Mazda 3 Koni sport vs Mazda 5 Koni sport

[arnold]

I have a Mazdaspeed 3 and need new shocks since the right rear one is blown. What are the differences between the Koni Sport shocks made for the Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 as far as ride harshness and car handling go? My car is a daily driver and I do not take it to the track or autocross. I am looking for better handling over stock, but would also like to have a somewhat softer ride if possible. I do not at this point in time want to get new springs.

 

[SuperProtege5]

Honestly I wouldn't expect much, if any, difference between the shocks considering the suspension set-up on the 5 is the same as on the 3, with maybe a difference in spring rate to coincide with the difference in weight between the two.

 

[njaremka]

the actual installation is exactly the same between the mazda3 / mazdaspeed3 / mazda5, but the valveing is different. to get an actual explaination concerning the differneces, you will probably need to call the koni tech line. my guess would be that the stiffness would be as follows: mazda3 < mazdaspeed3 < mazda5. but, thats just a guess.

 

[BigDaddyMS3]

Koni

I would recomend the FSD 4040 or 4045s. These were originally designed for the Volvo chasis platform. The 4040s were considered specific to the Mazda 5 and the 4045s are now considered specific to the MS3, (20% stiffer in rebound).

I currently have the 4040s as the back order on the 4045s was and still may be ridiculous. The car is road course tracked about twice a year. If it were to be tracked more often, then I would consider the Koni Yellows, (Sports) because of their adjustability.

I think that the FSDs offer the best daily driver ride quality with the occasional road course track day. Check them out at the Koni website.

My friend does autox with his MS3. He uses the 4040 FSDs with a Cobb front sway bar and swears by them. He also has OZ wheels and 225/40/18 tires.

If you are the kind of person who likes tweaking and adjusting his front dampers then by all means the Koni Yellows are your ticket. The rears are adjustable but as far as I know, still need to be removed per each adjustment.

 

[arnold]

Thanks for your reply Bigdaddy. I am going to do some research on the 4045's.

 

[arnold]

the actual installation is exactly the same between the mazda3 / mazdaspeed3 / mazda5, but the valveing is different. to get an actual explaination concerning the differneces, you will probably need to call the koni tech line. my guess would be that the stiffness would be as follows: mazda3 < mazdaspeed3 < mazda5. but, thats just a guess.

Thanks for your reply. I have been in contact with Koni via email. So far they have not been that helpful. They have just given me very general answers like Koni sports for Mazda 3 will be softer and give less control than Koni sports for Mazda 5. No info on how much or if one is better for my needs than the other.

 

[BigDaddyMS3]

Coilover & Strut/Damper Research

I've referenced an excellent in depth suspension thread, authored by Freeflyfreak on another forum. PM me for a link as I don't want to upset any admins on this site.