| | What are struts and shocks? Why buy them? | |
| | Shock absorbers (shocks) are a device that controls spring motion through dampening. A shock absorber slows down and reduces the vibrations created by imperfections in the roadway. A strut is a shock absorber mounted inside a coil spring that does the same job of dampening. Whether your car uses a strut or shock depends on the factory setup, but both do the same thing and are synonymous in terms of their function. The product listings on our website indicate exactly what is available for your car. Aftermarket struts or shocks are an especially good purchase when lowering your car because they are specially made for optimal performance based on ride height, and can handle the extra stress your suspension will throw at them. Your factory struts or shocks will be out of their "comfort zone" if you lower your car, which causes them to wear down faster and ultimately fail. You can definitely lower your car without replacing the struts/shocks, but they will wear down quickly, and you ride quality will suffer. | |
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| | Is there any difference between struts and shocks? | |
| | Struts/shocks both have the same job by dampening the kinetic energy of suspension travel. Struts perform two jobs: They provide a dampening function like shock absorbers, and they provide structural support for the vehicles suspension. That means that the struts deliver a bit more than shock absorbers, which don't support vehicle weight but control the speed at which weight is transferred in a vehicle. Either way, your options are limited to what is available for your car. | |
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| | Do shocks come in sets of 4? | |
| | Struts and shocks are sold individually on our website, but purchasing should always be done in pairs at the minimum (one pair for the front, one for the rear). Most people replace all four shocks/struts at once. | |
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| | How do you install shocks/struts? | |
| | Shocks are easier to install because there are only two bolts holding in each shock absorber. Struts are a bit more difficult because there is a compressed spring that needs to be removed first. Once the spring has been removed the new strut can be installed with the OEM or aftermarket spring re-installed. | |
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