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New shocks for my MS3?

J

JCH13

Diamond Member
So I jacked up my Mazdaspeed3 to do an oil change last night and one of the rear shocks pissed oil everywhere. I view this as an excuse to upgrade the shocks as the OE shocks on the first gen MS3 are it's main weak-point (besides it being wrong-wheel drive and I should have bought an M3 instead).

I was thinking Koni FSDs with heavy-duty valving. My Miata and/or a Mk2 MR2 is my track car. My goal is fun and comfortable driving on the street. Thoughts? Other options? Should I do springs and/or sways? Anyone driven a car with FSD shocks?
 
Koni is nice, had/have those on both our Subarus. I liked Tokico Illumina on my Honda as Koni didn't make a part that fit. Not sure I could fully recommend adjustable shocks on a DD.
 
I've always read that the 3's benefit greatly from increased roll stiffness, especially in the rear. Your car might already have that, though. I've definitely considered grabbing one of adjustable rear bars for my vanilla 3.

I'm not familiar with the FSD's...I'd be looking at the common adjustable Koni yellows. Adjustable always seems like a good idea to me when putting stiffer dampers on a street car...overdamped cars are not terribly pleasant.
 
phucheneh said:
I've always read that the 3's benefit greatly from increased roll stiffness, especially in the rear. Your car might already have that, though. I've definitely considered grabbing one of adjustable rear bars for my vanilla 3.

I'm not familiar with the FSD's...I'd be looking at the common adjustable Koni yellows. Adjustable always seems like a good idea to me when putting stiffer dampers on a street car...overdamped cars are not terribly pleasant.
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A rear bar might be a good addition, if not a full set.

I don't want to do Koni Yellows (i.e. adjustable) because the rears are apparently a 1-2 hour process to adjust in the Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3.
 
Yeah, but you'll adjust the Konis once and probably never touch them again. That's how its been for every adjustable shock setup I've had.
 
I've driven a BMW 335i (with sport package) and a Mercedes C350 with FSD (I think the C350 OEM is FSD) over normal roads. They are definately very comfortable and handle uneven roads very well.

It isn't as comfortable as my PSS9s on my 330i (with sport package) but I hate to admit it, they handle better, especially sudden uneven roads and braking.
 
JCH13 said:
A rear bar might be a good addition, if not a full set.

I don't want to do Koni Yellows (i.e. adjustable) because the rears are apparently a 1-2 hour process to adjust in the Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3.
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Have you got stock bars?

Not to threadjack; just curious if you have a personal opinion/experience with the aftermarkets. Also, I think bars would come before dampers, unless the Mazdaspeed already has beefed-up ones.

I don't think I want any more stiffness at the wheel...factory spring rate seems fairly high, bushings are sturdy, ect. Simply using stiffer bars to keep it flatter seems like the best first step for me. I've also considered chassis reinforcement, but haven't read much of anything on that.

As far as the shocks/dampers- aren't there recommended baseline settings with adjustables? Ideally they just need to compliment the spring rate, right? Probably an oversimplification, but I doubt the rears would need much tweaking...I'd probably be tinkering with the fronts a lot, though.

The rears do drop out pretty damned easy, btw. It's just two bolts at the top (use a wobble and a long extension) and the one on the bottom.
 
phucheneh said:
Have you got stock bars?

Not to threadjack; just curious if you have a personal opinion/experience with the aftermarkets. Also, I think bars would come before dampers, unless the Mazdaspeed already has beefed-up ones.

I don't think I want any more stiffness at the wheel...factory spring rate seems fairly high, bushings are sturdy, ect. Simply using stiffer bars to keep it flatter seems like the best first step for me. I've also considered chassis reinforcement, but haven't read much of anything on that.

As far as the shocks/dampers- aren't there recommended baseline settings with adjustables? Ideally they just need to compliment the spring rate, right? Probably an oversimplification, but I doubt the rears would need much tweaking...I'd probably be tinkering with the fronts a lot, though.

The rears do drop out pretty damned easy, btw. It's just two bolts at the top (use a wobble and a long extension) and the one on the bottom.
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I've got stock bars now. In general I'm a fan of sway bars to balance a car and keep it more level without increasing harshness much. I like that the FSDs are supposed to be softer under fast loading (harsh bumps) but stiffer under slow loading (turns).

