Hard Bounce

27 March 2012  

FORevery mile driven, a shock absorber is estimated to ‘oscillate’ (up and down) 500 times. That’s five million oscillations a year on an average car. Although they’re designed and constructed from materials to withstand severe punishment, there is a limit.

Drivers rarely notice when a shock absorber is failing and over time they subconsciously compensate for shock absorber wear in their driving behaviour. Tests have shown that in an emergency, a car’s braking distance can increase by 10% on vehicles where worn shock absorbers have not been replaced. They can also create a dangerous imbalance in the vehicle’s braking and steering characteristics. Thanks to Unipart Automotive for crunching these numbers for us.