I recently replaced the front struts on my '09 with ACDelco "Ready Struts". I watched a couple videos on YouTube; highly recommended. Just thought I'd pass on that the job is really easy EXCEPT:

I sprayed the three lower mounting nuts a couple times with Nano Universal and Kano Aerokroil (both are great) before starting the job. I didn't think to spray the six upper studs under the hood. The first of these studs sheared right off which was OK. Two of the other nuts came off fine; the other three studs broke at their welds and just spun. It took a diamond cut off wheel on my Dremel to clut the nuts off. I swear those nuts are made of titanium!

I used my electric impact gun on the bottom stuff and the nuts came right off. The sway bar links were replaced previously, and the Moogs have a hex "nut" on the back, so I was able to hold the stud with a wrench. Otherwise, the OE link stud will probably just spin.

Final note, an oddity on the new struts: the upper nuts on the driver's side take a 13mm socket but on the pass. side, take a 12mm socket. Maybe they aren't all that way, just a last effort to mess with me.

 

Thanks for the heads up to spray those upper nuts and studs, I'll be doing my struts soon. I just checked, all 6 originals require a 1/2" socket.

How much ride improvement are you feeling?

 

Are the studs the same size? Did one side have built in washers? The nuts have a really tiny torque, 15 lb.ft.

I have seen the built in washer nuts being a larger size.

 

Much improved ride; I didn't realize how "bouncy" it was. Changed the rear shocks, too.

I think the studs are the same, but I'll check. The nuts look identical with the built-in washers. Yes, torque is very light.

 

My OEM upper nuts were 13 mm , perhaps the upper bearing plate had been replaced, my new plates from Moog were 12mm

 

The OE's were both 13mm, the two new ACDelco's are, curiously, different. I just checked and the studs are the same; it's just the socket size is different. Maybe one is just a much different production date or something. Both came from Rockauto; fully assembled no chnage of spring, bearing, etc..

 

 

Ride is great; about $125-130 each. Cheaper than Amazon.