holy thread revival batman!
Hi, guys, I registered so i could reply to this post. A few weeks ago i did this mod which worked wonders however I had bad rubbing and was dissatisfied with nearly bumping my head a few times on the lowered hatch height.
Based on some very helpful info in this thread I did some research and sourced alternate gas struts which achieve the same result without adding the springs and without losing the height. If it ever gets weaker in the future I can always add springs back in i suppose. This info is specific to Australians i suppose but I went to Supercheap Auto and had them order in some struts from their supplier Struts Australia. You can buy direct from Struts Australia but by going through Supercheap i avoided paying shipping.
Here is the Struts Australia page:
https://www.strutsaustralia.com.au/products/standard-gas-struts-8-18-includes-fittings
And the part i ordered from supercheap was K460-18-570N. Got two for $55 AUD
460mm long 18mm wide and 570Nm.
It comes with shorter ball joints but I did not try to use them. I still flipped the brackets but now have no rubbing and it is opening at full height.