The world could very well be flat or spherical but the simplest fact remains – road surfaces are not smooth. Most times, it can be a battlefield just going on our daily chores or work. Most car owners usually feel very comfortable with their car. Their car may drive smoothly on various kinds of road surfaces leaving the passengers to feel pretty comfortable too! Such comfort can easily be lost if care isn’t taken with the shock absorbers. There’s no need to learn about the ins and outs of shock absorbers, but some knowledge will do!
What are shock absorbers?
Car owners need to know that shock absorbers – as its name implies – are the component of their cars that are assigned the task of minimising excessive motion that the car receives due to uneven road surfaces.
How do shock absorbers work?
Every single time a driver hits a bump or knocks over a hole on the road, these particular components try their best in order to absorb the oscillation due to the motion that takes place when car springs move upwards and downwards.
In order to do this, the shock absorbers enforce a piston through oil so as to develop the required hydraulic friction. This is meant to eliminate the excessive suspension motion.
There are 2 ways in which shock absorbers work. The first is the one known as compression or the closing motion. Another one is the rebound or what is also known as the opening motion. It is by these 2 ways that shock absorbers are able to maintain the contact of the tyres with the surface of the road.
Types of shock absorbers available
There are various types of shock absorbers available, each serving a different kind of purpose.
1. Air shock absorbers
Also sometimes called a load-adjustable shock absorber. Air shock absorbers use compressed air to make the absorber stiffer. Compressed air is also used for the spring of the absorber. Loading more air will make the air shock absorber stiffer while removing air will make it less stiff.
2. Damper shock absorbers
Commonly called dampers, this particular shock absorber is designed for smooth deceleration for the vehicle, and comes in two variations: fluid or mechanical.
Fluid dampers lessen the shock to a vehicle through the use of compressed fluids, while mechanical dampers mimics the fluid design, but uses electric signals instead of just a fluid substance.
3. Shocks with reservoirs
Shocks with reservoirs, or reservoir shocks, are commonly used for off-road vehicles. Reservoir shocks uses nitrogen as an absorbing material, as their primary purpose is to improve bounciness when the vehicle is travelling through rough and bumpy surfaces.
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