As far as upgrades are concerned, a car suspension system isn’t always a priority. However, you know it’s time to upgrade your suspension when you start feeling every bump on the road and the car’s ride starts seeming stiff. If the suspension system is not sufficiently maintained, it will surely break apart eventually, landing you in even bigger trouble.
A better car suspension means better handling. When it’s time to upgrade your car’s suspension, it’s imperative to have the right information and use your money on the correct parts and services.
If you are wondering whether performance-enhancing modifications are worth considering or not, we have shared four important suspension modifications in this article.
1. Performance Coil Overs
The term “Coil-over” indicates a shock absorber wrapped in a coil spring. Coil-overs are common car suspension components in factory setups. But the ones you buy from the factory are usually tuned for cost-saving and comfort than performance.
A good thing about aftermarket coil-overs is that they preserve and enhance your factory ride quality, while also drastically improving handling. And most of them are adjustable. So it’s easy to adjust to the setting that works best for you.
2. Wheels and Tires
No upgrade is complete without the right wheels and tires. They should be large enough to fill out the wheel wells but not out-of-scope large. You want enough clearance, and the apt wheels and tires will ensure there won’t be any rubbing against the lip.
The right tires are essentially as wide and low-profile as you can go within the boundaries of the wheels you’ve got. Just swapping the tires and wheels can give you a tremendous improvement in handling. Throw in a strut tower brace and the coil-overs, and it’ll be like driving a brand new car.
3. Anti-Roll Bars
One of the simplest modifications to enhance your vehicle’s suspension is installing sway bars or anti-roll bars. An anti-roll bar is basically a lever attaching two opposite wheels. When cornering, the outer suspension and wheel are under comparatively higher pressure than the inner wheel.
This leads to a roll. An anti-roll bar that attaches two front wheels or two back wheels is under tension when cornering. This directly impacts the wheels. This causes the anti-roll bar to lift the inside wheel, decreasing the roll and efficiently levelling car corners.
To explain an anti-roll bar’s role in simple words, think of all those cars that roll slightly when cornering hard.
They feature soft anti-roll bars. Stronger anti-roll bars will reduce the roll significantly. The car will feel more precise around the twists and bends. Moreover, less roll will enable the tires to maintain ideal contact with the surface.
4. Strut Bearings
Strut bearings, also known as tower bearings, form the touchpoint between the car’s body and the spring strut. Therefore, they are the essential components of the suspension.
On the vehicles that sport a strut-type suspension design, the front struts (comprising the springs and shock absorbers) are installed using bearing plates. Generally, suspension struts are positioned at the top of the shock absorbers, allowing torsional movement with low friction and positively impacting the automobile’s steering characteristics.
Mechanics strongly suggest replacing the strut bearings so that they do not affect the steering performance or suspension.
If you own a Ford vehicle, you are lucky as there are many options when it comes down to replacing strut bearings.
If you wish to upgrade your car to a heavy-duty vehicle, you can purchase strut bearings compatible with your car’s assembly. Just look for cheap shocks and struts website that offers quality components, and you should be good to go. Also, ensure you have the right size wrench to separate the bolts.
Conclusion
As your car ages, the suspension parts wear out gradually, without you realizing that. However, having suspension issues does not mean you have to purchase a new car. Follow the tips mentioned in this article to effectively upgrade your car’s suspension and enjoy smoother rides.