Shocks and struts are car suspension system components that dampen and control body motion. Each car wheel either has struts or shocks. Both prevent unnecessary up-and-down bouncing or side-to-side rolling of a vehicle when driving. This is important for occupants’ comfort. Both the terms are used to mean the same thing at times. However, shocks and struts are different parts. They aren’t interchangeable and one can not replace the other.
In most modern car’s struts are used at the front and shocks at the rear. Let’s understand the difference between struts vs shocks, their working and pros and cons.
Car Shocks
A car shock, also known as the shock absorber, is a component that is non-structural. It is designed in a way to control the car body movement by motion absorption. To put it simply, it is a hydraulic piston, with liquid or gas inside which allows for dampened movement.
Technically, the kinetic energy of a car’s motion is converted into heat energy dissipated by hydraulic fluid through car shocks. The hydraulic compressions control the up and down movement.
Most modern shocks are dynamic and allow different amounts of rebound using valves. This depends on the vehicle speed or conditions.
Unlike a car strut, a shock does not support the vehicle’s body weight. A shock is simpler in design and is used for vehicle body control. Shocks are usually used in heavier vehicles as they don’t have to support weight. This is why large body-on-frame SUVs and trucks often use shocks.
The tight space constraints in the front of a vehicle mean the spring and shock are integrated. A shock is placed with the spring up front and attached to the upper control arm. That said, shocks don’t have to be mounted together in the rear. The layout isn’t affected by the engine, transmission, and steering.
Pros and Cons of Shocks
Shocks help control the body motion of large and off-road vehicles. They are usually also used with the rear wheels of modern vehicles. That said, they take up more space. Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of shocks in detail.
Pros of Shocks
Following are some common pros of car shocks:
- Replacing shocks is less expensive
- They are easier to swap
- They are better for off-roading
Cons of Shocks
Following are some disadvantages of car shocks:
- They take up more space
- Manufacturing is expensive
Car Struts
A car strut is a structural part of the suspension system that dampens and also supports the wheels and the vehicle body. Just like a shock, a strut is also a hydraulic piston that moves up and down to create hydraulic force for movement. That said, struts also have to control alignment and they connect multiple parts of suspension together.
The vehicle’s spring is integrated into the assembly via a strut. The main difference between shocks and struts is that driving a car without shocks is possible but not without struts. Driving without a car strut will simply collapse onto the wheels.
A car strut also absorbs vehicle motion that is why it is also a shock, but a car shock isn’t a car strut. To put it simply, a strut can be treated as a shock that provides dampening but it also has the additional task of supporting the vehicle’s body.
A strut contains a coil spring placed on the strut seat. Sometimes a coil spring boot covers the spring. This is when struts replace upper control arms and support the vehicle’s weight. For this reason, a strut setup just has a lower control arm.
Even without a spring, struts are designed more strongly to support the vehicle’s weight when compared with regular shock absorbers. Struts are used in unibody vehicles as they mount to the vehicle body to support it.
Pros and Cons of Struts
Struts have become popular because of efficient packaging, especially for the front wheels. That said, their replacement is expensive. Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of struts.
Pros of Struts
- They are lighter in weight
- They take up less space
- The manufacturing is cheaper
Cons of Struts
- They are expensive to replace
- They are more complicated to replace
That is all about the difference between struts vs shocks. If you are looking for a car with either of these components, here is a list of used cars for sale in the UAE. Go through the various cars with different car suspension system components and pick the one that suits you best.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more on car suspension components, car parts and much more.
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