What shock absorbers to choose for our car?

If you have a driver’s license, you probably have a car. If you have a personal or family car, we are almost 100% sure that you drive regularly. And if you are driving, then you are faced with bumps on the road (they give you this opportunity in our country).

Types of shock absorbers

If shock absorbers had not been invented, and your car did not have them, then at the moment when you encountered bumps in the road, you would not only feel strong vibrations on the body of your car, but your vehicle could behave quite unstable on the road, creating a safety hazard. you and other passengers.

Fortunately, in all cars (including yours) there are shock absorbers that absorb the shock from the roughness of the road surface and provide you with the necessary stability and comfort on the road.

If you want to know a little more about shock absorbers or you are interested in what shock absorbers to choose for your car, stay with us, because we will take this seriously, namely ...

What is a shock absorber?

The simplest possible definition we can give is that these are very important suspension elements that are designed to absorb shock when the vehicle is driven over rough terrain, providing good traction and reducing vibrations and vibrations in the cabin.

In fact, shock absorbers themselves do not absorb the force of impacts. This task is assigned to the springs in the car's suspension system. When a car's wheel hits bumps, it rises, compressing and storing the energy created by the impact of the suspension spring. However, this energy needs to be released somehow, and this is exactly what shock absorbers do - they take away the kinetic energy of the spring and convert it into heat. Thus, they return the spring to its original uncompressed length, providing vehicle stability and a comfortable journey for its occupants.

How do shock absorbers work?

As a device, the shock absorber is a pipe in which a piston with a working fluid is located. When the suspension moves up and down, the working fluid in the piston passes through the small holes located on it.

Since the openings are very small, the amount of hydraulic fluid leaving is small, but this is enough to slow down the piston, which in turn slows down the movement of the spring and suspension.

Types of shock absorbers

Shock absorbers differ both in design and in the working fluid they use. Despite these differences, however, it can be said that the main types are two - two-pipe and one-pipe.

Two-pipe hydraulic shock absorbers

The twin tube design is the most common and cheapest version of shock absorbers. The device of shock absorbers of this type is relatively simple and consists mainly of two tubes - external and internal. The outer tube serves as a reservoir for the working fluid (hydraulic oil), and the inner tube serves as the working fluid, and the piston moves the fluid.

This type of shock absorber has the advantage of making the ride softer and smoother, which provides additional comfort for passengers in the car. In addition, the price at which they are offered is very reasonable, which is another plus in their favor.

Unfortunately, two-pipe oil shock absorbers have many drawbacks, the main one being that when driving on very rough roads, a quick movement of the piston can lead to oil overheating and foam, which reduces the ability of the shock absorber to control the movement of the wheel.

Double pipe gas shock absorbers

The difference between the two-pipe oil and gas shock absorber is that in the second type the outer pipe is filled with one part of hydraulic oil and one part of gas (nitrogen) under pressure. Gas impedes the formation of bubbles in the hydraulic fluid. This prevents the oil from mixing with air and therefore foaming.

By reducing aeration of the oil, the shock absorber can respond faster when it is necessary to control the movement of the car wheel.

The advantages of this type of twin-tube shock absorbers are that they are very durable, guarantee greater stability and better grip, provide faster response and control even when driving on very rough roads, and also prevent quick suspension wear.

Their main drawback is their higher price.

Single pipe gas shock absorbers (standard)

Single-tube shock absorbers are tubes containing compressed gas. Inside the pipe there are two pistons: dividing and working. The design of the two pistons is similar to the design of two-tube shock absorbers, since the main difference between the two types of shock absorbers is that the single-tube can be installed in any position.

Another major difference is that single-tube gas shock absorbers do not have a base valve. Instead, all control during compression and stretching is done by the piston. During operation, the piston moves up and down, while the piston rod moves and protrudes beyond the shock absorber, constantly maintaining tube fullness.

The main advantages of this type of shock absorbers are that they can be installed in any position without affecting their operation, and they are easily and quickly cooled, since the working tube is exposed to air.

The disadvantages include: a higher price, a stiffer suspension and, therefore, stiffer driving, as well as the fact that in case of damage they must be replaced.

