Back to all

Upgrade Shocks for Better Handling in Livonia

June 23, 2024

Many Livonia 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 Livonia 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 Auto Lab Livonia in Livonia, 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 MI 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 Auto Lab Livonia 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 Livonia.

Give us a call.

Auto Lab Livonia
36251 Five Miles Rd
Livonia, MI 48154
734-432-6000
http://www.autolablivonia.com

Need Service?

Request a Quote

More articles from Auto Lab Livonia

In That Case? (Transfer Case Exchange)

January 26, 2025

Ever wonder how all-wheel-drive or 4-wheel-drive vehicles get the power from the engine to the front and rear wheels? The magic happens in what's called a transfer case. In some all-wheel-drive vehicles, it's sometime called a power take-off unit, or PTU. Inside the transfer case is a set of gea... More

Straight to the Point (Alignment Signs of Problems)

January 19, 2025

Its just common sense that your vehicle will drive better if all the wheels are lined up with each other and the road the way the engineers intended. When theyre not, that is called being out of alignment. Here are some signs that your alignment has problems. Your steering wheel isnt straight... More

Auto Lab Livonia Advice: Don't Overlook These 10 Automotive Services

January 12, 2025

Organization is the key to managing a busy life in MI. So setting up an annual calendar for vehicle care can keep Livonia residents on top of preventive maintenance. But you can't just write oil change every few months on the calendar. Modern vehicles have many systems that are vital to the safe ... More