DIfference Between Shocks and Struts

[CB7_OWNER]

Hi!


so i've been doing a bit of research into sussy stuff, cause im thinking of upgrading.. but looking at various manufacturer sites, it says it is recommeneded that both the shocks and struts are changed..


I cant figure out what the difference is between strut and shocks....

Does a coil-over system include strut+shocks+spring?

A spring+shock combo means that i havent replaced the strut, is this a bad thing? and will i eventually have too?


Thanks!!

[blk_shadow]

a shock is there to dampen the vibration of the car, while the strut is there to support the weight of the vehicle.

shocks or shock absorber is mounted between the lower control arms and the body (most OEM equipment), while the strut replaces the upper control arm, upper ball joint and standard shock absorber.

to make it clear, shocks use spring as a separate component, and struts have springs built in and considered as one unit (ie. coilover).

yes, coilover is everything you can have in one unit.

spring and shock combo is not a bad thing, but the lowering and dampening adjustment may be very limited compared to coilover unit.

[CB7_OWNER]

so does a normal car come orginally with shocks only? and then you upgrade to struts????

[blk_shadow]

so does a normal car come orginally with shocks only? and then you upgrade to struts????

yep, its called shock absorber, or some people say shockers. and springs obviously.

and then u upgrade to coilovers for more option in setting up the suspension.

but if you just want to lower the car without lowering the life on your normal shocks and don't really care about too many settings, just get a good shock and spring combo.

[bennjamin]

erm guys strut = shock. They are one and the same...


BTW to help out.



Does a coil-over system include strut+shocks+spring?

A "coilover system" in marketing terms , means a shock and spring combo with a height adjustable perch.

A spring+shock combo means that i havent replaced the strut, is this a bad thing? and will i eventually have too?

Strut=shock.

[teh_mechanic]

i think the confusion arises because of misused terms.

strut is used to describe the coilover system used on the front of most cars (used on front and back of our cars). It is esentially a shock absorber with a plate about half way down that provides a base to mount your spring on,thus giving you a coilover....so coilover =strut.

shock is usually just used to describe the shock absorber itself,when used in a system such as is common in the rear of utes where the shock absorber sits by itself and leaf springs are used,the springs are nowhere near the shock like it is in a coilover system.

i know,it can be confusing with everyone throwing round different words when you havnt actually seen all the items in real life

[CB7_OWNER]

O..i've seen them in real life....i can easily tell apart a coil-over from shocks...


Soo is it safe to say... if i get a Ground Control Coil Over Sleeves+ Spring+ Shocks... its the same as a complete coil-over system....cause in that case it will also have a height adjustable perch...

But according to observations the shocks...and coil-over systems look lyk they mount differently onto the LCA ..the mounts seem to be designed differently .. Whats the reason for this? =S

[02gzm]

Technically all struts are coilovers as they are a spring(coil) over a shock. The term coilover, being used in the aftermarket car industy, is just a replacement word for the longer adjustable coilover.

[JohnL]

A 'strut' isn't a 'coil-over'. A strut is a type of suspension design. I can think of at least two 'strut' suspension designs; 'MacPherson Strut' and 'Chapman Strut'.

A MacPherson Strut (don't know who MacPherson was) is the type of front suspension fitted to the vast majority of modern road cars, from Datsun 120Y, Holden Commodere to Porsche 911, BMW etc (etc. etc. etc. etc. etc....).

In essence a Mac Strut is a double wishbone suspension where the length of the upper wishbone has been reduced to zero, which means that the 'camber curve' of a Mac Strut tends to be inferior to that of a good double wishbone design, and thus for racing and 'performance apps a Mac Strut tends to require more static neg camber.

A Mac Strut is an inferior suspension design (in principle) to a double wishbone suspension, but is generally used in preference due to it's simplicity, cost and ease of packaging into the chassis (no need to allow room for the upper wishbone). Double wishbone is superior, but Mac Struts can be made to work very well.

A Chapman Strut (designed by Colin Chapman of Lotus) is the same as a Mac strut except that the 'lower wisbone' is formed by the fixed length drive shaft (not a dedicated suspension arm). Since the drive shaft forms part of the suspension linkage, the Chapman strut was exclusively used on the rear suspension, and the drive shaft location tended to limit the designer's freedom re suspension geometry. AFAIK Chapman Stuts were only used to a very limited degree with some racing cars, but are no longer used at all.

Any damper / spring where the damper and spring can be removed from the car as an assembled unit and where the spring fits outside the damper is a 'coil-over', with the exception of the spring / damper incorporated into a MacPherson Strut. All Hondas not fitted with Mac Struts have 'coil-overs' as OE.

The aftermarket manufacturers seem to have successfully managed to hijack the term 'coil-over' to mean their products in particular. There is no in principle difference between what are commonly known as coil-overs (aftermarket) and the coil-overs fitted OE. The inclusion or not of an infinitely adjustable spring seat doesn't make one spring / damper a 'coil-over' and another not.

CB7_OWNER, I strongly suggest Koni dampers and seperately sourced springs to suit. The basis of any suspension is the damper, and by far the best you can buy are Bilstein or Koni. Bilstein are better, but more $. Koni are excellent and less $. The rest are more or less rubbish, unless you're paying real money for specialist racing units such as Penske or Ohlins etc...

[Riviera]

woohooo learning stuff


i thought it was pretty simple


Definition

Coilover

a shock absorber and spring combo, where the spring is around the outside of
the shock absorber thus giving you "Coil (being the spring)-Over (Over the shock absorber)

as opposed to a suspension set up in the rear of small cars like the getz or barina
where the suspension setup is not a coil over setup they have the spring in a
different area to the shock absorber
shock absorber being in the strut assembly and the spring being on the axel
assembly


basically what ben is saying is correct

strut is your shock absorber
think about it.... you get a strut bar it goes on top of the struts, whats under the struts
if you decide to have a look??? the shock absorbers i know in the front of mine its a
coil-over setup and in nearly all front wheel drive cars its the same in the front end...

[02gzm]

They are all words that are loosely thrown around in the automotive industry that generally mean the same thing. Such as cap or hat meaning the same thing for example. You can use either in a situation and ppl will typically understand what u mean. The english language is notorious for the use of slang and generalisation.

[CB7_OWNER]

yar yar...dun fink ill ever understand why people use terms in the wrong context.. prolly why ive been so confused up till now lol

[night_wolf]

Stut bars = helps keep the casis rigid. thus helping the suspension to move further giving the car a little more handling. stuts also take away vibrations that come from the suspension. thicker the strut the better it is at its job but they alone wont make a drastic difference.

Shocks + Springs = give your car handlin and keeps the car comfortable while going over bumbs.

depending on your driving and how you like your handling setup you should take into account what needs to be changed. stock springs keep the ride height really heigh which in turn gives ALOT of body roll. for instance if you change your springs to low King springs body roll is less. combined with a strut bar handling improves. now if you change your shocks to coilovers you get a better range of handling and comfort. combine that with struts and your handling is greatly improved. coilovers allow user to adjust damper (shock stiffness) settings to driving style. piece of advice when getting struts, always get the front and rear done at the same time.

hope that helps. :wave:
:honda: