Shocks and Struts
2 products
About Shocks and Struts
The damper decides whether a spring feels good or awful, and it's the one part that wears out without telling you. Strut or shock? A strut carries the spring and locates the wheel on a MacPherson front end. A shock just controls the spring. Either way, they're turning bounce into heat. If the car floats over a crest, dives hard under braking, or you're seeing cupped tread, they're done.
Two styles cover most of what people buy. Stock height performance dampers swap straight in and firm up the factory ride without moving anything, and they pair well with a mild lowering spring. Short body units are built for a car that already sits lower, with less travel above the bump stop and valving for a stiffer coil. Ohlins covers the top of the range for the cars that'll see track days.
Monotube or twin tube is the other fork. One chamber with a floating piston sheds heat and reacts quicker, at the cost of feeling firmer over small stuff. An inner and outer chamber rides softer and is what most cars leave the factory with. Struts want an alignment after the swap. Shocks on their own don't, which makes a rear only job a lot cheaper.
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Common questions
- How do I know my shocks are worn
- The car keeps bouncing after a bump instead of settling in one motion. The nose dives harder than it used to. The tread wears in scallops. Oil down the outside of the body is the one that settles it. Dampers fade slowly enough that you stop noticing, so a car with big miles on the original set is usually due even when it doesn't feel like it.
- Can I run lowering springs on factory struts
- For a mild drop on struts that aren't worn, yes, and most makers build their mild kit for exactly that. The strut gives up some travel and works harder, so it'll wear sooner than it would have. For a deeper drop, or a car with tired struts, pair the spring with a short body damper from this page instead.
- Shock or strut, what is the difference
- A strut is structural. It carries the spring, bolts to the knuckle and sets camber on a MacPherson front end. A shock only damps and bolts between the body and an arm. That's why pulling a strut means an alignment afterward and pulling a shock doesn't, and it's most of why struts cost more.
- Do I need an alignment after new struts
- Yes, if you're touching the front. The strut to knuckle bolts set camber on most cars, and they'll never land in exactly the same spot going back in. Toe moves with them. Rear shocks on a multilink car don't change anything, so if that's all you're doing, keep the money.