Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2019 March 29

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March 29

Shocks vs Springs

My car has only springs, no shocks. Cheap. Are there obvious drawbacks to replacing the springs with shocks? I hope to cut down on the bouncing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.12.10.227 (talk) 22:08, 29 March 2019 (UTC)

In a nutshell: springs absorb movement, shock absorbers dampen movement -- they work best together (the springs absorb energy and the shocks dissipate the energy). How about coil-over shocks? —2606:A000:1126:28D:84A8:1E5E:5535:59A2 (talk) 00:42, 30 March 2019 (UTC) --Note however, (depending on suspension type) springs also affect ride height, whereas regular-type shocks don't. Replacing springs with shocks might be a bad idea. —2606:A000:1126:28D:84A8:1E5E:5535:59A2 (talk) 18:35, 30 March 2019 (UTC)

Your car almost certainly has shocks. If it is bouncing the shocks need replacement. What kind of car? 67.164.113.165 (talk) 09:53, 31 March 2019 (UTC)

Rear-wheel drive cars often have coils on the front, especially the Chrysler LX platform which was used for many car models. If you know the platform your car is built on, you can see what options are available. For example, the LX platform was used for the Chrysler 300, and many Dodge models, such as the Charger and Magnum. On the Magnum, the V6 model had coil-over shocks on front. The V8 models had coils without shocks. That implies that you can swap out the coils from the V8 model with coil-over shocks from the V6 model, but you can't do that too easily. The columns are different because the V8 hemi is a rather wide engine, pushing everything outward. But, there are many coil-over shock mods available online right now, even though the car model died ten years ago. Most come as a complete suspension overhaul, replacing the tie rod, sway bars, shock mounts, etc. I personally do not suggest doing this yourself on the front. If your back end fails, it is a very dangerous situation. If your front end fails, it is even worse. 68.115.219.130 (talk) 12:02, 1 April 2019 (UTC)