Will OESpectrum struts maintain the handling and sportiness while improving ride quality of my Mazda Protege5? (Suspension Mazda Protege5 Performance Mods)

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Question Details Asked:Jul 23, 2011 - 10:21 AMStatus:Closed

blackadder5639	Will OESpectrum struts maintain the handling and sportiness while improving ride quality of my Mazda Protege5? I recently had my first car service at an independent shop. Liked the experience. They informed me that I would need to change the struts of my 2002 Mazda Protege5 soon. I asked for a price quote and noticed they would use Monroe OESpectrum struts. I did some "research" on the Internet about these struts. It appears that Monroe is a reputable brand. It seems that OESpectrum is a high quality strut and is probably of higher quality than my OEM Mazda struts. It also appears that it is a new line of shocks and struts. As a result, I could not find any reviews of OESpectrum, except for information from Monroe's own website: http://www.monroe.com/products/OESpectr u.... According to this website, "...Monroe OESpectrum units provide an unprecedented level of handling precision and control while filtering out the ride harshness commonly encountered on many foreign nameplate applications..." An affordable strut that claims to improve handling while reducing harshness sounds a bit too good to be true. I would like to seek the opinions/comments of mechanics and owners who have used OESpectrum: 1. Does OESpectrum indeed improve handling while reducing harshness? 2. What is your experience with Monroe's struts in general? Are they durable? 3. Any other comments about OESpectrum? Would you recommend? As far as my goals are concerned, I am interested in maintaining the sportiness of my Protege5, and I can live with its current ride comfort levels, although a little improvement in ride comfort would be nice. I don't want to reduce the handling, however. Thank you very much for your help.
	In Maintenance & Repair > Suspension In Makes & Models > Mazda > Protege5 In Car Accessories > Performance Mods 3 answers - 227 days ago
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Answers

mr_shiftright 07/23/11 4:06 pm PST

I think for everyday needs these would be more than fine. If you are a real corner-carver, or carry heavy loads or lots of passengers, or you are interested in really long life, then you might consider bumping up to Koni or Bilstein. Twice the price and top o' the line.

steve_ 07/23/11 5:51 pm PST

Aftermarket shocks are typically a "one size fits all" application and rarely are tailored for a particular vehicle. OEM shocks are designed by the manufacturer for a particular vehicle, and often the shocks are tailored for different trim lines of the same vehicle.

I like the theory of replacing your original shocks with another set of OEM shocks.

This is my favorite forum post on the subject - Shocks.

jmccthy 10/08/12 5:45 pm PST

1. yes
2. I changed both front struts on my es300 with OESpectrum
3. I am starting to notice a good ride and good handling after break in
4. Very pleased so far, it has been a week since the install!

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