The car shock absorber is the main damping element. It is necessary to constantly maintain the operational state of this node. After all, he is responsible not only for comfortable, but also for safe movement. The fact is that the main purpose of the suspension strut of a car is to dampen body vibrations from the roadway. If the rack is out of order, the car will swing, noise and vibration will appear. Let's look at the most popular option in Russia - the Kayaba shock absorber, consumer reviews and expert opinions.
Some general information
First of all, you need to understand the terms a little, as this is important for a further understanding of the essence. The first thing motorists face is the concept of "hydraulic shock absorber." But on the official websites of manufacturers of such a product is not. It must be understood that by "hydraulic stand" is meant oil.
Likewise, there are no purely gas struts. All of them are filled with oil. But at the same time, gas oil racks are more expensive, reliable and durable, as evidenced by numerous consumer reviews. Kayaba shock absorbers, for example, on the manufacturer’s official website are both gas and oil, and combined. It is necessary to understand in more detail the feature of each design, as well as the advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we consider customer reviews, which in our case will be the main criterion for assessing quality.
Briefly about the manufacturer
This world famous Japanese brand holds a leading position in the production of hydraulic equipment in the fields of shipbuilding, aviation and mechanical engineering. The company was founded back in 1950. For 57 years of being on the market, the company has achieved incredible heights. KYB is the world's largest supplier of shock absorbers for automobiles. The world market share is 24%, the organization ranks third in the supply of racks in the secondary market of Europe.
The headquarters of KYB is located in Tokyo. All enterprises employ about 7000 people. One has only to imagine that the annual turnover is more than 2.5 billion dollars. At the same time, more than 60% of Kayaba shock absorbers Excel G are in circulation. Reviews on this manufacturer are positive in 90% of cases. This is not surprising, because the Japanese company is a world leader in the supply of racks for conveyors, which indicates the highest quality products.
Kayaba shock absorbers: customer reviews
As for motorists, then for the most part there is agreement. KYB have established themselves as fairly high-quality products with a large resource. Despite the fact that the head office and the factory are located in Japan, racks are made for cars in the secondary market in Brazil and Turkey. But despite this, the quality of shock absorbers remains at a high level, which is confirmed by both ordinary motorists and experienced experts in this industry.
Many people once decided for the first time to try KYB brand products, while others were advised by friends. But in any case, people leave positive feedback. Kayaba shock absorbers are praised for their affordable cost and good quality. Perhaps the Japanese are currently offering the best value for money. There are brands that offer more reliable racks, but for many, their cost is unbearable. KYB delivers its products to the conveyor to such famous brands as Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mitsubishi and others.
Gas-oil shock absorbers and their features
As such, gas racks do not exist; there are gas oil racks. But most motorists only emit gas, meaning gas oil, and, accordingly, hydraulic (oil).
As for the design of the gas rack, then everything is quite simple. There is a rod with a piston fixed at its end. There are also two chambers, in one there is oil, and in the second there is gas under high pressure. The principle of operation of such a device is as follows. When the load on the rod, the piston presses on the oil, which practically does not compress. Through the oil, the force is transmitted to the movable partition, behind which there is gas. He, in turn, is compressed under additional load, thereby ensuring a smooth movement of the rod. When the load disappears, the gas returns to its original position, pushing the rod out.
Advantages and disadvantages of gas oil shock absorbers
There are many strengths here. First of all, I would like to highlight the fact that such racks have increased rigidity. The wheels are always tightly pressed to the road, so both transverse and longitudinal rolls are practically absent. On sports cars, this type of shock absorbers is often used, which boasts the following advantages:
- does not boil oil, since gas takes part of the heat to itself;
- provide a high level of controllability;
- withstand huge loads.
As for the cons, then they are here:
- extremely complex design;
- high level of rigidity;
- low level of comfort, regardless of the roadway;
- are quite expensive.
As for the price, there are very mixed consumer reviews. The Kayaba gas-oil shock absorbers on the Lacetti cost about 4,000 rubles apiece, and on the Lanos - about 2,500. At the same time, the oil analog costs 30% cheaper. Everyone for himself must decide for himself what is most important to him - comfort or handling at high speeds.
