Hi all.

My front strut mounts are getting a bit crusty, and I also didn't know that they could be rotated for caster when I installed them so they are due for an alignment too (since rotating them to factory spec will change the geometry).

OEM units are pricey (especially after international shipping and currency exchange). I don't mind paying for them if I have to, but KYB units are about half the price.

I've found aftermarket parts are a mixed bag, so I'm just curious if anyone has had good luck with KYB replacements or any other name brand aftermarket.

Thanks

 

You're right, they're a lot cheaper than Mazda mounts. I too always wondered how well the KYB mounts would work. I once emailed KYB technical support and asked a few questions about their mount. The guy replied that they're same as the stock mounts. When I replaced my struts last year, I just bought the stock Mazda mounts.

 

Every KYB product I've purchased so far has been pretty good and worked as advertised (shocks for my Rx7 and my Celica, both fit perfectly and worked very well). My concern with a strut top is that aftermarket vendors often list a part for multiple vehicles even if there are differences.

I'm mostly concerned with the caster thing and the ride height. While I could hypothetically return them if they aren't right, that means an appointment at the alignment place to find out, and then another alignment later on. So about $240 just in alignment costs if they turn out wrong.

Makes me wish I had gone for coilovers initially just to avoid all these little expenses later.

 

I just placed an order for two units on Amazon. If they don't look right out of the box then I can always return them.

If they DO look right, I'll be the guinea-pig and report my findings.

 

Rockauto has KYB mounts for $30 each. They had other brands that were selling for a little as $22.

 

I usually request a printout of the results after I get an alignment. I then use these results to set my front caster/camber, if necessary.

 

the manual tells you how much each position changes, and b its not that much, so once you have the baseline you really don't need the machine
(plus the machines need calibration, so they frequently aren't right anyways)

 

i just bough some of the el-cheapo units. I'll report back once they come in 2 weeks from now.

 

Actually, they look pretty decent from the photos on Rockauto's website.

 

Mazda uses KYB stuff, so it should be fine. the off brands are iffy.

 

Ok, so Rockauto was a bit conservative on their ship time...Got 1 of the 2 front mounts in today. Overall impressions....not bad. It came with the appropriate self locking hardware, the plating and paint seem to be ok, and there are no sharp burrs anywhere that are oh so common on a lot of cheaply made parts. the bearings are pre-greased and from the looks of it, it should work fine.



still waiting on my new AGX shocks to come in, but i'll report back with fitment confirmation at some point. If anyone is interested i ordered some of the cheap back shock mounts as well. Seems pretty hard to mess up a flat plate, 2 rubber bushings and a piece of tube....we'll see how they go as well.

 

Back in July 2020, I replaced 4 of my KYB AGX's with the same. Had about 17 years and 159k miles on those AGX's. They were rusting especially at the front bracket and KYB was offering a rebate at the time. Decided to take advantage of their rebate. I decided to buy Mazda front mounting blocks and rear bushings. I remember that one of the rear bushings was discontinued by Mazda. It's good that you can get them aftermarket now. The only thing I'm disappointed with are the Mevotech front bumpers/boots. The boots detached from the bumpers. I ordered front bumpers/boots from Mazda. I should get sometime next. week. I thought the AGX's that I installed back in 2003 provided a sportier firmer ride.

 

I noticed this on my Celica actually, all the aftermarket boots were a plastic material instead of the OEM rubber. After a couple bumps they just popped off the little retainers, even with zip ties, because they didn't have enough stretch in them.

I'm running no boots at all on my Rx7s AGXs, but I should probably get some OEM ones to help extend the lifespan.

Those Rockauto mounts look pretty decent, so if the KYB are the same or better then they should be fine. Amazon tells me they'll arrive Tuesday.

 

KYB mounts are in. As expected, they are pretty close to OEM. The thing I was most worried about is the built-in offset from the OEM unit, but that is in fact present:

Offset:



And the little positioning nub to let you know which setting it's on:



The bearing is smooth but firm, and otherwise it seems very well-made. As long as there are no hiccups when installing, I'm quite happy with it.

 

out of curiosity how much of an offset does it have. Just measured my cheapo ones and they look to have about 1/4" on the "notched" side.

 

I also measure 1/4", but opposite the notched side. I'll probably have the old ones out of the car on Thursday (weather dependent), so I will take a comparison photo once I have them apart.

 

With my shocks out and apart I took some comparison photos:





The outer metal casting is basically the same.

The OEM part has a round cylinder cast into the rubber (probably the place they inject the rubber into the mold), and a small square shape that I believe is the alignment mark for the caster setting. Meanwhile the KYB part has the little cylinder only, but in the location of the square shape. So I'll have to keep that in mind while installing.

Also, you can see a height difference in the bearing when the mounts are flipped upside down. This may very well be due to my original mounts being 36 years old and compressing, so the KYB part is probably not to blame.

 

Just a follow up on this. I've had the cheap rockauto ones in the car for about 2000 miles now, and they still look brand new.

 

I have KYB mounts as well when I refreshed my suspension. They are close enough as stated. The only problem I noticed is in colder weather the bearing made noise when turning. The noise went away once it warmed up a bit. The notches and nub also threw me off when I went to install them so I just tried to estimate it as best I could. I have yet to get it to an alignment machine since it’s only slightly off.

 

Just installed KYB strut mounts on my KYB AGX's. They looked and felt exactly the same as the originals and they have had no issues for me. I'd say it's worth the savings.

 

I should actually update since I started the thread, but I have had one weird issue with the KYB mounts.

If you look at one of the pictures I took comparing to the old mounts, you can see the old mounts had sagged a bit. Well, it turns out the KYB mounts did the same thing. This isn't a problem except that the upper spring perch started to contact the mounts and it began to cause poor steering wheel return when coming out of a corner.

I could actually take the wheel off and turn the hub assembly back and forth and feel the resistance. As well as a squeaky sound that would emanate from the mount occasionally.

I fixed it by taking the upper part of the strut apart and adding a thick washer between the perch and the mount.

Otherwise the mounts still look and function like new.