Autobuffers: reviews of car enthusiasts

Since the 90s, many manufacturers have begun to offer car owners to purchase auto-buffers. Reviews about the usefulness of these devices to date remain ambiguous: some talk about the undeniable benefit of such an installation, while others consider it completely useless, while some even in principle do not know what it is and what it is for.

History

The founder of an unknown company still at that time TTC worked in a small store selling all kinds of car accessories in Korea. In the course of this lesson, he came up with the idea of releasing new equipment, which we now know many as auto-buffers. The feedback from users who were satisfied with the purchase of this device was in many respects very positive, and therefore it began to enjoy wide popularity all over the world.

Jung Soo suffered from a back injury due to osteochondrosis and pinching of nerves. In the process of driving the car every time it fell into the pit or any unevenness of the road on the suspension, the pressure was transmitted to the cabin, which caused him extreme discomfort and caused painful sensations. After that, he began to think about how to make the trip by car more comfortable and enjoyable, and eventually developed auto-buffers. The reviews were initially minor, and with the first samples it did not get the desired results, but over the next 20 years, its development was constantly developing not only by him, but also by many other manufacturers, and new versions of the form and materials began to be used.

To date, these devices are a modern and effective solution for any car, designed to increase comfort and make driving more pleasant compared to the management of cars with standard suspension, installed by most of the world's manufacturers. Today in many countries you can find auto-buffers. Reviews about these devices in Russia have started to appear relatively recently.

What materials are used in their manufacture?

Amortizing pillows are made of a special transparent urethane and special composition. Thus, a high-tech material is obtained, effectively absorbing various shocks and vibrations. It is worth noting that exactly the same material is used by Nike - the leading manufacturer of sportswear - in the manufacture of footwear. It has a peculiar memory effect, due to which, after any loads, it returns to its original state. TTS has a contract for the use of this material in the field of automotive components, and at the moment only auto-buffers are manufactured from it. Reviews of car owners about this device in many ways suggest that the innovative material really does pay off, and its use can increase the comfort of driving.

Pillows TTS can be called the result of many trials and errors revealed during the twenty years of testing the product and the materials used.

How do they affect the suspension of the car?

Many people believe that the spring can break if installed on it autobuffers. Reviews of car owners are often indicative of the opposite, and we'll try to figure out why.

Most experienced drivers remember the rubber inserts popular at the time, which the owners of Volg and Zhiguli actively installed on their cars to raise their car. These devices were the first attempts to upgrade the original characteristics of the suspension and partially allowed to solve the problem with the increase in clearance, which for many remains relevant to this day. Indeed, with their help it was possible to raise it, but the price for it was quite high, as various performance characteristics of the car were lost, and the effect was achieved absolutely different in comparison with how autobuffers work. Reviews negative mainly: "riding as if on a stool" - that's how many drivers described their trips.

Of course, in such situations, the risk of faults in the springs increases substantially, because the turn into which such a piece of rubber is inserted ceases to work, giving its load to the rest, although they are not calculated for it. Almost immediately after these inserts began to spread to us, similar tests were also conducted by testers in Korea.

What happened in the end?

For 20 years, TTS has been testing, developing and breaking various forms and materials from which auto-buffers were made. Negative reviews about existing devices were also taken into account, and the manufacturer tried to fully satisfy the consumers' interest. It is worth noting that it is the shape and material used - the main differences between modern devices and the "rubber bands" that were used in Soviet times. At the same time, the auto-buffer is primarily designed to provide safety and comfort in the process of driving, and the fact that it allows you to raise the car slightly - this is its secondary function.

Throughout the whole period of existence of such accessories in Korea, there have been no cases of breakage of springs due to the fact that it was installed auto-bump TTS. Reviews about such devices were mostly left only positive, because even if you squeeze it, it will easily succumb and shrink, that is, it changes its shape even under minor loads, not to mention how much the car's spring compresses during the ride .

If we talk about the useful properties of this equipment, it is worth noting its protection against breakdown, which increases its overall service life by about half. Thus, a useful device provides comfort and safety for your car, without having any negative impact on any units or aggregates.

How do they differ from the spacers?

Now let's look at the differences between standard spacers and what the TBA auto-buffers are. Reviews of motorists often include information about the fact that auto-buffers are standard spacers in springs, but in fact it is not entirely correct. Of course, they are inserted into the springs, and many remember how various springs and balls were used for the same purposes at the dawn of perestroika, but in fact there is a serious difference from what the products of that time were: material, technology Production and main objectives.

Previously, a standard piece of rubber was used for this, which was constantly bursting and cracking, could be chafed in the frost and was used mainly to increase the clearance. Modern autobuffers are specially designed forms made of urethane, which gives the car a lot of new opportunities. Often these devices are called cushion cushions, and they serve primarily for comfort, smoothing various road irregularities and reducing shaking, which makes driving more enjoyable.

