why is my front tire bouncing when i get up to 50 mph?
4 Answers
Shocks and struts are dampeners. A tire and wheel assembly must be round, not have lateral runout and must be balanced. Since you describe "bouncing" I would check the tires. Start with correct pressure, and then inspect for flat spot, broken belt, lump, or imbalance. The shock or strut would soften by containing the suspension travel and slowing the rate of jounce and rebound. They cannot dampen out the vibrations of a bad tire, or cause "bouncing " But hey, see if your tire dealer would guarantee they will. and refund your money when you still have the old tire in place but they sold you a new strut !
Even a strut that has leaked will not cause these woes, but would simply react poorly over bumps of the necessary height. The suspension may continue to react unabated. I recommend taking the shop foreman for a road test to demonstrate what you are trying to fix. Selling struts and shocks makes a lot of money, but really, most of them do not fail the manufacturers tests or "cause" problems.
Damaged shocks or struts are something else, if on or more are bent in a collision, now that car would need some special measurements and close attention during inspection. Replacing them is definite, then.
