Components of a Car Suspension

Suspension is one of the prime mechanisms apart from the car seats and tires. It is actually part of the chassis in a car. The chassis is the beneath of the car's body and contains all the related important systems. Suspension prevents the shaking of the car. The suspension system includes the following:

• Shock absorbers: While you are driving on a rough road surface, it will induce your car to get vertical motion. Shock absorbers will dampen that energy. So shock absorbers also referred to as dampers as proper name. The dampers perform two functions. As said above, the first function of the shock absorber is absorbing the energy that is caused due to the larger than average bumps on the road and prevent it from transmitting to car's chassis. The second one is to keep the tires to continuously contact with the road.

• Springs: Springs are different types of springs. Today. these are available in four types. Those are coil springs, torsion bars, leaf springs and air springs. Now we will see them each separately.
• Coil springs: Coil springs are the most common types of springs. Around an axis of the coil spring a heavy duty torsion bar. To absorb the motion of the wheels, these springs expand and compress.
• Torsion bars: To provide the performance as like coil spring, torsion bars use the steel bar's twisting properties. One end of the bar is attached to a wishbone and another end is anchored to the frame of the vehicle. The one end where it is attached to wishbone acts like lever and it moves perpendicular or vertical to torsion bar. When the vehicle's wheel hits a bump on the road, vertical motion transferred to wishbone. Then it is transferred to the torsion bar through the levering action. Then to provide spring force torsion bar twists along its axis. Packard and Chrysler used this system during 1950s and 1960s in the United States.
• Leaf springs: The leaf springs contain several layers of metal. These metals are called as leaves. These are bound together to work as a single unit. In the beginning, these are used on horse drawn carriages. We can find these in most automobiles in America until 1985. Today, these are used mostly in heavy duty vehicles and trucks.
• Air springs: This is used on horse drawn buggies and is a century more old concept. The air's comprehensive qualities are helpful to absorb the wheel vibrations. The air springs system consists of air chamber as cylindrical in between the body of the car and wheel.

The above two (shock absorbers and the springs) are the major components in a suspension system. In addition, rubber grommets are a part in the suspension system, which separate most suspension parts from one another. These are used with a sub-frame at the link of an A-arm.