[SoCal] Sachs Super Touring shocks and struts set for Gen1 Mazda3

SOLD!

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Ran these on my girlfriend's 2009 Mazda3 2.0 i Touring for a few months while the Koni FSDs were out for warranty. They handled better than I was expecting for stock replacements. Pitch (braking, accelerating) and roll (turning) were well controlled. Road noise was well damped. And the steering wheel stopped vibrating.. the FSDs were shot. The only shortcoming I noticed was over sharp/high speed bumps, where they could be harsh. But they don't have the fancy FSD valves, so what do you expect?

They will work on any BK (2004-2009) Mazda3, sedan or hatchback, 2.0 or 2.3 liter. In fact they could probably handle the Mazdaspeed springs, too.

Anyway, they have 6000 miles on them and are still in great shape.

Shipping is gonna kill the deal, so I'm hoping to find a local buyer here in SoCal.

SOLD!

PM me
 
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What's the story on the FSD? Shot? After how many miles? Is your GF's car lowered? I've had my FSD set for over 180k miles with OEM springs and they're like brand new.
 
The fronts were replaced under warranty. The rears were tested within spec by Koni and returned to me. I don't remember exactly how many miles were on them. It's a lifetime, unlimited mileage warranty, anyway. None of them were leaking, but I could tell when I pulled the fronts that they weren't damping much anymore.

I ran them on my Speed3 for a while before I swapped them to the Mazda3. It's lower and has stiffer springs so that may have contributed to their degradation. Since then Koni has modified the specific FSD shocks sold for the Speed3.. rather than using the same parts as the standard Mazda3, I believe they now use the FSD's designed for the (heavier) Mazda5.

In any case, I've come a long way in suspension tuning experience since 2009.. so I have pretty high expectations. In fact, the 949 XIDAs on my Miata are due for rebuild. And I currently own two sets of Penske/GP Suspension shocks and forks for my CBR600RR. It's pretty rare now for me to meet a suspension setup I can't complain about. Including the FSDs on the Mazda3*. Paul Thede of Race Tech Suspension said it best, "The best you've ridden is the best you know." This is not a cheap hobby, though. Maybe it's better to be joyfully ignorant.. bouncing along the road on worn out shocks and bald tires. Nah, nevermind. :)

*: Most of my complaints have to do with the specific wheel/tire combination on the Mazda3 now. FD RX7 16x8's with 225/50 Bridgestone RE-760's. They have great steering response and high grip levels, but they seem to write a check the rest of the suspension (FSD shocks, Speed3 rear sway, otherwise stock) can't cash. The ride quality did not improve markedly over the stock 205/50-17 setup, either.. perhaps because the increased width made for a roughly equally overall weight. I had installed the same wheel/tire package (except with Dunlop Z1 Star Specs) on my Speed3 and it was a win/win. There was a clear reduction in unsprung weight in that case, though. And my taste in ride quality has evolved since then. I was really hot on digressive valving, and I think it still makes sense for the compression phase and especially when maximum grip is the priority. But now I'm noticing a highly digressive curve tends to feel subjectively unsettled or busy. Anyway, I could go on but I think it's just a matter of finding the right compromise between ride quality/comfort and grip/handling performance.
 
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