Hood Struts: Spiker Engineering vs Redline Tuning thoughts/opinions?

Hey guys! Title is to the point. I'm looking for your thoughts and opinions on hood struts for the 2nd Gen Tacoma. I was all in and near the purchase point on the Redline Tuning @RedlineTuning and had never heard of this company called Spiker Engineering @SpikerEng and somehow like MAGIC, YouTube, got into my brain (wonder how they do that) and showed me a Video of Taco Twonz installing some Spiker Engineering struts.

My questions: For those of you out there, which KIT is the Best kit for our 2nd Gen tacomas? Mine's a 2008 TRD Sport DC. I can't really find any specs out there or data on which one folks favor the most. has anyone had any experience with both or any pros/cons ? It looks like the Spiker Engineering kit is slightly less expensive from what I can see. Also, regarding the touch up paint applied to the area that you drill for the rivets, does it matter what type you get? can it be a clear coat primer +paint combo pen? I bought one from Rustoleum as pictured. wondering if the clear will suffice.

anyways thanks always guys and I appreciate your input. I hope everyone is being safe during these trying times and Love seeing our community active and keeping in touch and keeping each other sane! As a healthcare guy myself, it's easy to get down during this mess.

 

I've had my Redline hood struts for about 4yrs now and they have held up great.

 

I have Redline Tuning hood struts. I think they’re great.

 

Don't know anything about Spiker, but I've put Redline struts on 3 of my cars over the years, never had any problem with them.

 

I have the Spiker Engineering hood struts and they are solid. Can't go wrong with the Redline units either and they have several versions...elite, plus, ect.

 

are there any major differences or advantages when it comes to install between the 2 products? I am not a very Mod Savy guy by any means and with the drilling into the hood and engine bay, I do have some reservations and would like the easiest (idiot proof) one if available ya know ?

 

Redline. I don't remember when exactly I bought them but it's got to be close to 10 years. They still work great.

 

We are currently running a Group Buy on our QuickLIFT systems. If you want the BEST product backed by a company that has been designing hood lift systems for over 20 years, you can get a 20% discount for a limited time.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ift-systems-group-buy-ends-april-21st.660780/

 

A quick side by side visual comparison of the two:

 

They're pretty similar in terms of installation, with some minor differences. As for drilling, our kits include a drill bit stopper to keep you from drilling too far and through the top side of the hood, a more robust approach than wrapping some tape around the drill bit. Not completely "idiot proof" (nothing is ), but definitely much safer.

 

you win! just purchased. think there's any way to have them delivered this week by Thurs/Fri ?

 

Thank you! Your order is going out in today's mail, supposedly "Priority Mail 2 Day". Normally they are pretty good about meeting their estimates, but these days with Covid, I see a lot of shipments take an extra day or two. You should still get it by Thu/Fri

 

And here I already knew i was gonna go with the Spiker engineering struts before I even made this thread lol. Now with service like this, clearly my intuition was spot on! I gotta say, that Taco Twonz video was what started all this. Hey, when it comes to the touch up paint, can I use a Rustoleum clear coat paint + primer in one? I bought this product below. Thanks again!

 

Hood struts are definitely worth it especially with a lifted truck

 

Good choice! And, they’re made in America.

 

I'm not familiar with the Rustoleum line of touch up pens, and can't find a good description of how to use it. The "2 in 1 paint + primer" sounds like a good approach, but I am guessing that the one you chose, Clear Coat, will not have the primer function, as it's intended to be a clear coat applied over a primed/painted area. It'll probably be sufficient for this application, since it's not going to be exposed to the elements. But if you want to go the extra mile, maybe get one of these touch up pens in a solid color (doesn't matter which one since you won't the touched up area).

Be safe out there in the healthcare front lines .

 

What about 4Runner hood struts do they work on a second gen ?

 

@outxider they don’t have a video for the 2nd gen install like they do for the 1st and 3rd gens. Do u have any best practices on install ? Thanks.

 

I referred to the instructions. It was straight forward. This may be of some help.
https://youtu.be/IDNj3ha3Sbs

 

Like @outxider said, follow the included instructions, as they are the most up to date and are step by step. But watch the videos too to get an overall idea of what's involved. It's really quite intuitive if you're even half-way handy .