Strong Arm Lift Support Review
It may seem like a disposable part at first, but your vehicle's lift support is not something to take lightly. Just imagine having to hold your car's hood while refilling your engine oil or supporting its trunk every time you unload your baggage. Inconvenient, isn't it? So always equip your car with a durable and heavy-duty lift support to help keep your car's hood or trunk up firmly. To find out which support would provide the most stable performance, we've installed a Strong Arm lift support on our 03 Cherokee and rated its performance.
Features
- Direct fit
- Strong and reliable gas-charged lift support for the hood
- Heavy gauge steel body with chromium-plated hardened steel rod and glossy finish
- Designed with self-cleaning orifice
- Constructed with sealing system that uses a Triple-Lobe rubber seal and rubber O-ring piston seal
- Backed by a 2-year Strong Arm limited warranty
PROS
- Upon purchase of the part, we were impressed with the quality of its construction. We couldn't even tell the difference between the Strong Arm lift support and the original equipment.
- This lift support fits our Cherokee like a glove, which made installation very simple. Our team only needed a flathead screwdriver, which was used to hold the fastening clips open, throughout the entire job. It took us roughly 15 to 20 minutes to install both supports.
- The spring clips that came with the part were fairly easy to use. We only needed to use a pair of needle nose pliers to adjust the clips. After installing the part, we also noticed how these clips help in the maneuverability of the hood.
- The part works perfectly on both left and right sides. We opened and closed the hood numerous times and each time the hood stays up firmly and closes fairly easy.
CONS
- The Strong Arm lift support was shorter than we had expected when it was installed on the Cherokee. While it does fit, the lift support does not extend high enough. We noticed that the hood was at 3-5" lower than it originally was. It was also hard for our tem to get under the hood to perform simple maintenance tasks, such as adding oil.
- Although the part did come with a little 'calling card' that instructed us to visit a web site for instructions, it would have been more convenient to have the instructions or guide on-hand and readily available. An easy-to-follow guide would have lessened the time to install this part even further.
Our say
The Strong Arm lift support is an easy-to-install replacement part that is as strong as its brand name suggests. It is made of heavy-duty materials that are designed to carry your vehicle's hood easily. Its fastening clips are also an impressive addition to this reliable support part as it makes the lift support more efficient especially when opening and closing the hood. Although some may find this part a bit short for convenience, its durability and strength is something to be admired.