Ride control components are some of the most important, yet often misunderstood components on vehicles. Not only are they designed to cushion occupants from the road surface and optimize handling—they tend to wear so gradually that motorists don’t notice the deterioration in factory ride height and vehicle performance, which, if left unchecked, can lead to significant hazards, including greater stopping distances, reduced directional control and excessive wear on other components including tires and steering.  

Greater longevity

As Robert Murgado, Director of Product Management for GSP North America notes, replacing ride control components such as struts, springs and dampers adds longevity to the vehicle, optimizing its performance and driving both safety and value for consumers.

Yet when it comes to replacing ride control, selecting quality components that are designed to last and easy to install is essential, particularly given the cost to replace struts, springs and dampers for consumers and the labour required to remove and replace these items. 

GSP’s ADVANTEDGE Loaded Strut assemblies were conceived to fulfill that requirement. Designed and engineered to OE specifications, these feature coil springs tuned for individual vehicle applications to ensure the correct ride height performance. Other features include dual-layered chrome piston rods to provide superior resistance against corrosion and extend seal life (important in an environment such as Canada, where salt, brine and slushy winter roads are a factor in many parts of the country), compounding the risk of aggressive corrosion and damage on under vehicle surfaces and components, including suspension and steering assemblies. 

Full coverage

Murgado says that GSP offers these ADVANTEDGE Loaded Strut for a whole range of applications, including full coverage for passenger cars and light trucks. 

Alongside Loaded Strut assemblies, GSP North America has also introduced ADVANTEDGE nitrogen gas Loaded Shocks (dampers), enabling motorists to have ride control components on four corners of their vehicle replaced (at the very minimum, struts and dampers should be replaced in pairs (side by side on the front or rear). Murgado notes that like the Loaded Strut assemblies these dampers have been designed for optimal quality and durability and feature an anti-foaming shock oil that is tested against a huge range of temperatures, as well as chrome-plated piston rods to resist corrosion, plus a dust-proof spring to keep out dirt and debris. 

Durability testing

When it comes to replacement vehicle components, a big question on the minds of many service providers and their customers, is how durable these replacements are, and will they meet or even exceed the performance of the original OE parts? Given the investment required to replace strut assemblies, springs, dampers and other suspension components, it’s a highly appropriate question. Murgado says that in the case of GSP, “our products are tested against the competition and by ourselves to ensure only the best quality product is going to the customer.”

Murgado notes that GSP’s application specific coil springs are designed to Original Equipment specifications and “avoid the one size fits all design that some major market competitors use.” Additionally, he says that with spring force testing at both compression and extension, GSP coil springs have consistently maintained the height gauge that satisfies OE requirements while some rival products have shown to demonstrate a greater height gauge—meaning that under real world conditions the result would be a negative impact on vehicle stability, particularly when cornering.

Superior performance 

Murgado says that GSP’s piston rods (which feature double chrome layer plating) have also shown superior performance than many competitors with smoother surface testing, resulting in less noise, vibration and harshness. Furthermore, even after being subjected to 3-million test cycles by GSP’s engineering teams, the results showed no significant reduction in damping performance or oil leakage. 

Murgado explains that it is results like these that have enabled GSP to earn a reputation as a trusted leader in undercar vehicle solutions. “Our Loaded Strut Assemblies complement our range of around-the-wheel products and adhere to GSP’s high quality offerings.” Because he says, “Loaded Strut Assemblies and Shocks are built for performance and longevity, GSP can avoid shortcuts some other competitors may take. This translates into not just quality automotive replacement parts, but rather, as Murgado explains, “the GSP ADVANTEDGE!”