Shocks
Struts
Shock absorbers act as a spring damper. Their sole purpose is to travel with the spring, or nearby, and dampen its rebound so the car doesn’t bounce, and stays stable, straight, and glued to the road. They themselves do not support any of the weight of the vehicle as the spring does. Shocks help you absorb and disseminate the energy caused by driving over road irregularities.
Struts are an essential structural part of your suspension system as not only are they a shock absorber, but they also house and hold the spring for that side of the car, and function as the upper-link to the body in most systems. Your struts support the actual weight of the vehicle itself, so there are more components in a strut assembly. These assemblies are absolutely essential to steering and movement because they help to maintain the alignment of your car, and the steering ability of your car. Struts can have a coil-type spring, or an airbag spring on them, and generally also have an upper mount and bearing that bears the weight and turning ability of the car. Here, multiple things on a strut could fail – not only the shock absorber, but the coil spring or upper mount can fail as well. A failed strut will and can be much more detrimental to the driving ability of the car than a shock absorber can.
SIGNS IT’S TIME TO REPLACE
There are many signs that your shocks or struts may need to be inspected and potentially changed. If you notice that your vehicle is responding poorly to your steering input, seems to not rebound and stabilize quickly after bumps, or just doesn’t feel the same going over them, you probably need to have your shocks and struts checked. Any pops, clicks, or noises going over bumps at speed, or speed bumps are also a tell-tale sign that something may be wrong. Stiff steering or noises when turning can also be a sign that there is a problem with your suspension system and possibly the shocks and struts, but may also be in the steering system itself. Unstable braking may indicate an issue with these components as your shocks and struts also stabilize forward and backward forces.
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