# Car question re: suspension **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2015, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018 "2015-05-28T06:13:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/1 "2015-05-28T06:13:29Z")
About a year ago, I was told my shocks were going out based on cupping on my two front tires. Fast forward to today. My Jeep is very squirrely on the road, especially when the freeway is concrete rather than asphalt. It is really bad above 70mph. I really can feel the bumps on the road. My car dips down in front when I brake but it doesn’t seem to do it more than it always has. Maybe a little bounce but that just may be confirmation bias. The problems seem to be getting a lot worse over the last month and especially the last 2 weeks. I was planning on having the front struts replaced this weekend (payday) but how confident should I be that it is a strut problem and not something else with the wheels/suspension? ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/2 "2015-05-28T11:06:57Z")
That sounds just like an old car I had which needed new suspension on both front wheels. The bouncing and uneven steering and (especially) braking are very dangerous, especially in the event of an emergency situation when you have to brake and turn away from an incident at the same time. I’m sure someone else can come in with a more specific description or diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/3 "2015-05-28T11:41:42Z")
The old fashioned way of checking shocks was to push down hard on a corner and see how it bounces back. If it comes back like a spring - it is not being damped as it should. There are other faults that can cause the “squirrely motion” that you mention. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/4 "2015-05-28T13:16:59Z")
Age of the vehicle (or of the current struts) is a factor. On most vehicles, five-six years is pretty much the minimum lifespan unless it’s really been pounded or there are other factors. Around ten years, replacement is a no-downside thing. Even if they’re still “good,” replacements will ride and drive better. But a full check of the other suspension wear and damage points, and a full alignment need to be part of the replacement. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/5 "2015-05-28T13:24:36Z")
Well it could be the struts, another problem, or a combination of all the above. If you have cupping on the tires, that means your shocks are really in bad shape. They need to be changed irregardless if there are other issues. That is unless you are to the point of getting rid of the Jeep instead of pouring more money into it. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/6 "2015-06-02T22:43:54Z")
Struts just replaced and 24 hours later I have an intermittent problem. The front driver’s side tire will rattle and feel like its catching when it accelerates from a stop. The first time I stopped and looked for a flat. It also sounds like a carnival wheel, you know the kind the the carnie spins and it goes ticka-ticka-ticka. When I got out of my car, the driver’s side of the engine compartment sounded like air escaping for about 5-10 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/7 "2015-06-03T12:01:38Z")
For the tire ticking sound, what’s the frequency of ticking? Does it tick faster as you drive faster? If so, that and the hissing could mean you’ve caught a nail or something in the tire and the tick is that nail hitting the road. Also, cupping can be caused simply by tire wear, usually by hard braking, and not necessarily by bad shocks. How old are the tires? Are the tires wearing differently - the wear on the fronts look different from the wear on the rears? You can try rotating the tires to see if this changes your rig’s handling. As **bob++** says, test the shocks at each corner. Go to each corner of your rig and push down to compress the shock, and let go. Repeat this about roughly 2X a second to get it bouncing up and down. Once you have it bouncing at a good rhythm, let go after a push down. The corner should not continue bouncing, it should return to normal ride height after one more up-and-down when you’re no longer touching your rig. If it moves up-and-down more than that, the shock/strut is worn. Do this at each corner. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-question-re-suspension/721018/8 "2015-06-04T05:08:09Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > For the tire ticking sound, what’s the frequency of ticking? Does it tick faster as you drive faster? If so, that and the hissing could mean you’ve caught a nail or something in the tire and the tick is that nail hitting the road. I would concur with this. If the ticka-ticka sound reflects the speed, and is at a constant interval, it could be a nail, tack, or a stone in the tire tread.