OEM Motorcraft Shocks...
 

This will be hard for some to understand, but I'm not sure if I really want a super stiff ride. My car will not be competitive on the track and most driving will be highway. That said I would like to get the Racing Beat springs and mate them with the OEM Mazda struts. (FA68-49-790). Now apparently mazda oem rear shocks are NLA. As fox body rear struts fit in our chassis, why not use the OEM motorcraft (5U2Z-18V125-Z) which sells for $25 a piece. Could this be a better option than KYB for a non comp suspension?

Mazdatrix shows OEM rear shocks in stock, but they're $100 each.

https://www.mazdatrix.com/product/sh...all-inc-gslse/

wow, Atkins has them listed as NLA. I wonder if the Mazda shock is worth 4 times the price?

Probably only if you are going for originality. I would expect the fox body shock to give a nice all-around ride. It was chosen to give the fox a comfortable but sporty ride, for average daily use. Sounds like what you're looking for. I bought Fox body KONI yellows for my FB but I'm putting on stiffer springs.

Likely the stock Mazda strut or the stock motorcraft shock will be a poor match for RB springs. They are stiffer by a fair margin than oe springs.They are a performance spring that lowers car slightly.

Several here used the springs with KYB shocks/struts and springs overpowered shocks or put another way shocks couldn't dampen springs leading to bouncy unsettled ride and short life of strut/shock. If you are set on using lower performance shocks in an attempt to end up with a smoother ride,you may want to abandon the RB springs and choose another aftermarket more stock spring that would be a better match for the oe level strut/shock you're looking to use. Look at B&G,Suspension Techniques.

Springs/shocks are a package in that they must complement each other or they will work against each other.

I would look for some Tokico Illuminas for a Fox Mustang 79-93 or the SN95 94-2004. They will handle the stiffer spring and return a decent ride. An alternative would be KYB AGS shocks for the same model mustangs. I have a set on the back of an 85 GT Mustang pared with Ford Racing springs and they work really well and are not harsh. The Koni sports are more expensive and more autox/track day/road racing focused. Go on eBay and look for close out Tokicos and or discounted KYB AGS shocks...

As far as OE Ford shocks go....well they suck. Period. They suck now and they sucked back in the 80s too. The exception is the stuff Ford used on high end performance models like the SVO Mustang (Koni), Boss 302 (Tokico D-Specs) or the Shelby GT350 (magna ride or Bilstein). The SVO stuff which will fit an RX7 is made of un-obtainium and they are hard to adjust anyway.

OE replacement stuff from Monroe, Gabriel and KYB (GR-2 and Gas-Adjust) are also not worth consideration if you are changing springs

the funny thing is a quick look on the mustang sites had them putting the motorcraft over kyb. Also noticed that suspension techniques only sells sway bars and no springs and B&G has the shitiest website this side of 2003.

i saw a picture of a Toyota AE86 rear shock next to an FB rear shock, and they are really close, plenty of options for the toy-oter.

the OE mazda shocks were really close to the KYB's

RB springs require a better shock than the KYB Gas shocks/struts.

i just ordered a set of koni orange/reds for a fox body in the back of my car. they were about $60 a piece

If you want that "drive over a speed bump without slowing down" softness of the original setup, you're not going to get it with the RB springs and any shock. As said above, you should source some OEM replacement springs if you intend to do a bunch of inner city driving over potholes, patchwork, and ongoing construction.

If you're sticking with the Racing Beat springs, I think the KYBs should still work fine. Even the (not currently available) Tokico HP blue shocks are a comfortable ride for highway and back road driving and only wear on you with bumpy inner city driving. I ran the Tokico blues with the RB springs for a few months and it didn't feel much different than stock. When I added the RB front sway bar, that's when things tightened up...and when I went to 15" wheels I lost some of the comfort of the 13" big sidewall. However, the car is still a joy to drive around town.