Shock absorbers are a very important component for preventing excess movement of the automobile and the suspension. If vehicles did not have shocks, they would bounce down the road uncontrollably. Because of the bouncing of the vehicle, tires would not make contact with the road and trying to negotiate a corner, or braking will be extremely dangerous.
To get a basic idea of how a shock works, imagine driving down a road where there are speed bumps. If the car simply has springs, but no shocks, and goes over the speed bump, the springs will continue to move back and forth until they get rid of all the power they gained when they compressed. This will cause the car to sway and bounce, once it has gone over the speed bump.
Now, another example of a car driving over the exact same speed hump, but this one has springs as well as shocks fitted. The springs would still absorb the bounce on the speed hump, however, the springs' movement will be dampened by the shock absorbers. The shocks will attain this by changing the kinetic energy into heat and by doing so, steadying the vehicle's movement.
A shock works with the use of two valves which makes it more effective. A valve is attached to a piston rod, which in turn is connected to a piston. The piston is inside a cylinder which is filled with hydraulic oil. As soon as the vehicle goes over a bump or hole in the street, it allows the spring to open and close. This energy is moved to the shock absorber via the upper mount and down the piston rod and finally into the piston.
Little holes situated in the piston lets fluids through when the piston goes down and up inside the cylinder. As the holes are so small, it only allows a limited amount of oil to pass through. This fluid is placed under pressure because of the amount it lets through. This will slow down the action of the piston and thus slow down the spring. It will then allow the assimilation of the shock from the spring's movement to go into the shock absorber.
Modern cars are fitted with speed sensitive shocks, so the more rapidly the suspension moves, the greater the forbearance the shock absorber gives. This will allow the shocks to adapt to the road conditions and regulate all the dangerous movements which can happen with a moving car. For example, brake deterioration, oscillation and bounce.
You will know when it is time to look for new shocks for your car. If your shock absorbers need replacing, the first thing you'll notice is difficulty in controlling the car when you go over bumps or uneven road surfaces, or when trying to corner.
Wondering where you can buy new shock absorbers for your vehicle? MY4BY.com has the largest selection of Rancho RS5000 shocks available online for virtually all Jeeps, trucks, and SUVs.
Posted under Cars
This post was written by Brett Jepson on June 17, 2010

