Your vehicle’s suspension is perhaps its most important system when it comes to the way it handles and how it responds to the road beneath you. If you want to improve your vehicle’s driving feel and get sportier, tighter handling, upgrading your shocks will be your best bet. Performance shocks are a great way to take your vehicle to the next level, but you should have a good idea of how they can improve your car and what to look for when shopping for them.
Knowing what types of shocks are available and which features are the most important will help you make the right choice for yourself and your car.
Performance shocks are specifically designed to improve the handling of your vehicle. They help reduce body roll, which is one of the main causes of sluggish handling in cars and a slower response in the steering wheel. By tightening up the overall feel of the car, performance shocks can completely rejuvenate it and help you feel more in control, especially at high speeds.
Ride Comfort
When you upgrade the stock shocks in your vehicle, you can get a much more comfortable ride. Performance shocks can handle road imperfections better than the stock components and will help reduce the vibrations and harsh jolts that many drivers have to deal with on city streets. If you are looking to improve the way your car feels on long drives and short trips around town, a shock upgrade could be a great choice.
Durability
Performance shocks can handle much more in the way of impacts and extreme driving conditions than the stock units that your vehicle came with. If you do any kind of off-roading or racing, a shock upgrade is essential. You will end up doing far fewer replacements with the enhanced durability you can get from an upgrade.
Types of Performance Shocks
Twin-Tube Shocks - Twin-tube shocks are incredibly common in stock components but there are also high-performance versions. They consist of an inner working tube and an outer reserve tube, which both hold the hydraulic fluid that absorbs the impact and movements of the road.
Monotube Shocks - Monotube shocks have a single-tube design that is perfect for high-performance situations and extreme conditions. Due to the simplicity of their design, they are much more durable than twin-tube shocks and can stand up to tough driving.
Gas-Charged Shocks - Gas-charged shocks use pressurized gas, which is usually nitrogen, to help relieve some of the impact that the shocks take on a daily basis. This pressurized gas protects the oil and the metal components inside the shocks so they can handle heavy-duty use.
Coilover Shocks - If you want to fully integrate your suspension system, coilover shocks are an excellent option. These shocks have a spring that sits over the shock itself to provide a tighter, more athletic driving feel. They are incredibly adjustable, which makes them perfect for racing applications and drivers who want to be able to customize their ride quality and handling.
Features to Look for in Performance Shocks
Adjustability
When looking for high-performance shocks, it is important to find components that are easily adjustable. This is especially true for drivers who use their vehicles for all kinds of different applications. Should you want a tighter, more racing-oriented driving feel, shocks that have adjustable damping can help you control the compression and rebound so you can get a stiffer driving feel. In some cases, you can also adjust the ride height if you want to change the look of your car for a show or simply for a different aesthetic on the road.
Build Quality
Build quality is an essential consideration when shopping for performance shocks for your vehicle. Look for shocks that are made of high-quality materials like alloy steel and carbon steel so you can rely on them to last a long time, even under extreme conditions. High-quality materials will also be resistant to corrosion, which is essential if you get a lot of snow or rain where you live or if you ever take your vehicle off-road. Knowing that you can rely on your shocks to stay in one piece will give you the peace of mind you need.
Compatibility
The performance shocks you choose need to be compatible with your specific vehicle. Different cars have different connection points for the suspension components and you don’t want to have to make extreme modifications to your vehicle just to accommodate a new set of performance shocks. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of shocks available for all different makes and models of vehicles so you should be able to find something that is relatively plug-and-play for your car.
When you want the best performance shocks for any application, AmericanMuscle has you covered. With everything from coilovers to monotube shocks from the top brands you trust, you can find the perfect solution for your performance needs and get your parts quickly with fast shipping.
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