What shocks for lowered vehicle?
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The best recommendation by many members of this forum are the KONI FSD's dampers, I have these dampers as well and the ride quality is excellent, very similar to stock.
If you are able to find them on your local market then it would be great since I had to import them from to the USA to Israel.
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844 Posts
Actually to answer more accurately the question asked...because you are lowering a vehicle out of design at or about 1 inch it would be recommended to contact the manufactures of the dampeners you are considering and ask their recommendation regarding application. Here is why. Each dampeners is design to operate at a position starting in the neutral compressed position generally vehicle specific. When you lower a car you compress the dampener and the valving inside relating to the pistons and other components in the dampener may react differently then it was appreciated intended for. Just because hundreds of users say they have a brand "X" on their lowered ride does not necessary mean it was the best or appropriate choice modifying from a stock specified ride height. Don't be surprised as to how many dampener manufactures will not have recommendation for their product with lowered vehicles.
The Koni FSD dampers work well with moderately lowered vehicles.
I'm lowered on H&R springs and they work great.
CK
I'm lowered on H&R springs and they work great.
CK
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7,818 Posts
The most important thing to consider when choosing a shock for a lowered car is suspension travel. How much compression travel the shock has is mostly what you should be looking at initially. When the tire hits a bump, its pushed upwards. The shock needs to have enough compression length so as not to bottom out before hitting the bump stops.
When installing a set of shocks, always compress the suspension fully and check for compression travel. You may need to change the length of the bump stops if the shock bottoms out before contact is made with the existing stops. If you don't, you can destroy a set of shock in a few days by bashing the internals against each other.
You can lower the Mazda 3 an inch or two before you run into serious issues with suspension travel. As long as you check the bump stops most shocks should do ok. Konis work just fine, FSDs ride much better than Yellows, Bilsteins are fine. Some like the Ebay / Chinese crap such as BC coilovers, but those can present even more issues with installation.
Do you know what your spring rates are? That is something else to consider. Spring rates dictate how much compression/rebound the shock will require to control the motion of the spring. If the spring rate is considerably higher then OEM you'll need better valving in the shock or the shock won't work well and ride will be terrible. If thats the case you'll need something adjustable like the Koni Yellows or Bilsteins so you can dial in the shocks to work with the springs.
When installing a set of shocks, always compress the suspension fully and check for compression travel. You may need to change the length of the bump stops if the shock bottoms out before contact is made with the existing stops. If you don't, you can destroy a set of shock in a few days by bashing the internals against each other.
You can lower the Mazda 3 an inch or two before you run into serious issues with suspension travel. As long as you check the bump stops most shocks should do ok. Konis work just fine, FSDs ride much better than Yellows, Bilsteins are fine. Some like the Ebay / Chinese crap such as BC coilovers, but those can present even more issues with installation.
Do you know what your spring rates are? That is something else to consider. Spring rates dictate how much compression/rebound the shock will require to control the motion of the spring. If the spring rate is considerably higher then OEM you'll need better valving in the shock or the shock won't work well and ride will be terrible. If thats the case you'll need something adjustable like the Koni Yellows or Bilsteins so you can dial in the shocks to work with the springs.
Also, since lowering reduces jounce travel, the springs need to be stiffer to prevent frequent bottoming. It's not such a dramatic issue on a 3, but a Miata, e.g., needs to DOUBLE the spring rate for each inch of drop. That requires a serious damping increase lest the springs overwhelm the shocks. You see this all the time on bouncy Civics with cut springs and stock shocks.
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