Shocks and Struts: More Than a Comfortable Ride

Shocks and struts serve the same purpose,their main function is to keep your car from bouncing.  A car has front and rear springs to cushion it over rough road conditions.  Shocks and struts are designed to help keep your tires on the road.  There is a slight difference between a shock and a strut.

Installed Shock

Shocks are usually used to depress leaf springs and are usually a single cylinder in the open and a strut is normally surrounded by the coil spring and is bigger and more complicated.  Because of that, it usually costs more to replace a strut than a shock.

Installed Strut

Shocks are normally used in the rear suspension on a car and struts are on the front.  Some trucks have shocks on both the front and rear.  But they both achieve the same thing.  They control the action of the spring to resist bottoming out, like when you hit a pothole, and keep the movement of the springs under control as they rebound.  Since we have so much road construction going on in our area, potholes are in abundance and if your car continues to bounce long after you’ve hit one, you should have your car inspected for possible shock or strut replacement.

Worn shocks and struts not only affect the comfort of your ride and control of your car, but they affect its braking effectiveness too.  Here is a checklist for the signs of worn shocks or struts:

• Do you experience excessive bounce ( 3 or more bounces) when crossing an intersection or dip?
• When stopping quickly, does your car rock back and forth several times?
• While applying your brakes firmly at higher speeds, does your vehicle have a tendency to drift left or right?
• When changing lanes quickly does your car rock or sway from side to side?
• On a tight curve like a freeway ramp, does your car lean and sway giving it an uneasy and disconnected feeling?

If you experience any of these signs you should have your car inspected by a trusted service technician, (like us)!  They can help you correct the problems , prevent further damage to your car, and restore that comfortable ride we are all looking for!