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KYB suspension & steering

KYB builds the original dampers for a large share of Japanese and Korean vehicles, so its replacement range is unusual in aiming to restore factory behaviour exactly rather than improve on it. The valving is matched to the original specification, not firmed up.

Restoring the ride rather than changing it

Most aftermarket damper ranges are tuned. They advertise firmer control, less roll, a sportier feel — which is a genuine benefit to somebody who wants it and an unwelcome surprise to somebody who simply wants their car to feel the way it did when it was new.

KYB's position comes from being an original equipment supplier first. The Excel-G range is built to the same valving specification as the units the vehicle left the factory with, so a car with 90,000 miles on worn dampers returns to how the manufacturer set it up, including the compromises the manufacturer chose.

That matters more on vehicles with electronic stability control. Those systems were calibrated around a known damping curve, and changing it meaningfully changes how the car behaves at the limit, where the calibration is doing its work.

The company began as Kayaba Industry in Tokyo in 1919 and still manufactures hydraulic equipment far beyond cars, including motorcycle forks and aircraft components. Excel-G is the designation for the twin-tube gas range that covers most passenger applications, and the gas charge exists to suppress foaming in the oil rather than to stiffen the ride.

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4 parts in our range