2013~2016: CX-5 Strut and Shock replacement

[yrwei52]

Thanks for all the help ruthrj. My car as about 83k miles on it and the suspension has completely deteriorated in the last thousand miles.
I ordered the same parts from rockauto (had the best price) and will give it a go. For those interested, the PNs are:

KYB​	3440013 - rear struts (QTY 2)

KYB​	SR4563 - front quick strut (QTY 1)

KYB​	SR4564 - front quick strut (QTY 1)

Oddly enough, rockauto didnt list the quick struts for my 2016 but KYB website says they are compatible so I ordered anyways.

It surprised me that there’re so many versions of OEM rear shock absorbers on CX-5 for different MY’s and FWD / AWD. On the other hand, KYB listed only 2 for CX-5, 349219 to 5/13/2013 and 3440013 from 5/13/2013 up to 2018 MY.

There were design changes along the years on OEM rear shock absorbers which does get confused. So for OEM rear shocks, the best way is to use VIN with Mazda parts department to get correct p/n for the CX-5.

For OEM rear shock absorbers. #24 in the diagram, here are part numbers for gen-1 CX-5:

KDY5-28-910C Shock absorber for 2013 ~ 2014 Mazda CX-5 to 5/13/13.

KR27-28-910H Shock absorber for 2014 ~ 2016.5 Mazda CX-5 from 5/13/13, Type 2, without AWD.

KD35-28-910K Shock absorber for 2014 ~ 2015 Mazda CX-5 from 5/13/13, Type 1, with AWD.

KA0G-28-910G Shock absorber for 2015 ~ 2016.5 CX-5 from 11/03/2014, with AWD.

For OEM rear shock absorbers and shock top mount, #1 and #4 in the diagram, here are part numbers for gen-2 CX-5:

KB7W-28-700B Damper rear for 2017 CX-5 to 06/22/2017, with FWD.

KL2F-28-700A Damper rear for 2017 ~ current CX-5 from 06/22/2017.

KL2G-28-700A Damper rear for 2017 ~ current CX-5 from 06/22/2017.

TK48-28-380C Shock mount for 2017 CX-5 to 10/01/2017.

TK52-28-380C Shock mount for 2017 ~ current CX-5 from 10/01/2017.

 

[yrwei52]

Thanks for all the help ruthrj. My car as about 83k miles on it and the suspension has completely deteriorated in the last thousand miles.
I ordered the same parts from rockauto (had the best price) and will give it a go. For those interested, the PNs are:

KYB​	3440013 - rear struts (QTY 2)

KYB​	SR4563 - front quick strut (QTY 1)

KYB​	SR4564 - front quick strut (QTY 1)

Oddly enough, rockauto didnt list the quick struts for my 2016 but KYB website says they are compatible so I ordered anyways.

Since you have s 2016 CX-5, please report back your experience replacing struts and shocks, especially the rear ones (if you have to remove the spring, etc.) as your experience may be different from ruthrj’s 2013 CX-5 due to some design changes.

 

[ryan4130]

Just completed the rear strut and front shock install. Everything fit good and was easy. All that's left to do is get an alignment. I've only driven around the block but I noticed less body roll and bouncing

 

[yrwei52]

Just completed the rear strut and front shock install. Everything fit good and was easy. All that's left to do is get an alignment. I've only driven around the block but I noticed less body roll and bouncing

Would you mind to comment more about questions in my previous post?

 

[Mazdiod2]

KYB might be a better price than OEM.

 

[Jmaz]

Even if KYB is OEM for Mazda struts/shocks,are the aftermarket KYB the same for damping characteristics and durability?And if a complete strut assembly,is the spring the same rate as factory.Maybe cheaper but is it the same?
I'm not trying to throw cold water on this issue or anybody's decision, but having had experiences with the loaded strut assemblies in the past on previous cars,they weren't the same.This was with Monroe,not KYB,Gabriel,etc.And certainly not Bilstein for the price.While researching at the time,the KYB's were on the softer side and were having problems with their strut mounts according to what I was reading.
I formed the conclusion that cheaper aftermarket parts were just that,cheaper parts.Having had the Monroes start going soft at 20-25k miles helped form that opinion and I remain to be convinced otherwise.Just my experience.

 

[ruthrj]

My car handles like new with the new shocks and strut assemblies. I don’t know how else to explain it. If my observation doesn’t put anybody at ease, np. Not here to convince anybody otherwise but it sure puts a damper on me continuing to want to share LOL. It’s an 8 year old car with nearly 85k miles on it. If having the Mazda logo on your parts is what you need, go for it.

 

[Jmaz]

My car handles like new with the new shocks and strut assemblies. I don’t know how else to explain it. If my observation doesn’t put anybody at ease, np. Not here to convince anybody otherwise but it sure puts a damper on me continuing to want to share LOL. It’s an 8 year old car with nearly 85k miles on it. If having the Mazda logo on your parts is what you need, go for it.

