Since the 90s, many manufacturers began to offer car owners to buy avtobafery. Reviews of the usefulness of these devices to this day remain ambiguous: some talk about the undeniable benefits of such an installation, while others consider it absolutely useless, while some even don’t even know in principle what it is and what it is for.
Story
The founder of TTC, unknown at that time, worked in a small store selling all kinds of car accessories in Korea. In the process of this lesson, he came up with the idea to release new equipment, which today we know as a lot of auto-buffers. User reviews, satisfied with the purchase of this device, were largely very positive, and therefore it began to enjoy wide popularity around the world.
Jung Soo suffered from a sore back due to osteochondrosis and pinching of nerves. In the process of driving the car, every time it gets into the pit or on any roughness of the road, the pressure is transmitted to the passenger compartment through the suspension, which caused him extreme inconvenience and caused painful sensations. After that, he began to think about how to make the trip by car more comfortable and enjoyable, and eventually developed autobuffers. The reviews were initially insignificant, and with the first tests he did not get the desired results, but over the next 20 years his development was constantly developing not only by him, but also by many other manufacturers, in connection with which new variants of form and materials began to be used.
Today, these devices are a modern and effective solution for any car, designed to increase comfort and make driving more enjoyable compared to driving a car with a standard suspension installed by most world manufacturers. Today, in many countries you can find autobuffers. Reviews about these devices in Russia began to appear relatively recently.
What materials are used in their manufacture?
Shock absorbing pillows are made from a special transparent urethane and a special composition. Thus, a high-tech material is obtained that effectively absorbs various shocks and vibrations. It is worth noting that exactly the same material is used by Nike - the leading manufacturer of sportswear - in the manufacture of shoes. It is characterized by a peculiar memory effect, due to which, after any load, it returns to its original state. TTS has a contract for the use of this material in the field of automotive components, and at the moment only automobile buffers are made from it. Reviews of car owners about this device in many ways indicate that innovative material really bears fruit, and its use can increase driving comfort.
Pillows TTS can be called the result of many trials and errors identified in the process of twenty years of testing the product and materials used.
How do they affect the car's suspension?
Many people believe that a spring can break if you install autobuffers on it. Feedback from car owners often indicate the opposite, and we will try to figure out why.
Most experienced drivers remember the rubber inserts that were popular at the time, which Volg and Zhiguli owners quite actively installed on their cars to lift their car. These devices were the first attempts to modernize the initial characteristics of the suspension and partly allowed to solve the problem with increased clearance, which for many remains relevant to this day. Indeed, with their help they managed to raise it, but the price for it was quite high, since various operational characteristics of the car were lost, and the effect was achieved completely different compared to how the auto-buffers work. The reviews are mostly negative: “riding like on a stool” - this is how many drivers described their travels.
Of course, in such situations, the risk of malfunctions in the springs increases significantly, because the coil in which such a piece of rubber is inserted ceases to work, giving its load to the rest, although they are not designed for it. Almost immediately after these inserts began to gain distribution with us, testers in Korea were engaged in similar studies.
What is the result?
For 20 years, TTS has been involved in the testing, development, and breakdown of various forms and materials from which autobuffers were made. Negative reviews about existing devices were also taken into account, and the manufacturer tried to fully satisfy the interest of consumers. It is worth noting that it is the form and the material used that are the main differences between modern devices and the “rubber bands” that were used in Soviet times. At the same time, the auto-buffer is primarily created to ensure safety and comfort during driving, and the fact that it allows you to slightly raise the car is already its secondary function.
Throughout the entire period of existence of such accessories in Korea, there have been no cases of spring breaks due to the fact that TTS autobuffers were installed in it. Reviews about such devices were mostly left only positive, because even if you squeeze it with your hands, it will easily succumb and compress, that is, it changes its shape even with light loads, not to mention how much the car’s spring is compressed during the ride .
If we talk about the useful properties of this equipment, it is worth noting its protection against breakdown, which increases its overall service life by about two times. Thus, a useful device provides comfort and safety for your car, without having any negative impact on any components or assemblies.
How do they differ from spacers?
Now we will consider what are the differences between standard spacers and what are TTS autobuffers. Reviews of car enthusiasts often include information about the fact that car buffers are standard spacers in the springs, but in fact this is not entirely correct. Of course, they are inserted into the springs, and many remember how different springs and balls were used for the same purpose at the dawn of perestroika, but in fact there is a rather serious difference from what the products of that time were: these are material, technology production and main goals.
Previously, a standard piece of rubber was used for this, which constantly burst and cracked, could zadub in the cold and was used mainly to increase ground clearance. Modern autobuffers are specially designed forms made of urethane, which gives the car a lot of new opportunities. Often these devices are called shock-absorbing pillows, and they serve primarily for comfort, smoothing out various bumps in the road and reducing shaking, which makes driving more enjoyable.
