🔧 KYB SM5361 Strut Mount: Unparalleled Durability and Sleek Black Design Review

The originals were probably still working after almost 300,000 miles. There's nothing wrong with them, just not sure how often they really need to be replaced.

They appear to work well but there is one small detail. The top dust cover is not included, and the factory cover of the old bracket is too small. I contacted KYB support and they don't even offer this protection. Not very good as debris can get into the bearing from above. Now I need to find something to keep it sealed.

Bought to replace broken TRQ mounts, all other suspension elements were new at the time. Got these mounts and installed them. At 1000 km a pillar of the frame failed. I replaced it with an OEM I had with over 200,000 miles and it's still holding up. Not sure what it is with these new KYB mounts but it seems to be luck and this time I wasn't lucky.

Fits right, comes with new locknuts. Minus one star for the fact that the nuts are English 1/2" OEM rather than metric 12mm. UPDATE: Almost 2 years later, on a moderate ride, pulled the stays out to add spacers and found that the pillion mount was already quite Clarification: Cylindrical Studs are M8 pitch 1.25 as it should be Nuts are 13mm instead of the original 12mm Obviously this is the usual metric nut size for this diameter So +1 star for that -2 stars for chrome bearings.

Don't risk using them. Now I know why the return period is so short. Both are out of service, Chinese junkyards and are failing. If you have them, be sure to test them under load, turning them fully left and then fully right up to the steering wheel when cruising slowly; I heard a grinding noise that got worse very quickly the longer I drove. I had to rip them out to replace the Japanese made Subaru OEM bearings with Koyo bearings. They're not worth the few bucks you save on the OEM. I would…

Installation was a little tricky as these strut mounts are slightly thicker than the Subaru mounts. The problem comes when you have to put a nut on the end of the strut to hold it all together, then the springs have to be compressed a little more or the nut won't turn. I work in a driveway, not a big store, and use all hand tools, including spring compressors. It was very frustrating having to tighten the compressors after the nut ended up loosening. In the end I finally tightened the nuts but…

I've been buying KYB trailers for years and have generally been very happy with them, in addition to the parts being either made in Japan or the USA. I was disappointed when I opened the boxes and found that these rack mounts are made in China. Paying full price for a KYB part (as opposed to a cheaper part) should result in something being made in Japan or the US. Had I known these were Chinese parts I would have bought cheaper non-KYB brackets (also 60% made in China) or OEM Subaru parts. a…

Almost immediately after changing the shock absorbers on my wife's small Outback, this popping noise started coming from the front at various times, but mostly whenever the front wheel(s) were after a Bump suddenly crashed or driveway exit (we have about a 1.5 inch drop from our concrete driveway to the cobblestone sidewalk). I couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from, especially since when I changed the struts it turned out that the strut mounts were fine. After carefully inspecting