Now in the vehicle aftermarket shocks and struts replacement parts market, Complete Strut and Shock Absorber are both popular. When need to replace vehicle shocks, how to choose? Here are some tips:
Struts and shocks are very similar in function but very different in design. The job of both is to control excessive spring motion; however, struts are also a structural component of the suspension. Struts can take the place of two or three conventional suspension components and are often used as a pivot point for steering and to adjust the position of the wheels for alignment purposes. Generally, we heard of replacement of shock absorbers or dampers. It refers to only replacing a shock absorber or a bare strut separately and still uses older coil spring, mount, buffer, and other strut parts. However, it will lead problems such as spring elasticity attenuation, mount aging, buffer deformation from overuse to influence the lifetime of new shock absorbers as well as your comfortable driving. Finally, you have to replace those parts immediately. Complete Strut is composed of shock absorber, coil spring, mount, buffer and all related parts to restore a vehicle’s original ride height, handling, and control capabilities one time.
Tips: Don’t settle for just replacing a bare strut which can lead to riding height and steering tracking problems down the road.
Installation Process
Shock Absorber (Bare Strut)
1. Mark the nuts on the upper mount before disassembly in order to install the new strut in the correct position.
2. Disassemble the complete strut.
3. Disassemble the complete strut by a special spring machine and mark the components during disassembly in order to install them back in the correct position, or the wrong installation will cause force change or noise.
4. Replace the old strut.
5. Inspect the other parts: Inspect whether the bearing is inflexible rotation or damaged with sediment, whether the bumper, boot kit and isolator is damaged. If the bearing is in bad working or damaged, please replace a new one, or it will affect the life of the strut or cause noise.
6. Completely Strut installation: Firstly, do not hit or clamp the piston rod by any hard object during assembly avoiding to damage the surface of the piston rod and cause the leakage. Secondly, ensure all the components in the correct position avoiding noise.
7. Install the complete strut on the car.
Complete Struts
You can start to replace only from the sixth step above. So it is an all-in-one solution for completely strut installation, easier and quicker.
Advantages and Disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
| Bare Struts | 1. Only a little cheaper than complete struts. | 1. Installation Time Consuming: Need more than one hours to install. 2. Only replace the strut, and not replace other parts in one time (Maybe other parts like rubber parts also aren’t in good performance and stability). |
| Complete Struts | 1. All-In-One Solution: A complete struts replace the strut, spring and related parts at the same time. 2.Installation Time Saving: 20-30 minutes saving per strut. 3. More Excellent Stability: Good stability can help vehicle last longer. |
Only a little expensive than bare struts. |
Post time: Jul-11-2021
