By Matthew Keegan

Shock absorbers [or struts] play an important part in your vehicle’s suspension system. You need to replace them when certain signs of wear becomes evident, otherwise your safety and comfort can become compromised.

A shock absorber works by "damping" the compression and extension of the vehicle's suspension springs to prevent ongoing bouncing. Shocks work to soften road impact, prevent excessive rebound, limit sway, and improve overall road handling. When your shocks are working properly your car holds the road whether you are braking, negotiating a bend in the road, driving on bumpy roads or experiencing strong side winds. When worn out, shocks can contribute to you losing control of your car putting you, your passengers, and riders in other vehicles in grave danger.

There are a variety of companies producing replacement suspension parts, three are highlighted here:

KYB shocks is the largest supplier of shocks and struts to vehicle manufacturers in the world. Their line up of shocks cover the entire gamut from replacement to upgrade to performance shocks and struts.

Perhaps the most well know name in the business is Monroe. Founded in 1916 when cars still rode on carriage springs, Monroe invented the first shock absorber and the company has been innovating ever since.

Tokico shocks are probably less known to consumers, but they are a favorite for those who want a unique combination of ride, adhesion, and handling.

So, when should you replace your shocks? Every 50,000 miles as one manufacturer suggests? Well, it might be earlier than that if you regularly drive on rough roads or much later if your driving is more local, the roads are well maintained, etc.

One way to determine whether your shocks need replacing is to do this simple test:

1. Grab hold of the corner of your vehicle’s bumper.

2. Push down on it as hard as you can.

3. Observe: the bumper should have dropped down, jumped back up and gone down again once. If it continually moves, then that particular shock is no longer effective. Repeat the test on the remaining three corners of your vehicle.

Other telltale signs of shock wear can be observed through leakage [although a leak is not always indicative of wear] and by observing tire wear patterns. Finally, if you are simply experiencing motion sickness every time you go for a ride, then that can be the best indicator that your shocks or struts need replacing.

Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Car Parts Stuff, an online supplier of high quality and well priced automobile parts.

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