Spiker Engineering's ULTIMATE Lift Hood Struts Now Available

Get 'em while they're hot!!!

 

Does the drill bit come with the kit?

 

It does not, but is available on our website at a nominal cost. A drill bit stopper (to keep from drilling too far) is included in all kits.

 

awesome, thanks, I just placed my order.

 

Spent.

 

just ordered 1 for my 17, and one for my daughters 01. christmas present

 

Holy cow! 6 minutes from order confirmation email to shipping notification email! That’s got to be some sort of record!

 

A couple of questions for the OP.

What is the shear strength of the rivets?
What is the MTTF cycles of the system?
What is the common failure point? Struts, rivets, truck sheet metal....

 

No better Christmas present than hood struts, that's very thoughtful of you .

 

Thank you, we always strive to get the packages out promptly!

 

The rivets are rated at about 300 lbf shear strength.

There is no meaningful MTTF data as there has never been a reported failure. In most cases, a failure in this system would be due to installation error rather than some kind of a systemic or statistically quantifiable effect. Obviously fatigue will take its toll after tens or hundreds of thousands of cycles.

Again, no failure point has been reported in thousands of installations. Most likely failure mode is installation error, perhaps grossly oversized holes, although the multigrip rivets are designed to accommodate even those situations.

 

So, it is possible to infer that Spiker has not tested the system.

Relying on anecdotal data as proof the system is robust.

Thanks.......but no. I'll pass. The hood prop doesn't fail either using the same data base.

 

No question, for some folks keeping things 100% stock is the right approach. Different strokes for different folks .

 

I can't justify dropping a C note on something that is not tested.

I know the OEM stuff has been tested, verified and proven.

 

To say that our system is not proven is simply incorrect. The forces required have been analyzed, stresses at the mounting locations have been calculated, and fasteners have been selected to provide large safety margin (well above 3X). There has never been a failure to date in the field.

There are no maintenance items in the kits other than the struts themselves. They have an expected life of greater than 5 years.

But as I said, based on your comments, you should keep your truck stock and sleep well at night.

 

How many cycles are expected in the 5 year life?????
5?
500?
5000?
1?

Calculations are starting point. Testing and verification will prove the design of the system is good.

 

The life is not cycle related. It is limited by leakage of gas past the seals, which happens regardless of usage. Better struts have better seals, cheaper ones leak within a year or two.

I don't see the point of continuing this discussion on the forum as I feel that you are just trying to pick a fight. Feel free to start a conversation with me if you have real questions, I'll be happy to discuss.

 

I'm not trying to pick a fight.

I'm just looking for information so I can spend my $$ with confidence.

I have 2002 Chevy Trailblazer with gas lifts on the tailgate. The gate is open/closed about 2-3 times each week. The gas struts have not been replaced, still OEM. So, a bit of calculation yields about 3,000 +/- cycles.

You should have similar data from testing. That is all I'm asking.

 

Fair enough, I'll take your questions at face value.

For this strut system, instead talking about MTTF, I'd look at the likely failure modes. The mounting points can fail. The struts can fail. That's about the extent of it.

The attach points have been designed with a >3X safety factor. Barring an installation problem, they will not fail over any reasonable timeframe.

The struts are made by an OEM supplier with over 75 years of experience. Toyota gets their struts from similar suppliers.

That's about it. Lastly, think of the consequence of a failure. It's not like someone is going to get hurt (as if this was a lift kit where something breaks, or a brake upgrade that fails). So the likelihood of any credible failure is minimal, and the consequence is a minor inconvenience.

BTW, you do know that folks have on occasion knocked the prop rod out of the way when working on the engine, and ended up with the hood landing on their head, right? That's by far the more likely failure mode than with these struts.

 

Did Chevy provide you with data? Do you have information on their testing process, do you know if they tested those or did Chevy just rely on the sub-contractor to provide the materials? Did The sub-contractor test them? Did you get their data?

I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just looking for how you came about your information regarding the Chevy tailgate and that OEM has been tested, proven or verified.