A strut is basically an EXTREMELY STURDY shock absorber. This is necessary because it serves as a suspension member as well as a damper.

I made the mistake of buying KYB's and I'm not now in a position to buy a set of Bilsteins, so I'm just suffering. I personally will never again spend my strut/shock money on anything but Bilsteins. At least for a Benz.

Good luck,