Bilstein is one of the leading brands in the automotive industry. I’m sure that its name is one of the first ones that come to the mind whenever one thinks of quality dampers and suspension. Cars velocity is increasing more and more, which makes suspension essential for a quality drive. Bilstein shock absorbers smoothly connect the car body to the wheel suspension, providing a perfect contact of the automobile with the road.
A bit of History
Bilstein was founded by August Bilstein in 1873. In the beginning, the company produced window fittings, until 1827, when they entered the automotive industry, under the direction of August’s son, Hans Bilstein.
The company started to produce their famous shock absorbers in the 1950s, when the idea of a moto-tube-gas-pressurized damper started being developed. And in 1857, Mercedes Benz started using their shock absorbers in their cars.
What is the Suspension and Why Is It Important?
The suspension is the connection between the car and the road. The suspension system aims to reduce the impact and vibration of the wheels and the car body caused by direction changes and an uneven road. It is necessary to ensure that this link of the car with the road is optimum, in order to guarantee the mechanical safety of the vehicle structure and the safety of the occupants.
One of the main parts of the suspension systems is shock absorbers, which are designed to reduce vibration from the springs. They get thermal energy from kinetic energy and all thanks to fluid friction.
Functioning is very simple. The first impact when a car passes over an obstacle is received by the spring, which is compressed. In this point, the shock absorber must slow down the movement of the spring at the same time as it releases its tension.
The shock absorber goes through two stages:
- Compression stage: the moment when the car hits an obstacle and the spring is compressed.
- Rebound stage: when the shock absorber is controlling the movement of the spring when it releases its tension after receiving the impact of an obstacle.
Different types of shock absorbers offered by Bilstein
There are different types of shock absorbers, depending on the technology used, and the type of engine they serve. Check out the following list of shock absorbers:
1. Hydraulic
This is an outdated solution, due to its poor service and high contamination rates. During the driving, the oil and air molecules separate, which means that the damping force is considerably reduced. Its full power is only recovered after a break. This is due to the fact that the oil contains 10% of air molecules.
2. Gas pressure
This shock absorber uses nitrogen to ensure that the oil is constantly under pressure, which eliminates the handicap of a damping force loss. This system is much safer, as the suspension system remains stable during the whole drive.
There are two different types of gas pressure shock absorbers:
- Monotube – used in the sport cars
- Twin-tube – considered as high technology at an affordable price.
This is used the maximum nowadays and all thanks to its better performance and higher security measures. The fact that it discharges thermal energy to the atmosphere is a signal of the high performance it is capable of.
Given that you use a faster car with a powerful engine, the suspension system is a vital aspect you need to consider. Similarly, the shock absorbers slow down or reduce any impact of vibration from the spring, and that is why it is known as a vibration damper. The suspension system from Bilstein offers the maximum durability and safety. So, don’t wait anymore. Just replace the suspension system and other components now.
