Is It Safe to Drive with a Broken Shock Absorber?
1 Answers
Driving with a faulty shock absorber can be dangerous. The most common issue with shock absorbers is oil leakage. Once a shock absorber starts leaking oil, the internal hydraulic system loses pressure balance, leading to reduced or completely lost shock absorption effectiveness. This means the shock absorber can no longer control the frequency of the spring's movement, causing the vehicle's suspension springs to oscillate too rapidly and excessively while driving. This can potentially lead to loss of vehicle control, making driving extremely hazardous. Additional relevant information is as follows: 1. Function: The primary role of a car's shock absorber is to dampen the oscillations from the spring's rebound after absorbing shocks and to mitigate impacts from the road surface. When driving over uneven surfaces, while the suspension springs can filter out road vibrations, the springs themselves still undergo reciprocating motion. The shock absorber is designed to suppress this spring movement. 2. Replacement: When replacing shock absorbers, it is generally recommended to replace both shock absorbers on the same axle simultaneously. If not, the differing damping effects of the two shock absorbers can result in inconsistent steering feel between left and right turns, as well as uneven body roll. This not only affects ride comfort but, more critically, impairs the vehicle's handling. It can make the car difficult to control during high-speed lane changes, overtaking, or cornering, thereby increasing driving risks.
