New Struts!

[Chis Randolph]

Just wanna know is it possible to put aftermarket non sarc struts on a 97 sho with the sarc system. Will they physically be able to fit. I know the sarc system will be disabled. The reason i'm asking is because my struts are on there last leg, partly because the roush lowering spring i had installed over a year ago have worn the sarc struts out to the point that the ride quality sucks. I figure if i'm going to spend the money on struts, why get the expensive oem sarc struts when the roush springs will go back on and constanly put the struts under great stress thus causing them to deteriorate alot faster than they would with the oem springs. Anyways i feel the roush spring constantly puts the sarc strut system in hard mode which causes the poor ride quality during daily driving, so why not just do away with the sarc all together.

Chris Randolph
97 es sho

 

[SHOZ123]

You can get struts that are made for the '99s. But if the springs being shorter are causing the problem then you need struts made for shorter springs I would think. Can you bounce the car with the igniton shut off using the strut bouncy test?

 

[Chis Randolph]

Since the 99 sho struts don't have the sarc strut system are they the same as the regular 96-99 gen3 taurus strut. If so, then i could get something like the KYB gas strut or whatever aftermarket strut a normal gen3 taurus owner could get. The whole point of this is that i intend to keep the roush springs on and i refuse to purchase new sarc struts and have them be toast in a year or less. I would rather disconnect the sarc system and purchase a normal strut that could somewhat handle effects of the roush spring for half the price of the sarc ones.

Chris Randolph
97ES SHO

 

[Chis Randolph]

Paul, in your opinion what struts could i purchase that would be better equipped to handle a shorter spring like the roush springs.

 

[SHOZ123]

I'll repeat the question.... Can you bounce the car with the ignition shut off using the strut bouncy test?

 

[Chis Randolph]

They are a little bouncy not that bad though.

 

[SHOZ123]

The SARC struts have two ports. One is always active and one is switched. For the smooth ride the second port is opened the fluid flows easier. In hard mode the strut only has one port open. This is how it is when the ignition is off.

If you can just barely bounce the car when the ignition is off the struts are still good. Only when they bounce with relative ease and the key off do they need replacing.

I feel your ride height sensors are the problem. This is putting the struts in hard mode all the time. Personally I took mine off as this is the ride I want.

Some have adjusted the sensor. Others have taken them off and switched them to the other side where they are installed upside down.

The '99 SHO struts are unique for the front and rear for that year only. That would make them pretty rare. I'm sure you could find some aftermarket struts somewhere but they would be a non-performance strut I would think.