7 More Signs of Shock and Strut Failure
If you're driving and your vehicle feels like it's doing the hokey pokey, don't worry! It's probably just time for a new set of shocks or struts. Here are some tell-tale signs that your vehicle needs a strut or shock replacement:
- On the highway, your vehicle feels as though it's never completely stable, your car bounces and your ride is constantly up and down. You may not notice the movement at first, but once you do, it's hard to forget it.
- When you take a sharp turn, your vehicle leans towards the outside of the turn or feels as if it is going to tip over.
- When you hit a bump, you feel one or more of your tires bouncing back and forth for some time - indicating a potential problem with your shock absorbers. The bouncing may also cause a clunking noise.
- You might not notice this until you have to jump hard on the brakes, but the front end of your car dips down a lot more than expected.
- During hard acceleration, you may see that the front end of your vehicle is rising while the rear squats.
- The wear on your tires is uneven. You'll see a wavy pattern in your tread, indicating your tires are not being held firmly to the road.
- You see leaking fluid on the exterior of your shocks are struts - chances are that the seals have broken and the internal fluids essential to the proper function of your car's suspension components are escaping.
You Might Be Wondering: What is The Difference Between Shocks and Struts?
Car shocks and struts have different jobs, though we often use the terms interchangeably. In technical language, while shocks and struts perform the same basic function of damping the movement of your vehicle's spring and stopping oscillation and bounce, they are actually two different suspension components with distinct functions.
What do shocks do?
Shocks, or shock absorbers, are the part of your vehicle that help it move smoothly over bumps and rough terrain. They help keep the wheels in contact with the ground, which is important for keeping you safe in case you need to stop quickly or change lanes on a highway.
Shock absorbers are located between the frame of your vehicle and the wheels. They cushion the impact from bumps in the road by absorbing some of their energy before it reaches your vehicle's body or suspension.
What do struts do?
Struts are an assembly which combines multiple suspension parts into a compact unit used in the front ends of nearly all cars. Struts include shock absorbers, which are their most commonly serviced component.
Struts help reduce bounce and sway in your vehicle's suspension by controlling the up-and-down movement of your tires. They also help vehicles to handle better on rough roads, providing stability when you corner or brake by absorbing some of the impact energy generated by these actions. They are essential for supporting your vehicle's weight while it travels down the road - without them, it would feel like you were driving around in an empty cardboard box!