I'd say if you like your wife then you might want to invest in the
heavy duty shocks. if you got 100,000 miles out of them then be
glad. Lee
On
Fri,
Jun 27, 2008 at 06:54:43AM -0400, Scott Howell wrote:
> Now out of curiosity, we own a Jeep Grand CHerokee. Now Jeeps have a
> rough ride to begin with, but she's got about 100,000 miles on her. I
> wonder if it would be nearing time to replace the shocks. Lately it
> just seems to me that it has a little more bounce and roll than I
> remember, but it could be me. My wife probably wouldn't notice it as
> much, but she's a driver and not interested in anything mechanical in
> her vehicle. At least she knows where the gas goes and how to put it
> in and she has an idea where the oil is and probably could figure out
> how to check it, but she'd assume just leave all the maitenance to me.
> The nice thing about the Jeep on at least the front-end is you don't
> need a spring compressor to change the shocks. I've never done it
> before, but I gather it's not all that hard to do.
> On Jun 27, 2008, at 11:47 PM, Ray Boyce wrote:
>
> > Most people don't realise their vehicle needs new shocks until they
> > get much
> > worse. The wear is usually so gradual that we become accustomed to
> > how our
> > vehicle drives and take it for normal. Every now and then I see
> > another
> > vehicle on my travels that is slowly floating up and down as it
> > travels down
> > the smooth highway. The driver seems totally unaware of the
> > vehicle's motion
> > but this vehicle has badly worn shocks.
> >
> > Struts (MacPherson Struts), used on many cars are a larger version
> > of a
> > shock absorber. Struts have a shaft in them about the diameter of a
> > large
> > thumb because the strut has the job of holding the suspension
> > upright. Shock
> > absorbers have a shaft about the size of your little finger and are
> > only
> > used to control suspension movement. Struts can wear the same as
> > shocks but
> > usually last longer because of their larger surface areas on the
> > shaft and
> > internal parts to accommodate the wear.
> >
> > So how do you know when it is time to replace your shocks or struts?
> > Let the
> > handling of the vehicle tell you. The typical test is to push down
> > with all
> > your body weight on one corner of your vehicle at a time and quickly
> > jump
> > off. The vehicle should rise, go down slightly and then return to
> > its normal
> > height. If the vehicle bounces more than this, then the shock or
> > strut is
> > worn. The trouble with this test is it only checks for severely worn
> > units.
> >
> > Most of our driving is done on relatively smooth road surfaces. The
> > suspension is moving up and down only a small amount so all the wear
> > in a
> > shock or strut is concentrated in that small area. Hit a bigger bump
> > and the
> > shock moves to an unworn part of its travel and seems to work fairly
> > well.
> > It is the smaller bumps that need improved control. To check for
> > wear in
> > this small range of travel, you have to become aware of your vehicle's
> > handling.
> >
> > Because I test drive many new vehicles, I am used to the feeling of
> > good
> > shock control. Worn shocks become much more obvious. If you are
> > driving the
> > same vehicle every day, then you need to take a critical assessment
> > of your
> > vehicle's ride and handling over small bumps to determine how good
> > your
> > shocks are working. If your vehicle skitters a little bit or gives
> > an extra
> > little bounce when hitting a small bump, then you are soon ready for
> > new
> > shocks.
> >
> > Shocks (and struts) control suspension movement by regulating the
> > flow of
> > oil through small orifices in pistons inside the body of the shock.
> > When you
> > open a door with an automatic closer, you are using the same type of
> > control. The door opens easily but closes slowly. For suspensions,
> > the shock
> > allows the wheel to move upwards quickly as it hits a bump but lets it
> > return to the normal ride position slowly so the vehicle doesn't
> > bounce.
> >
> >
> >
> > Heavy duty shocks and struts use larger internal parts for better
> > control,
> > while gas-filled shocks and struts use gas pressure inside the shock
> > to
> > prevent the oil from foaming. Foamed oil passes through the orifices
> > inside
> > the shock without any damping effect, so it acts like a badly worn out
> > shock. I always recommend heavy duty shocks as a minimum. If you
> > drive a
> > performance vehicle or drive on washboard roads or rough off road
> > surfaces,
> > you could benefit from the extra control that gas-filled shocks
> > provide.
> >
> > Some vehicles have variable ride control. There may be normal,
> > touring and
> > sport modes. These vehicles use shocks or struts with adjustable
> > valving
> > inside the shocks. Many use a small motor on the top of the shock or
> > strut
> > that turns a rod down the centre of the shock shaft to vary the size
> > of the
> > internal orifices. Other vehicles use a solenoid to change the size
> > of the
> > orifice, while a few GM vehicles now have MagnaRide shocks that use
> > magnetic
> > fluid and electro-magnets to control the viscosity of the oil. All
> > these
> > systems provide greater ride comfort and control but replacement
> > shocks can
> > be very expensive!
> >
> > Shocks do much more than give us a smooth ride. They are a critical
> > part of
> > the suspension control. A vehicle with poor shocks can be dangerous to
> > drive. It may seem fine until you need to panic brake and hit a bump
> > or need
> > to make a sudden swerve to avoid something. Then the vehicle may go
> > out of
> > control. Next to better tires, new shocks will make the most
> > significant
> > difference in your vehicle's ride and handling. If you find it is
> > time to
> > replace them, buy the heavy duty or gas-filled units. This is one
> > area when
> > the extra cost is worth it.
> >
> > Jim Kerr is a master automotive mechanic and teaches automotive
> > technology.
> > He has been writing automotive articles for fifteen years for
> > newspapers and
> > magazines in Canada and the United States, and is a member of the
> > Automotive
> > Journalist's Association of Canada (AJAC).
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> Scott Howell
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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