Barely a year with my KYB GR2s and the rears are blown out already. Do I warranty them hoping I won't have to again? Or do I get serious with koni yellows since they're on sale for all four at $700?
Barely a year with my KYB GR2s and the rears are blown out already. Do I warranty them hoping I won't have to again? Or do I get serious with koni yellows since they're on sale for all four at $700?
I’d do the Konis. IMO, the improvement would be well worth it. KYB seems to have gone sadly downhill in quality.
In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :
KYB is not the company they used to be. They are barely Monroe quality now. Absolutely go Koni.
The Konis ride well enough on Blueboy, but I'd never buy them again. Rears are a royal pain to adjust(requires removal to do so), and the coating on them has held up terribly. They lack compression.
I will probably put it on Fiesta Bilstein B6/B8s at some point.
If they are under warranty get them replaced. Buy and install the Konis then sell the KYBs.
The answer to KYB is always no. Koni is yes.
I don't know that KYB was ever any good. My impression of them about 1991 was that you were paying for brand new, blown shocks. They were worse than the blown 100,000 mile units they replaced.
KYB GR2 are just or-spec dampers with slick marketing. Seriously, unless they are one of their higher end lines, they are just OE equivalent units.
Warranty them and then sell them to someone else and use that money towards proper dampers.
I got all four struts replaced with KYBs on my Legacy last year. The rear driver side leaked and failed in about two months of low mileage. Got the strut replaced under warranty by the shop. That one lasted three weeks. I have been driving on a blown strut for probably eight months now. I am looking at Bilstein b4s now, but special order. No KYBs ever again.
flatlander937 said:The Konis ride well enough on Blueboy, but I'd never buy them again. Rears are a royal pain to adjust(requires removal to do so), and the coating on them has held up terribly. They lack compression.
I will probably put it on Fiesta Bilstein B6/B8s at some point.
I'm having trouble finding the Orange STR.T for the 2. The part traces back to Fiesta but there's something about the top not matching the 2. Should the Fiesta stuff work bolt in? I just found the orange konis and would consider them.
vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:flatlander937 said:The Konis ride well enough on Blueboy, but I'd never buy them again. Rears are a royal pain to adjust(requires removal to do so), and the coating on them has held up terribly. They lack compression.
I will probably put it on Fiesta Bilstein B6/B8s at some point.
I'm having trouble finding the Orange STR.T for the 2. The part traces back to Fiesta but there's something about the top not matching the 2. Should the Fiesta stuff work bolt in? I just found the orange konis and would consider them.
Trash. Several people with them have had them start leaking profusely before or around the 1yr mark.
Join the Mazda 2 Owners Group on Facebook. That's where everyone is at. Honestly I don't think there are any great options out there.
Fiesta lower spring mounts for the front shocks are slightly different, but according to a few people I trust they made it work with Mazda springs. Easy button is Fiesta ST aftermarket lowering springs + shocks.
Maybe consider the Bilstein B14 kit from Rock Auto at $729 before your 5% discount code. I have them on my 2011 Fiesta and if you are okay with a slightly stiffer ride and adjustable ride height they might work for you.
BILSTEIN 47167490 B14 (PSS)
2012 MAZDA 2 1.5L L4 Suspension Kit | RockAuto
Edit: For clarification, my comment regarding "slightly stiffer ride" is based on spring rates and not actual ride quality as my Fiesta had two blown out rear shocks when purchased so I have no relative ride performance of the stock suspension as a baseline.
Found out over winter that the rear GR2's that I bought for the 2014 Accord don't work with any of the stock mounting hardware, and the KYB spec'd mounting hardware does not work with the car.
Their tech support had no answers.
First time that I ran into that issue with KYB, and the last time that I plan on buying their junk based on my experience and what I am reading above.
The thing about KYBs warranty is that they make you mail the shocks back to them (on your dime), where they will assess and then ship you the replacements. The process takes 4-6 weeks when i tried to do this 6 years ago.
No one is going to go through that. Not for a daily driver, you have to buy replacements to even start the process.
Hive suggestions for cars that have nearly no other options? KYB GR2 are universally recommended for Subaru Forester and Outback applications on various Subaru boards, but that's because you can't really find anything else. Any good struts are made only for Impreza/WRX applications, and these are too short (both short travel and short in the body) for Forester/Outback at stock height or with lift springs.
Monroe OESpectrum? Seems like twice the money for a strut that is even more poorly regarded.
Pedders? Just found them on a search result yesterday, and can't find any real information about them.
If you just need rears, you could try the KYB Gas-a-just. Rock auto has them.
I've been using them paired with Bilstein B4 struts for a few years, and they've been good.
Rock auto also has the b4 rears, which may be good as well.
Another option would be the Ford racing handling pack M-FR3-FA. Complete set of springs and shocks for $270 at Jegs.
Best info has it this is the stock setup for the European Fiesta Zetec S.
In reply to newrider3 :
Pedders is Aussie and makes really good stuff!
Javelin (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to newrider3 :
Pedders is Aussie and makes really good stuff!
Any experience with their durability/longevity? It's an interesting option for not much more than preblown Monroes. Though I did see a sketchy forum post somewhere claiming Pedders were just rebadged Monroes, for whatever that's worth.
newrider3 said:Hive suggestions for cars that have nearly no other options? KYB GR2 are universally recommended for Subaru Forester and Outback applications on various Subaru boards, but that's because you can't really find anything else. Any good struts are made only for Impreza/WRX applications, and these are too short (both short travel and short in the body) for Forester/Outback at stock height or with lift springs.
Monroe OESpectrum? Seems like twice the money for a strut that is even more poorly regarded.
Pedders? Just found them on a search result yesterday, and can't find any real information about them.
We were really happy with the sensen Ebay struts on our 02. Only 30k on t before I sold it though.
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