What Is a Suspension

A suspension is the system of tires, tire air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. A vehicle suspension serves two purposes. A suspension contributes to the vehicle’s handling on the road, and keeping the tires firmly planted on the ground aids in safety and overall enjoyment of the ride. Ride quality is also dependent on the type of suspension setup. The performance of a suspension is inversely related to the ride comfort. Setting up your suspension for improved handling diminishes the ride quality as the suspension stiffens. Just as if the suspension was geared more towards comfort the performance aspect of the suspension would be adversely affected.