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Struts That Make Trunk and Frunk Pop Open
- Thread starter JSWE
- Start date
Fernand
Active Member
With the weaker latch spring on the Frunk, it's a bit
lazy after not being used for a few days, it's ALMOST
not opening, it's hilarious how gently and tentatively
it opens. I think I should get a little stronger spring,
something between that WHAM and the current way.
lazy after not being used for a few days, it's ALMOST
not opening, it's hilarious how gently and tentatively
it opens. I think I should get a little stronger spring,
something between that WHAM and the current way.
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Has anyone had problems with these struts failing to lift after a few weeks or longer?
I replaced both frunk and trunk and they worked flawless for about a week, but now don't lift. I added a washer and it worked again for another week, but stopped again. Another washer and same story.
Just curious if it's maybe thethe springs being crap (Uxcell via Amazon). I'm using StrongArm struts from liftsupport depot.
I replaced both frunk and trunk and they worked flawless for about a week, but now don't lift. I added a washer and it worked again for another week, but stopped again. Another washer and same story.
Just curious if it's maybe thethe springs being crap (Uxcell via Amazon). I'm using StrongArm struts from liftsupport depot.
Fernand
Active Member
I have the same problem fore and aft. I think these
struts are smart. They don't want to work harder
than they have to. If they see you're not using your
trunk or frunk much, they get lazy. Need to exercise
them. Also a bit of grease on the supposedly slick
shaft helps. I don't know if the Red Chinese springs
degrade, but anything is possible.
But, hey, if we were REALLY obsessed, OCD like,
we'd have spent that $800+ on the electric trunk, and
we'd only be fretting over the frunk.
The frunk? Yes. Well, I finally found some assorted
medium springs in my treasure trove of Might-Come-
In-Handies, and the frunk snaps a bit now, and opens
more convincingly, while still being pleasant to shut.
Look at it this way, it's art/craft in progress. How boring
it would be if everything was already done for us!
IMHO there's no such a thing as "crap". There are
different offerings, different types of metal at different
prices ;-) We love low cost, - we take some chances.
I didn't comparison shop. I just ordered the Red springs
from Uxcell in (they need our support) Hong Kong.
Let's see if struts we use behave differently. Mine are
a bit sedated, no, bordering on comatose, if unused
for a week, but then work fine, at least in temperate
weather:
this is not a practical mod for you, unless you install a
little heater ;-)
struts are smart. They don't want to work harder
than they have to. If they see you're not using your
trunk or frunk much, they get lazy. Need to exercise
them. Also a bit of grease on the supposedly slick
shaft helps. I don't know if the Red Chinese springs
degrade, but anything is possible.
But, hey, if we were REALLY obsessed, OCD like,
we'd have spent that $800+ on the electric trunk, and
we'd only be fretting over the frunk.
The frunk? Yes. Well, I finally found some assorted
medium springs in my treasure trove of Might-Come-
In-Handies, and the frunk snaps a bit now, and opens
more convincingly, while still being pleasant to shut.
Look at it this way, it's art/craft in progress. How boring
it would be if everything was already done for us!
IMHO there's no such a thing as "crap". There are
different offerings, different types of metal at different
prices ;-) We love low cost, - we take some chances.
I didn't comparison shop. I just ordered the Red springs
from Uxcell in (they need our support) Hong Kong.
Let's see if struts we use behave differently. Mine are
a bit sedated, no, bordering on comatose, if unused
for a week, but then work fine, at least in temperate
weather:
- 2x StrongArm 4129 Universal 13.00" Ext. 155 Extended Length Lift Support - Pack of 1
- 1x Lift Supports, ECCPP Front Hood Lift Support Struts Gas Springs for 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee Compatible with 6304 Strut Set of 2
this is not a practical mod for you, unless you install a
little heater ;-)
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Rothgarr
Active Member
Mine are from EVannex -- after two months they still fly open (almost violently fast)
Fernand
Active Member
Mine were snappy until a few months went by
and they got lazy. Without that kick-butt mondo
factory spring on the Frunk, it opens cautiously
anyway, like a vampire's coffin.
But I confess, I don't open my portals much,
except to impress people with the remote bit,
but they mostly all seen it and just yawn. Plus
I tend to toss stuff on the (lowered) back seats.
And my wife does all the shopping in her ICE.
I repent. I will try to pump 'em more, get woke,
help more with the shopping, and we'll see.
Now on the positive side, I'd be eating kibble if
I'd spent close to a large on one of them fancy
open-sesame rigs, and STILL threw stuff on the
back seat and made my wife do all the shopping.
and they got lazy. Without that kick-butt mondo
factory spring on the Frunk, it opens cautiously
anyway, like a vampire's coffin.
But I confess, I don't open my portals much,
except to impress people with the remote bit,
but they mostly all seen it and just yawn. Plus
I tend to toss stuff on the (lowered) back seats.
And my wife does all the shopping in her ICE.
I repent. I will try to pump 'em more, get woke,
help more with the shopping, and we'll see.
Now on the positive side, I'd be eating kibble if
I'd spent close to a large on one of them fancy
open-sesame rigs, and STILL threw stuff on the
back seat and made my wife do all the shopping.
