Knowing The Signs Of Suspension Problems In Your Truck

Your truck's suspension is supposed to be reliable and stable. However, it is not invincible. Over time, the suspension will suffer wear and damage. You need to be able to recognize those signs of wear and tear so that you can have it repaired before it becomes disastrous on the road. Here are some of the things that you should be watching for.

How Does Your Truck Look?

If you look at your truck and it appears that one side is sitting lower than the other, that's a key indication that your suspension is starting to sag. The best way to test this is to push on the corner that seems to be sitting lower. Press down and release it, then watch how the truck responds. It should bounce once, then return to its position. If it bounces more than once, that's a key indication that the springs are wearing out and need to be replaced.

How Does The Truck Ride?

Part of the function of your suspension is to smooth out your ride. It helps to absorb the bumps that you hit on the road, reducing what you feel while driving. However, when the suspension starts to wear down, that ride-softening benefit is reduced. If you start to feel the changes in your ride, such as bumpier travel and rougher roads, that is an indication that your suspension is weakening. It will need to be evaluated and repaired right away to avoid any component failures.

How Does The Truck Sound?

When you have a broken suspension spring, you will hear it. It's usually most obvious when you are turning or when you hit bumps while driving. If you hear popping or clicking when you turn or hit bumps, this noise is typically the result of a bad bearing in the suspension mount but may also be a broken spring itself. Either way, it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.

How Do The Tires Wear?

Suspension problems can also lead to problems with your tires. You'll often see marks and missing pieces of rubber in the tires because of a faulty suspension. These missing pieces in the tires are caused by the impact when your tires hit the ground, and the wear leads to inconsistency in your tread.

Left unaddressed, this can lead to serious problems with your tires and your truck's handling. Talk with a local truck repair contractor, such as White Pass Garage, today for more information and to get your suspension fixed as soon as possible.


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