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Hi guys,

I'm planning for an upgrade to run KYB AGX's with King springs and so wanted to ask a few questions:

1. Do you have to buy new bumpstops and/or shock boots for them?
2. How much should I be looking at for these items?
3. Is there much difference between branded and generic items?
4. What's a good, cheap place to get them from in Sydney?

Thanks as always

You'll need to replace them if they're stuffed. 3 out of 4 on mine were stuffed at 150,000km. Bump stops and boots came as one. They cost around $40 each last year for OEM.

Hey manga blue...

is that $40 for each bumpstop?

or $40 each for each shock boot?

or.... ?

Thanks

Was $40 for a boot with a bumpstop at the top of it

Hey guys

I got quoted $40 a corner today...for genuine OEM Mazda bumpstops and shock boot. These are what was recommended. Does that sound reasonable?

My main question though is....since I will be running aftermarket shocks and (lower) springs, wouldn't I need different sized bumpstops compared to OEM? If I were to buy OEM items, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of buying bumpstops that are more suited to aftermarket shocks and springs?

CONFUSED

You're pushing my knowledge here. These were put on mine as part of the KYB AGX upgrade.

It makes you start to wonder about putting on KYBs. $500 for shocks, $40 each for boots/bumps. difficulty in re-fitting springs, special tools, etc.

When I replaced the shagged OEM shocks with KYBs it was a huge improvement/ When I replaced the KYBs with Teins it was just as big a step up again. Basically you can install quality coilovers yourself in a couple of hours without any problems and get a result which is twice as good as KYBs.

manga_blue wrote:When I replaced the shagged OEM shocks with KYBs it was a huge improvement/ When I replaced the KYBs with Teins it was just as big a step up again. Basically you can install quality coilovers yourself in a couple of hours without any problems and get a result which is twice as good as KYBs.

Thanks for that feedback manga_blue. I'm starting to see the value in coilovers too....interested to know what aspect of the handling characteristics made it feel "twice" as good?

I'm struggling to see the value of bumpstops....$40 for what is essentially a piece of hard rubber Is there really a difference between one that's at $40 and one that's at $7?

Bumpstops are designed to stop you from damaging your shock when it bottoms out against the shock body and also to give you a progressively stiffer buffer before it does bottom out. Pedders used to sell some ones designed for ford shocks which were about 1 inch high and very stiff which worked really well with cars like the MX5 which have short shock travel.

I replaced mine not so long ago with the 'Fat Cat Motorsports' bumpstops from the US. These where quite cheaper to purchase (incl. dustboot) than what it was to purchase the bumpstops from Mazda. Easy to install and they send detailed instructions on how to install. BTW I am also using the KYB AGX shocks with std height King Springs.

Recommended

http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/FCMstops.htm

Do a search on this topic or 'FCM' and you will see prices I obtained from mazda and the price of these.

Sweet...I had a brief look at their page so far and it sounds awesome. Thanks for the recommendation will definately check them out in more detail. How long did it take them to arrive?

mr_rotary wrote:I replaced mine not so long ago with the 'Fat Cat Motorsports' bumpstops from the US. These where quite cheaper to purchase (incl. dustboot) than what it was to purchase the bumpstops from Mazda. Easy to install and they send detailed instructions on how to install. BTW I am also using the KYB AGX shocks with std height King Springs.

Recommended

http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/FCMstops.htm

Do a search on this topic or 'FCM' and you will see prices I obtained from mazda and the price of these.

It was a few months ago that I purchsed them - off memory it was approx. 2 weeks.

deez wrote:Thanks for that feedback manga_blue. I'm starting to see the value in coilovers too....interested to know what aspect of the handling characteristics made it feel "twice" as good?

It's all really subjective, deez. There's simply a feeling of consistency and control with Teins which weren't there with KYBs. It doesn't really translate directly into track times, I suppose that it's just measured in confidence. That's not much to go on, I know. Try to find someone with Teins or similar on and take it for a drive.

Just ordered a set of KYB AGXs and FCM 46mm bumpstops with shock boots.....I can't wait!

*Starts crossing off the calendar*

Deez,

What was your shipping quote. I asked the guy for a quote and he sent me back 2 cryptic Emails. So I'm not sure how much shipping is.

Garry wrote:Deez,

What was your shipping quote. I asked the guy for a quote and he sent me back 2 cryptic Emails. So I'm not sure how much shipping is.

Yeh his email took me ages to figure out (I was simultaneously ordering and watching the Miss Universe pageant last nite so that may have had some effect too...haha)

His email read like this:
You'd need the 46mm bump stop. If you just need the bump stops without
boots , shipping is $15 total (add $5 to the order) via USPS Priority Mail
(6-10 days). If you need boots, it's $45 via Priority Mail (add $30 add'l
shipping to the order).

I figured that you had to add $5 to your order if you were going for bumpstops only, or $30 to your order if you were going for bumpstops + shockboot. The shipping is already included when you click "order", but just for Aus we have to add that extra amount. IIRC, original shipping cost was $15 USD, add $30 USD...comes to the $45 he's talking about. This was for bumpstop and shockboot set.