I've read that the FSDs give the MS3 a lot more composure than the stock dampers, which are on the weak side. I've also read that the Koni Yellows don't match well in sets based on shock dyno testing, FSDs with their variable valving do a better job of matching well, apparently. They're also the exact same cost from Protege Garage, $650 for either Yellows or FSDs. It would be on the order of $450-$550 for replacement OE suspension that would only last another 30-40k apparently.

Basically the only advantage the Yellows have over the FSDs is their adjustability, which is hampered by the fact that it's a PITA to adjust the rears, from what I've read. I probably wouldn't need to adjust them, but then I'd be trading the frequency selective damping for a feature I wouldn't use.
 
KIAman said:
I've driven a BMW 335i (with sport package) and a Mercedes C350 with FSD (I think the C350 OEM is FSD) over normal roads. They are definately very comfortable and handle uneven roads very well.

It isn't as comfortable as my PSS9s on my 330i (with sport package) but I hate to admit it, they handle better, especially sudden uneven roads and braking.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. This is a large reason why I'd want to get them, what with frost heaves and rough driveways.

Thanks for the input!
 
I've wondered if it's possible for an aftermarket damper to give a superior ride as well as superior handling. Never really trusted those that claim to, since it seems kinda counter-intuitive.

JCH13 said:
I've got stock bars now. In general I'm a fan of sway bars to balance a car and keep it more level without increasing harshness much. I like that the FSDs are supposed to be softer under fast loading (harsh bumps) but stiffer under slow loading (turns).
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This definitely makes sense, though.

That would also explain why most lower-priced replacements (KYB, Monroe, ect) seem to pretty much feel the same.
 
The Koni Yellows don't match well on the dyno, but you can get a shock tuner to sell you a set that does match well, by sorting through a pile and using the single adjusters to fine-tune the match.

You might see if Bilstein makes a PSS combo for the 3. The stock non-adjustable sets ride well and are well-tuned for street use. Plus you can always have them re-valved and turned into killer track shocks later on if you want. 🙂
 
Yar, that's what I've read about Koni Yellows, not sure I really want to deal with finding a matched set like that.

Hrm... Bilstein does make a set of Sprint Shocks that are MS3 compatible. A bit more expensive than most options at $800 and might be over-damped for OE springs. Most reviewers have combined them with lowering springs so it's hard to tell if they'd work well for me. More to think about...
 
Update:

Bought heavy-duty valved FSDs from Protege Garage, easily the best price around on them for an MS3.

Installed them Saturday PM/Sunday AM. Took around 5-6 hours all said and done. So far I think they're awesome. They are quite smooth over sharp bumps but still keep the car nice and controlled (and quite level) when cornering and transitioning. So far I would strongly suggest them for a great street shock oriented towards performance.
 
JCH13 said:
Update:

Bought heavy-duty valved FSDs from Protege Garage, easily the best price around on them for an MS3.

Installed them Saturday PM/Sunday AM. Took around 5-6 hours all said and done. So far I think they're awesome. They are quite smooth over sharp bumps but still keep the car nice and controlled (and quite level) when cornering and transitioning. So far I would strongly suggest them for a great street shock oriented towards performance.
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:thumbsup:
 
Black2na said:
Your build thread lacks details or important bits! Pic or ban
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Should I just go ahead and link you to a Mazda3 shock replacement thread? :sneaky:

Really nothing too creative or different about this particular bit, plus my camera was/is dead.

ExarKun333 said:
:thumbsup:
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Very much so. Feels like a new/different car. My usual hooning has felt downright boring because the car is so composed!

Edit: 'boring' isn't the right word... 'much less scary' would be more appropriate
 
JCH13 said:
Update:

Bought heavy-duty valved FSDs from Protege Garage, easily the best price around on them for an MS3.

Installed them Saturday PM/Sunday AM. Took around 5-6 hours all said and done. So far I think they're awesome. They are quite smooth over sharp bumps but still keep the car nice and controlled (and quite level) when cornering and transitioning. So far I would strongly suggest them for a great street shock oriented towards performance.
Click to expand...

ah yes, i remember buying all my ms3/cx7 shit from ken, great guy to work with and best prices bar none
 
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