My apologies if my comments put a damper on your wanting to share.If I would have done more than a cursory scan of the preceding pages I would have seen the extent of your contributions.My bad for shooting off my mouth before reading in more detail and again my apologies.I guess I'm gun shy regarding aftermarket struts and shocks.In addition to the experience with the Monroes,I neglected to mention the leaking Gabriel shocks at 5k miles or the KYB struts I installed on a Honda Accord that turned out to be as soft as the 80k factory struts that came off.At $130 apiece,spring compressors and my labor, it was not a rewarding experience.
Please stay with us,your contributions are valuable and after reviewing the detailed information you posted,it has me rethinking this.Times change,I guess some people like me are slow tver and out.

 

[yrwei52]

Even if KYB is OEM for Mazda struts/shocks,are the aftermarket KYB the same for damping characteristics and durability?And if a complete strut assembly,is the spring the same rate as factory.Maybe cheaper but is it the same?
I'm not trying to throw cold water on this issue or anybody's decision, but having had experiences with the loaded strut assemblies in the past on previous cars,they weren't the same.This was with Monroe,not KYB,Gabriel,etc.And certainly not Bilstein for the price.While researching at the time,the KYB's were on the softer side and were having problems with their strut mounts according to what I was reading.
I formed the conclusion that cheaper aftermarket parts were just that,cheaper parts.Having had the Monroes start going soft at 20-25k miles helped form that opinion and I remain to be convinced otherwise.Just my experience.

The spring rate is my concern too and by the time I need the front struts, I’d get the OEM struts and reuse the springs. More work but less guess work.

I can share your experience on after-market parts. I used to use after-market parts sometimes, but got burned several times and I had to spend more time to replace it again. That’s why I now don’t mind to get more expensive OEM parts almost all the time, especially for those which need more work to replace, just want to have less chance for any unexpected surprises.

Of course YMMV ⋯

 

[ruthrj]

My apologies if my comments put a damper on your wanting to share.If I would have done more than a cursory scan of the preceding pages I would have seen the extent of your contributions.My bad for shooting off my mouth before reading in more detail and again my apologies.I guess I'm gun shy regarding aftermarket struts and shocks.In addition to the experience with the Monroes,I neglected to mention the leaking Gabriel shocks at 5k miles or the KYB struts I installed on a Honda Accord that turned out to be as soft as the 80k factory struts that came off.At $130 apiece,spring compressors and my labor, it was not a rewarding experience.
Please stay with us,your contributions are valuable and after reviewing the detailed information you posted,it has me rethinking this.Times change,I guess some people like me are slow tver and out.

Brother, you’re good ; )

I read too many poor experiences with the Monroe quickstruts. Basically undersized springs and what not vs OEM. I rolled the dice and I was pleasantly surprised the KYB complete assembly completely matched the dimensions of the OEM assembly. The coil could have different characteristics, but I figured a new coil couldn’t be any worse than the 8 year old coil it replaced. Thank god that gamble paid off (in the short term anyway lol!).

I still share these concerns for the Gen2 though. The Gen1 suspension was always spongy to me vs Gen2. My KYB parts restored the OEM feel of my Gen1 but the Gen2 has a stiffer ride. I would hope the aftermarket parts for the newer Gen would have different characteristics because the KYBs on mine wouldn’t fit the bill.

 

[Hawke]

KB7W-28-700B Damper rear for 2017 CX-5 to 06/22/2017, with FWD.

KL2F-28-700A Damper rear for 2017 ~ current CX-5 from 06/22/2017.

KL2G-28-700A Damper rear for 2017 ~ current CX-5 from 06/22/2017.

Just wanted to chime in on this good post, these are the new updated part numbers for the rear shocks, if you're getting them for your 2017-2020 CX-5 make sure you get the updated ones, ending in "A" or "B" depending on application, as yrwei52 posted, as the earlier version of the shock has some possible oil seepage or leakage from them, more details in the attached TSB.

 

[yrwei52]

Just wanted to chime in on this good post, these are the new updated part numbers for the rear shocks, if you're getting them for your 2017-2020 CX-5 make sure you get the updated ones, ending in "A" or "B" depending on application, as yrwei52 posted, as the earlier version of the shock has some possible oil seepage or leakage from them, more details in the attached TSB.

New part numbers for OEM rear shocks which superseded the part numbers I listed above from the TSB posted above thanks to Hawke:

TSB No.: 02-007/20 OIL SEEPAGE / LEAKAGE FROM REAR SHOCK ABSORBERS

Or just use the VIN to get correct part number of your rear shocks from the Mazda dealer.

 

[Hawke]

This TSB has been updated slightly, with exact VIN numbers of affected vehicles (part numbers are unchanged).

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10186697-0001.pdf