A strut is the name of a complete assembly of the shock, coil spring, top mount, and top mount bearing.
Struts have a big impact on the overall ride quality of your vehicle. Every time you drive a car on the road, encountering bumps, potholes, or other obstacles is inevitable.
But what if any of the parts on the strut go bad? Let’s find out!
Symptoms Of A Bad Strut
Typically, the most common sign of a bad strut is you hear a knocking noise in your car when you drive over bumps, or you may notice a clinging noise when you turn (the front strut). You may also notice your car seems to lean to one side, and the car’s suspension feels bouncier than normal.
To give you a fuller list of signs of a bad strut, or bad struts on your vehicle, please look for the following signs:
#1. Knocking Noises When Hitting Bumps.
The front struts carry the whole weight of the vehicle. The front struts are mounted directly to the chassis by way of the wheel assembly. Therefore, when you hit a bump on your car’s road surface the struts are responsible for taking any shaking from hitting that bump, leaving you completely unaware that you hit one.
If a strut fails, you will almost certainly hear the knocking sound when you go over a bump. The sound may get worse and worse, since, when the strut is failing, its internal systems (its shock absorbers, bushings, etc.) are also failing.
If you are hearing strange and unexplained noises coming from the front of your car, you will want to have a professional check it out to determine if you require a replacement or not.
#2. Car Height Tilted on one side.
The coil spring is part of the strut. The coil springs are what support the weight of your car by holding it at a certain height. When a coil spring breaks, it causes the spring to shorten, and therefore, the car will lean to one side.
This can be difficult to see because usually it is a pretty small difference. However, if you look at the distance between the tire and the fender it is usually visible.
#3. Clinging sound when turning (Front Strut).
If you notice a clinging noise from the front when going around corners in your car, it could mean the top mount bearing or the coil spring from the strut has broken.
This affects the front struts, because the rear has no top mount bearing, and there is no steering in the rear, which will not move the rear spring in that direction.
#4. Bouncy Suspension.
As in the prior example, if the shock fails, your suspension will be out of spec. If it feels bouncier and bumpier than it did before, the strut may be worn out, or worse, broken, in an area on the front or rear suspension.
A bumpy ride is not always a symptom of shock absorber failure—it could also be caused by the failure of other suspension components, such as bushings. That’s why it is generally better to have someone you trust look it over.
He can make a recommendation for what to do next. If the recommendation is to change the front struts, replace the shock absorber on both the right and left ends to keep things equal.
#5. Unstable Car.
Another warning sign of a bad front strut is a floating front end. A floating front end can cause your car to sway from side to side.
This is not only a problem for you but for others if you are traveling fast. If you notice anything like this, the first thing to do is to get the alignment of your car checked. If the alignment is a little off, you should fix it.
If the alignment is okay, then you could take your car to the nearest mechanic and get an estimate to replace it.
#6. Uneven Wear of Tires.
Uneven tire wear is an uncommon tire wear symptom of damaged struts but does happen if the coil spring becomes broken which allows the vehicle to be lowered thus changing the wheel alignment.
If you notice uneven wear on the tires, it is a good practice to have your suspension struts scanned and have a new wheel alignment completed after the strut replacement.
Struts are a major component so do not go cheap, also, it is recommended to change the struts in pairs, meaning if you change the strut on one side, you must change the strut on the other side also. If not, your vehicle alignment will be off.
You need to have your struts checked and replaced as soon as you notice the first signs of failure. The longer you wait to repair it, the more expensive it will be to repair/replace.
What noise does a bad strut make?
Signs of strut problems often present themselves with noise. These include creaking, knocking, and rattling sounds which are generally most audible when driving over bumps and taking turns sharply.
If you think your car’s struts may be going bad, have a professional inspect them as soon as you can. Ignoring the issue could lead to damage or even an accident.
How do you know if your car needs shocks or struts?
To find out if your car needs new shocks or struts, you have to check the struts. If you buy new struts, the shock absorbers come with the struts, you just need to determine how badly part of the strut is bad.
The advantage of buying a strut is that everything that comes with the struts is new.
Is it OK to drive with bad struts?
Driving your car with bad struts is not ideal, but it depends on how bad they are. Driving with bad struts diminishes your ability to control your car when going faster, and could lead to an accident if you are not careful.
How often do struts need to be replaced?
There is no set schedule for when to replace struts– you replace them when they are worn or bad.
When you should replace your struts will depend on several factors, including the terrain you typically drive, and frequency of use.
For example, if you live where you have rough roads and potholes, you may go through struts faster than if you lived in a more rural area where your roads are smoother.