The goal of the shock is to keep the tire in contact with the ground, aka in control. Too stiff and the tire skips, too soft and the tire or chassis bounces. The steadier the downward force on the tire the more consistent the grip is mid corner.MattsAwesomeStuff wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2026 3:45 am Generally, compressing quickly is desirable, so that when you hit a bump, the tires can bounce upwards without much stopping them, while the cab stays at the same height. In that way, you won't feel the bump. It eventually needs to reset, but you want it resetting slower than it compressed, spread out over time, so you don't feel the impact. If it bounced back just as hard, it wouldn't feel like you had any suspension.
Spring frequency (spring strength) drives the recovery timing. Wheelbase, spring frequency front vs. rear (each driven by spring strength), and vehicle speed drive the timing the rear recovers vs the front. This is why some vehicles feel great at certain speeds.
Shocks control the springs.
There are all sorts of damping techniques used in shocks. Sometimes they are used to mask other issues.
