Autobuffers: the pros and cons, reviews of car owners. Korean interturn cushions

Over time, the car, which uses a spring suspension, sags. Small rolls appear, comfort worsens. The cost of the original springs is high enough, and "rolling" them, as the springs, will not work. How to get rid of the rolls in the corners and at the same time increase the clearance? Autobuffers are used for this. Pros and cons, reviews about these devices - later in this article.

Characteristic

This product appeared on the Russian market relatively recently. Another name - interturn spacers, or pillows-buffers. Outwardly they represent a transparent gasket, which is installed between two coils of the spring.

Material

The material from which automotive TTCs are made is a transparent urethane. To the touch, it is very elastic, due to which it perfectly absorbs various vibrations, vibrations and impacts during the operation of the suspension. More expensive Korean autobuffers are made from synthetic rubber. At a cost, it is an order of magnitude higher than its counterparts - about 7 thousand rubles per set for four springs. The material has the property of quickly recovering its geometry. Even with the impact on a large pit, the element will qualitatively work out a blow and absorb most of its energy. Some of them set that the machine does not sit heavily when loading. There is also a cheaper auto-buffer. Amortizing cushions are made of simple rubber and an order of magnitude worse work out roughness. It is difficult to call such a material elastic. To put such autobabers (on VAZ including) it is not necessary. Reviews say that cheap products are completely ineffective. By the way, high-quality products from urethane do not lose their elastic properties at a wide temperature range - from minus 60 to plus 120 degrees Celsius, which is excellent for any latitudes.

Varieties

Interstitial spacers are distinguished by the size and diameter of the turns. Each model has its own marking. As a rule, these are Latin letters C, D, E, A and others. The distance between the turns can be from 1.3 to 6.8 centimeters. And the diameter of the spring is from 12.5 to 18 centimeters. Therefore, before buying auto-buffers, reviews of car owners recommend to measure these characteristics in advance. At each model of the car they are different. Universal models that would fit all the "cars", no. When measuring the longest distance, it should be borne in mind that the front (due to the location of the motor) it will be an order of magnitude lower than in the rear.

Functionality

Manufacturers position this device as something designed to improve safety and comfort in driving. When installing autobuffers, the car becomes more precise in management. He does not heel at corners and does not shake when braking. The main task of the element is to reduce spending on suspension maintenance. Having installed such a device between the turns, you reduce the level of load on the springs, shock absorbers and silent blocks, since a certain percentage of impacts are absorbed by the urethane spacer. Accordingly, their resource increases. Reviews of car owners say that this thing is great for operating on bad roads.

How to install with your own hands

For self-installation you do not need special equipment and special tools. All you need is an ordinary jack. Putting the car on a handbrake, hang out one of the wheels completely. For ease of installation, you can remove it beforehand. Further, when the coils of the spring fully extend, we place the element in the grooves. If dirt is on the turns, it can be cleaned with gasoline or white spirit. In addition, the element is fixed with plastic clamps. If a piece of the piece goes to the second turn, cut off excess with a clerical knife. A mismatch of length can increase the load on the part of the spring. But what if you specifically purchased a high auto-buffer to increase the clearance, and it does not fit into the spring? To do this, it is recommended to remove the lower mount of the shock absorber. So the spring travel on the suspension arm will be maximum. If necessary, use a negative screwdriver (as a lever when installing the pillow). After installation, fix the wheel back, lower the car and tighten the bolt securing the lower shockblock of the shock absorber.

Benefits

What has the auto-buffers plus and minus? Reviews note that this is one of the most affordable ways of tuning the suspension. It is difficult to name a significant revision, but if you are pursuing the goal of increasing the clearance, installing a cushion between the turns will allow you to do this. In this case, the geometry of the suspension does not change. Unlike other spacers, you do not need to look for or produce additional brackets for mounting shock absorbers, as with increasing clearance its course will be minimal. Also, the device fights with sagging springs. The turns will not strike against each other. As for manageability, it becomes much better. The car gently passes such irregularities as railway and tramway rails, recumbent policemen and just pits. When braking, the car does not "bite your nose." When you hit a large pit, the counter does not rest on the bump. As you know, frequent strokes in it can pierce the shock absorber. Spacer adds a few centimeters, thereby saving the rack from breakdowns. At corners the car does not aspire to leave on "a counter" or a roadside. It strictly adheres to a given radius. During a turn to a large degree, you will not feel that the car is about to roll over. But this can only be achieved with serviceable shock absorbers.

