Without suspension, driving in your car would be a much bumpier experience. The spring-like system attached to your tires is what helps keep an uneven road from feeling like you’re riding up the chain lift of an old, rickety rollercoaster.
However, if you don’t take care of your suspension system, you’ll start noticing even the smallest bumps in the road. That’s why knowing what kinds of things can damage your vehicle’s suspension is a good idea. That way, you can take the necessary steps to ensure its longevity.
Hitting Bumps at High Speed
Some of the biggest killers of suspension systems are potholes. The sudden shock of hitting one is startling for everyone in the car and your suspension. The hard impact will cause the internal components of your system to deteriorate more quickly than usual. While it’s rare for a single pothole to destroy your suspension, repeated incidents will shorten its lifespan.
However, this applies to more than just potholes. Any sort of large bump that your vehicle hits at high speeds can mess up your suspension system. Speed bumps, curbs, and large pieces of debris can cause issues if you hit them hard enough, so be careful when driving over, around, or near them.
Slamming on the Brakes Too Hard
Something else that can damage your vehicle’s suspension over time is breaking really hard. Obviously, this is necessary at times, but constantly doing it will put a lot of pressure on your suspension. The coils will need to exert more force to keep your car level when braking. The harder you do it, the more pressure there will be.
Exceeding Recommended Weight Limits
While it’s hard to reach, all cars have a weight limit that will vary depending on the model. Even though exceeding this limit will put a lot of strain on multiple parts of your vehicle, its suspension will take the biggest hit.
This damage worsens if you don’t evenly distribute the weight, which is easy to do. When going on vacation or packing to move, most people overload the back of their vehicle. This puts a ton of stress on your back suspension, wearing it out quicker than the front suspension. To avoid this, pack your car evenly to ensure even weight distribution.
Skipping Suspension Maintenance
Finally, even though these other problems can quickly debilitate your car’s suspension, this system will wear out over time regardless of how you handle your car. That’s why you must ensure you don’t skip regulatory suspension maintenance.
Even though you don’t need to do it as often as an oil change, you should find a place that can perform a car suspension inspection for you occasionally. The mechanics at these places will be able to tell you how your system is doing and advise you on how to make yours last for as long as possible.
