Which rear tophats?

[SwedishChef]

Hi guys, I somehow managed to rip the center of my passenger side rear tophat right apart on my 94 wagon, so started shopping. I found it interesting that, of the 6 different ones I saw, MOOG is the brand that Whiteline re-sells.

Here are the rear tophats I found, their prices, and links on Amazon:

— Subaru 20362AA711 $60
— Moog K9787 $40 http://www.amazon.com/Moog-K9787-Strut- ... Moog+K9787
— KYB SM5243 $32 http://www.amazon.com/KYB-SM5243-Strut- ... u%3Alegacy
— Monroe 903983 $25 http://www.amazon.com/Monroe-903983-Str ... u%3Alegacy
— Gabriel 142550 $30 http://www.amazon.com/Gabriel-142550-St ... u%3Alegacy
— Mevotech MP903983 $26 http://www.amazon.com/Mevotech-MP903983 ... u%3Alegacy

Which tophats have you used, are you happy with them, and any other experience you can offer?

Thanks!

[Legacy777]

I haven't used any particular ones, but I would think any of those would probably be fine. Hopefully someone else has some additional feedback.

[mike-tracy]

Based on my experiences with struts and other suspension components (but not their tophats), I wouldn't hesitate on buying OEM, KYB or MOOG. Gabriel and Monroe make really crappy struts, can't imagine their top hats being much better. Never heard of Mevotech.

[PhyrraM]

I also would stick with OEM, KYB, or MOOG.

I suspect that ALL of them are actually made by the same (one or two) manufacture and use the same molds, but the cheaper brands might spec their own rubber compound and quality control procedures. However, that is just a guess, with no proof, based on how some other parts work.