Suspension Systems Are Either Back Breakers or Back Savers

In order to fully appreciate the suspension system of your vehicle, a simple experiment would benefit most car owners. If you get the opportunity, ride around some day in an old farm wagon. You will notice immediately that you feel every single bump that you ride over. That’s because there is basically no suspension system in a wagon. If you don’t have access to an old wagon, simply ride in your neighbor’s car and then ride in your car. Even a novice should be able to tell the difference in the smoothness of the ride.

The suspension system of your car or truck has these basic components: the chassis or frame, the coil and leaf springs, struts and shock absorbers, and the torsion bars. There are two main jobs performed by a suspension system, namely to smooth out the ride and absorb bumps, and to keep side-to-side sway at a minimum while travelling. Sounds simple but it’s amazing how many modern cars and trucks have such poor suspension systems. German car manufacturers have nearly perfected the suspension systems. Ride around in a BMW or Mercedes-Benz and then ride around in a Chevy Malibu; it shouldn’t take you too long to notice the difference.

To clarify matters further, passenger cars have better suspension systems than commercial vehicles, mainly because passenger cars are designed for comfort while commercial vehicles are designed for carrying heavy loads.

When it comes time for replacement parts on your suspension system, unless you know what you are doing let a pro do it. Used parts for suspension systems are available at any auto parts store and certainly at any salvage yard, depending of course on the year, make, and model of your vehicle. Going to a “you pull it” junk yard is always the least-expensive route to take but if you don’t know what you are doing you are in for some serious headaches during the process.

There is a very simple reason why most pioneers walked along their wagons on the Oregon Trail. The bone-jarring ride in the wagon was guaranteed to cripple the hardiest of travelers simply because the wagons had no suspension system to speak of. We have come a long way since the 1840’s with regards to a vehicle’s suspension system so next time you hop in your car appreciate the advancement in technology, and if you feel you are getting a rough ride, just remember that things could be a lot worse.