Friday, February 25, 2011

How Hard Does Your Suspension Have To Work?

The short answer is that it has to work pretty goddamn hard to keep your vehicle straight, and keep you comfortable during the ride.

Our Senior News Correspondent, Yuri Bonergarden, was directed to the below video where a smart gentleman has attached a camera to his Mazda Miata to capture the suspension travel over a short distance. This resulted in some pretty awesome footage, and I recommend watching it even if you don't own a car or give a shit what I'm talking about.



So even though your ride may still feel bumpy, or your suspension may be tuned stiff, you now have a general idea of how much vibration your suspension is absorbing. The suspension in the video was aftermarket sport suspension, meaning that it was designed for handling and actually absorbs less vibration than what you would get on a stock vehicle designed for comfort.

While I'm on the subject, if you're thinking about purchasing some coilovers for your vehicle, I highly recommend K-Sports. They'll cost you a pretty penny, but I threw a set of fully-adjustables on my 1992 VW Jetta GTX a couple years ago, and I have no regrets. They perform great, and I can raise my vehicle easily in the winter. This is a subject that I've researched extensively, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.
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44 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    so that is what the underside of a mazda miata looks like.

    interesting how much work they do, my car still has the stock shocks from 1998, wonder if i should upgrade for a better ride.

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  2. MArkFebruary 25, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    On my '96 last year I broke a shock pulling out of my driveway, it split right in half. It's scary to think I would've been doing 75 around a turn on the highway in just 2 more miles.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    I think my dad needs to change his suspension because his car doesn't go in a straight line it tends to drift slowly to the left.

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  4. RebeccaFebruary 25, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    awesome

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  5. The Game Store GuyFebruary 25, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    Reminds me of something I have to do. Also...very cool video.

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  6. T. BanacekFebruary 25, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    Cool video. I do give a shit!

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  7. ebm93February 25, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    Yeah that sure is important.

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  8. A Beer for the ShowerFebruary 25, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    I'd love to hook my digital camera up to my car and try this, if it wasn't for the fact that the duct tape would probably just fall off and I'd end up running over my camera.

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  9. Alex DeLargeFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:52 PM

    I'm surprised my suspension hasn't committed suicide yet

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  10. BartFebruary 26, 2011 at 12:01 AM

    thats a great cam view

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  11. The Angry LurkerFebruary 26, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    Very good I like that insight into suspension, I must be murdering the car.

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  12. RebeccaFebruary 26, 2011 at 5:24 AM

    just wanted to come by and say i am so sorry that you found y comment vague or offensive it was not my intention. i absolutely love your blog even though i am not allowed to drive a car i still love looking and learning about them. It never crossed my mind that they way i reponsed to your post would come across vague as i respond the way i don't when i hang out at car shows or with my brother in law and his friends as they rebuild cars. anyways just wanted to say sorry hope it's okay if icontinue to read your blog as my husband and i enjoy it also you are more then welcome to continue to read mine and comment even if it is only to say HI.

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  13. TastyFebruary 26, 2011 at 6:14 AM

    excellent idea that guy had for the video.. haven't seen a "suspension-in-action" video before today lol.

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  14. SkimboshFebruary 26, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    This just made me paranoid about the state of my suspension.
    I'd be afraid of losing my camera on that experiment.

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  15. Suciô SanchezFebruary 26, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    He should try that driving over pot-holes.

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  16. Kris159February 26, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    The suspension isn't the only part of the car that takes a lot of punishment, however it's one of the bigger ones

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  17. Candlej-February 26, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    my suspension isnt top notch, but at least it does it job ha

    randomramblingggg.blogspot.com

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  18. LinksssFebruary 26, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    ya I feel like my suspension may need replacement

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  19. ZakkFebruary 26, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    Great stuff, glad I'm following!

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  20. GFebruary 26, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    It seems UK roads are more full of pot-holes than ever and my suspension is taking a hammering lately...

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  21. AnonymouseFebruary 26, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    cool vid, and thanks for the tip

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  22. Nik MekeenaFebruary 26, 2011 at 6:32 PM

    wow, cool

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  23. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2011 at 1:00 AM

    Wooooah! That's pretty awesome. Great post Daz.

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  24. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2011 at 5:06 AM

    thanks for the tip. I know my suspension is turned to shit with all the potholes we have.

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  25. CandleintheDarkFebruary 27, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    yeah, nice tip. I should start thinking about how well is my suspension going.

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  26. AnonfourtwentyFebruary 27, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    I need new suspension for my car, to much off-roading is taking a toll.

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  27. Major MackFebruary 27, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    Dont even think about suspension unless the guy at the shop sez, "Hey I'm not gay, but your suspension sucks cock!"

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  28. UnknownFebruary 27, 2011 at 9:29 PM

    That is a fantastic vantage point for a racing camera.

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  29. synoptixsFebruary 27, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    great info and video!

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  30. iGodFebruary 28, 2011 at 3:46 AM

    awesome video

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  31. Ante BabajaFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:35 AM

    cool camera point of view

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  32. Justsayin'February 28, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    Cool video. Very good info. :)

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  33. noogFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    Next post: "How hard does your suspension have to work with NooG's girlfriend in the passenger seat... oh who are we kidding... he doesn't have a girlfriend... he's probably a virgin with weak wrists..."

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  34. akraterFebruary 28, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    Good suspension is important, definitely.

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  35. HiFiFebruary 28, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    First time I've seen something like this. But that's only because not a lot of people would risk putting a camera underneath a car! Awesome video!

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  36. ChefJRHFebruary 28, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    Its amazing how much force it absorbs, I don't want to think about how it would feel without them.

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  37. RawrFebruary 28, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    cool vid, support

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  38. MRanthropeMarch 1, 2011 at 12:30 AM

    thats a gnarly camera shot!

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  39. tigeyMarch 1, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    That was interesting to watch, never thought about that, suspension seems to be very important

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  40. IsaacMarch 3, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    I imagine it has to work alot harder if you're dating a fat chick

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  41. Clarence MillerMarch 4, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    following n $upporting

    comment back to hop in my loop

    therichesthappiest.blogspot.com

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  42. PS3 FnaticMarch 7, 2011 at 7:14 AM

    i'm getting y suspension checked after this.

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  43. AnonymousMarch 7, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    No new posts yet? Daz, you slackin dude.

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  44. kwileMarch 9, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    Awesome vid.

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