Back to all

Upgrade Shocks for Better Handling in Grand Haven

September 22, 2019

Many Grand Haven drivers probably don't think of their shock absorbers as an important safety system; but that's just what shocks and struts are. They're all about ride control – keeping your vehicle tires in contact with the road and managing body motion.

Every time you hit a bump or pothole on a Grand Haven road, your tire wants to bounce up. The bigger the bump, the higher the bounce. Your shocks or struts push down on the tire to maintain the traction you need to start, stop and turn.

If you've ever ridden in a vehicle with bad shocks, you know how it wallows on corners. The front end dives when you hit the brakes and the rear end squats when you accelerate. It's not only uncomfortable, it is difficult to handle.

You may have heard vehicles described as having “flat cornering." That means that when you take a corner, the body doesn't roll very much. When shocks start to get worn, your vehicle will roll more on corners. The weight of your vehicle's body shifts and tosses your vehicle to the outside of the turn, making it harder to control.

With good shocks, you can turn corners with confidence. When the shocks are bad, the body rolls too much and you need to slow down to maintain the same level of control. When you have to combine brake dive with body roll, you can quickly end up with an unsafe handling situation.

Shocks can break or start to leak, but they usually just wear out. After all, your vehicle shocks will move up and down over 75 million times in 50,000 miles/80,000 km. If you replace shocks at Tuffy Grand Haven in Grand Haven , it will restore your vehicle's original ride control and quality. You can even upgrade shocks and struts if you want better handling or towing capacity on Michigan roads.

Shocks are an important safety system: don't wait until they are completely shot, perhaps risking your safety or damaging other suspension components. At Tuffy Grand Haven we can help you with quality shocks and struts as advised in your owner's manual, usually at around 50,000 miles/80,000 km, for a comfortable, safe handling ride in Grand Haven .

Give us a call.

Tuffy Grand Haven
435 N. Beacon Blvd.
Grand Haven , Michigan 49417
616.844.5557

More articles from Tuffy Grand Haven

Out of Joint (CV Joint and Boot Replacement)

December 1, 2024

If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it has components called CV joints which enable you to turn your wheels smoothly. The CV stands for constant velocity. In essence, its a set of gears that connect a shaft that allows power from the transmission to be sent to the wheels. When you turn the ... More

Rotation Explanation (Tire Rotation Patterns)

November 24, 2024

You may notice that when you get your vehicle's oil changed, your service adviser may recommend that you have your tires rotated at the same time. The reasons are simple. That will allow your tires to wear more evenly and reduce the noise your tires make as you drive down the road. There are di... More

A Bumpy Ride (Strut Assembly Replacement)

November 17, 2024

If youve noticed your vehicles ride has lately been bumpy or youre hearing strange noises when you drive over bumps, you may need new struts. The strut assembly is part of your vehicles suspension system thats used to absorb the irregularities on the surfaces you drive on. You have probably hea... More