Strut differences? Aspire Vs Festiva

[notyettoday]

I'm wondering what the difference is? I'm installing an aspire suspension on my festiva, and both strut to trailing arm bolts are broke off in the strut bushings. I'm wondering if I can go get the struts from the donor aspire and use them on the festiva?

[TominMO]

They are basically the same. Aspire rear struts have a higher-up spring perch. I think all you can find new are the Festiva ones though, like on Rock Auto. There used to be two separate KYB part #s, but they have been merged into the Festiva one.

Fronts will be no problem.

[Rick the Quick]

I found Aspire struts on eBay. They were $75 for a pair of Monroes. I can't remember if that included shipping as I purchased them nearly three years ago. They have been on both my '93 with Aspire beam and the '91 with the Festiva beam. Like Tom mentioned, the spring perches are higher up on the strut body which will allow for a larger tire.

[Studebaker]

I would buy new kia rio front struts and top hats. And buy new festiva rear struts

[TominMO]

I would buy new kia rio front struts and top hats. And buy new festiva rear struts

Yeah, I should have mentioned that I have the 2001 - 02 Rio fronts on my Festiva.

[notyettoday]

Alright I went with new replacement festiva struts for the rear, are the rio struts a direct bolt in? what's the difference?

[WmWatt]

I tried the 2001(?) bolt-compatible Rio struts from the junk yard on my Festiva and found them stiff and they raised the front end higher. I belive some people cut off a bit of the spring to lower them. (It's all here somewhere in past threads.) Others just take the tops off and put them on Festiva struts because the Rio tops have ball bearings which reduces the amount of effort needed to turn the steering wheel. I still have the Rio struts if anyone wants to come to Ottawa and take them for the tops.

[TominMO]

I tried the 2001(?) bolt-compatible Rio struts from the junk yard on my Festiva and found them stiff and they raised the front end higher. I belive some people cut off a bit of the spring to lower them. (It's all here somewhere in past threads.) Others just take the tops off and put them on Festiva struts because the Rio tops have ball bearings which reduces the amount of effort needed to turn the steering wheel. I still have the Rio struts if anyone wants to come to Ottawa and take them for the tops.

The springs are much stiffer, like 170# I think. You need to use Festiva or Aspire front springs with the Rio struts, to get a reasonable spring rate. I think Aspire front springs are a slightly heavier rate than Festiva, but not 100% sure. But Aspire and Festiva rear springs are the same rate (80#).