Shocks & Struts


Bumpy ride? Your car may be in need of some new shocks or struts. Failing to get these vital components of your car fixed can result in comprimising your safety. Don’t wait! Get your shocks and struts checked for free here at Salinas Tires!
Car Shocks. Shocks for cars, struts for cars
Shocks… or Struts?

Not all vehicles are built equally. Some are designed with combinations of struts and shock aborbers, while others use one or the other exclusively. Most passenger cars have their struts in the front, but larger vehicles may employ struts in the front and rear of their vehicles.

Not sure which one your vehicle has? Visit us and we’ll not only tell you, but also throw in a free inspection!

Why check them?

A bad pair of shock absorbers or struts could be devestating for the safety of your vehicle. Both the struts and shocks are components of your vehicle’s suspension system – the complex structure that supports the weight of your vehicle and aborbs impacts from road irregularities such as potholes.

As a general rule of thumb, you should aim to get these checked every 5,000 miles.

Car Strut Replacement
Shocks VS Struts

Contrary to their names, it is the struts that aborb shocks from the road. The struts refer the to springs that store the impact from road hazards into its coils. Meanwhile, the shock aborbers only act to dampen the oscillation from the springs. Because of this, struts often employ their own shock aborbers to prevent the vehicle from oscillating like a spring. Essentially, a Strut is spring wrapped around a shock aborber.

Struts are also sometimes linked to the wheel of a vehicle, so a bad set of struts could prevent your wheels from turning as expected.

Signs of bad shocks or struts

  1. You experience prolonged bouncing after hitting a bump
  2. Your vehicle dips forward excessively as you brake
  3. The rear of your vehicle abnormally lowers itself when accelerating
  4. Vehicle rocks back & forth during regular driving activities
  5. Vehicle begins dragging along to the left or right at high speeds

Mon-Fri: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

​Saturday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

​Sunday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

8813 Norwalk Blvd

Whittier, CA 90606