Shock Absorber Suppliers South Africa
“Shock absorbers are often the last component of a car to be considered for replacement, but they’re also a primary key to your safety. They are as important as properly fitted, quality tyres, airbags and properly functioning brakes.
Three out of five cars in South Africa have worn shock absorbers and, in most cases, the driver is unaware of this fact. On average, South African vehicles on the road are in the region of about 12 years old. It’s known that after three years of use, shock absorbers become less effective.”
“Shock absorbers are integral to your safety whilst driving. When worn, they can result in inaccurate steering, slow down your stopping and give your vehicle additional sway and bounce, all posing a safety risk on the road.”
Shock Absorbers Explained – What Are Shocks?
“What we call shock absorbers are really “dampers.” The springs in a vehicle’s suspension absorb bumps and other road shocks by compressing, and the shock absorbers control the amount of bouncing created when the springs rebound.”
Warning Signs – Several warning signs can tell you when shock absorbers need replacing, such as your car bottoms out over railroad tracks, speed bumps or dips in the road or keeps bouncing well after the fact. Other signs are unusual noises over bumps, excessive body lean in turns or that the front end of the car dives sharply in hard braking. Because shocks wear out gradually, you might get used to a looser, bouncier ride, much like you get used to longer stopping distances as brake pads wear out.
Tests – One way to test shocks is to push down hard on each corner of a vehicle. If the car continues to bounce after you let go, your shocks need replacing. However, this test may require quite a bit of strength, and with many high-riding SUVs and pickups it isn’t easy to get the leverage you need.
Instead, you should have a qualified mechanic check your shock absorbers when your car is on a lift, such as when you have tires rotated. The mechanic will be able to see if there are major leaks (shock absorbers are filled with fluid), worn mounts or bushings, or physical damage such as dents.
Maintenance – Despite advice to replace shocks at specific intervals (often from those who sell replacements), such as every 80,500 kilometers, when you need to do it can vary by vehicle and how and where you drive. If you frequently drive over rough, pockmarked roads that put more stress on the shock absorbers, then you will probably need to replace them more often than if you drive mainly on smooth pavement. Carrying heavy loads also will wear out shocks faster.
When to Replace Shock Absorbers – South Africa
- Stopping distance – longer stopping distance
- Car nose-dives – swerving & nose-dives
- Car vibrating – vibrations
- Car sliding – car sliding & veering
- Car rocking – rocking & rattling
- Tyre wear – uneven tyre wear
Shock Absorber Suppliers South Africa
In South Africa, we have numerous suppliers of various shock absorber brands. The most popular shock absorber brands found in South Africa are:
- KYB Shock Absorbers
- Gabriel Shock Absorbers
- Monroe Shock Absorbers
KYB Shock Absorbers
“KYB is one of the world’s largest suppliers of shock absorbers to vehicle manufacturers, with 1 in 4 of all vehicles leaving production lines worldwide fitted with KYB as standard. KYB is also the largest OE shock absorber supplier in Europe. Years of expertise have helped KYB to become an industry leader not only in shock absorber production but integrated automobile control systems and suspension module production and development.
KYB aftermarket shock absorbers are manufactured using the same factories and technology as for OE. The valving is updated to allow for the fact that the shock absorbers will be fitted to a vehicle with other worn suspension components; in order to restore the ride as close as possible to how the vehicle was when it was brand new. This means that KYB aftermarket products are the same as OE supply.
KYB provides superior product quality to all of its customers throughout the world in a variety of industries. KYB will never compromise on product quality. All KYB factories are certified with ISO9001, QS9000 and ISO14001.”
Gabriel Shock Absorbers
“Today Gabriel South Africa employs nearly 300 staff members at its manufacturing plant in Retreat, Cape Town, producing shock absorbers, MacPherson struts, strut cartridges (pressurised and non-pressurised designs), and gas springs (Gabriel Gas Lift).
Our state-of-the-art manufacturing plant houses its own research and engineering facilities. Prototypes are assembled, tested and re-tested here by qualified engineers under laboratory as well as actual operating conditions.
Our products are distributed nationally to spares shops and workshops through our wholesale network; we also export some of these products internationally. We have trained representatives, based in in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Kwa-Zulu Natal, which service some 1600 retail outlets.
These nationwide retail outlets proudly display the Gabriel name which has become synonymous with the highest standard of quality.”
Monroe Shock Absorbers
“OE manufacturers request that their suppliers be prepared to provide products any place in the world. Monroe, a leading OE supplier, is well equipped to do just that.
With facilities around the world, we can supply the OE manufacturers on a global basis. We have developed integrated, electronically linked global engineering and manufacturing facilities. We use advanced engineering and test capabilities to provide product reliability, endurance and performance. Our engineering capabilities feature advanced computer-aided design equipment and testing facilities.
These full-service engineering and development centers span five continents and allow Monroe to bring new products and the latest technologies to the market faster.”
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Source credits:
To view additional shock absorber suppliers in South Africa, follow some of the links below:
https://www.supaquick.com/passenger-4×4-shock-absorbers
http://autozone.co.za/category/products/categories/shock-absorbers/
http://www.grandmark.co.za/tyndall/
https://www.bossautospares.co.za/all-vehicles-spares/shock-absorber
http://www.validtradesa.co.za/shocks-absorbers-distributors/monroe-shocks-struts
All opinions expressed in this article are not the onus of the publisher nor supplier.