Kayaba oil shock absorbers: reviews and features
From the name it is clear that the cylinder cavity is filled with oil, there is no gas there. Otherwise, the design is approximately the same. There is a piston rod and check valve. Oil passes through the latter, for which it has openings of small diameter.
It is worth noting that such racks are not designed for use on poor quality roadbed. A constant load leads to cavitation (bubble formation), in fact, the oil boils. As a result of this, cavities appear and viscosity decreases, oil passes through the check valve faster. For this simple reason, such a rack is no longer so efficient. It is the cavitation effect that reduces the performance of the node, numerous consumer reviews speak about this. Kayaba oil shock absorbers are nevertheless very popular due to the robust construction of the product, and if desired, the rack of such a plan can be repaired.
Advantages and disadvantages
For city driving have not yet come up with anything better than an oil (hydraulic) shock absorber. It really makes driving a car comfortable and measured. Such a rack swallows even serious pits, so the driver will not even notice small irregularities in the roadway. The following advantages can be distinguished:
- low cost;
- simple maintainable design;
- high resource. KYB usually walks about 60 thousand km or more;
- very common.
As for the disadvantages, they are as follows:
- a car with such struts will roll in corners;
- with prolonged driving at high speed and on a bad road, a cavitation effect may appear;
- loss of performance when air enters the cylinder.
In general, for a measured ride around the city or the suburbs, this is an excellent option. But how athletic it should not be considered under any circumstances.
Excel-G line
As motorists say, these are the most tenacious racks of those that can be found for the same money. Indeed, tests show that with moderate loads racks go quite a long time. Even though they should be classified as gas shock absorbers, they are not too tough. For example, Excel-G - the softest, Gas-a-Just - the tougher, Ultra-SR - are intended only for sports driving.
Before buying, you should definitely look at consumer reviews. Kayaba Excel-G shock absorbers are considered inexpensive, and they are often installed on domestic cars. Also, drivers often say that this is the golden mean. There is comfort while driving, and a sufficient level of stiffness for good controllability of the vehicle. You can definitely recommend a purchase, especially considering the affordable cost. Although still negative reviews are sometimes found. Kayaba shock absorbers on a VAZ are relatively inexpensive, so struts are often faked. It is advisable to buy from a dealer.
Kayaba Premium: is it worth taking?
If you visit thematic forums on the Web, then this line is recommended by 100% of users. Despite the presence of such a word as “premium” in the name, these are fairly budget models that are installed on most of the domestic cars. They are also often put on foreign cars and leave positive reviews. Kayaba Premium shock absorbers completely change the thrill of driving a car. Although you should not count on rigidity here, since these are oil budget racks. They are inherent in all diseases of this type of shock absorbers. In the great frost they tan, and in the heat they weaken.
As noted above, almost 100% of users leave positive feedback. The Kayaba rear shock absorbers , for example, go more than 60,000 kilometers. This is very good considering their cost. For a set of Chevrolet Lacetti will have to pay about 9,000 rubles. This is not very expensive, and if you take into account the resource, it is almost free.
Reasonable price and high quality
Here we are a little deal with the Japanese brand KYB. As you can see, this is a very worthy manufacturer who offers high quality goods at an affordable price. This is evidenced by numerous reviews. Kayaba shock absorbers on the Niva or Lacetti will be inexpensive. Regardless of the brand of the car, drivers are satisfied, because the handling and comfort always change for the better.
Finally
Driving with idle racks is simply dangerous. This can lead to the fact that at some point the wheel loses traction, and there will be a complete loss of controllability. If there is not much money, then you should pay attention to this Japanese brand, which produces high-quality racks. True, it is necessary to beware of fakes, so it is better to place an order with a dealer or on the official website. To get a warranty card, you need to buy 4 racks at once and install them in a specialized service.
Kayaba is a worldwide brand that has earned widespread recognition. The shock absorbers of this manufacturer are very durable and of high quality, although there are those who find them too stiff or simply do not like. But this is everyone’s personal business, the benefit of brands is now a huge number, so there is always plenty to choose from.