I am feeling every bump on the roads. What do the experts on here think it could be? I think I may need new struts or shocks. I know everyone on here tells everybody to lower their car but I am looking for the most comfortable ride I can get. I'm about to go back to school and finish so my budget will be somewhat reduced. Thanks for the help.

 

How many miles are on your car?

 

Mileage is a good start like Kappy550 asked. Can you describe with a bit more detail in what you mean by feeling every bump on the roads? Does it feel like the car isn't absorbing the bumps or does the ride feel disconnected? It will greatly help diagnose your particular issue.

 

I'm having this problem too. That is probably the best word to describe my problem. smooth roads it feels nice and plush but going over a bump it does sound like the suspension is disconnected.

 

Bushings perhaps? Struts just dampen the bound/rebound of the springs, so unless you have a bouncy ride, they're probably not bad. Bushings, on the other hand, are rubber pieces that sit between two metal contacts and absorb vibrations while still transmitting movement. If a bushing is too worn, you could have excessive movement between components, which, depending on the bushing, could manifest as anything from disconnected steering to a harsh ride or strange noises.

If you have the space to jack the car up, I'd get under there and look around at the places where separate components meet (such as control arms to hubs, sway bar to chassis, etc). You likely won't be able to "see" if a bushing is worn, but if you have a small (~12") pry bar, you can try moving components and comparing side-to-side if one moves more than the other.

The good news is that bushings themselves are much cheaper than struts, but can be trickier to replace for a DIYer, so you may have to take it to a shop to have the old one extracted and a new one pressed in.

 

It has 125k miles. Smooth rodes it rides like a dream. Small bumps in the road it feels worse than ever. I didn't notice this during the summer.