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Volvo OEM strut mounts .. early Failure?

Would anyone, can anyone suggest, rubber strut mount replacements other then the two Kaplhenke 240 strut mount camber plate options?

Thanks. Please consider this a bump.

Why not go with Kaplhenke? I'm a wuss about NVH and I haven't been disappointed, if that's what you're worried about. I am dealing with some spring rub but I don't think that's a widespread problem.
 
Recently replaced my strut mounts in my '89 245 with Gabriel brand. I'm curious to see how they hold up over the coming months. The strut mounts I took out were stock Volvo and looked great. Guess what I decided to stash away in a box? Yep....those original set of strut mounts, just in case.
 
240 Strut Mounts

Does anyone have any solid input from actual, recent experience on any of the "better" stuff that's out there? I can add that Volvo OEM are giving me a little over two years on KYB Excels before beginning to show separation. Important to note that this doesn't mean they are trash, yet, but once they start to separate it's downhill from there. We all know the "old" OEM mounts lasted many years before showing any separation at all. Mine were installed in 2001! Didn't really get bad until I put Billies in, but by then they were 14 years old and had 120k on them.

I stopped using Meyle and such years ago, would never trust URO for an application like this. I've never tried Boge's. Who has input (real input) on Moog or other?

Ben's stuff is beautiful, and may be the answer for my car, which needs struts and mounts, but let's face it, most people cannot afford them and have no use for that level of quality/adjustability.
 
Ben's stuff is beautiful, and may be the answer for my car, which needs struts and mounts, but let's face it, most people cannot afford them and have no use for that level of quality/adjustability.

His cheaper option is the same price as new OE mounts last I checked. Part of why it was a no-brainer for me.
 
There is a board member that was selling a strut plate that helps reinforce the rubber area. I think it was DET17 but I am not sure. It was a while ago that I bought them. Don't know if he still makes them but it is another choice for helping these things last longer.
 
Yep. Sadly, the studs on the mounts are not long enough to get through a strut brace and various fasteners when one uses Chris's plates, though longer ones can be installed. It is a documented good solution.

I just ordered a set of Ben's "entry level" upper mounts. I trust his engineering completely, and his quality, and he's a pleasure to work with in general. Will report back after installation (whenever that happens--:roll:).
 
Forgive my ignorance, but how is a reinforcing plate that has a large hole in it that appears to be roughly the same diameter as the rubber in stock strut mounts reinforce them? I can see how they would help the sheetmetal the strut tower is made of, but I suspect their effect on the rubber portion of the mount is negligible.

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If you look at 15A's photos you'll see that the plates have significantly smaller holes and cover basically everything except the bearing itself. I have a set waiting for my Soon(tm) suspension overhaul...
 
If you look at 15A's photos you'll see that the plates have significantly smaller holes and cover basically everything except the bearing itself. I have a set waiting for my Soon(tm) suspension overhaul...

And, if you PM Chris with interest in getting some plates, there *might* be a round six.

-J
 
If you look at 15A's photos you'll see that the plates have significantly smaller holes and cover basically everything except the bearing itself. I have a set waiting for my Soon(tm) suspension overhaul...

Wouldn't they also have to cover part of the bearing? The problem I had with the last set of craptastic OE Volvo ones were that the rubber immediately started separating from the steel shell that is in the center of the mount. Would the reinforcing plates have prevented this type of separation?

Mind you that these had ZERO miles on them. They were installed and the car was pushed out in front of the shop while I waited for a parts order. Three weeks later when I got back around to doing the other work on the car, I noticed that the mounts were cracking. Again, 0 miles on the car. I raised enough Hell at the dealership that they gave me a refund. They originally started with the "We'll be happy to warranty them" line of BS but changed their tune. Why would I want another set of this junk?

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Wouldn't they also have to cover part of the bearing?


The extent of this problem seems to be changing fast. The plates that Chris sells severely reduce the amount that the rubber is allowed to flex, which would inhibit the rubber from peeling off of the brg housing. This used to be enough to extend their life quite a bit.

It appears that with the mounts such as you and others are getting, it may be necessary to put the plates on at the same time that the mounts are installed in order to get any real benefit from them. Solid metal strut mounts are looking pretty good to me, these days.
 
Agreed. When one buys Volvo mounts at $160 for the pair and then adds in the $45 or so for reinforcing plates, it's cheaper to buy Ben's, which is what I did.
Of course, it may be possible to buy cheaper aftermarket mounts and use the reinforcing plates, but if they fail, then what? I'm not keen on doing multiple mount replacements on a car to get a combination that works.
I wouldn't risk buying another set of Volvo OE and will be buying Ben's in the future.
 
I'm currently saving for Ben's product. Would hate to go through the process of new inserts/shocks, springs, mounts and then turn around and have to replace the mounts in a couple years(if I'm lucky). You know; measure twice, cut once?
 
Got my Ben's mounts in. He sent me some pictures describing the various mounting positions, but with my stock diameter (sport) springs only position one will work. Initially I thought this meant positive camber, but he assures me not. The workmanship is beyond excellent, which I've always been told is the case with his stuff--not disappointed. Not that I haven't done about 500 sets of struts, but looking at these, and even with Ben's input, I'm going to have to fiddle with them a bit before I'm comfortable that I'm putting them in the right way! Cannot wait to have my car's front end not banging--hopefully later today. Really nice stuff.
 
Kudo's to Ben for his customer service, sticking with me through this messy installation, even answering on Sunday. Sadly these mounts won't work for me. Even after swapping sides, my sport springs, which are admittedly thicker than stockers contact the inside back wall of the strut tower. Grinding the tower mounting surface or re-drilling the mounts might work, but not for me. These will be up for sale on the forum shortly! Thus, the solution search continues.
 
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