Rear shocks..rip. Advice pls.

[bigfoot0]

Hi all,


Well, my rear shocks have apparently bit the bullet which have most likely been the cause of my now cupped tires. joy :(

So, I'm looking for some advice, I'm not planning on a major suspension overhaul and lowering the car 2" or anything like that. I'm was going to replace the shocks with OEM but was wondering about reasonably priced aftermarket alternatives.

My thoughts:

It would be great if I ended up with a better performing suspension
It would be great if I could get more longevity out of my new setup
It would be great if I the new setup allowed for future upgradability in terms of suspension
And of course cost is a BIG issue. I'm not willing to redo my whole setup at this time.

I could go stock, I could get an aftermarket that will work with my current stock suspension/springs..etc , or mazdaspeed (if they exist, i think they do), or what???

I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. I'm driving a 2004 hatch with no suspension mods.

BIGFooT0.

[bigfoot0]

Ok, keeping it simple:

Is the best bet just to go with oem shocks? I could put lowering springs on them in the future?

or

Buy a rear set of shocks now ? And forget about OEM

[Fuman]

if u are only willing to replace the rear shocks, then go with OEM.

If you are willing to replace all 4, you have a lot of options
koni yellows / koni FSDs
Tokico (by Hitachi, are still in development)
One of the sponsors is selling a basic coilover setup at $725
Mazdaspeed shocks/struts
edit: there's likely more, I just can't thinking of them right now

if you are going to lower your car but do have the cash now
Go to a junk yard, and see if you can find a set of used OEM rear shocks and save up.

hope this helps.

[bigfoot0]

Yeah, I was looking at those two koni setups. gotta figure out the costs. Now that my tires are screwed up it have to put them into the equation.

[Fuman]

Yeah, I was looking at those two koni setups. gotta figure out the costs. Now that my tires are screwed up it have to put them into the equation.
keep in mind you MIGHT need a camber kit.
Some ppl went as low as 1.5'' (2.0'' after sagging) and didn't need a camber kit.
good luck hunting

[whiteomega]

if you're not planning a major suspension upgrade, i would just stick with the oem shocks.

i have the mazdaspeed ones on my 06 hatch, and combined with the mazdaspeed springs the ride is pretty stiff (some say it's harsh).