Rothgarr
Active Member
Just posting this in the most recent threads mentioning automatic trunk and frunk openers. I've had the EVannex frunk and trunk struts replacements for a few months now and I really like them. I did an unboxing/install/review of them if it interests anybody:
I love how they open automatically, but they definitely require more force to close (especially the trunk.
I have a top-of-trunk IKON Motorsport spoiler and I'm 100% confident pulling down on it to close the trunk -- that spoiler is not going to come off. But I would be extremely nervous pulling down on the Model 3 Performance OEM spoiler or any third party spoiler for that matter that's back-of-trunk blade-type. But if you DO have a blade spoiler you can still close the trunk by pulling and then pushing on the license plate.
I've heard some people mention that their third-party frunk/trunk struts lost pressure after a while and stopped lifting the trunk/frunk, but after a few months, the EVannex ones are showing no signs of struggling to lift either the frunk or trunk. So I'd highly recommend spending the few extra dollars for the EVannex ones:
Front (frunk) https://amzn.to/2ZPKREA
Trunk https://amzn.to/34n3qDB
I hope you like my video! If you like it please click "like" and subscribe! I have more videos in the works and planned. If you check my YouTube channel you'll see more unboxing/instal/review that I've done. I hope you like them!
I love how they open automatically, but they definitely require more force to close (especially the trunk.
I have a top-of-trunk IKON Motorsport spoiler and I'm 100% confident pulling down on it to close the trunk -- that spoiler is not going to come off. But I would be extremely nervous pulling down on the Model 3 Performance OEM spoiler or any third party spoiler for that matter that's back-of-trunk blade-type. But if you DO have a blade spoiler you can still close the trunk by pulling and then pushing on the license plate.
I've heard some people mention that their third-party frunk/trunk struts lost pressure after a while and stopped lifting the trunk/frunk, but after a few months, the EVannex ones are showing no signs of struggling to lift either the frunk or trunk. So I'd highly recommend spending the few extra dollars for the EVannex ones:
Front (frunk) https://amzn.to/2ZPKREA
Trunk https://amzn.to/34n3qDB
I hope you like my video! If you like it please click "like" and subscribe! I have more videos in the works and planned. If you check my YouTube channel you'll see more unboxing/instal/review that I've done. I hope you like them!
To confirm, if you have stock frunk struts and you use the spring you linked, it will get stuck in between open and closed? Or was this a slightly stronger spring that addressed it? Sorry couldn't tell exactly and wanted to verify.
Fernand
Active Member
The set I linked was the one that i1Tesla got on the advice of someone else.
Some people who were too timid to replace the struts tried putting on these very weak springs from Amazon at the Frunk latch. THAT is not a great combination, and yes, the Frunk CAN sometimes get sort of stuck then, might have to pry it open with a plastic spoon or a piece of beef jerky. Should have swapped the struts first.
But after you've waited like an idiot for these springs that have NOTHING special about them, you realize you should have 1) installed the mod struts, then 2) gone down to Home Depot or Lowe's or Ace or wherever and just gotten a big party bag of many random smallish springs to try on the latch until you find the sound and feel you like. Even a monkey's exercise rubber band could work. Just don't skip step 1.
Some people who were too timid to replace the struts tried putting on these very weak springs from Amazon at the Frunk latch. THAT is not a great combination, and yes, the Frunk CAN sometimes get sort of stuck then, might have to pry it open with a plastic spoon or a piece of beef jerky. Should have swapped the struts first.
But after you've waited like an idiot for these springs that have NOTHING special about them, you realize you should have 1) installed the mod struts, then 2) gone down to Home Depot or Lowe's or Ace or wherever and just gotten a big party bag of many random smallish springs to try on the latch until you find the sound and feel you like. Even a monkey's exercise rubber band could work. Just don't skip step 1.
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Yep. This happened to me. “ Luckily” someone rear- ended me after it cracked, which obviously became related so had the rear window replaced.
One other piece of advise, if you don’t want to use the top of the trunk to close it then get the license plate frame from Evannex with the small handle.
i believe you need the upgraded struts to use these springs, otherwise the hood will get stuck because the original struts aren't strong enough to pop it open.
Rothgarr
Active Member
It is pretty jarring at first. I got the hang of closing it with one hand, definitely easier with two hands.
I had replaced the frunk and trunk struts, but decided to revert back to stock for both.
I found that the frunk would pop up so strong that it looked like the frunk hood was gonna bend at its max opening. Then you have to use a lot of force to pull down the frunk to close it. So much force that it almost feels like you're gonna bend the frunk hood. Also, I realized that in most cases I only want to unlock the frunk from inside, but not have it fully open up and expose to everyone what I have in the frunk while I'm still getting out of the car, or unlatching my kid from the car seat.
As for the trunk, same issue with the frunk, the struts are so strong that you have to really pull down hard and slam it down hard to get the trunk to latch.
I also did replace the frunk spring with a softer(?!) one so that you can close it with two fingers, but eventually I also reverted back to stock for it as well. I found that with a softer spring, the frunk wouldn't unlatch consistently. Many times I had to stick a credit card to pry it up and open.
