KYB

About KYB

KYB (Kayaba Industry Co.) is the largest shock absorber manufacturer in the world by volume. Founded in Tokyo in 1919 as a hydraulic equipment company, KYB is OE supplier to Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Vauxhall, Ford and Renault — meaning roughly one in every four new cars sold globally has KYB shocks fitted at the factory.

The technical thing about shocks

Shock absorbers (dampers) are tuned to the suspension geometry, spring rate, vehicle mass and tyre size of the specific car they're fitted to. A "universal fit" or wrong-specification shock will either feel under-damped (bouncy, wallowy) or over-damped (harsh, kicks over bumps). KYB's OE range — the Premium and Excel-G ranges — is matched to the original specification of each platform; the part fits and behaves like the original because it often IS the original.

For uprated applications (heavier loads, performance use), KYB offers the Gas-A-Just and AGX ranges with higher damping rates. These are useful for vehicles that tow heavily or for owners who want a firmer ride than OE, but they will change the handling balance of the vehicle.

When to choose KYB

For OE-equivalent shock replacement on any vehicle KYB supplies (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, VW Group, BMW, Mercedes, Vauxhall, Ford, Renault — most of the UK market) — KYB is one of the safest choices and usually the best balance of cost and OE-equivalence. The shock will fit first time, feel like the original, and last similar mileage.

Always replace shocks in axle pairs (both fronts or both rears) — fitting a fresh KYB to one side and leaving a worn unit on the other creates a handling imbalance that compounds over miles.

Browse KYB shocks mapped to your vehicle by entering your registration above.

Visit KYB Europe for the fitment guide and OE applications.