Posted on 7/25/2022
Shocks and struts are part of the suspension system of a vehicle. They serve two main functions: they provide a smooth and comfortable ride and they keep the wheels on the road at all times. Both shocks and struts combine a spring and a damping unit. An automotive coil spring has an uncompressed length, a static compressed length as the vehicle sits on the road, and changes in the spring length as the wheel hits bumps in the road. If the suspension system was just springs the car would bounce along as it hits bumps in the road. It would be uncomfortable and hard to control. A damper is a sealed cylinder with a rod that moves a piston up and down as the wheel moves up and down. The cylinder contains hydraulic fluid that is forced through holes and valves in the piston. These holes and valves are carefully designed to properly control the wheel's speed. The damper wears slowly as the miles pile up, and it can't control the wheel as well as new units. It's hard to tell if ne ... read more