Suspensions

For vehicles, the term “suspension” refers to the springs, shock absorbers, and joints that connect a vehicle to its wheels. For the most part, suspensions serve two main purposes. The first is to help the vehicle turn and handle. The next is to keep the passengers comfortable. Performance suspensions seem to focus more on the first item, but at the same time, the latter isn’t always completely neglected. For modified cars with increased power, the suspension is usually an important part for further customization. This is because the stock suspension that comes with the car isn’t designed to deal with the amounts of power that aftermarket engines deliver. Because of this, the vehicle could become hard to control, and may be rather unpredictable to drive. Aftermarket suspensions are designed to allow the vehicle to handle under increased stress conditions and at the same time do a better job applying the vehicle’s power effectively to the ground (for example less unnecessary wheel spin and “fishtailing” when going through sharp turns at high speeds). On the downside however, performance suspensions are usually designed to be stiffer than the stock ones, therefore the vehicle’s ride quality with probably be negatively affected (especially in bumpy areas). On the other hand, if all you plan on doing is normal driving, you’d probably just want to stick to the suspension that comes with your car, but you should talk to a trained technician if you want a bit more out of your ride. Performance suspensions work best when matched with high quality brakes, tires, and engine power kits.

Stock Vehicle Suspension:



One type of Aftermarket Suspension: