Review on 💪 Strongarm 4286 Hatch Lift Support - Pack of 1, Black: Enhancing Durability and Performance by Justin Santiago

Great replacement for my 1996 4Runner. Jim's previous review is correct, these are not stock liftgate pillars and they don't work quite as well, but in my opinion they are a reasonable aftermarket replacement at a reasonable price. Pros: - Price. Look, my 4Runner is already 18 years old. It's hard to justify spending $400 on EOM stands versus $35 on a pair of Strongarms. Ease of installation. Make sure the rear window is up. Remove a lock washer, slide bolt, and flat washer (top and bottom of each side). Do one side at a time. Have someone hold the back door open for you, or just use 2x4 to open it like I did. Took me about 40 minutes - it would have been quicker if my fingers weren't cold. - Fast delivery from Strongarm. I live in Utah and my 2 rack order arrived in 4 days. Cons: - Cold weather performance is not as good. About 18 degrees here in UT when I installed them. When the rear window is raised, the tailgate is raised parallel to the roof line. If I raise it by hand (maybe another 8 inches to full height) it stays there on its own. Update 1/12/2015: At 35 degrees the Strongarm struts raise the tailgate almost to full height - on extensions I have to manually slide it the last 3 inches where it stays on its own. For me that is perfectly acceptable. I expect this won't be a problem in warmer weather. Update 10/14/2020: These racks still work great for me. Above 40 F or so, no problem. They're gonna open my tailgate to the full height. Below 40F you may have to manually lift it the last few inches where it will sit on its own. I see the price has come down since I bought it so it's even better now.