Because I mounted the strut in the position I did, it provides minimal resistance, and not a lot of assist. You have to lift on the hood as if the strut was not there, until the hood is open about 50%, at which point you can feel assist. When the hood is open fully, the strut provides enough lift to keep the hood open (but would allow it to close in a reasonable breeze). And when closing, after the hood is 50% closed, it provides no assist, so you can't tell it is there. And because it pushes on the hinge, and when the hood is in a closed position, there is almost no upward pressure on the hood that would distort or cause bending.
On the rear, because of the mounting angle, and the strut being mounted directly to the lid itself (and being in a nearly upright position), a single 10lb strut should provide enough pressure to keep the lid fully open, and still allow it to close gently, and hopefully not deform or bend the lid in any way.
If I decide that I want some additional assistance on the frunk, like I say, I can add another strut, and if I choose a different angle, I could slow down the closing. For now, however, using a single strut on the front gives me the desired result. If anything, I might add the second 56lb strut in the same position on the opposite side, which would keep the hood upright in a stiff breeze, but also would not provide any assist after the hood is halfway down.
I think the term is 'overcenter'.
