Information on Car Struts
A key component to almost any front-wheel drive car is struts. Commonly confused with shocks, there are a few differences the separate the two. It's an easy mistake to make, and an even easier one to fix by just learning a little more about how they work.
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They Both Serve the Same Purpose
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When it comes down to it, shocks and struts serve the same basic purpose. As a part of the suspension, both shocks and struts are designed to absorb shock from the road, contribute to how the vehicle handles and provide overall comfort to the vehicle's ride.
Struts Up Front
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Struts are located on the front of the vehicle. While shocks are relatively simple, struts combine a few different components together, such as the coil spring, spring seat, shock absorber, strut bearing, and steering knuckle. The spring supports the weight of the vehicle, while the shock absorber dampens movement of the spring, improving the ride quality. Altogether, the struts both support the change of motion and improve the handling of the vehicle.
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Shocks In Back
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Shocks, opposite struts, are usually located in the back of the vehicle suspension and are used to compress leaf spring shock. Shock design makes them much easier and much less expensive to replace. Moreover, shocks are not load bearing, meaning they can be removed from the vehicle (although this is never recommended), unlike struts.
Maintenance
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Among many other aspects of vehicle maintenance, struts should be checked once a year, and should ideally be performed alongside a wheel alignment. It's especially easy to let this slide, seeing as overall performance and handling loss will be difficult for the average driver to notice. Economically, it's wise to check the struts each year, to any possible issues early, and replace parts as they go. This way, there is no need to replace an entire strut and any time, and should help the strut last longer.
Signs of Wear
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Some signs of worn struts include excessive bouncing of the vehicle, excessive front-end body roll, and nose-dive while breaking, amongst other tell-tale signs, such as oil leakage from the struts. More over, if the tire shows signs of "cupping," wear around the circumference of the tire that usually causes a loud rumble while driving, it's a sign that the struts need attention.
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