Strut/Shock Options

MD5 said:
Really? I'm at 93,000 miles and mine are still fine.
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They might still be attached to the car, but that doesn't mean they are fine.(spank)

I have not owned a modern vehicle where the struts/shocks effectiveness lasted longer that 60k miles. Sure the shock might still be "working" after that point, but it is not very effective.

The only real way to test the strut/shock is off of the vehicle, the "kneel on the bumper and bounce" test does not work well as a diagnostic tool, as there are several other functions/stages of absorption that are not being tested.

This is one of those things that, because of slow degradation, you will not appreciate the difference in effectiveness until the old units are replaced. Then it will feel like a new car again, and you will wonder why you waited so long. (sadbanana)
 
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mazdadude said:
They might still be attached to the car, but that doesn't mean they are fine.(spank)

I have not owned a modern vehicle where the struts/shocks effectiveness lasted longer that 60k miles. Sure the shock might still be "working" after that point, but it is not very effective.

The only real way to test the strut/shock is off of the vehicle, the "kneel on the bumper and bounce" test does not work well as a diagnostic tool, as there are several other functions/stages of absorption that are not being tested.

This is one of those things that, because of slow degradation, you will not appreciate the difference in effectiveness until the old units are replaced. Then it will feel like a new car again, and you will wonder why you waited so long. (sadbanana)
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its amazing how many people don't understand that. its probably due to the fact that, even when shocks are blown out, you can still drive the car, so people think they are 'fine'.
 
mazdadude said:
They might still be attached to the car, but that doesn't mean they are fine.(spank)

I have not owned a modern vehicle where the struts/shocks effectiveness lasted longer that 60k miles. Sure the shock might still be "working" after that point, but it is not very effective.

The only real way to test the strut/shock is off of the vehicle, the "kneel on the bumper and bounce" test does not work well as a diagnostic tool, as there are several other functions/stages of absorption that are not being tested.

This is one of those things that, because of slow degradation, you will not appreciate the difference in effectiveness until the old units are replaced. Then it will feel like a new car again, and you will wonder why you waited so long. (sadbanana)
Click to expand...

To be fair, it doesn't mean that they are bad either. They were checked about 3k miles ago at 90k.

Since you haven't inspected my vehicle, you can't say that they are bad.
 
MD5 said:
To be fair, it doesn't mean that they are bad either. They were checked about 3k miles ago at 90k.

Since you haven't inspected my vehicle, you can't say that they are bad.
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I agree, I have no way of telling if yours are "bad", other than removing it from the vehicle to check the compression/rebound speeds. My argument was that they become less effective with mileage at a rate that is not perceived by average drivers. (blah)

I hope no offense was taken sometimes it is hard to communicate on the forums without sounding sarcastic/argumentative.
 
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How much life are in those struts. It all depends on what type of life they had, down a rough road with a heavy load or a commuter on black top.
 
Old Rotor said:
How much life are in those struts. It all depends on what type of life they had, down a rough road with a heavy load or a commuter on black top.
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YES, agreed! Mine had heavy loads, I drove down very rough roads, and had heavy cornering loads, sometimes all at the same time too... LOL(yes)
 
FYI -- I noticed that Koni is having a 25%-off sale on all its shocks beginning Feb. 1. That makes the FSD set for the Mazda5 just $547.05 at shox.com, for example.
 
Just an update... My wait appears to be about over.

It took me about an hour of phone calls to both Summit, Koni and Shox.com to get everything figured out and negotiated. To make a long story short, Koni will not negotiate anything, even if it hurts the customer. Follow company policy. Shox.com was able to order a set and put me at the back of the wait line (again?) and get me the $547 price. Summit would also drop my original order which was due there in a few days and re-order at 25% off Koni's retail price (which is now $1047???) which would have raised my price to somewhere near $750???? Finally after talking with Summit and showing the online prices he said "sure we can do that". WTF?

So now I should get my original order from Summit that I have been waiting on since January (before sale pricing) for the sale price of $547.

The good news for some of you wanting these is it seems that they are turning some out of the factory now.

Can't wait until I have to deal with Koni for warrantee. I think my Miata will get Bilsteins.
 
rweatherford said:
So now I should get my original order from Summit that I have been waiting on since January...
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I've been waiting since later December. My last update 3 week ago was that the factory was suppose to ship directly to me last week. I'm in no rush since my original plan was to do the install in June so if nothing shows by the end of this month I'll call the vendor for another update.
 
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No problems to report with mine after 8k. Still loving them and wish I had replaced them sooner... :)
 
mazdadude said:
I agree, I have no way of telling if yours are "bad", other than removing it from the vehicle to check the compression/rebound speeds. My argument was that they become less effective with mileage at a rate that is not perceived by average drivers. (blah)

I hope no offense was taken sometimes it is hard to communicate on the forums without sounding sarcastic/argumentative.
Click to expand...

Back to this discussion, I took the 5 into the shop today because when I changed my oil last, I notice what looked like cast off grease from the passenger side inner CV joint. During the inspection, the mechanic found both front struts leaking, and one rear shock leaking.

I'm getting them replaced with KYB ones next week. I'm at almost 96k miles.
 
MD5 said:
Back to this discussion, I took the 5 into the shop today because when I changed my oil last, I notice what looked like cast off grease from the passenger side inner CV joint. During the inspection, the mechanic found both front struts leaking, and one rear shock leaking.

I'm getting them replaced with KYB ones next week. I'm at almost 96k miles.
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(rockon)

Let us know how it feels when you get them replaced!
 
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mazdadude said:
(rockon)

Let us know how it feels when you get them replaced!
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He asked me if I felt any jarring, heard any knocks, etc, and the answer was/is "no".

I'm not going with anything fancy, just the KYB GR-2 setup, so I'm not sure if I will feel much of a difference.
 
I just replaced my front struts with KYB GR-2s. I now have a full set of the GR-2s after replacing the rear pair last year. The ride is pretty close to stock, maybe a little tighter. I replaced the bump stops as well and it's nice to go over bumps without any drama or noise.

It's fairly easy to replace the struts yourself. I borrowed a spring compressor from Advanced Auto Parts. You'll need some patience to get the strut in and out of the steering knuckle.

For reference, here's a breakdown of the cost to replace the Mazda5 struts:

KYB GR-2
Front Struts: 334700 (R), 334701 (L) - $85 each
Rear Strut: 343412 (Rear) - $40 each
Front Bumpstop + Dustboot: SB101 - $11 each

Labor
Shop: ~$260 + alignment check (for front pair). Rear struts are definitely DIY, very easy.
DIY: $0 + 1 to 2 days + alignment
 
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rweatherford said:
At around 40K miles I think our front struts are shot. There is a klunking/rattle sound over washboards and bumps. /QUOTE]

I fixed that klunking/rattle with the replacement of part number Part # CC29-34-156C, Description 020G6BUSH,STABI, List Price $12.95/each at dealership.

Better if you can get the car on a lift, replacement took about 1 hour after the car was on the lift. I'm retired from the Navy and get to use the auto hobby shops on the local base, which is awesome for doing work. No more clunking/rattle since replacement. I'm thinking of replacing the back ones next, small rattle from the rear of the auto......... we'll see.....
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Attachments

  • Front Bushing Repair Bulletin.pdf
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I took the plunge and ordered the Koni FSD set. The news is they are coming from Holland (not stocked in the United States, according to the store), and should take four weeks to arrive. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
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