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What is the difference between shocks and springs for cars?



<< if you drop your car with springs, but no oshocks, you will feel that you will bottom out easier... >>



What do you mean 'bottom out'?

And again, what is the difference between springs and shocks?
 
Springs: They're big springs, they sit under the car, above the axles.

Shocks: Hydrolic cylinders that reduce vibration from the road.

Bottom out: scrape the car on the ground.
 
Shocks only control the "bounce" that the springs give. The springs absorb the bumps in the road, and support all the weight of the car. The shocks keep the spring from continuing to bounce after the bump has been absorbed.

If you get shorter springs ( or lower rating ) it will lower your car, but your shocks ( and rest of suspension ) will have less travel ( up and down ) for absorbing bumps.

If you want to lower your car ( Icky IMHO ) make sure to get lowered SPINDLES, and adusted springs. The spindles keep the geometry all lined up.

That help?
 
Coil-overs are not any better than regular struts or spring / shock combo's. Coil-overs are used mainly for off road racing where you need huge amounts of wheel travel, or you need dead on precise suspension.

<edit>
Coil overs are where the shock and spring are one unit. the spring is wound around the shock, with the shock being on the inside. They are nothing but FooFoo if you do not push your car.
 


<< if you drop your car with springs, but no oshocks, you will feel that you will bottom out easier... >>


That is incorrect. Just lowering your car will make you bottom out, and hit curbs and such. The shocks will be at the end of their travel if you do not adjust them, and therefore be nowhere near their best. You car could bounce more after a bump, or you will hit bottom onn the shocks and break something.

<edit>
Does this look icky? Coz thats what I want my Passat to look like.
Frankly, yes. I dislike when people do anything to a vehicle just for looks. If you are lowering it to race, then all is well. Lowering it to say it is lowered is not IMHO. That is just my opinoin, many people have them 🙂 On that car, it looks like if you hit a bump to fast it will full stuff the wheel into the fender.
 
Since nobody has really answered your original question:

Springs are what suspends the body on the frame.(or subframe in newer cars)
Basically, the body is connected to the springs, which sit on the axle on a rear wheel drive, and the weight of the body is cushioned by the spring, which bounces when hitting bumps, instead of shaking the body along with the axle.
That is a very over-simplified explanation.

Shocks simply dampen the spring's movement, so they don't bounce uncontrollably. They keep it smooth, basically. Helps the ride quality, and it keeps the tires in contact with the road, instead of bouncing off and on it.
 


<< Does this look icky? Coz thats what I want my Passat to look like. >>



Looks good to me.. (although I wouldn't personally own a Passat, just not my taste)
 
Well, this is what I really want my Passat to look like.

Text

Text

The reason why I want to lower the car is because I personally dislike the gap that is seen b/w the wheel and the wheel well.
 
Pacfanweb:

little booboo 🙂

The springs seperate the frame and the axles, not frame and body. The frame and body are seperated with body mounts ( even Unibody have them, they are over the struts / spring mount. )

<edit>
threads, it's your car, do what you want. Don;t listen to the whiners ( like me 🙂 ) as we have no bearing on what you want to do. If it makes you happy, go for it. Same reason I bought a truck that would run over just abotu anything, 'cause I wanted it. screw everyone else 🙂
 
Simple explanation:


Car with no springs, no shocks... You go over a bump and it rocks you hard...

Car with springs, no shocks... You go over a bump, it's smooth, the cab bounces, and keeps bouncing and bouncing...

Car with no springs, shocks... Shocks are all the way down... you go over a bump, it rocks you hard... almost like no springs, no shocks

Car with springs, shocks... You go over a bump, the springs take the impact, the shocks dampen the harmonic motion of the springs so you don't keep bouncing.
 


<< Simple explanation:


Car with no springs, no shocks... You go over a bump and it rocks you hard...

Car with springs, no shocks... You go over a bump, it's smooth, the cab bounces, and keeps bouncing and bouncing...

Car with no springs, shocks... Shocks are all the way down... you go over a bump, it rocks you hard... almost like no springs, no shocks

Car with springs, shocks... You go over a bump, the springs take the impact, the shocks dampen the harmonic motion of the springs so you don't keep bouncing. >>



Very well done, silverpig.

Perfect sense.

🙂
 
Evadman,

Yep, that's basically what I meant to say, but I had a convoluted way of saying it. Confuses me now just trying to read it. 😉

Well, after reading what you wrote, I agree, except that on a unibody car, there is no frame, the springs are directly connected to the body. Even with struts. Of course there's bushings there, but they do connect to the body.

Edit: there is TRADITIONAL frame on unibody cars, but there is a subframe. The shocks still connect to the body, though, unlike a full frame car where the shock connects on one end to the axle, and the other to the frame.
 


<< evadman you are correct but don't diss on a good thing..... coil overs are kewl...... go get some >>


I didn't diss 'em, they are just not needed for his application. And I have a 2500 dodge, so coil-overs are out of the question. no coil-over that I have seen can handle the weight I put in my truck.
 
Struts are a spring and shock in one, but of a different style than a coil-over. Not sure, but your car probably has Struts.

Pacfanweb: I was unaware there are vehicles out that are unibody without subframes. The steel of the body would have to be pretty thick. To what vehic are you refering?
 
If you lower a car, the distance from where the spring mounts on the axle, and the body decreses. same for the shocks. when it decreases, you need different springs / shocks from the ones that came with your car. they have to be well thought out, or you can run into problems. ( like bottoming out and the tire hitting the fender )
 
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