U.S. RubberShox DuraTPE Series Front-Rear Car Coil Spring Buffer Cushion/Automotive Suspension Shock Absorber Retainer Performance Booster Kit Universal Type A-F Vehicle Auto Parts (CSB, D)

Our 2002 Acura MDX front struts were replaced at 116K with decent Monroe aftermarket parts. The OEM springs were reused. Around 135K, the struts started to feel softer with more lean in turns and excessive diving during braking. It was easy to bottom out the front end over easy bumps. The strut gas shocks are still fine it's just that the springs have aged so there's a lot more front end motion that doesn't inspire confidence in normal handling. At 153K, I replaced the rear shocks since they were original but this did not make a major improvement in overall handling.I considered replacing the front struts and springs with new parts but there's no guarantee that the new springs would provide a stiffer ride. I'm not excited about spending $600 or more to replace struts only to get minor improvement. After a bit of research, I discovered that RubberShox appeared to be a simple solution worth trying to restore a higher spring rate. The MDX coil gap (vehicle lifted) measures 1.90-2.00 inches so I chose the DuraTPE-A size that has an H2 of 1.85. According to RubberShox and other reviews, H2 should match your coil spacing for optimum performance but the spacers can be very difficult to install when these dimensions are close to each other (do NOT choose H2 greater than your coil spacing since it will be virtually impossible to install). As it turns out, I had no trouble installing the A-size and they were a perfect fit. Yes, it took some effort and WD-40 but if you follow the instructions and work by slowly feeding the spacer into the coil, keeping the upper groove fully engaged and leaving the lower groove to be slowly "popped" over the coil as you go, then it works great. I did not trim the spacer in any way but I did use a wooden handle to provide additional leverage to get the lower spacer groove to "pop" over the coil at various points. Once done, this RubberShox spacer is perfect fit as you can see in the photos. I slowly worked the spacers up towards the top of the strut so that they would be somewhat hidden in the strut tower cavity. The overall lift in the front end is about half an inch and looks like the original OEM height now.The improvement in ride and handling is like having a whole new vehicle! You would think that the ride would be stiff but it's not --bumps are smoother and the chassis feels controlled once again. No more excessive leaning in corners and nose dive during braking is minimal. I would say the car handles as good as or better than when new. Such a simple and economical fix! Try this solution if your springs feel soft or worn out, it's a great product.

I was considering these for a while for my '09 Smart 451, and after reading another review about how much they helped I decided to get them. I bought the Red size D for the front springs, and they fit well. Only took about fifteen minutes to install following the instructions. I didn't even need to remove the front wheels. The ride height in the front appears less than an inch higher after install, but feels like a lot more when you sit in the car for the first time. The steering is definitely stiffer, but when after a fifteen minute test drive it was already less noticable. Anyone who has driven a Smart knows how rough the ride is. Even minor bumps in the road feel like you're bottoming out the suspension, and good luck surviving a larger bump or pothole with your spine and all your teeth intact. The ride is immediately smoother after installing this product. I was laughing about how stupid better the car felt over even moderate bumps. I can relax a little while I drive through town not having to constantly scan the pavement for any deviation in elevation to avoid. These are not going to save you from breaking teeth on a massive pothole, but the everyday bumps and divots are significantly smoother.

OK product. was not to bad to install with proper lubricant,was hoping for at least an inch lift thats why I bought the more sturdy ones .I did get about 1/2 lift and tires don't rub as much as before , I can tell I have less side sway also ,little bit stiffer ride but still ok

Coil spring boosters are not new. Superior Automotive has sold them for years through OReilly Auto and other auto stores, Speedwaymotors which caters to circle track racing has also sold them.However, these RubberShox have the variety of sizes to actually most likely fit your car, unlike the limited previously mentioned offerings.Some advice regarding fit:- The diameter of the booster is not as important as the spacing between the coils (corresponds to the H2 on the booster) and the actual coil rod diameter (G2 on the booster).- You MUST pick a booster that has a smaller H2 dimension than the spacing between your extended coil spring. It CANNOT be close or bigger. I originally got the A size for my car thinking that even though the H2 at 1.85" was close to my spring spacing of 1.75" I could force it. Wrong. Brutally wrong. There must be free space to feed the booster onto the coil. Even with the B size I got, which has an H2 of 1.22" getting the booster on still took some serious pushing and finger strength.- Most springs have smaller spacing between the coils towards their ends. Hence, I installed these boosters near the middle of my springs and then rotated them towards the end of the springs. This wedged them into place. Even though zipties were included with my boosters there were no holes in my boosters for them, and I wouldn't nor saw any need to drill holes in my boosters to use the zipties.- Rubbershox says you can use WD40 to mount these. That's controversial as people have said WD40 deteriorates rubber, I used soapy water.The results are fantastic. Concerning raising the rear ride height, that is negligible. Immediately after install there was an increase of 1/2", but it didn't take long for that to settle out right back to the original height. But under dynamic load and motion it is obvious that the rate of my rear springs has noticeably increased. Cornering is spectacularly better. Even at low speeds in parking lots the steering is noticeably tighter. At higher speeds there simply is less body roll, and hence less steering input is needed.I'm content enough that I don't feel the need to get boosters for the front. I have the Pro for the rear (black) and was going to get the standard (red) for the front, but I'm fine with how the thing handles for now. I do recommend for most vehicles that the rear be stiffened before the front. Stiffening only the front will promote understeer. Especially on longer vehicles such as vans and minivans stiffening the rear in comparison to the front will aim towards oversteer and sharpen steering input. There is a lot of torsional twist that occurs in longer bodies and stiffening the rear helps counter that. This is definitely a best bang for buck mod for a car like my van.There is no detrimental harshness. Going over speedbumps is clunkier and louder, but it's a compromise I'm perfectly happy with. My only concern at this point is durability, which remains to be seen.