Driving your auto, SVU or even truck so that it as if you are rolling down the road on your living room sofa is the dream of more than one motorist. You aught to thank automotive springs even more than shock absorbers for your apparently smooth ride.

Although there are many ways and means of coupling suspension systems they all basically and fundamentally rely on springs and shock absorbers.

There are three main types of road springs – leaf springs, coil springs (helical type) and lastly torsion bar type automotive springs.

The leaf spring comprises a number of steel strips called “leaves” mounted one on top of each other and clamped together tight. The most common arrangement is for the spring with the shortest leaf underneath to be bolted at its center to the wheel axle and the two ends attached to the underside of the car body or frame.

Each end of the spring is “pivoted’, the rear end being connected by a swinging link known as a “shackle”. This method of attachment allows for the spring length to alter as it straightens out when hitting a bump in the road, highway or street. When the road wheel passes over a bump, the spring is compressed and the leaves slide over each other and then force the road wheel back into contact with the roadway surface. The wheel and tire are then forced back into contact with the road where it returns to its normal shape.

A coil spring is a strong helical spring which is used in place of the leaf spring. It is normally fitted to the front wheels to provide independent wheel suspension.

The torsion bar is sometimes used instead of a coil spring on auto independent suspension systems. It compromises a steel rod which is anchored at one end and twisted by the upward deflections of the road wheel. In untwisting it forces the wheel back onto the road surface.

Rubber suspension is used on some vehicles. In this case – that of “rubber suspension” the automotive spring is substituted by an actual rubber “cone”. Compressed by the vertical movement of the road wheel it expands again so forcing the wheel back onto the road surface. A further development if this type of spring is in development and is employed in a futuristic auto spring employed in the “hyrolastic” system which actually uses fluids to transfer the weight of the car onto conical rubber springs.

Second in line in providing comfort to motorists are shock absorbers which function along with auto springs. The function of shock absorbers is to dampen down the bouncing actions of the road wheels after they hit bumps or encounters vibrations on their travels. Shock absorbers also work and complement the vehicle’s springs by dampening the oscillations of the springs.

There are a considerable number of different types of shock absorbers. However most of them operate on the hydraulic principle. They comprise of a cylinder filled with special hydraulic fluid which is transferred from one half of the cylinder to the other through a controlled orifice by the action of a piston connected to the axle. Thus the unwanted vertical movement of the axle or wheel is therefore rapidly absorbed.

Enjoy pleasant, comfortable and smooth driving down the highways of life.

Author Bio: Terry Z. Vostor Canada Chrysler Edmonton Clearance Center