You do not need to cut the boot. I cut the driver side about an inch, and it was still making noise as it still goes over the strut(this was without lube.Would the shorter boots be better, and not require lube? Most likely, I just didn't cut it short enough, and after the lube, it worked fine). However, I was able to duplicate the noise on the passenger side. How!? I put the car up on jacks, just so the wheels lift off the ground, to get room to go in with your hands. I pulled the boot down, separating it from the upper mount, and feeling the bump stop(keep in mind nothing is removed, just lifting the car off the ground, wheels are on). I did this to to check how it sit on the other side vs the side that was making noise. So once I placed the boot back in the way that it was. When I went for a ride, what was known as good side, started making the same noise as my driver side-slightly less (keep in mind that it was not making noise before). At this point it was obvious what the cause was. I then lubed the passenger side(the one with the OEM uncut boot) the same way that I did to the driver side, and there were no noises.
I used energy suspension white grease and white lithium grease/spray on the inside of the boot where it touches the bump stop(as it was easy to spray it in). To grease these, you need to pull the boot down and separate it from the upper mount, so you can grease/spray on and from top.
IMO; The noise sound never sounded like rubber, which lead me to believe that it was the strut mount. I swear it sounded like metallic clicking/popping. Those people that have these issues can probably agree with me. If someone told me that it was the boot, I would be like; I highly doubt it...
