Does cold weather affect car shocks?

Question

I drive a 2000 Toyota Tundra with 82,XXX miles. I also live in a frozen state with harsh winters. It is completely original without any other maintenance than the basics.

I've noticed that when the temps get seriously cold, the truck drives poorly even once warm. I get a lot of body roll, it jitters over railroad tracks, and the steering feels mushy.

My thinking is that the cold weather makes the pressure drop in the shocks. So, my question is is this true or did my shocks just go bad at the start of winter. If I replace the shocks, am I going to have the same problem in cold weather with the new ones?

Answer 1

sealed shocks are filled with oil, this isnt normally viewed as a problem. the oil when cold is normally thicker thus takes a bit more umph to compress and soften the shock of a bump. the greater problem arises when the vehicles get older, it is not uncommon to have a leaking shock that looses some of its oil and have water seep into it over time. the water then can freeze whicl the oil stays liquid and you are left driving something with little or no suspension. also be careful if they are leaking as a frozen shock can cause damage. the mounts are designed to absorb some shock as the vehicle shock compresses, if the shock is frozen then it cannot compress thus acts like a direct ram on the suspension mount that is meant to affix the shock to the vehicle, if these break off then you are looking at replacement of the mounts ( if they are serviceable) or fabrication of new mounts is they are integrated into the framework.

best advice is if they are riding stiff or not compressing , you should replace them before they damage more than just the shocks. if you can get a gas filled quality replacement version they should last you a decent amount of time and smooth out your rides

Answer 2

You've got oil filled shocks and oils generally become more viscous as they get colder. I can imagine getting body-roll problems with cold shock oil and the jitters over railroad tracks as they haven't finished reacting to the the previous bump when you hit the next. If you continued to hit them rythmically then your shocks would eventually fully compress as they don't get the time to rebound.



Steering can feel a bit off because you'll compress the shocks on one side of the car and when you straighten up or immediately turn the other way, they're still a little compressed and the car is unsettled.



Fitting gas shocks would help but might not be worth the spend.

Answer 3

I bought two back shocks for the 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee last fall. These are the top of the line gas charged mono shock. They are supposed to be great. In Warm weather they are a bit firm, but good.



My problem is that with zero to -10 to -23 degrees, these shocks bottom out over bumps I would expect to be no problem. In weather that is above 20 degrees, the suspension is normal. i emailed monroe, and got no answer. i am not happy with them, and will never buy Monroe again.



I have heard allot of explanations, but in this highly technological age, I would expect better.

Answer 4

Time to change the shocks! Get some gas ones! Palmer

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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Answer 7

sounds like the shocks are worn out. it should do better with new ones.

Answer 8

yeah i live in minnesota and my cars shocks suck balls too in the winter. idk if they're just old or not though. :p