Back to all

Upgrade Shocks for Better Handling in Plainfield

December 26, 2016

Many Plainfield 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 Plainfield 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 Tire & Auto Service Plainfield in Plainfield, 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 Illinois 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 Tire & Auto Service Plainfield 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 Plainfield.

Give us a call.

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Plainfield
23846 W 135th St
Plainfield, Illinois 60544
815-436-1337

More articles from Tuffy Plainfield

Cabin Air Filter and Engine Air Filter: What?s the Difference?

October 12, 2025

You may have heard someone say they just got the air filter replaced in their vehicle. But did you know your vehicle has two different major air filters and they both perform quite differentbut very importantduties? Todays vehicles have a cabin air filter, and an engine air filter. The engine a... More

Timing is Everything (Timing Cover Replacement)

October 5, 2025

Theres an important part in your vehicle that shields your timing belt, timing chain or cam belt from the debris and gunk that can be kicked up from the road. Its called the timing cover. Its important because the timing belt or chain is what coordinates parts of your engine called the camshaft... More

Don't be Fuelish (Signs Fuel Pump is Failing)

September 28, 2025

A driver of a large SUV loaded with equipment was heading on a 7-hour work trip when he stopped at a gas station to refuel. When he went to restart his SUV, it turned over but wouldn't catch. Try as he might, he was never able to get it started again. Of course there are many things that can c... More