Although car suspensions come in a variety of configurations, the basic elements are springs and shock absorbers. Springs provide a simple mechanical disconnect between the shocking forces sustained by the vehicle’s wheels and axles and the body of the car with the passengers inside. The majority of modern cars employ classic coil springs that are affixed vertically (or at a vertical angle) between the axle and the car’s frame. In some cases torsion bars or metal leaf springs are used. They serve the same purpose as a coil spring.

Shock absorbers provide damping of the motion experienced by the vehicle’s wheels as the move up and down over an uneven road surface. They normally use a hydraulic system to provide potential to deal with the kinetic energy manufactured by the wheels. Shock absorbers also are variable across different speeds, and therefore the more energy they are asked to absorb, the more resistance they produce. This prevents the car’s wheels firmly on the road while providing a smoother ride for the car at all points above the suspension.

The modern pairing of springs and shock absorbers evolved from earlier systems alongside the development of the automobile in general. Early car suspensions were derived from the springs used on horse-drawn carriages. As cars were designed to move at faster speeds, new suspension systems were necessary. Besides providing comfort to the passengers, excessive shaking could damage a vehicle, literally shaking it apart if the proper suspension system was not used. The first suspensions to use shock absorbers designed specifically for cars were used in the early 1900s. By 1920, British automaker Leyland was using torsion bar suspensions on some of its models. Independent suspension systems became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Since the 1930s, different suspension configurations have come and gone. However, the fundamental layout of a variety of a spring and a shock hydraulic absorber has remained the standard for all types of cars. An independent suspension system allows each one of the two wheels on a shared axle (front or rear) to move vertically independent of one another. This prevents motion on one side of the vehicle from affecting motion on the other hand and offers a smoother ride and more consistent handling. Independent suspension is especially useful during acceleration, braking, turning, and when a car’s load is unevenly distributed from side to side. Most modern cars feature independent front suspensions, where steering is performed. Other cars, especially rear-wheel drive models, may also include independent rear suspension. Cars with all four wheels suspended independently are known as “fully independent suspension”.

Independent suspension systems may feature any number of mechanical layouts and are often quite complex. For this reason, full independent suspension is found on more expensive or performance-oriented cars and trucks. Many widely used terms exist that refer to specific kinds of suspension. The “MacPherson Strut” is a simple design in which a spring and shock absorber pivot on a ball joint as the vehicle receives kinetic energy from impacts with the road.

A “double wishbone suspension” is commonly cited in automobile marketing. This term refers to a pair of wishbone-shaped arms that support the wheel spindle with a spring and/or shock absorber sandwiched in between. Double wishbone suspensions take up a great deal of space under the vehicle but allow for a large range of motion of the wheel. “I-Beam suspension” is another common term. I-Beam suspensions, also known as “twin I-Beam suspension,” is actually a seldom-used design in which a solid axle is split and rejoined in an offset pattern that produces independent front suspension. This configuration is useful in trucks carrying heavy loads, but provides little shock absorption when the vehicle is unladen.

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Having taller tires ensures that you will see a substantial increase in clearance between the bottom and the vehicle’s axles. Creating a good kind of suspension lift kits also improves the articulation, although this affects the steering geometry, causing “bump steer.” To scale back this negative effect, some opts to add on steering stabilizers.

If you want to have additional or increased height in the existing suspension blocks of your vehicle’s rear part, then putting a suspension system on its rear is the best option. However, adding such suspension blocks on your own vehicle’s rear suspension could cause “axle tramp” or the axle vibration under the vehicle’s acceleration. Your vehicle’s drive line angles may become affected. Remember that it is not advisable to have suspension blocks added on your front suspension.

If you are considering costs, keep in mind that when compared with a body lift kit, suspension lift kits can cost more as it is expensive. However, it really does produce desirable results in terms of adding ground clearance, vehicle handling and increasing the height.

The most common suspension kits for achieving better results are 4 inches or 10.16cm up to 6 inches or 15.24cm. Although some lift systems can be as tall as 18 inches or 45.72cm, these are not anymore advisable because extreme lifts of the height could compromise the safe vehicle handling, drastically. Such kinds of lift kits are usually installed just for showcase cars or hobbyists automobiles.

Before investing in a suspension lift kit, ensure that you have identified your main objective for having such ad on. If your main purpose to install is in order for your vehicle to support larger tires, remember that it may affect your odometer and speedometer and render them inaccurate. Furthermore, you have to fit new gears to the vehicle’s differentials – one that can accommodate the circumference of the new tires. You can compute the gear ratio that you’ll need by utilizing a good calculator.

