Replaced the rear shocks

R

Rocket

Member
I replaced the rear shocks today. It took longer to jack up the car and get out the tools than it did to do the job. Car feels much better now and the strange hollow sound from the rear end is gone.

What is funny to me is that I have never had to replace shocks on a car before the 5. And I have owned just about every kind of car out there from a Ford Econoline van through a Porsche 911. But for some reason these just plain wore out.

I personally think that when Mazda made the 5 and used the 3 suspension they didn't fully consider the extra weight of the 5. Just my theory, worth the paper it's printed on.
 
I agree with your assessment. I think they did the same thing with the clutch for the MT models.
 
Rocket said:
I replaced the rear shocks today. It took longer to jack up the car and get out the tools than it did to do the job. Car feels much better now and the strange hollow sound from the rear end is gone.

What is funny to me is that I have never had to replace shocks on a car before the 5. And I have owned just about every kind of car out there from a Ford Econoline van through a Porsche 911. But for some reason these just plain wore out.

I personally think that when Mazda made the 5 and used the 3 suspension they didn't fully consider the extra weight of the 5. Just my theory, worth the paper it's printed on.
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Good to hear! What brand of shock did you end up using?
 
I have a 08' and wont need them for probably four years as much driving as we drive. What is available as I too would like an adjustable strut. I have had other Mazda's that the shocks were worn at 30K-50K miles.
 
Rocket said:
Factory part. I guess there are aftermarket suppliers, but I wanted to retain the collectable value of the 5 :rolleyes:
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not trying to be a d1ck here, but I don't quite get why anyone would replace with a factory part when they were unhappy with the lifespan of that same part and theorize inherent design flaws with it?

plus an aftermarket shock is pretty much always going to be cheaper....


You are probably right with your analysis though. Based on the number of rear shock replacement threads I've seen (at lower than expected mileage), I kind of assumed there was a design flaw.
 
jeebusm3 said:
not trying to be a d1ck here, but I don't quite get why anyone would replace with a factory part when they were unhappy with the lifespan of that same part and theorize inherent design flaws with it?
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I told you why - because I want to keep the collector value in the car by keeping it original! ;)

Seriously, I just didn't bother to research aftermarket parts. More money than time, I just ordered the factory part because it was easier for me.
 
The interesting part is how much better the car handles overall. The front end is much more responsive. I expected it to be better, and I am not surprised that most of the "feel" improvement is in the front end, not the back, but it was more than I expected.
 
Rocket said:
I told you why - because I want to keep the collector value in the car by keeping it original! ;)

Seriously, I just didn't bother to research aftermarket parts. More money than time, I just ordered the factory part because it was easier for me.
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gotcha... I guess I just enjoy "fixing" the OEM part shortcomings.

Rocket said:
The interesting part is how much better the car handles overall. The front end is much more responsive. I expected it to be better, and I am not surprised that most of the "feel" improvement is in the front end, not the back, but it was more than I expected.
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blown shocks make things suck. I just replaced a blown shock on my 535 (well I replaced all 4 actually) and it made the car much happier.

on my m3 my rears were toast at 35k miles. I replaced with konis because the stockers always die early on those cars.
 
I did some research on this. Here is what I found:

Mazda5 Specific Shocks/Struts:
Koni FSD - Part# 2100 4045

Listed for both Mazda3 and Mazda5:
KYB GR-2 - Front Left-334701, Front Right-334700, Rear-343412

Listed for Mazda3:
Bilstein HD - Front Left: F4-VE3-B073-H0, Front Right: 4-VE3-B074-H0, Rear: F4-BE5-B080-H0

I plan on replacing my stockers with the MZ5 Koni FSDs when mine are ready.
 
Last edited:
JFRCross said:
I did some research on this. Here is what I found:

Mazda5 Specific Shocks/Struts:
Koni FSD - Part# 2100 4045

Listed for both Mazda3 and Mazda5:
KYB GR-2 - Front Left-334701, Front Right-334700, Rear-343412

Listed for Mazda3:
Bilstein HD - Front Left: F4-VE3-B073-H0, Front Right: 4-VE3-B074-H0, Rear: F4-BE5-B080-H0

I plan on replacing my stockers with the MZ5 Koni FSDs when mine are ready.
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FWIW, in different cars I have run KYB GR2, KYB AGX, Koni Yellow, and Bilstein Sport...and if you are looking for a better-than-stock replacement, for little money, the GR2 is great. Even moderately lowered, the GR2 is fantastic. For the mazda5, they are $100 a pop for the front and only $40 for the rear!

$280 for the GR2 set VS $730 for the koni and probably even more for the Bilstein. In my more hardcore performance cars, I splurge for the Bilstein or Koni but I doubt I could bring myself to do that with the Mazda5.

Just something to think about. Obviously I don't know what your plans are...
 
Rocket said:
What is funny to me is that I have never had to replace shocks on a car before the 5. And I have owned just about every kind of car out there from a Ford Econoline van through a Porsche 911. But for some reason these just plain wore out.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised to hear from an Econoline owner not replacing factory shocks.

All Econoline factory shocks have too low of damping force to keep the tires on the ground. Result: Tire cupping.

I religiously replace factory shocks with Monroe Gas Magnum first month after the vehicle is purchased new. Several sets of factory Michelin LTX M/S were ruined with factory shocks.

Even Gas Magnum wear out after 30-50K miles. Local O'Reilly store will replace them over-the-counter for free (lifetime warranty).
 
jeebusm3 said:
FWIW, in different cars I have run KYB GR2, KYB AGX, Koni Yellow, and Bilstein Sport...and if you are looking for a better-than-stock replacement, for little money, the GR2 is great. Even moderately lowered, the GR2 is fantastic. For the mazda5, they are $100 a pop for the front and only $40 for the rear!

$280 for the GR2 set VS $730 for the koni and probably even more for the Bilstein. In my more hardcore performance cars, I splurge for the Bilstein or Koni but I doubt I could bring myself to do that with the Mazda5.

Just something to think about. Obviously I don't know what your plans are...
Click to expand...


I currently have KYB AGX adjustable struts/shocks on my Mustang. They definitely have improved the handling of my car. I would not hesitate to put them on any other vehicle I own
 
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