KYB GR-2 vs. Koni STR.T?

At 67k miles, the suspension on my 2007 Mazda3 is just not what it used to be. From what I'm told, this is quite common.

Since people here are smarter than the average bear when it comes to all things automotive, I thought I'd solicit impressions on KYB GR-2s vs. Koni STR.Ts. This car is my daily driver, and I have no plans to get coilovers or anything like that. I use summer tires when it's not likely to snow, and winter tires when it is. And by the very nature of this forum, everyone pretty much knows cost is an object. I'm just looking for something a bit sportier than new, and more durable.

I've seen GR-2s (all around with strut boots), for ~$250. The Tire Rack has the Konis for ~$350 for the same setup. The adjustable Konis are in a whole different league, being about $575. I don't see myself spending much above $350-400 for a new set of dampers for a car I'm not going to autox.

If there is some other awesome thing I'm overlooking, I'm open and would love a heads up.

GR2s seem fine for your purposes. A little better than stock and affordable.

I've never lived with the Konis, but I put a set of GR-2s on my girlfriend's old '96 Sentra. Coupled with stock springs, the car rode wonderfully and had enough sportiness that I could have a little fun with it. I'll likely end up putting a set on my Protege once I buy the inevitable Miata.

I'd get the str.t's they are valved like the sports, but not adjustable. They will likely outlast the kyb's by a long time. The kyb's aren't really much different than a generic parts store shock.

I'd guess the GR2s may be a bit better than stock or they may be around the same. In the MR2 community they're regarded as an affordable stock replacement. Never owned them so I can't comment on their longevity.

I have Koni yellows installed on both my MR2 and Integra and I can easily recommend them. I really like their valving for a street car, especially near full soft. Entirely controlled, but not harsh. From the few shock dynos I've seen support that with fairly digressive valving.

I had a set of the gr2's on a MR2 that i bought....and took them off after a week. They made the car very nervous as MR2's do not like stiff compression. Koni's transformed it...but it was the Sport versions

GR-2's on my olds increased impact harshness, probably via too much compression damping, on the front but not noticably from the back. They're ok but I don't think they're anything special, and they're fine for a DD with stock springs.

GR-2's went on my Challenge car because that's all I could afford in the budget. They were acceptable road dampeners.

I really love the Koni yellows as everyone has said. I've put them on several different cars over the years. Always totally impressive, even with stock springs and sways.

Thanks everyone. As sweet as Koni yellows would be, I think I'm going to go with the orange STR.T ones over the KYB's.

I'm really surprised at how few damper options there are for the Mazda3. Considering all the parts sharing with Ford & Volvo, and how many 3s I see on the road, I would have expected more manufacturers to offer something.

In my experience KYB GR-2s are about the same as OEM but with a shorter life. The konis are probably a lot better.

I got the Konis on my door step Tuesday (thanks Tire Rack) and got them on the car today.

From the shake down cruise I did after buttoning everything back up, I've got a few impressions. The ride is nice. It's not grandma's Buick, but it's not jarring and a non car person wouldn't object to it. Everything feels much more controlled than even when the car was new. I'm quite impressed.

The only down side was installing the front struts. I couldn't get the tubes to fit into the sleeves on the uprights. After reading around, the 1st generation Mazda 3 uprights are too tight for Konis until some paint is removed. My experience was that to a T.

The rear shocks were so easy to remove and install. It was like working on two entirely different cars.

Travis_K wrote: In my experience KYB GR-2s are about the same as OEM but with a shorter life. The konis are probably a lot better.

This has generally been my experience with them as well.

BAMF wrote: The only down side was installing the front struts. I couldn't get the tubes to fit into the sleeves on the uprights. After reading around, the 1st generation Mazda 3 uprights are too tight for Konis until some paint is removed. My experience was that to a T.

I had the same experience with the spring perches on the STR.Ts I got for one of my Miatas. And that's a part that was provided by Koni themselves. Good shocks, though. They're like a Koni Sport permanently on full soft, which is still stiffer than OEM (or GR2, I believe, though I've never compared apples-to-apples - I've run GR2s on Saturns but not Miatas). They're a good choice for a daily driver and occasional autocrosser.

Ive been really curious about the koni streets since i found out about them so some of these posts are really useful to me. Overall it seems like they are a great thing for the enthusiast's non-racing or budget build cars.

BUMP! How about a long term review? I'm considering a set of STR.T for my family hauler.

I did a lot of research in an attempt to get a more "sporty" suspension set up with the least amount of drop and on a budget for my 850. I wound up with the Koni STRT struts/shocks and an Eibach Pro kit. I was a guinea pig at the time, I couldn't find a single other 850 owner running Koni STRTs. There was a lot of chatter, hear-say, and folks saying they were going to, but I couldn't find any documentation at the time. The STRTs had a pretty good reputation with a lot of other car makes and their respective internet forums so I took the plunge. For what I spent and the results I'm happy. I think if I had to do it again though, I'd try to talk myself into saving for the Koni FSDs, that's a pretty huge jump in price from the STRTs though, hence the "try" to talk myself into them.

I accomplished my goals, it's a firmer sportier suspension, funner in the corners, can drive the car noticeably harder, however when I was driving across Columbus, OH every day for work, there were times that I really wished for a softer ride. All of those potholes, road seams, bridge gaps, etc. were that much more unpleasant after a long day at work. That's where I believe the FSDs would have shined. STRTs are allegedly valved exactly like the softest settings on the Koni Sports, so I don't think the Sports would necessarily be an improvement in my case.

I will have had mine for two years this summer. There are some pictures of the struts/shocks in "My Garage," click on the Volvo 850 GLT.

• Lee

I currently have Koni STR.T and Neuspeed springs on my Civic. I am happy with the setup for street use and some autocross.

GR-2's are OEM equivalent, nothing more. They also don't last very long.

Good choice going with the Koni's. I've got GR-2 on my Buick LeSabre DD. There okay for a Buick. Koni Sports on the FX16. Need I say more!

Having now owned Koni Sports for a few years. I would say they are pretty much the same as GR-2s except adjustable. I don't like either with stocks springs. Both try to compensate for soft springs, which mostly just results in a crappy ride. The Saturn GR-2s did seem a lot better with H&R Race springs (about twice the spring rate), but the stock struts were actually better ride and handling.

I most recently put a Excel-G/Gas-A-Just combo on my 1998 Sienna. There wasn't much else available for it.

I'll agree with the others who have installed the Str.T's. The ride is a little harsher, but not bad. I think they generally would pair better with stiffer springs, but I'm not interested in doing that on my 3 (it's not a forever car for me).

Would I get them again? For ride quality: maybe or maybe not. Regarding durability over the OEM or the GR2 that is basically OEM, I'm happy with my choice.

Would I like to have Koni Sports or FSD's? Heck yeah, but not at nearly double the price.