Shock Absorbers
Shock absorbers help to control the movement of your vehicle’s springs and suspension.
They play an important role in your vehicle’s ability to accelerate, travel and stop with safety
and control by keeping your tyres in contact with the road at all times.
Your JAXQuickfit store is an authorised
Suspension Specialist
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Safety Triangle
There are three sides to what Monroe call ‘The Safety Triangle’ – stopping, steering and
stability – which means your brakes, tyres and shock absorbers need to work together at
maximum efficiency to ensure your safety on, and off, the road. If any part of The Safety
Triangle stops working properly, you will be putting yourself – and others – at risk.
Any time that a tyre’s contact with the ground is broken or reduced, your ability to drive,
steer and brake is severely compromised.
Monroe and other leading automotive experts recommend that you have a trained specialist
inspect your shock absorbers for signs of wear every 20,000 km.
At 50kmh, a single worn shock absorber can add up to 2 metres
to your stopping distance – and that’s roughly the width of
a pedestrian crossing!
When you drive on an uneven surface, your tyres bounce off of
the road. Shock absorbers push them back into place so you
won’t lose your ability to control and steer your vehicle.
Worn shock absorbers are also a major contributor to tyre wear,
so as well as safety and control you’ll also experience better
value and longer life from your tyres.
The tell tale signs of worn shock absorbers
Although the best way to test your shock absorbers is through a workshop
and road test by a
qualified technician, there are some very distinctive signs of excessive shock absorber wear and
tear you can keep an eye out for.
Bad Vibes
Uncomfortable steering wheel
vibration could be shock absorbers.
Nose Diving & Swerving
If the bonnet of your car dips when you brake
or slow down, or your vehicle swerves under brakes, you may have a shock absorber problem.
Trouble stopping
Worn shock absorbers can add as much as 20% to
your stopping distance. That’s the sort of fault that
can be fatal and requires immediate attention.
Uneven Tyre Wear
If your tyres are wearing unevenly,
particularly if there are bald patches, odds
are it’s your shock absorbers.
Shake, Rattle & Roll
Notice that your car ‘rock and rolls’ over
bumps, railway tracks or uneven surfaces?
Not hugging the bends? Time to get those
shock absorbers checked then!
Side Slide
If your car veers in side winds, particularly
when the wind isn’t so strong, you could have
shock absorber problems.
