What exactly is the difference between struts and shock absorbers? I've been looking all around and it looks like they're basically the same or something. I don't know though. Also, what exactly are coilovers? What do they consist of? Finally, what are adjustable shocks? Are they just coilovers or what?

 

answer http://www.google.com/search?q...utf-8

answer https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=747347
your answer is in there. scroll down, it's the biggest post.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

That still doesn't help me completely. I still don't understand what the difference between struts and shocks are, and if there's not really much of a difference, I don't understand why.

 

Semanitics...people just call them different things.

 

The difference is kinda subtle, lots of people use the terms interchangeably, not always correctly...

A McPherson strut is a shock absorber that has a fat, strong shaft that can take sideways loads. It's strong enough to take the place of an upper control arm. So if you unbolt the top of the strut, there's nothing else holding the steering knuckle in place. Now the wheel just flops around...

A typical old USA car has simple shock absorbers. (Dampers if you're English.) You can take off the shock with the wheels on the ground. Just unbolt the top & bottom (if you can reach).

Lots of Hondas have a shock that also has the spring perch. Put that together with the spring itself, & a fork that attaches to the lower control arm; I guess that whole assembly taken together can be called a strut. But it's not a McPherson strut since it doesn't take the place of the upper control arm.