What do they give?

Spacers are used mainly to increase the clearance, and install them directly under the shock absorber support or spring, which allows to increase the height of the car by about 3-5 centimeters. And the cost of this pleasure is quite high, and in the end the driver gets the following:

• The machine rises about 3 cm;
• Markedly deteriorates the controllability of the car, and periodically it can "rearrange" along the way;
• Lost safety driving;
• There is interference in the standard geometry of the suspension.

This is significantly different from how autobuffers work (cushioning cushions). Reviews of these devices suggest that the cost of their installation is often somewhat cheaper, and as a result, the following effect is achieved:

• Increases the comfort of driving;
• Improves controllability, as the roll and swinging of the body decrease;
• Provides protection of the shock absorber against breakdowns, which significantly increases its service life;
• The car sags less under various loads;
• The clearance rises by about 1.5 cm (and in some models it is possible and at all to get rid of this rise).

Due to the use of innovative material and specialized form, the user gets much more advantages by installing auto-buffers. Drivers' reviews often indicate how much such devices are more effective than standard spacers.

How to install them?

The procedure for installing such cushions is quite simple, and there is not even anything complicated in setting the auto-buffers on Solaris. User reviews say that even novice motorists do not face any problems, since installation is carried out in a few simple steps:

1. We prepare a soap solution, a jack and a cushion. Soap solution is used to clean the spring of grease and dirt.
2. Raise the car and make sure that the wheel does not touch any surfaces.
3. Check to see if your shock absorber spring is in a weakened state.
4. Thoroughly clean the spring of grease and dirt, spraying the solution on both it and the pillows themselves.
5. Install the auto-buffer on the middle spring on the Hyundai Solaris. Reviews left by drivers often include information that the dimensions may not match, so be sure to check with the manufacturer's catalog beforehand or ask a consultant to help you choose the pillow model that will fit your car.
6. Make sure that the coils of the spring are exactly in the grooves.

Negative feedback

First of all it is worth noting the fact that at the moment it is possible to find quite contradictory feedback about the usefulness of AMT auto-buffers. The responses of some people say that it is a waste of money, as some devices lose their shape after a few months of active driving, and also gradually start to stick to bad things, which reduces their utility to zero.

Also often people say that many mechanics in principle do not advise installing something extra in the springs, since with the usefulness of such devices they would be used by automotive manufacturers. Obviously, many do not listen to them and still put the Chinese auto-buffs. Reviews of these users often end in the fact that there is no difference, and unless the clearance is raised by a couple of centimeters, but eventually returns to its place, and the comfort of installing these devices in general is not reflected. In such cases, you can pay attention to the fact that it is mainly about Chinese devices that are cheaper, but they are not manufactured from urethane, and this is important enough.

Some are left with concrete examples of how autobuffers were used, testimonials. "Chevrolet Cruz", for example, is equipped with Chinese buffers, which completely lose their shape in a couple of months. After that, the Korean kit is installed, but the only noticeable change is that when the machine is fully loaded, the car sags by an order of magnitude.

Positive reviews

Much more positive feedback from people using urethane autobuffers. The reviews of many users, of course, are quite generic, but among them there are also detailed written impressions of drivers. So, many people say that after the installation of these devices, the traffic became much softer, any recumbent cops easily overcome , and also the roll decreased. Some separately note that to achieve this effect, you must carefully select the size, correctly place the order and specifically select devices for barrel and conical springs, which many, of course, do not.

Some note that the car starts to go much quieter after the springs are put auto-bars. Reviews of car owners also suggest that stability is improved, roll is reduced and braking distance is significantly reduced , so that even an overloaded car looks much safer.

Expert Reviews

The main feature of the springs of cars is that it works as a unit, and after installing the spacer from any material (rubber or urethane), you divide it into two parts, that is, a certain turn completely ceases to work, and in the future the load is already Distributed unevenly. Thus, the pressure increases both on the spring itself and on the bowl. At the same time, it is worth to pay tribute to the fact that urethane is really soft enough material and unlike the same rubber it can freely absorb various vibrations, deform and return to the original shape.

The manufacturer takes into account a lot of nuances, and the springs are designed for certain operating conditions. The use of additional spacers experts recommend only when your spring begins to sag. That is, they are used as a budgetary way of returning stiffness. The cost of the springs themselves is actually low enough, so you can simply replace them. But then you do not get other positive effects from these devices.

Thus, if you do not notice any problems with shock absorbers or springs while driving, and you are not one of those who prefer to fully load your car, you can do without installing any additional components. Others will also benefit from these devices, as driving with them will indeed become more comfortable and in some ways even safe.