Shocks and struts are a major component of your vehicle’s suspension system and work hard to keep your vehicle firmly gripped to the road. Though they generally last a long time they are a commonly wearing component on every vehicle. Unfortunately as a car ages and repair costs escalate shock and strut replacement often gets put on the back burner compromising the safety of the vehicle and wearing out other components. Lets look at what shocks and struts do, what goes wrong with them and what the consequences of not replacing worn ones are.
First off shocks and struts are both similar and different. They are similar in that the strut contains a shock absorber inside, the difference is that the strut forms the upper portion of the suspension geometry and incorporates a coil spring. As you might guess by this description struts are more expensive to replace. The part costs more along with extra labour. Shocks and struts can be found on the front or rear suspension of a vehicle.
The purpose of the shock absorber is to stop the oscillation of the vehicle springs. Without them your car would continuously bounce on bumps and your ride would be extremely uncomfortable. Handling and braking would be severely compromised.
When shocks and struts wear you will experience a bouncy ride and along with this comes reduced stopping distance. This is perhaps the most important reason to replace worn out shocks and struts. Studies have found that worn shocks reduce stopping distance by 12 feet from a 100km/hr panic stop. That could make the difference between hitting the car in front of you or not. Cupped tire tread wear is another result of worn out shocks and struts and often this wear occurs when you cannot feel the usual bouncy ride associated with bad shocks. Many a set of good tires has been ruined adding expense to one’s auto service budget. Another casualty of worn shocks and struts are prematurely wearing front brakes. This occurs from too much vehicle weight transfer to the front wheels when braking.
Many shock manufacturers recommend replacement at 80,000 kilometers. In my opinion this is excessive as they often last substantially longer on many vehicles. The best way to determine shock and strut condition is to assess vehicle ride on a regular basis along with a visual inspection of the suspension and tires.
While replacing shocks and struts can be an expensive service, the excellent ride, enhanced vehicle control and improved stopping distance make it more than great value for your money.
