does the vehicle control arm have anything to do with the suspension?
Tim asked:
i mean does it provide any shock improvemnt? or smoother ride on bumps? what are some parts do i need to replace to get a smoother suspension ride? i have a 2002 honda accord and all 4 struts were replaced by monroe shocks, it’s still kind of firm. help
Rear Suspension
i mean does it provide any shock improvemnt? or smoother ride on bumps? what are some parts do i need to replace to get a smoother suspension ride? i have a 2002 honda accord and all 4 struts were replaced by monroe shocks, it’s still kind of firm. help
Rear Suspension
December 23rd, 2009 by admin
Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
December 24th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Suspension Parts
control arm is the suspension/whats wrong with the car and miles??
December 26th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Get discount suspension parts.
Unfortunately the only part that changes how firm the ride is, is the struts. Specifically the springs. There are several different firmness levels of springs available. I say this is all unfortunate because it sounds like you already replaced those and you’re not happy with how the car is supposed to handle. Hondas are known to be a little firmer than most cars. Honda does it on purpose because it provides sportier handling. Many people prefer sportier handling but some, like yourself, like a cushier ride.
The answer is to start looking at different springs for your shocks. This is probably going to be expensive because you’re looking for a custom setup instead of what the car is meant to have but it may be worth it if you plan on keeping the car for a long time.
In answer to your question, the control arm is the bottom mounting point for your strut. It acts as the pivot point between the front rail of the frame and the tire and it has nothing to do with how firm the ride is. Think of it as a door on a business. The control arm is the door hinge and the strut is the, well, actually it’s called a strut, that makes the door open and shut smoothly, with the proper resistance, without slamming. Now imagine that the door is supposed to be held open with a spring around the strut. How firm that spring is, is how hard you’ll have to push on the door to get it to close and also how hard the door will be pushed back open after you stop trying to close it. A softer spring requires less force and opens the door more slowly. Same goes for compressing the shock in your car–softer spring means less force to compress the shock, therefore more suspension travel and less body movement, and after you get off the bump the body is also pushed back away from the tire with less force.
Hope that explains it.