How to determine the wear of shock absorbers?

If they are out of order, the installation of urethane cushions will be meaningless. Since their price is quite serious, before the purchase should be diagnosed shock absorbers and suspension racks. You can do this without dismantling. It is necessary to swing the car up and down and see how it will fight with fluctuations. If the car returned to a calm state for 1-2 fluctuations, the racks are intact. But when she keeps jumping, it's not normal. During the turn such a car will rush to the roadside or the oncoming traffic. Also the condition of the shock absorbers is checked on the fly. If you hear a characteristic knocking in one of the four wheels while driving, the stance is likely to have broken through. External examination is also not a problem. If there is a leak on the shock absorber body, this is clearly a sign of wear. Only by eliminating this problem, you can think about installing parts such as auto-buffers. Where to buy them? You can buy items on any car market in your city, in shops or online. The assortment of choices is simply huge.

How much does it serve?

Since the material of manufacture can be different, the life of the urethane cushions is significantly different. It is from 2 to 7 years. The owners' comments indicate that the urethane product is considered to be the most qualitative and relatively inexpensive. They are as hardy as rubber analogues. Remember that the color should be transparent. When adding dyes, be aware that the manufacturer has mixed the material with other components. This significantly reduces the cost of manufacturing, but at the same time, their strength and service life are reduced. A quality product shakes the car less, which is very useful when traveling long distances. In view of the good absorption of shocks and vibrations by such cushions, the service life of shock absorbers increases, the risk of their leakage decreases. They also reduce the level of planting the machine at a large load. It does not sink to the bottom and does not cling to them on bumps. This is a big plus.

disadvantages

What are the pluses and minuses of the auto-buffers? Reviews note the main drawback - a high price. The cheapest set of two pillows will cost about one and a half thousand rubles. Also, many people do not like the rigidity of the suspension. Like, the machine does not work well pits and bumps. But often this applies to products made of poor-quality materials. Also, when selecting, carefully measure the diameter and length between turns. The slightest discrepancy - and the pillow will not normally hold. Also, the owners' reviews mark the poor quality of the fasteners. Even when the cushion corresponds to the size of the spring, it flies out of the grooves. All because of the poor quality of the plastic clamps, which are rubbed with metal turns and break off. In this regard, motorists decide to fix the products on metal clamps. But such fasteners can wipe the spacer or coil springs. Therefore, periodically check the condition of the plastic clamps and in the presence of deformations, change them to new ones. Auto-buffers can not be mounted on rigid sports springs. This can provoke the appearance of cracks in the loops due to the increased load on them. The cushion is installed only on standard springs.

How to choose?

We have just examined what auto-buffers have pluses and minuses. Reviews of motorists can vary greatly. Some praise urethane cushions, others categorically do not advise them to install. And the whole thing is in the quality of manufacturing. The Russian market is full of fakes. And auto-buffers are no exception. Therefore, when buying bypass the side of the colored products. They should only be transparent. Also test them for elasticity. Rigid elements in no way will provide damping of oscillations - they will only increase the load on the turns, since only 5 of them will be used from 5. Pay attention to the smell. It does not have to be sharp. Substandard products quickly crack. Among manufacturers it is worth noting products from the company "TTS". This is a Korean firm that makes really high quality urethane cushions. They give a three-year warranty on their products, although in fact they serve much longer.

Conclusion

So, we found out what auto-buffers are for. As you can see, this is a good way to return the suspension to its former rigidity and to restore the clearance of the springs that have slipped. Some, as an alternative, install pneumatic cylinders. They have something similar to air pockets, but they are not pumped from the passenger compartment, but manually, by a compressor. The function is approximately the same, however, at each loading, it is necessary to control the pressure. With autobuffers, you do not need to pump anything. But they are 2 times more expensive than cylinders.