A great deal of manufacturers make suspension lift kits and their prices vary in accordance with their models or kinds of lift system. While a nice and durable suspension lifts can be quite affordable, remember that you’ll also add expenses on purchasing a new set of tall tires, re-gearing and the vehicle modification.

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Basically put, a shock absorbers sole purpose is to dampen the compression and rebound of any suspension system by controlling the speed at which a suspension cycles. Without them, your RV would continue to bounce up and down until the kinetic energy is finally dissipated from the suspension’s springs (e.g. leaf springs, coil springs, torsion bar, etc.). Now let’s think about the law of conservation of energy. With this law in mind, shocks will perform two functions. The first function is to slow the suspension’s cycling of compressing or rebounding. Secondly, since energy can’t be destroyed, the shock transforms the kinetic energy into heat as it dampens the “bouncing” of the springs. That’s it. That’s what a shock does.

So why is this important? The the greater part of tow-able RVs don’t are available from the factory with shock absorbers! And while class A, B, and C motor homes do have shocks, they are often times barely adequate to control the suspension, causing wandering and excessive side-to-side motion on uneven surfaces.

To install shock absorbers on a tow-able RV, a retrofit kit is generally needed, although some tow-able currently have the state of mind and shackle tabs necessary. A retrofit kit contains bracketry and hardware necessary to easily install the shocks. These kits use a plate that mounts to the bottom of the leaf spring shackles and has a tab for the bottom of the shock to mount to. The top mount for the shock attaches to the frame. It is often essential to drill a hole in the frame in order to bolt the top shock mount to. This sounds scary to do but there is generally enough frame material that the hole drilled won’t weaken the frame any significant amount.

For torsion type axles, like the Dexter brand, the retrofit kits are a little different. Since there are no shackles, you must either replace the torsion arm link (from the axle housing to the spindle) with one that has a lower shock mount, or have a tab welded to the torsion arm link. The upper mount can either be drilled through the frame or an additional mounting tab will need to be welded to the frame. Much depends on your particular axle arrangement, though most torsion axle setups are generally the same.

Motor homes are a little different. Since they already come equipped with shock absorbers, replacing them is all that is important. It’s much mod you possibly can commonly fix by yourself as all that is generally involved is, using basic hand tools, to unbolt the shocks from their mounts and replace them using the reverse order used during removal. There may be some bolt corrosion to deal with but a little penetrating fluid sprayed on a half hour or so before bolt removal will make things much easier. If you have a motor home that has struts (like a Sprinter) instead of independent springs and shocks, you should have a qualified suspension professional do the job. Special tools are needed to compress the strut assembly if you want to remove and replace the shock cartridge.

Tip: When fitting a tow-able RV with shocks using a retrofit kit, you will have to ensure you know how long of a shock you need beforehand as the upper mount point can vary from trailer to trailer. A close guesstimate is to measure from the lower shackle plate to the middle of the frame rail. If you opt for the kit which includes shocks, make certain this measurement is within the working range of the shocks supplied with the kit.

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If you are not experiencing any of the indications, and did not see any visual leaking signs, however, still unsatisfied with the handling of your car when towing a trailer, or hauling an overload, you may want to consider upgrading the original factory shocks and struts. The upgrade would provide you with improved handling, and a smother drive, given that the new shocks are stronger, and stiffer.

Most people choose to replace the factory shocks and struts on older cars to strictly improve the overall quality of the drive. This eliminates the bouncing and rocking on rough roads. Furthermore, you may decide to upgrade your shocks and struts if you are interested in performance handling.

This is archived by upgrading to gas charged shocks and struts. This type is charged with high pressure of nitrogen gas, which minimizes the hydraulic fluid foaming inside the shocks. This essentially reduces fading on rough roads, and assists in maintaining control at sharp turns.

Moreover, there are shocks and struts that fall into a different category. Heavy duty shocks and struts distinguished itself over the factory shocks and struts by a larger diameter pistons. This provides an increased control and improved resistance. Heavy duty shocks and struts are considered by experts to be too harsh for everyday driving. Last but not least, the air-assisted shocks.

You would want to consider this type if you are constantly towing a trailer, or hauling extra cargo. It is also known as the overload, surrounded by a coil spring to help increase the loading capacity of the suspension. It may be useful to mention that the overload type dedicates a stiffer ride than the standard shocks, however, is equipped with an adjustable air bladder to assist in carrying extra weight.

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