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6 Essential Truck Suspension Parts That Determine Truck Functionality

The automotive industry has a complete system that connects your truck with the road. The system consists of various components that are collectively called truck suspension parts. While connecting trucks, utility vehicles, and cars with the road, they play the following roles:

  • Gives stability to vehicles
  • Absorb all the shocks from bumps, potholes or rough surfaces
  • Give the ease of turning to the vehicles as par the steering by the driver.
  • Give support to the vehicle to maintain balance.

The key roles of the car suspension parts make them the essential components of the vehicle. Their essentially is a guarantee for safety and stability. 

Owing to that, the truck Suspension parts have become more sophisticated.  That’s with massive innovations and inventions. They have changed from simple parts to a complex system. But like any complete system, they are made of many components and subsystems. 

But with the continued wear and tear, some of the subsystems or components might fail. Upon failure, they might need replacement. Replacement is mandatory to restore the activity of your vehicles to the optimum. Therefore, to give the proper care to your car demands a complete guide through all the parts or subsystems.

1. Springs 

Of all the parts, springs are the essential components of the truck suspension. For they guarantee comfort. 

Usually, they are coiled metals or a pile of twistable metal bars. Coiled metals are more common for the majority of vehicles in the USA. However, some specific companies like Chrysler use torsion bars.

Regardless of their type, they are prone to fail like any other components of the car. That is because they have to keep on twisting or compressing upon hitting bumps or potholes on the road. The process results to overstretch or collapse, especially when trucks are fully loaded.

As much as they are prone to failure, the chances are too minimal. Often, their replacement results from fatigue after years of operation. A process which leads to reduced activity. 

You can quickly notice their failure in your car. That is by simply studying your car’s changing response to various shocks. 

2. Wheels and tires 

The debate to include Wheels and tires to the list of truck suspension parts is inconclusive. Yet, these are the essential parts of the system. They do have various roles which range from:

  • Shock absorption
  • Traction
  • Balancing
  • Turning 
  • Gripping for breaks

Owing to their impulsive roles, they are prone to constant wear and tear. Which, in the long run, result in punctures, leakages, or burst. They need routine replacement as soon as their grip fades away. 

3. Truck Shock absorbers and struts

Often, Truck Shock absorbers and struts are interchangeably used in reference to the spring system. But these are mutually exclusive parts of the car. Regardless of their similarity with springs, struts play a more different role. 

They dampen the motion of springs upon hitting bumps, rough surfaces, or potholes. They, therefore, suppress the bouncing motion result from the movement of springs. Often, they are fitted with oil, which might leak and cause the failure of the system. Then you have no option to replace them. 

4. Steering system 

The steering system is the ultimate initiator of the direction of motion of your vehicle. It is made up of the various joints, linkages, and a steering box. Their role is to ensure the translation of movement of the steering wheels to the actual car wheels. As such, they determine safety as well as the likelihood to evade bumps and potholes on the various roads.

Linkages in the steering system may not fail easily. But the rods and steering box can fail. That might be due to a mechanical problem resulting from wear and tear. 

Note there are various types of steering systems with various parts. The various steering include;

  • Hydraulic power steering
  • Electric power steering

5. Linkages 

As mentioned earlier, they are also components of the steering system. However, there are more rods, which serve as connecting pieces in various vehicles. The proper connection of rods helps to keep the wheels in their positions. 

Usually, there is a low probability for most of the linkages to fail, save for fatal accidents. But you can just check on them as part of a routine maintenance plan. 

6. Bushings, joints, and bearings 

Flexibility in the movement of the various subsystems of a car suspension system is key.  The flexible motion is made possible by the use of Bushings, joints, and bearings. 

They give some degree of freedom to move, twist, or shear. As such, their roles are likened to that of a lubricant.

Whereas some are made of rubber, others are purely made up of metals. Rubber might burst. While Wear and tear works on both of them resulting to breakages and failures.

These are important truck suspension parts that every vehicle owner should know. Then it can be easier to detect a looming mechanical problem and make changes early enough. 

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