Hey guys…i keep seeing posts asking about AGXs…i was hoping that everyone with AGXs could post their reviews and thoughts about the AGXs…ie your spring choice, rideheight, how it handles,how it rides the bumps etc etc
AGXs were the flavour of the month a few years back, when pretty much the only aftermarket shock absorbers you could buy for sensible money were the Konis, AVOs or Spax. Now there is a lot more competition, and far more choice. They are a licence made copy of an old GAB shock, originally intended only for the US market. In the American market, Kayaba sell these with a lifetime warranty, and owners seem pretty pleased that they do. They basically follow a similar anatomy to the standard Showa shock, so the spring perch is in the same position, and in themselves, they won’t affect your current ride height.
Interestingly, Kayaba North America does not recommend that these shocks are fitted to R-Package Miatas. The R-Package was fitted with the same Bilstein suspension package as the Eunos Roadster S-Specials (and derivatives); my only guess as to why is that because the Bilstein has a spring perch 10mm lower than stock, fitting a AGX to one of these cars will adversely affect the steering geometry (S-Specs/ R-Packages have a different track rod end from standard), and its a decision Kayaba have taken in light of a litiguous society.
When the AGX came out, it was good value; a basic shock, with some adjustment, at a decent price. Current price for a set of 4 new shocks run between £280 to £400, depending where you get them from. Add a set of springs; Eibachs are the most popular combination, for about £130, and a set of Mazda bumpstops/boots for between £60-100 (depending on what deal MX5parts can get them for), and the cost of a package is £470-630; so the value aspect is now a bit hazy, looking at the competition.
The GAZ fixed height shock is a similar price, but is a superior product. The painted finish of the AGX does not hold up well on British roads, and the plastic adjustment knob I would be highly suspicious of (I had problems with basically identica Apex’i shocks). The fixed GAZ seems to have the same zinc plating as on the other GAZ shocks, and GAZ have worked hard on this, and I like the idea better of the brass adjuster (plus 40 adjustments).
Remember, if comparing the AGXs to the fully adjustable “coilover” kits from GAZ etc, the adjustible kits will include their own bumpstops and gaiters (and in some cases, their own top mount). It will be inevitable that you will need to replace your stock boots (they start to fall apart after about 5 years), and this will add about £100 to the total cost. A new addition is the Meister-R (Mando shocks?) which seems to be getting good press. Another, to throw in the mix, is Protec, who are bringing out their own MX5 kit, which will probably be basically the same as the old P5 Puredrive kit; Protec put a 3 year warranty on their shocks, which is useful.