi and all that stuff No ain't having it. If you're real careful and think about what you're doing you can stake and scribe marks on pieces to put old parts back together but if you're putting on a new strut and replacing a wheel bearing is going to be hard to mark your new strut like the old strut you're taking out to line up with the hub piece you're taking out the aluminum hub and hopefully if you're doing that you're taking off the lower ball joint the three bolts that hold it to the lower control arm and withdrawing all that as an assembly.

 

Brands don't seem to be so testy with the Prius because not going to be a lot of spirited driving going on apparently or with most of them anyway so you don't need the latest valving technology in the shocks and the latest spring technology or any of that You can get coilovers pretty easily fabbed up to go in there most parts from a Corolla will fit I have a set of Corolla coilovers that will fit on the car the ears that hold the massive hub assembly made out of aluminum won't fit into the slot where those two bolts go onto the coilover so I have to widen those

 

Dont forget sway bar links. You have to disconnect them from the strut assemblies anyway during the removal.

 

My dad really likes buying Monroe from the local parts store because they have a lifetime replacement. But he takes that garbage in every year or two to replace them because they blow out the seals and leak every year or two.
I know bilstein makes rear shocks for our cars, but not fronts I don't think.
Bilsteins almost last forever especially in oem configurations.
IF it was me: I would do something weird like mix and match Sachs front struts with Bilstein rear shocks. Both are pretty high quality and should last the rest of the lifetime of the vehicle. Then just reuse the oem springs and strut/shock mounts and replace the bellows with new aftermarket ones to keep the shock shafts nice and clean around the seals for good seal life. Since they are macpherson front struts make sure the bearings are still good up front in the mount. When they aren't typically we will take the mount apart and clean out the bearings and regrease them with synthetic bearing grease and we have had fantastic results doing this. I don't think you can take our front strut mounts apart on the prius to grease so just make sure they are smooth and clean when you spin them. They get gritty and grindy when they go bad. You can feel it when you spin them.
dissassembly of the assemblies is easy with a spring compressor rental from oreillys.
Past that, any aftermarket bushing will typically be squeaky and require greasing outside of the end links so be careful what you buy. Thats why on my fun cars I will typically just make a set of bilstein coilovers, and then keep the oem swaybars and links and make sure to get an oem bushing here and there if they are cracked/ripped or deformed. Less maintenance. Everytime i go aftermarket suspension they are noisy and require dissassembly and grease all the time. Its almost magic the oem bushing are able to go so long and be noise free after experiencing aftermarket.

Timken or oem are great. Don't buy chinese no name, and buy from a reputable source so you don't buy a counterfeit japanese part from china. Oem typically last 150k+
Aftermarket and counterfeit cheapos only last long enough to get you a year or two and get you coming back periodically to keep the money coming in.