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I put a set of the Assurance's on my 99 ES and I love them. Smooth as glass, quiet and they hold the road. Really nice tread pattern (like sport tires). Has the best overall rating you can get at tirerack.com. From what I undersantd the center of the tread pattern has a compound made with pumice (volcanic rock) and works well on ice. I see them on a lot of cars now. I've had them for about 3Kmi. so far. Time will tell how well the hold up.

My understanding from this forum, the RX forum and a Camry forum is that just the strut mounts need replacement to cure the clunking on late 90's Camry's and ES300's. There might even be a technical service bulletin on the strut mounts. Check alldata.com The OEM KYB struts themselves are of such high quality they are good for upwards of 150,000 miles or more unless you drive alot on bumpy roads KYB is an abbreviation for the Japanese company called Kayaba. That's good info. I'll look into it. It's not like the it's bouncing all over the place or anything. They are still smooth. Just getting a clunknig sound when rolling over bumps sometimes. Just figured the strut was shot. It did run through my mind that the mount was bad or not tight as I had a the same problem with a volvo when they did not tighten the top bolt down all the way. Thanks

My wife drives our 99 ES300 with standard suspension. What replacement shock would you recommend for a “stock” ride? Who makes the OEM shocks? I had the driver’s side front replaced at 40K due to clunking, now the passenger side is clunking at 75K. I guess the OEM shocks just suck. Anyway, after the dealer gave me a quote for $2500 for everything (4 shock, tops, boots, alignment, etc) I figured I’d give it a try myself. Can it be done in my driveway with jack stands or should I leave it to the pros? I did my 2000 4Runner myself but had lots more room under the wheels to work. Recap: 1. Recommended replacement shock 2. Who makes the OEM shocks 3. Can I get away with replacing just the shocks and reusing tops and any other hardware if they look good? (what is a top? Is it just a top plate they are talking about?) I reused the one in my 4Runner no problem. 4. Do it myself or take it to the shop? 5. Anybody have a link or info to a “do it yourself” write-up? Thanks in advance for any help. Dave