KYB Senior Sales Manager for UK and Eire, Romin Nassiri, takes a closer look at what makes a quality suspension system and why it’s vital to ensure a selection of quality components.
First and foremost, a good suspension system must always meet the demands of the driver. For most drivers, standard suspension is well-suited to their needs; however, depending on what a vehicle is used for, standard suspension isn’t always the best fit.
It wouldn’t be of benefit to a sports car driver, for example, or someone used to driving in off-road conditions to have standard oil shock absorbers. Instead, they would need a shock absorber with technology that allows for more response and control to accommodate their driving habits. KYB has a number of different ranges available for purchase.
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Not only will a good quality suspension component give you optimum safety and comfort, but it will also provide something economically beneficial to a motorist: longevity. Simply put, a good quality suspension system will last longer than one manufactured poorly, especially if made using cost cutting measures.
Take coil springs as an example: a key component in a vehicle’s suspension system, coil springs are designed to withstand exceptionally high levels of stress, as they work to support the weight of a vehicle. As is the case with suspension components, coil springs naturally wear over time the more they are used – they often become fatigued, causing a vehicle to sag on one side creating uneven ride height.
Corrosion is by far the most common cause of failure. Naturally exposed to the elements, stones and debris can chip away at the coating of the spring, allowing water and salt to rust the exposed steel, eventually causing failure/breakage.
We use processes to provide the best possible protection from corrosion and premature breakage, such as hot and cold coiling technology to strengthen the steel and improve durability, as well as a zinc phosphate coating and epoxy powder painting.
Premium wire is also used to manufacture the springs to prevent premature breakage. Often littered with numerous surface defects, springs manufactured with lower quality wire are significantly more likely to break prematurely than their high-quality counterparts.
To demonstrate this, KYB recently commissioned testing of both KYB springs and those of a budget competitor. When compressed a million times, KYB discovered that the budget springs compressed an average of 183,000 times before breaking completely. By contrast, the KYB springs survived a million rounds of compression; therefore, in this instance, while the budget option may seem the economical option, it’s likely that this choice would cost the motorist more in the long run, as they’re forced to replace these suspension components prematurely.
Not only does this cause issues for the motorist, but also for the workshop fitting the part too. Potentially, it could lead to unhappy customers.
Generally speaking, if fitted properly and driven in normal conditions, good quality coil springs and shock absorbers should last for at least 50,000 miles.
