Shock absorber - A spare part with a big effect

Damage to the road places heavy demands on your car. The shock absorbers also have to take part in this! Together with the suspension springs, the shock absorber forms the link between the wheel suspension and the bodywork. It reduces the vibrations of the suspension spring, which compensates for road unevenness. This provides more traction and stability while driving. A shock absorber is therefore correctly a vibration damper.

As intact shock absorbers not only increase driving safety but are also TÜV-relevant, many manufacturers recommend having the function of the installed suspension dampers checked regularly. If an exchange should become necessary, it is advisable to use only high-quality spare parts. That's why you'll only find original shock absorbers from vehicle manufacturers in our shop. In the lower section we explain important terms for suspension damping and what types of shock absorbers there are. In addition, we point out the dangers of defective suspension dampers and give a few tips for the replacement of spare parts.

Suspension strut, suspension cylinder, suspension spring, shock absorber, suspension damper - What do the terms mean?
What are the effects of defective struts?
What do I need to consider when buying and replacing shock absorbers?

Suspension strut, spring cylinder, suspension spring, shock absorber, suspension damper - What do the terms mean?

Shock absorbers are available in several places in the car, for example in the tailgate. Usually, however, the term is used in the context of chassis suspension. This can also be used to describe it as a suspension damper. The shock absorber is usually surrounded by the chassis spring. If both form a unit, one speaks of the shock absorber. As an alternative to the suspension strut, there is also the spring cylinder, which uses hydraulics and pneumatics to implement damping and suspension.

The suspension dampers are divided into two different types:

gas pressure damper
Oil shock absorber

In earlier times, the oil shock absorber was the standard in vehicles. However, this can reduce suspension damping during longer journeys. The reason for this is that the damper oil contains gas components that are released from the liquid during prolonged damping work and form small bubbles. This foaming results in the damping effect being reduced all the more the longer you are on the road.

In order to prevent this process, the oil shock absorbers have been further developed into so-called gas pressure shock absorbers. Here additional nitrogen is added to the shock absorber to prevent foaming. This means that gas pressure dampers have the required vibration damping even during longer journeys. Gas pressure dampers are now used in most vehicles.

What effects do defective struts have?

Never the less, shock absorbers wear out over time. The suspension damper leaks most often and the oil can flow out. It is a slow process in which the struts wear out. The driver initially reacts unconsciously to the deteriorating driving behavior of his car and instinctively tries to "counteract" it. It is usually only very late that it is discovered that the suspension struts are worn out.

By the way, the "dancing" headlights, which is also called the kangaroo effect, show that they should be replaced urgently. Another test can be carried out on a stationary vehicle. Therefore, press the vehicle down strongly at the front and rear over the tyre once and then let go again directly. If the vehicle bounces back, the shock absorbers should be replaced.

Defective shock absorbers, however, have a massive impact on the driving performance of your vehicle. Curve stability is reduced and road grip can no longer be fully guaranteed. In addition, the braking distance can be increased by up to 20 % and the tyres wear out considerably more.

Concrete dangers of broken struts are:

Longer stopping distance
Higher risk of skidding
decreased traction
Deficient ABS effect
Dazzling headlights
Severe wear on springs, wheel bearings and wheel suspension
Increased risk of aquaplaning

What do I need to consider when buying and replacing shock absorbers?

To avoid unstable handling and damping deviations, defective shock absorbers should always be purchased and replaced in pairs per axle. The reason for this is that a new damper always performs better than an already used. As a general rule, it can be said that after about 80,000 kilometers driven new shock absorbers should be purchased and replaced. A lot of experience should be brought along for the installation. If in doubt, leave it to the specialist. In addition, it is recommended to replace the dust protection for shock absorbers as well. Our service team will be happy to advise you on this in more detail.

Be on the safe side and always use the original shock absorbers from the vehicle manufacturers. Thus you combine quality and fitting accuracy and you can rely on high driving safety and a long service life!