New Suspension

[GSsoldier]

HEY guys... got new shocks today i think... the middle thing around the spring... whatever its called... my rear left part of the car was getting lower to the ground everyday since mid of feb or something... but yesterday when i went out the tire almost touched the inside of the tire well so my dad and i got the parts and went to an friends auto shop and helped them install new struts around... took about 4 hour... ride seems to be a little better over bumps arent too bad now... but a few questions... how do u tell between air suspension and others?? dad always told me it was air suspension... but im not sure since it has springs... uhhh kind confused on how to tell the difference... also i noticed my friends LS has some kind of black covering of the top of the front suspension...im open for comments and questions too... should there be anything else i should replace my car just recently hit the 1710900 give or take... anyways thanks for any or not any feedback in the future...

also another question... after i got them i tested it out driving straight lines and some meduim turns... it seems like there was some type of viberating... that caused my head to move like a bobblehead... at the speed of 85... now should i get the car realigned?? or what?

-joe

[92Lex]

Does the car track straight when you let go of the steering wheel?

[GSsoldier]

no goes to the right a bit...

thats bad isnt it?

[Econ]

Air suspension relates to the struts, which is only one component of the suspension. Springs are another component and are on every car. Springs without struts/shocks would result in a bouncy ride - struts/shocks act as a dampener. That is, when the spring is compressed when your car hits a bump, the shock/strut slows down the compression and expansion of the spring. Struts/shocks by themselves provide no support for your car, so it would just collapse to the ground if you didn't use springs.

The "air" part of the struts means that the height of the car is pneumatically controlled (in the case of the LS - air suspension means different things for different cars).

A slight pull isn't bad, persay, but is a sign that you need an alignment. The vibrating in turns at 85mph (not kph, right?) is more of a concern. I'm assuming, based on your description, that it's a slower side-to-side motion rather than a rapid vibration. A rapid vibration could be related to wheel balance, worn tires and/or alignment. Side to side motion is a sign of extreme alignment problems and/or ball-joint issues.

I would take the car to a shop to get it aligned, but make sure that they take a look at your upper/lower ball joints to see if they're in need of replacing. They should let you know if the car will hold an alignment, which will indicate if there are problems with the ball joints.