Shocks and struts are often mentioned together, and the terms are sometimes even used interchangeably by non-car gurus, but they are considerably different from each other. They are both part of a car’s suspension system, which keeps your vehicle from bouncing down the road and your tires from lifting off the road on curves and turns, but they do this in very different ways.
Shock absorbers, often called “shocks” for short, are pump devices that, when working properly, keep your tires in contact with the road at all times. Struts differ from shocks in that they are structural components of the suspension system of a vehicle, attached to the chassis, and use a spring mechanism to absorb any bumps in the road. [Read more…]