I found that the frunk would pop up so strong that it looked like the frunk hood was gonna bend at its max opening. Then you have to use a lot of force to pull down the frunk to close it. So much force that it almost feels like you're gonna bend the frunk hood. Also, I realized that in most cases I only want to unlock the frunk from inside, but not have it fully open up and expose to everyone what I have in the frunk while I'm still getting out of the car, or unlatching my kid from the car seat.
As for the trunk, same issue with the frunk, the struts are so strong that you have to really pull down hard and slam it down hard to get the trunk to latch.
I also did replace the frunk spring with a softer(?!) one so that you can close it with two fingers, but eventually I also reverted back to stock for it as well. I found that with a softer spring, the frunk wouldn't unlatch consistently. Many times I had to stick a credit card to pry it up and open.
Fernand
Active Member
For the people who have done this and don't like how snappy the opening is, there's some help. I can assure you mine do not go BANG no mo'. They open so gracefully I've sometimes doubted the trunk opened until I looked.
On the Trunk, replace the ball sockets that came on the new struts with metal ones. This adds under $15. Why bother? Because 1) these are metal on metal and will not pop off or wear to the point of popping off like happened to a guy (and chipped the window). 2) They grip the ball tighter, making the opening process very chill and gentle. Make sure the ball is well lubed for cold weather. No Big Bang.
As to it being a bit harder to close the trunk with a stronger strut, meh, maybe a little, seems fine to me.
On the Frunk, replace the latch spring with a less powerful one. Take off the original to get an idea, it's easy to take off and put back on, then go down and get an assortment at the hardware store. Try a few, not too weak, but not like the original. Too weak and it won't open consistently. You'll know the right one when you try it, something like 1/4-1/2 of the original strength. The Frunk opens reliably and gracefully now, and still closes with two fingers. No Big Bang.
As to it being weird closing the frunk with a stronger strut, meh, just don't be a brute, you're going to latch it with two fingers, so why would you be yanking it to oblivion on the way down?
.
On the Trunk, replace the ball sockets that came on the new struts with metal ones. This adds under $15. Why bother? Because 1) these are metal on metal and will not pop off or wear to the point of popping off like happened to a guy (and chipped the window). 2) They grip the ball tighter, making the opening process very chill and gentle. Make sure the ball is well lubed for cold weather. No Big Bang.
As to it being a bit harder to close the trunk with a stronger strut, meh, maybe a little, seems fine to me.
On the Frunk, replace the latch spring with a less powerful one. Take off the original to get an idea, it's easy to take off and put back on, then go down and get an assortment at the hardware store. Try a few, not too weak, but not like the original. Too weak and it won't open consistently. You'll know the right one when you try it, something like 1/4-1/2 of the original strength. The Frunk opens reliably and gracefully now, and still closes with two fingers. No Big Bang.
As to it being weird closing the frunk with a stronger strut, meh, just don't be a brute, you're going to latch it with two fingers, so why would you be yanking it to oblivion on the way down?
.
Tesla Model 3 Automatic Trunk Lift Supports Rear Trunk Struts with Spring and Stainless Steel Washer (SET OF TWO) V2.0 [Upgraded]
Somewhat install, just be sure to have two different size flatheads, took ~5 minutes, watch YouTube videos first.
Lift Supports,ECCPP Front Hood Lift Support Struts Gas Springs for 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee Compatible with 6304 Strut Set of 2
For auto frunk, easier install than trunk. Took 1 minute. I only did 1 strut and it opens more gracefully vs 2 struts which makes the frunk fly open and hood bounce.
Somewhat install, just be sure to have two different size flatheads, took ~5 minutes, watch YouTube videos first.
Lift Supports,ECCPP Front Hood Lift Support Struts Gas Springs for 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee Compatible with 6304 Strut Set of 2
For auto frunk, easier install than trunk. Took 1 minute. I only did 1 strut and it opens more gracefully vs 2 struts which makes the frunk fly open and hood bounce.
Because the strut is so strong that it’s default position is to stay open.... So it takes a lot of force to pull it down and keep it down to latch it.
If the frunk or trunk came from the factory automatically popping so strong like this mod, then there would be a group of people who would do a frunk/trunk mod so that it doesn’t pop open.
Fernand
Active Member
Wow, I hadn't seen Basenor offering a complete set.
On the Frunk, it does take a bit more force pulling down the frunk at the top of its travel, but then it evens out, and by the time I'm latching, it requires less force and not more. Might the single strut approach skew the hinges? I'm pretty sure cars have survived worse.
But the wonderful thing overall is that we have SO many insignificant and irrelevant choices. Maybe to distract us from the ones we can't do a *%$&@* thing about
.
On the Frunk, it does take a bit more force pulling down the frunk at the top of its travel, but then it evens out, and by the time I'm latching, it requires less force and not more. Might the single strut approach skew the hinges? I'm pretty sure cars have survived worse.
But the wonderful thing overall is that we have SO many insignificant and irrelevant choices. Maybe to distract us from the ones we can't do a *%$&@* thing about
.
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