Hood "shocks" vs OEM prop bar

[beldecca]

I've seen some auctions on eBay for the after market "shocks" to hold the hood up vs the oem prop bar (I'll look for a pic). I was wondering if anyone here has tried these kits and it you like them? I've always disliked prop bars since you can knock them out when working under the hood.

Thoughts? Opinions?
(Thanks)

 

[njaremka]

i have them on my protege, and i love 'em. i really like being able to open the hood with one hand.

 

[skyhawk]

I agree. Only question is, is the mazda5 hood designed for it? Or do we have to drill holes..

Another thing if we use shocks, usually it is mounted somewhere in the center of the hood.. Is the hood strong enough not to 'warp'? The smooth curve and surface of the hood, it will be a big pain if we slowly see a dent appear where the 'shock' end was mounted. Frequent opening and closing will require that surface to exert force to 'push' the shock in.

 

[WrenchingPilot]

Redline Tuning sells hood struts of decent quality.

According to their website though, they don't offer ones for the 5.

 

[njaremka]

I agree. Only question is, is the mazda5 hood designed for it? Or do we have to drill holes..

Another thing if we use shocks, usually it is mounted somewhere in the center of the hood.. Is the hood strong enough not to 'warp'? The smooth curve and surface of the hood, it will be a big pain if we slowly see a dent appear where the 'shock' end was mounted. Frequent opening and closing will require that surface to exert force to 'push' the shock in.

the protege ones mount between a fender bolt and the hood hinge bolts. i cant imagine the mazda5 kit to mount in a different place. it just seems the easiest. the vendor just has to make sure the struts are sized correctly to fit in what little space is available there when the hood is closed.

 

[beldecca]

I agree. Only question is, is the mazda5 hood designed for it? Or do we have to drill holes..

Another thing if we use shocks, usually it is mounted somewhere in the center of the hood.. Is the hood strong enough not to 'warp'? The smooth curve and surface of the hood, it will be a big pain if we slowly see a dent appear where the 'shock' end was mounted. Frequent opening and closing will require that surface to exert force to 'push' the shock in.

The ones I've seen on eBay (I know, beware) have to shocks that mount to either wide _ I would think that this would minimize and flex in the hood & be safer.

 

[Bigway]

i like the hood shocks they open up your engine bay. i bought some from thier and from a vendor both i like.

 

[josh1581]

I have a set on my Jetta and love them. On the Jetta you took a bolt out of the fender rail and one out of where the hinge meets the hood and replaced with a bolt with a ball end that the struts snapped to.


I would love to have a set for the M5!

 

[lindsayt]

I always thought the reason for the manual prop bar is that it creates no "fight" against the clamp that holds the hood shut when you're going down the highway at high speeds. Any kind of strut arrangement increases the possibility of a latch failure causing the hood to fly up and block your view. That was my understanding at least.

 

[njaremka]

I always thought the reason for the manual prop bar is that it creates no "fight" against the clamp that holds the hood shut when you're going down the highway at high speeds. Any kind of strut arrangement increases the possibility of a latch failure causing the hood to fly up and block your view. That was my understanding at least.

on my setup, once the hood gets within 10-12 inches of closed, the hood props dont have enough gump to lift the hood anymore and it closes. when i'm opening it, i still have to lift it, and until it gets close to halfway open, it still doesnt want to open by itself.

 

[beldecca]

I always thought the reason for the manual prop bar is that it creates no "fight" against the clamp that holds the hood shut when you're going down the highway at high speeds. Any kind of strut arrangement increases the possibility of a latch failure causing the hood to fly up and block your view. That was my understanding at least.

In either system you have the secondary latch that you have to pull / push / wiggle a finger at to release the hood entirely. I'm not sure if the prop bar or the strut has more or less chance of a latch failure. Truth be known, I've never heard of a latch failure outside of "watercooler discussions" (you know: "I heard about a guy once who . . . )