When it comes to absorbing the shocks of the road, you'd think the shock absorbers would take care of everything. But you'd only be half right. Actually, coil or leaf springs handle the abuse of the road. Your shock absorbers handle the abuse caused by the rebound of the springs. They both work together to keep your vehicle under control. And those two components, plus a variety of control arms, shafts, rods, bushings, joints, and knuckles make up what's commonly called a conventional suspension. Many larger SUVs and pick up trucks still use this time-tested design.

However, many of today's front-wheel drive cars have a strut suspension system that combines the control arms and shock absorbers of a conventional suspension into one unit, eliminating the need for a lot of other components. Struts cost more, but they do more than conventional shock absorbers. Also, there's less stuff to break.

No matter what kind of suspension you have, its operation is affected by your car's alignment, which determines everything from the position of your steering wheel to how your tires actually touch the road.