I have an 07 3 hatchback with about 72000 miles. The rear tires are cupping real bad on the inside and causing a lot of road noise. Since the tires are directional I can only rotate them front to back and because of the noise I'm going to leave them in the rear.

I don't want coilovers or take the car on the track and its my daily driver/family/gas saver car. What type of shocks and springs should I get and how can I tell if my rear shocks are even bad.

I did a search and most cupping has to do with a bad suspension and seen some discussion on the KYB/2 (I think). Also, during my search I seen instructions on replacement that talked about rear springs.....I don't see rear springs.

Thanks,

 

If you are not interested in modding the car and only want it as a DD, the KYB G2's are a good option, imo. At 72,000 they are probably not "bad," but they are a wear part, which in simple terms means that they begin to wear out the moment they are put into use, like clutch lining and brake linings for example.

The cupping is probably caused by the tires you are running in conjunction with a pretty radical rear negative camber set up... for the street. Some tires are more susceptible to cupping more than others. I am currently running Continental DWS series tires and highly recommend them to anyone not racing their car. They are hands down the best set of four sets of tires I have had on this car.

My best recommendation to you, assuming you have the money, is:
1) And I can't stress this one enough: Get adjustable rear camber links/arms and have them installed followed by,
2) A new set of tires. Immediately followed by,
3) A full four wheel alignment, and have the shop set the rear camber @ -1.0* and the toe in @ 0". Finally, if you have the money,
4) A set of new shocks might help too. The G2's are a twin-tube design just like most OE shocks. They are designed for ride and comfort, but KYB assumes some wear in other suspension parts as well and does its best to help compensate using upgraded shock valves and tuning. The much more expensive option is the Bilstein's which will also ride well.

 

Thanks for the help and the detail but I have a few more questions.

Will an alignment adjusting the car to the specs specified help or will the stock set up ont adjust to the numbers you provided?

Do you have a preferred site you buy parts from? Where can I buy the links and shocks?

Do you know of a Tech or FAQ somewhere I can go off of? I found one for a Mazda 3 but it mentions rear springs and I don't think I have springs in the rear.

Thanks.

 

1. you cant adjust the camber in the rear on a stock setup you have to get aftermarket links

2. take your pick https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/maz...websites-8120/

3. there are rear springs they are just not on the shock they are next to them, go behind the rear bumper and look under the car instead from the side for a better view.

 

Like so many cars these days the OE rear is not adjustable. You must install aftermarket upper links to dial in the camber. And yes, they will work with any spring, OE or aftermarket.
These are the ones I have. SPC REAR CAMBER KIT FORD FOCUS MAZDA 3 MAZDA 5 | eBay



There are cheaper look-a-likes that may, or may not be of the same quality, but SPC is a recognized name, and I can tell you that they are as strong and well made as you'll ever need.

If interested in the GR-2's, here's a listing for your '08.
Products for Mazda 3 2008

Note there are seperate listing for left and right sides as well as S and i models, but they are the same part number (Rear only. The fronts are L/R specific.)

 

Appreciate you guy's help with this car.

KYBs came in today from advanced auto for around $85 (rears) so I'm going to throw those in tomorrow and did a search for a Tech/FAQ on the install of the rears and found on @ How to: Change shocks and struts!!

but it doesnt have torque values for items disassembled. I think its the upper and lower strut mount and the rear sway bar.

 

I know there is a torque spec for everything on a vehicle, but when it comes to shocks, as long as you are not CRUSHING the bushing or leaving it so loose that it will fall off w/o a doubt, my opinoin is tight is tight! I didn't use a torque wrench when I did mine and haven't had a problem or any noises from them in over 2 yrs.