Your suspension system helps keep your car’s wheels planted firmly on the road, even while turning at high speeds. Shocks and struts help stabilize your car’s movements and provide control when you turn, accelerate or ride on uneven surfaces. Shocks and struts can help your car’s handling, but they work differently. Shocks are individual components of the suspension system, while struts are a major structural component of the chassis and suspension system.
You may be wondering how to tell if you need to replace your struts or if you need to replace your entire suspension system. This article will outline 3 signs that your struts are failing and need replacement. Struts can be replaced without needing to replace the entire suspension system.
1 – Bouncing Beyond Belief
A strut’s primary job is to control your vehicle’s body motion, which includes bouncing. Struts are designed to absorb the up-and-down, side-to-side movements associated with braking, turning, and driving on rough pavement. It is normal for struts to wear down over time. You may need to replace your struts if you notice a certain softness in how your car handles or if your car is generally more bouncy than it once was. Pay extra attention to how your car’s front end handles going over bumps. Too much bounce is a sign you need to replace your struts.
2 – Clunking, Knocking, and Other Worrisome Noises
When your car’s body moves uncontrollably, certain suspension components may come into contact with each other much harder than they’re designed to. This greater range of motion is associated with worn-out struts and can lead to noisy impacts and extra wear on your suspension system. If sounds like repeated clunking, knocking, or banging can be heard while your suspension is engaged, that is a sign you should replace your struts. Driving on a bad strut can damage other areas of the chassis, so it’s crucial to replace bad struts as soon as you notice regular worrisome noises.
3 – Tires Are Worn Out
Bad struts won’t be able to keep your tires in constant contact with the road. This will make your car bounce or float as you drive, creating uneven wear patterns on the tread of your tires since they aren’t touching the ground one complete rotation at a time. If your tire tread shows spotty and inconsistent, rather than the wear being around the entire perimeter of the tire, that is an indication that your struts are failing.
Have Your Struts Replaced with McCullough NAPA Auto Care!
These symptoms of failing struts mentioned above are pretty easy to recognize. Ignoring these telltale signs that you need to replace your struts can cause more extensive damage to form within your suspension, braking, and steering systems. Replacing your struts when needed is much cheaper than the cost of repairing more extensive damages caused by driving on bad struts. Contact McCullough NAPA Auto Care today to schedule your suspension inspection and replacement strut service!