Of course, there are other types of shock absorbers, but we will stop here because it is time to talk about something that, we are sure, will be of great interest to you.

What shock absorbers to choose for our car?

Here are a few basic things to think about before you start looking for shock absorbers for your car:

Car compatibility
To be absolutely sure that you are buying and installing the right shock absorbers, you need to make sure that they are compatible with your make and model of car.

Driving conditions
Quite often, whether shock absorbers are suitable or not depends on the conditions in which you usually ride. If, for example, you often drive on rough terrain or you like high speeds and off-road racing, then gas shock absorbers are more suitable for your car. If you drive along city streets or highways more often, you can stop on oil and gas shock absorbers.

Material and durability
Even if the shock absorbers provide you with maximum control and driving comfort, if you have to change them often, this will not be in your favor. To maximize the use of shock absorbers, you must carefully select the material from which they are made.

Shock absorbers are made of different materials, but the main ones are two: steel and aluminum. Steel is heavier and the entire installation is more bulky and has a shorter life, but they are cheaper in price. Aluminum is lighter, their installation is faster and easier, they have a longer service life, but their price is higher.

Price
Although the compatibility, material, and performance of shock absorbers are important, price is also a factor that should not be underestimated. Therefore, before you start looking for the right shock absorbers, it is useful to determine the budget that you are willing to spend on the purchase of shock absorbers, and try to find the best quality that fits your budget.

Popular brands and models of shock absorbers
Which shock absorbers you choose for your car is completely up to you, and we can’t tell you the make or model, but we can present you with the ranking of the popular American site Ranker.com “Top 3 most popular brands of shock absorbers”.

BILSTEIN

BILSTEIN is a German company that is part of the Thyssen group, which produces one of the best brands of shock absorbers and deservedly takes the first position in the ranking. BILSTEIN shock absorbers have excellent stability on the road, guarantee very good passenger comfort in the car and are quite durable. The price at which they are offered is quite good and the range of shock absorbers they offer can meet the needs of every rider.

BILSTEIN does not manufacture oil shock absorbers, only twin-tube gas shock absorbers. For regular (standard) cars, the brand's most popular models are from the B 4 series, while for sports and luxury cars, from B 6 to B 12.

RICH
When we talk about the best brands, we can not miss the Japanese brand KAYABA. Unlike BILSTEIN, KAYABA produces and offers oil double-pipe and gas double-pipe and single-pipe shock absorbers.

Their most popular models are oil twin-tube shock absorbers from the Premium series, twin-tube gas shock absorbers from the Excel-G series and single-tube shock absorbers from the Gas Simple series. KAYABA products are in demand in both Japanese and European markets as they have very good performance and are quite durable.

SACHS & BOGE
Both brands belong to the German giant ZF, and their products are quite similar in quality and price. Both brands produce high-quality shock absorbers, and the price-performance ratio is much higher than the other two popular brands BILSTEIN and KAYABA.

The BOGE shock absorber line is able to meet the needs of more than 4400 different types of vehicles (from cars to trucks), and the main categories in the SACHS catalog are Sachs Super Touring and Sachs Advantage.

In addition to these brands, BIRTH, OPTIMAL, GABRIEL, STARLINE, ASHIKA, MAGNUM, VAICO, ACDelco, Monroe, Koni and others also entered the rating.

And before we part, here are some very brief tips that can come in handy when choosing shock absorbers for your car:

• If possible, avoid oil shock absorbers at all.
• If you have to choose between two-pipe and one-pipe shock absorbers, choose two-pipe.
• Always check your vehicle's shock absorbers every 20 km. and be sure to change them in no more than 000 km.
• When replacing shock absorbers, check other suspension components and replace worn components if necessary.
• Always change shock absorbers in pairs, and if you have the opportunity, the best solution is to replace all four shock absorbers at the same time.
• Replace suspension springs at each second change of shock-absorbers.
• If you are not sure which shock absorbers are best for your car model, consult a specialist before buying.
• If you yourself have never changed the shock absorbers, the best solution is to leave this work to professionals.