Which rear shocks for the Mazda5

[phunky.buddha]

Not for Gramma who expects the car to act like an El Dorado though. Poster mentioned they drive it very conservatively.

And why would better shocks be a bad thing? Monotube doesn't necessarily mean harsh. If anything, you get more piston area which means better control of your valving characteristics. If you have a good monotube shock with good digressive valving, you can have awesome performance control in the corners AND have your smooth ride too.

 

[Davicho]

And why would better shocks be a bad thing? Monotube doesn't necessarily mean harsh. If anything, you get more piston area which means better control of your valving characteristics. If you have a good monotube shock with good digressive valving, you can have awesome performance control in the corners AND have your smooth ride too.

Exactly what he said---^ that is exactly how my KYB GAJ mono tubes work and feel.

 

[Martyd]

Today I went to my dealer for an oil filter special. I was told I had a leaking rear shock. They gave me a price of $324 for the pair. I told them if my Mazda shocks failed at 19700 mi, why would I buy another Mazda shock from them. I'll push these for awhile. I feel no problems. No heavy loads. Two old folks going for rides.
Anyway what's a decent brand, nothing fancy, for when the time comes. 2010 Sport.
Marty

Thought I'd let you know how this turned out. I was going to do this myself in the spring. I decided to try to get Mazda to fix my shocks. I wrote a letter to my dealer explaining how I felt and asked them to contact Mazda for a repair, even though I'm out of warrantee. The dealer service manager called and said he sent the letter to Mazda. After a brief back and forth I was offered a replacement of the rear shocks for $50. I decided to have the job done to save wear and tear on what's left of my flexibility. So Mazda came through for me. Marty

 

[Rally Man]

Wow, that was nice of them.

 

[amcmike]

I decided to have the job done to save wear and tear on what's left of my flexibility.

Good to hear. I was just catching up on this thread, and noticed you were going to hold off. I was going to recommend not to, as it could cause other parts to prematurely wear.

 

[cameradude]

Exactly! I love my KYB mono tubes. I know the difference between OEM, GR2 and GAJ. I've had all three at one point and I can say that's the KYB GAJ mono tubes are the best choice for us stock height riders.

Care to elaborate on the difference between GR2 and GAJ? I am wanting better management of a heavy load (6 passengers), especially going over bumps. I was thinking about adding 2012 oem springs and matching upper seat mounts on my 2010 but rather not if the KYB GAJ will do the trick. I already have the GR2 on and I get scraping on the rear right fender. I rolled my fenders to prevent further scraping.

 

[phunky.buddha]

Care to elaborate on the difference between GR2 and GAJ? I am wanting better management of a heavy load (6 passengers), especially going over bumps. I was thinking about adding 2012 oem springs and matching upper seat mounts on my 2010 but rather not if the KYB GAJ will do the trick. I already have the GR2 on and I get scraping on the rear right fender. I rolled my fenders to prevent further scraping.

Both are meant as OEM replacements, so fitments won't necessarily be available from KYB for both lines to cover most applications. As far as monotube vs twin tube, monotube is USUALLY the superior design because of more piston area, more fluid, better heat dissipation from direct transfer to the outside world... but you can never really directly compare a monotube vs a twin tube. There are benefits to both designs. Probably the best takeaway is that the KYB GR-2 and GAJ are both meant as OEM replacement parts- not as a major step up in performance vs stock.

 

[JesseM]

I bought a 2007 Mazda5 GT last month, thankfully the last owner put KYB shocks on it 2 years ago. No leaks, rides quite nice.