A faulty air suspension is costly and dangerous in and of itself. But even beyond the struts and shocks themselves, driving a car on bad struts causes a ripple effect and putting stress on the rest of the car. This leads to extra expense and extra danger on the road. Here are just four of the components in your car that suffer from driving on bad struts:
1. Tires
While all tires eventually wear down and need replacing, the rate at which they lose their tread depends on how much friction there is with the road. Normal driving on well-maintained roads with a good suspension means there will be minimal up-and-down movement of the tires on the road.
One of the primary tasks of your car’s suspension is to keep the tires in constant contact with the road, reducing the amount of bounciness. When your suspension is underperforming, the tires will bounce up and down on the road more frequently, causing them to wear down more quickly and need to be replaced more often.
2. Joints
Vibration is the enemy of the joints in your car. It is motion and friction that wear out any mechanical parts. A car driving on bad struts exponentially increases the amount of vibration on the its frame. The joints is where the brunt of this vibration is felt. Excessive vibration will cause the joints and bearings to wear down rapidly, needing replacement and exacerbating other problems in the vehicle.
3. Brakes
Struts absorb the force of the full weight of the car coming to a stop. Bad struts aren’t able to absorb as much force, putting excess strain on the brake pads and brake rotors. This not only wears down the brake components quickly, it also increases stopping distance dramatically. At highway speeds, a car driving on struts at 50% effectiveness will take an additional 15-20 feet to stop. This can be the difference between avoiding an accident or facing serious injury.
4. Steering System
Your car’s suspension is vital to its ability to be steered. As a point of connection between the steering column and the wheels themselves, your struts help distribute the force of turning evenly throughout the body of the vehicle. This keeps your car stable and all four wheels on the ground.
A bad suspension means more force is required to steer the car, putting extra pressure on the power steering components and causing them to wear down rapidly. Bad steering components combined with a suspension that can’t absorb the force of turning is a recipe for danger.
Shop Strutmasters Suspension Parts
When you’re ready to ditch that troublesome and costly air suspension in favor of a brand new, US-made coil spring suspension, shop Strutmasters and find a kit that fits your car. Need help finding the right parts? Call today at (866) 597-2397 and let one of our suspension experts do the work for you!
