Auto manufacturers know passenger comfort can be as important to buyers as performance and reliability. From Bluetooth to butt warmers, drivers like their rides to be comfy. Often these accessories can gather more attention than the main comfort system of your vehicle, the suspension system. Your car’s suspension system is a delicate balance of modern engineering that separates the cabin, engine, and undercarriage from the tires and axels. The flexibility of the rubber tires, themselves, play a small part in the suspension system by absorbing smaller impacts. For larger impacts, the suspension system absorbs and dissipates the bumps and jolts in the road for a smooth ride and enhanced safety and control. Depending on the age of your car, it may have a Dependent or Independent suspension system. Dependent suspension systems connect the two (or more) wheels through the axle and are more common on older vehicles. Modern vehicles have Independent suspensions installed that operate separately of each other which is better at keeping the tires on the road while also minimizing roll-over. Upon impacting a sudden rise or fall on the surface, the Springs also force the wheels down on the surface after the vertical response of the tires to the impact.

COIL SUSPENSION SPRINGS

One of the most prominent and recognizable components of a suspension system is the Springs. Depending on the vehicle type, each of the Springs may be separate from the shock absorber or coiled around it. The suspension Springs absorb some of the impacts while also supporting the weight of everything that is not directly associated with the wheels and axels. Virtually all modern vehicles use Coil Suspension Springs that actually looks like a thick-gauged spring. Suspension springs can be “loose” or “tight”. Performance and racing cars prefer tight springs for greater control on turns, sacrificing comfort. Most other vehicles have loose suspension springs which provide a smoother ride for passengers and cargo.

LEAF SUSPENSION SPRINGS

Prior to Coil Suspension Springs, automobiles were manufactured with Leaf Suspension Springs which were originally equipped on horse carriages in the mid 18th century. Not appearing too spring-like, Leaf Springs are variable lengths of thick gauge steel straps stacked on top of each other, although thick wood straps weren’t uncommon on smaller horse carriages. Leaf Suspension Springs can still be seen today on older cars and larger cargo trucks and vans.

SHOCK ABSORBERS

Once the springs have absorbed the energy of the impact, that energy must be transferred or the vehicle will continue to bounce on the springs vertically from the axels. This is the function of the shock absorbers. A shock absorber is a long piston which is filled with hydraulic fluid and a gas, commonly nitrogen. As the shock absorber accepts the impact, it transfers the impact energy to the hydraulic fluid in the form of heat by forcing the piston head up into the chamber which compresses and heats the fluid and gas.

STRUTS

Some vehicles, commonly front wheel drives, may have struts instead of shock absorbers. Struts combine shock absorbers with a coil spring wrapped around it. This requires less space than if the components are separate.