What do they give?
Spacers are used mainly in order to increase the clearance, and install them directly under the shock absorber support or spring, which allows you to increase the height of the car by about 3-5 centimeters. Moreover, the cost of this pleasure is quite high, and ultimately the driver receives the following:
- the machine rises about 3 cm;
- the controllability of the car noticeably worsens, and from time to time it can be "rearranged" along the way;
- driving safety is lost;
- interference with standard suspension geometry occurs.
This is significantly different from how auto-buffers (shock-absorbing pillows) work. Reviews of these devices suggest that the cost of their installation is often somewhat cheaper, and as a result, the following effect is achieved:
- driving comfort increases;
- controllability improves as roll and body buildup are reduced;
- shock absorber is protected from breakdowns, which significantly increases its service life;
- the car sags less under various loads;
- clearance rises by about 1.5 cm (and in some models you can completely get rid of this rise).
By using innovative material and a specialized form, the user gets much more advantages by installing auto-buffers. Driver reviews often indicate how such devices are more effective than standard spacers.
How to install them?
The installation procedure for such pillows is quite simple, and there is not even anything complicated in installing the auto-buffers on the Solaris. User reviews suggest that even novice motorists do not encounter any problems, since installation is carried out in a few simple steps:
- We prepare a soap solution, a jack and a pillow. Soap solution is used to clean the spring of grease and dirt.
- Lift the machine and make sure that the wheel does not touch any surfaces.
- Check if your shock absorber spring is loose.
- Thoroughly clean the spring from grease and dirt by spraying the solution on both it and the pillows themselves.
- Install the auto-buffers on the Hyundai Solaris on the middle spring . Reviews left by drivers often include information that sizes may not match, so be sure to check the manufacturer’s catalog first or ask a consultant to help you choose a pillow model that will fit your car.
- Make sure that the coils of the spring fit exactly into the grooves.
Negative reviews
First of all, it is worth noting the fact that at the moment you can find rather contradictory responses about how useful AMT bus buffers are. The reviews of some people say that this is a complete waste of money, as some devices lose their shape after a few months of active driving, and also gradually begin to hold badly, which reduces their entire usefulness to zero.
Also, often people say that many mechanics, in principle, do not advise installing something superfluous in the springs, since with the usefulness of such devices they would be used by automobile manufacturers. Obviously, many do not listen to them and still put the Chinese auto-buffers. Reviews of such users most often end with the fact that there is no difference, and unless the clearance rises by a couple of centimeters, but in the end it returns to its place, and the installation of these devices does not affect the comfort at all. In such cases, you can pay attention to the fact that we are talking mainly about Chinese devices, which are cheaper, but they are not made from urethane, and this is quite important.
Some leave with specific examples of how autobuffers were used, reviews. Chevrolet Cruze, for example, is equipped with Chinese buffers, which completely lose their shape in a couple of months. After that, the Korean kit is installed, but the only change noticed - when fully loaded, the machine sags an order of magnitude less.
Positive reviews
Much more positive feedback from people using urethane bus buffers. Reviews of many users, of course, are quite boilerplate, but among them there are also detailed impressions of drivers. So, many say that after installing these devices, the movement became much softer, any speed bumps can be easily overcome , and the roll has also decreased. Some separately note that in order to achieve such an effect, one must carefully select the size, place the order correctly and select devices specifically for barrel and conical springs, which many, of course, do not.
Some note that the car starts to drive much quieter after the auto-buffers are placed in the springs. Feedback from car owners also suggests that stability is improved, the roll is eliminated and the braking distance is significantly reduced , making even an overloaded car look much safer.
Reviews of specialists
The main feature of the car spring is that it works as a whole, and after installing the spacers from any material (rubber or urethane), you divide it into two parts, that is, some particular coil completely stops working, and then the load is already unevenly distributed. Thus, the pressure increases both on the spring itself and on the bowl. At the same time, it is worth paying tribute to the fact that urethane is indeed a fairly soft material and, unlike the same rubber, can freely absorb various vibrations, deform and return to its original shape.
The manufacturer takes into account many nuances, and also the springs are designed for specific operating conditions. Experts recommend the use of additional spacers only when your spring begins to sag. That is, they are used as a budget way to return stiffness. The cost of the springs themselves is actually quite low, so you can simply replace them. But then you do not get other positive effects from these devices.
Thus, if while driving a car you do not notice any problems with shock absorbers or springs, and you are not one of those who prefer to fully load your car, it is quite possible to do without installing any additional components. It would be nice for others to use these devices, since driving with them will really become more comfortable and, in a sense, even safer.