How many shock absorbers

Its design is that of a simple piston. The piston rod slides through a cylinder tube filled with fluid and pressurised gas—this provides just the correct amount of resistance. It allows your suspension precisely the right amount of bounce when hitting a bump to absorb it without providing any unnecessary additional movement. Both items indeed do the same job. The critical difference, however, is that a strut is a structural part of the suspension system.

The added roles it performs adds to its build and also explains why a strut is, more often than not, more expensive than a shock. However, their lifespan will, of course, be affected by the abuse they receive. Alternatively, a driver who spends most of their time on motorways or in well-maintained areas could expect to attain a much longer life from their shocks. This is because the main area of failure is within the seals.

One test you can carry out to see if your shock absorbers are on their way out is a bounce test. When you stop, a healthy shock absorber should keep bouncing only a few times. A repaired shock will suffer a much-shortened lifespan. Fixter is revolutionising the car maintenance industry, one repair at a time. Fixter was founded to make car maintenance as easy as booking a taxi. Digital, transparent and stress-free, with world-class customer service.

Since launching in Manchester in , Fixter has expanded to more than cities across the UK and provided thousands of car owners with honest, convenient and affordable car repair services. Your browser does not support iFrames. Skip to content. Any time that a tyre's contact with the ground is broken or reduced, your ability to drive, steer and brake is severely compromised. Firstly, a little bit of science. Shock absorbers work by taking the kinetic energy movement of your suspension and converting it to thermal energy heat that is then dissipated into the atmosphere through the mechanism of heat exchange.

As mentioned, shock absorbers are basically oil pumps. A piston is attached to the end of a piston rod and works against hydraulic fluid in the pressure tube. As the suspension travels up and down, the hydraulic fluid is forced through orifices tiny holes inside the piston. Because the orifices only allow a small amount of fluid through the piston, the piston is slowed which in turn slows down spring and suspension movement.

Shock absorbers automatically adjust to road conditions because the faster the suspension moves, the more resistance they provide. Although all shock absorbers do the same job, different types of vehicles and suspension designs require different types of shock absorbers which can appear radically different. No matter the application, all shock absorbers fit into one of three broadly defined types conventional telescopic shock absorbers, struts or spring seat shocks.

This is the simplest type of shock absorber and is generally replaced rather than repaired. This type of shock absorber can be found on both front and rear suspension systems and is relatively inexpensive. Although they do the same basic job, struts replace part of the suspension system and must be more ruggedly built to cope with greater loads and forces.

Although most commonly seen on the front and rear of small to medium cars, larger cars are now tending towards strut based suspension design. The strut category is further divided into sealed and repairable units. As the name suggests, sealed units are designed to be fully replaced, whilst repairable McPherson struts are able to be fitted with replacement strut cartridges. Shock absorbers gradually lose their effectiveness as they log kilometers and years. Of course, this depends on your car's specifications, the environment in which you drive your car, and how you drive.

Here's our advice on checks and replacement intervals based on a range of symptoms you may notice. The shock absorber is nearing the end of the replacement interval. The next mandatory government inspection or regular inspection might be the perfect opportunity to replace them. If any of these faults is present, your car will not pass mandatory government inspections.

Your car's shock absorbers are vital safety components that protect the safety of those who matter the most to you. We recommend early replacement. TOP shock absorber When to replace shock absorbers.