Is there a difference between shocks and struts? Most people often try to find an answer to this question. But, before finding the difference, you need to know about these two items and their benefits.

Otherwise, you will not understand the variance between shocks and struts. Today, we hope to answer this question correctly. So, let us get started. Difference between shocks and struts

“For those potholes, speed bumps, and rough roads, shock and struts are must-have parts in your vehicle.”

In other words, you will be thankful for shocks and struts. Without them, your vehicle will suffer drastically.

So, having high-quality shocks and struts is vital. In the next section, we will discuss the shocks and struts properly.

What Are Shock Absorbers?

Shock absorbers are part of the suspension system. As a central component, they control and absorb the impact and vibration of the movement of your vehicle’s suspension system. These shock absorbers ensure the tires are always in contact with the road surface.

“Usually, a shock absorber consists of a piston, coil, and hydraulic oil.”

For instance, shock absorbers start a compression cycle when your vehicle hits a speed bump or a pothole. First, the piston pushes the hydraulic oil.

When that happens, hydraulic oil acts as a conduit to slow the coil, making your ride experience less bumpy.

What Happens if Your Vehicle Does Not Have Shock Absorbers?

From the above section, you now know about shock absorbers. But what happens if your vehicle does not have shocks?

As mentioned, shocks help the tires maintain contact with the road surface. Without shocks, your vehicle’s wheels will bounce and vibrate against the road surface, making your truck bumpy.

Common Type of Shock Absorbers?

There are three main types of shock absorbers. You can use any one of them, depending on the vehicle model.

Mono-tube Shocks Absorbers

This is the most popular shock type. These shock absorbers are made with steel tubes (including a rod) and a piston.

When your vehicle hits a bump or a pothole, the piston pushes upward and then compresses slowly with gas help.

Duel Shocks

A duel shock has two vertical tubes and hydraulic oil. These tubes are filled with hydraulic oil rather than gas. When the compression happens, hydraulic oil is transferred into the secondary tube.

Coil-Over Shocks

Some vehicles have shock absorbers installed in the front. These shocks are called coil-over shocks and come with a coil spring.

What Are Struts?

Before we discuss the difference between shocks and struts, we need to cover one more section, which we will discuss in this section.

“Struts are a main structural component of a modern suspension system, and they act as a connection point between the vehicle’s body and the wheels. These struts play a vital role in the steering system and alignment.”

Struts can connect various parts of the suspension system, such as the shock absorbers and coil springs.

They provide much-needed help for shock absorbers to handle the vehicle’s weight.

Here are the main purposes of struts.

• When spring compresses and rebounds, the struts reduce the movement of the springs.
• Provide structural support for the suspension system.

What Happens if Your Vehicle Does Not Have Struts?

As you know, struts are a main part of the suspension system. You cannot drive your vehicle without them.

Your vehicle will immediately go off-road, and even bad struts can cause an accident. So, driving with worn-out struts is not recommended.

Difference Between Shocks and Struts

We hope you now have a better understanding of shock absorbers and struts. This section will discuss the main differences between them.

Design

Although shock absorbers and struts play a vital role in the suspension system, their design is significantly different.

Shock absorbers add to a vehicle’s design (or suspension system). On the other hand, struts are built into the suspension system. In other words, struts are a structural component of your vehicle’s suspension system.

Angles

These struts are directly attached to the caster and camber angles, and the strut’s position finalizes the caster angle.

What is the Caster Angle?

Most automotive manufacturers design each suspension system to ease directional stability and steering.

The vehicle’s wheels should follow the same path as the vehicle to maintain directional stability.

Also, it is vital to steer self-centered automatically after taking a turn, and a caster angle achieves this self-centered ability.

“The angle between the front suspension’s ball joints and the vertical line is called a caster angle. This angle can be positive or negative.”

Determining the correct caster angle is vital for you and your vehicle’s safety. So, bad or worn-out struts result in incorrect caster angles.

Cost

A strut is a pivot point for your vehicle’s steering system and includes a coil spring. This is one reason why struts are more expensive than shocks, but you will get good value for that extra money.

When to Replace Struts and Shock Absorbers

Depending on the vehicle type and the road condition, you might need a shock or strut replacement between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. There are not many differences between shocks and struts in this department.

Several factors affect this replacement time, including vehicle type and road condition. Sometimes, you might need to replace shocks and struts sooner than you think.

So, here are some indications you can recognize early if your vehicle needs shocks or struts replaced.

Unusual Bumpiness

As mentioned above, the purpose of the shock absorbers and struts is to improve the handling of your vehicle if your shock absorber and struts work smoothly.

You will not feel any bumps or vibrations. But, if these shocks and struts get worn out, you will feel unusual bumpiness.

Issues with Breaks

Damaged struts and shocks can cause severe handling issues, including breaking if your car lurches forward while braking; that might be because of the bad struts and shocks.

In this situation, you should act immediately; otherwise, you might get into an accident. So, fix the problem as soon as possible.

Tire Wear

This is one of the easiest ways to check the condition of the shocks or struts. All you need to do is check your tires for cups and scalloped dips.

The above symptoms usually occur due to a damaged suspension system. After examining the tires, you can determine the direction/side of the damaged shocks or struts.

Leaks

If you can observe small or large fluid leaks outside the shocks or the struts, it might indicate damaged shocks or struts.

Also, these shocks and struts need the right amount of fluid to absorb bumps and impacts. Either way, you should pay attention to any fluid leaks.

One-Sided Leaning

If your vehicle tips or leans to the outside of the turn when you turn it, this might affect the broken suspension system.

As mentioned earlier, damaged shocks or struts lead to a damaged suspension system.

Instability at Highways Speeds

Damaged shocks or struts make maintaining stability in high-speed situations difficult. This can be identified while driving on a highway.

Even though you might drive, your vehicle might bounce around regularly. This movement is very light; a driver can catch it effortlessly.

And remember, if the vehicle movement is very high, do not take any chances. Check the shock absorbers and struts immediately. You are more likely to get into an accident.

How to Replace Shocks and Struts?

Like most vehicle parts, shock absorbers and struts will wear out over time. Depending on the vehicle type and driving conditions, they will last around 50,000 to 100,000 miles.

However, always use Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts if you need to replace them. You can also use some other alternatives, but we highly recommend OEM replacement parts.

Furthermore, these shocks and struts should be replaced in pairs, and after the replacement, you should get a suspension alignment from a qualified professional.

It will ensure that the steering, tires, and suspension system are aligned correctly.

Wrap Up

We hope this article has given you an idea of the difference between shocks and struts.

To sum up, shock absorbers and struts are essential parts of your vehicle’s suspension system, but they are also different in design and cost.

Also, a strut helps to finalize the caster angle, which does not mean struts are more critical than shocks.

Shocks and struts should perform well if you need proper handling and comfortable riding.

So, make sure to check the shocks and struts regularly. The key takeaway is that every wheel requires some control on the ride part.